Talk Together
Family conversations with God’s Word.
Has someone ever asked you to deliver a special message? How did it feel to be a chosen messenger?
Hundreds of years after David served as king, a priest named Zechariah served in God’s temple. One day, an angel of the Lord shared some exciting news. Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a baby boy named John! He would be God’s chosen messenger to tell people about Jesus.
Zechariah struggled to believe the news the angel shared. Because he doubted God’s message, Gabriel said Zechariah would not be able to speak for a while.
Months later Elizabeth gave birth to a son, and her friends and family celebrated! Zechariah still couldn’t talk, so he wrote the words “His name is John” on a tablet. As soon as he did, a miracle happened! God allowed Zechariah to talk again! Let’s read what he said in Luke 1:68-79.
ESV
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, the oath that He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
When Zechariah could speak again, he praised God for His faithful care of His chosen people! He knew God was fulfilling His promises to Abraham and David.
As the years passed, John grew up. The Bible describes him as a man who came from the wilderness and preached about a coming Savior. He wore clothes made from camel hair and ate wild honey and bugs called locusts! What an interesting man!
God chose John to go throughout Israel, preparing people for the coming Savior. John told them Someone was coming who was mightier than him. In fact, He was so mighty that John wasn’t even worthy to untie His sandals! John told the people to get ready and repent — to change their minds and hearts about sin. Then he baptized them with water.
One day, a King worthy of all our praise — Jesus, the Messiah promised from ancient times — came to the edge of the water and asked John to baptize Him. As Jesus came up out of the water, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) And then, Jesus began His ministry on Earth, loving, serving and teaching those around Him about our Great God and His great salvation.