When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” 61 But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” 62 So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. 63 He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. 65 Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
80 The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
The birth of John begins with mercy and joy. Elizabeth gives birth to a son, whose birth had been promised by the angel after many years of barrenness (Luke 1:5-25). Her neighbors and relatives rejoice because the Lord has shown her great mercy (vv. 57-58). Earlier, the angel had told Zechariah that this child would bring joy and gladness, and that many would rejoice at his birth. Now that promise begins to come true.
John is circumcised on the eighth day in accordance with the Law (v. 59). Circumcision was the covenant sign given to Abraham and his descendants, marking the child as belonging to the people of Israel (Genesis 17:12; Leviticus 12:3). Luke shows that John’s mission begins within God’s covenant people. He is being prepared for a special role, but he is also fully part of Israel, the people through whom God had promised blessing and salvation.
The relatives expect him to be called Zechariah, after his father, but Elizabeth says, “He will be called John” (v. 60). When they ask Zechariah, he writes, “John is his name” (v. 63). This is more than a family decision. The angel had already told Zechariah that the child’s name would be John. By accepting the name, Elizabeth and Zechariah obey the word God had given through his messenger.
The name John means “God is gracious” or “the Lord has shown favor.” Elizabeth had received a child in her old age, Zechariah had been brought from silence to praise, and Israel was being prepared for the coming of the Lord. John’s birth is a sign that God remembers his promises and acts with mercy.
When Zechariah writes the child’s name, his mouth is opened and his tongue is freed (v. 64). His first words are words of blessing. The silence that followed his earlier doubt gives way to praise. His restored speech shows that God’s word has come to fulfillment, and Zechariah now responds with faith and joy.
The people around them see that God is at work in the child’s life. Fear comes upon the neighbors, and the news spreads through the hill country of Judea (v. 65). This fear is a reverent awe before God’s action. The people take these things to heart and ask, “What, then, will this child be?” (v. 66). They see that John’s life is surrounded by God’s purpose, because “the hand of the Lord was with him” (v. 66).
The final verse looks ahead. John grows and becomes strong in spirit, and he lives in the desert until the time of his public mission to Israel (v. 80). The desert will be the place where John is prepared to call the people to repentance and to point them toward the Messiah. From his birth, his name, his circumcision, and his hidden preparation, John is shown as a child set apart for the Lord.
Elizabeth and Zechariah accept God’s word, even when it surprises others. Their obedience opens the way for praise, wonder, and deeper trust. God’s mercy is often first seen in ordinary human events, but those events can carry a greater purpose when they are received with faith.
Lord God, you prepared John for his mission from the beginning of his life. Help us to receive your word with faith, obey you with trust, and use our voices to bless your holy name. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Luke 1:57-66, 80 and notes on Luke 1:57 and 1:59.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. Page 107, notes on Luke 1:59 and 1:64.
- Casciaro, José María, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. Pages 247-248, notes on Luke 1:57-80.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. Page 682, paragraphs 24-25.
- Aguilar Chiu, José Enrique, Richard J. Clifford, Carol J. Dempsey, Eileen M. Schuller, Thomas D. Stegman, and Ronald D. Witherup, eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. Pages 1039-1040.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid OP, and Donald Senior CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. Third Fully Revised Edition, with a Foreword by Pope Francis. London: Bloomsbury T&T Clark, 2022. Page 1304.
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