The Role of The Prophet John

The prophetic voice of God was silent for 400 years. The time between the Old and New Testament. Then God broke the silence and spoke through Gabriel to Elizabeth and then to Mary. Now he speaks through Zechariah. And when God spoke, it’s all through the central theme of Jesus.

This verse is part of Zechariah’s Song found at the end of Luke. Zechariah’s song is a prophecy. A prophecy which spoke first of the unborn Jesus and plan for salvation and then to his new son John and his place in God’s great plan of redemption.

The Prophet John was not just a quick figure to glanse over in the Bible. Not just a few verses to quickly read through to get to Jesus. He was an integral part of God’s redemptive work. He was the voice who called out to those who were lost. He was the sunrise that broke through the silence and would begin to shine in the darkness. He was the one who helped the lost find their footing again, he pointed them in the direciton of the Savior. He lifted their gaze in hope.

He was the one who prepared the way for the Waymaker.

Behold - Divinity Incarnate is HERE

One of my favorite songs right now is Behold by Phil Wickham. I absolutely love it. We wanted to share this lyric set with you here. Rejoice with us in this! Divinity incarnate. Our Creator, Our Savior is here breathing OUR air. He’s here.

Don’t let this truth pass you by without rejoicing in this extraordinary truth.

 

If you are not familiar with the song… here it is.

Joshua and Jesus - the meaning of their name

Luke 1:31. “You will name him Jesus.”

Jesus was the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua.

Joshua was a common name meaning, “the LORD saves”

Just as Joshua had led the Israelites into the promise land so Jesus would lead his people onto eternal life.

The symbolism of his name would not be lost on the people of his day, who took names seriously. They saw them as a source of power.

Moses vs. Mary - The Response

God called Moses to deliver the people out of Egypt which foreshadows Jesus delivering his people out of sin and slavery. In Jesus’ story, Mary was much like Moses and called by the Heavens to deliver the Savior. It’s quite interesting to compare the two in their initial response to God’s command. Moses vs Mary. We know from the Exodus story that Moses, while great as a leader, had quite the many objections to God. He had excuse after excuse for God to send him:

  • Who am I? (3:11)

  • Who is sending me? (3:13)

  • What if they don’t believe me? (v 4:1),

  • I am not good with words? (4:10)

  • He even pleads in verse 13 “please don’t send me.”

But when God calls upon Mary to bring forth the deliverer, there is but one very natural question of how would she bear a child since she is a virgin. She listens, understands and submits to God’s plan of deliverance. She quite simply and humbly states, “I am your servant.”

What is our response to God? I’m guessing we don’t have quite the grand task of delivering a nation or our Savior… but we are called.

Do we respond with objection after objection or do we humbly say yes.