Second Christmas Song - Benedictus

Luke 1:67-79

The angel Gabriel brought preposterous news to Zachariah! His wife, Elizabeth, was going to be pregnant. How could this be? He was an old man, and his wife was past child-bearing age. He doubted Gabriel and told him so. “No way!” Zachariah protested. “Yes, way!” Gabriel exclaimed and added a negative bonus, “You will lose your voice for over nine months because you do not believe me.” Let’s look at their actual conversation.

"How can I know this?" Zechariah asked the angel. "For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years." The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. Now listen. You will become silent and unable to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time." (Luke 1:18-20 CSB)

Elizabeth did become pregnant. Zechariah did become mute. He was unable to speak until the circumcision of their son John, eight days after his birth.

“When they came to circumcise the child on the eighth day, they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father. But his mother responded, "No. He will be called John." Then they said to her, "None of your relatives has that name." So they motioned to his father to find out what he wanted him to be called. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." And they were all amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God” (Luke 1:59-64 CSB)

When Zechariah’s “mouth was opened,” his first words were praising God—what we call the Benedictus because the first word from his mouth after being mute for over nine months was “blessed“ (benedictus in Latin). Zachariah was overcome by Holy Spirit and, with his new-found voice, expressed joyous praise.

“Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and provided redemption for his people. He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets in ancient times; salvation from our enemies and from the hand of those who hate us. He has dealt mercifully with our ancestors and remembered his holy covenant- the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant that we, having been rescued from the hand of our enemies, would serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness in his presence all our days. And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. Because of our God's merciful compassion, the dawn from on high will visit us to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:68-79 CSB).

Zechariah’s words are a song of praise to God for fulfilling the prophecy of the coming Messiah. Zechariah saw into the future. He saw Jesus as the “horn of salvation.” Horn in the Bible symbolizes power and victory. Jesus brought the power of salvation into the world and into our lives. This power of salvation flows from God’s extraordinary grace.

In verses 76 - 78, Zechariah prophesies concerning his son, John, who later became known as John the Baptist.

And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. Because of our God's merciful compassion, the dawn from on high will visit us to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:78-79 CSB)

John would “go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins.”

Zechariah continues in his praise and proclaims that the forgiveness of sin is “because of our God's merciful compassion, the dawn from on high will visit us to shine on those who live in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

In Zechariah’s words of praise, we see three profound theological truths each expressed with one word:

1. Forgiveness
   Karl Barth, a well-known German theologian, was on a lecture tour of the U.S. in 1962. After one of his lectures, during the Q & A time, a student asked Barth if he could summarize his theology in a few words. Barth responded, “In the words of a song I learned at my mother’s knee: ‘Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so.’” As the Apostle John tells us, “God is love” (1 John 4:16). God forgives us of our sin because he loves us. That is indeed one of the most profound theological truths in the Bible.

2. Light
   Writing to the Colossians, the Apostle Paul shared this wonderful truth: God has “…rescued us from the domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son he loves” (Colossians 1:13). Our world is a dark place! No one has to tell us that. We read and hear about it every day. We also know it is true because we know ourselves. We continually fall short of the glorious image of God in which he created us. We are an upside-down, bent, and broken people—without hope. However, the grace of God moves us from darkness to light, sets us right-side up, and gives us hope and a future.

3. Peace
   As we are forgiven by God, we move from the darkness of sin into the light of his Kingdom, and he guides “our feet into the way of peace.” Many have had their sins forgiven and moved from darkness to light, but they get stuck . They cannot truly say that the Lord guides them into peace.

   Are you one of those who know you are a child of the King because of the salvation brought by the Messiah Jesus dying on the cross, but you do not have true peace in your life? God wants to guide you into having peace—a peace that surpasses all understanding and guards your heart and mind (Philippians 4:7). Sink deep into the presence of your Savior and let Him '“guide you into the way of peace.”

This Advent season, my challenge to you is that among your gathering with family and friends and opening presents, you take time to reflect on the wonderful present of forgiveness, light, and peace that Jesus brought to the world and you.