The Song of Zechariah :: Luke 1:67-80

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[Introduction]

Not every song has a tune or is even sung.

There’s a song that parents today like to teach their children, a song they sing ... if not literally, nevertheless loudly and clearly ... a recitation that echoes through the world to prepare them for life ... to teach them how to find happiness. The lyrics vary from parent to parent, but the substance remains the same. They sing ...

“Live for yourself 

and pursue your own passions, 

because you were born to rise, to grow, to build your own glory.”

Yes, people teach their children to be selfish and prideful. They teach their children to believe that what matters most in life is their own specialness and success. When they discover that their children possess certain gifts or talents, they teach their children that these should be the focus of their lives, often at the expense of everyone and everything around them. 

Sadly, Christians often find themselves singing this same song, teaching their children that Jesus should be the center of their lives UNTIL he gets in the way of something they NEED to achieve maximum glory. ... Go to church, they say, UNLESS sports or dance or some other secular event gives you the opportunity to put your talents on display on Sunday morning. ... Talk to people about Jesus, they say, UNLESS doing so would hinder your public reputation. ... Believe what Jesus says, they say, within reason, BUT don’t actually give away everything you have to follow him. ... Don’t be so forgiving that people can walk all over you. Don’t sacrifice earthly respectability for eternal righteousness. 

These are some of the songs we sing to our children. 

And, of course, we teach them these songs because ... THIS is what we believe ourselves. Sure, we believe that glorifying God is important, but it’s still very much second place to building up our OWN glory ... our OWN wealth ... our OWN honor ... our OWN faith ... our OWN comfort ... while relying on our OWN feelings.

2.

In Luke chapter 1, Zechariah teaches us a much greater song, which is rather amazing when you consider the circumstances of John’s birth. 

Zechariah finds out about his son’s upcoming birth from an angel ... Gabriel ... who tells him that his aged wife is going to have a son ... a miracle reminiscent of Sarah giving birth to Isaac. And this angel tells Zechariah that his son is going to be a prophet like Elijah, who will be sent to turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents (Mal 4:6). The angel tells Zechariah ... whose people haven’t seen a prophet in three hundred years ... that his son will be a prophet who is going to pave the way for the even longer-promised Messiah, the Savior of the world.

So let’s face it: No matter how great the accomplishments of our children, they are nothing ... NOTHING ... compared to John the Baptizer. When you look at everything going on, Zechariah should have a much harder time telling his son that he must decrease and that Christ must increase ... that his son will have to take a back seat to Jesus. Talk about a counter-revolutionary song to that of the world today. Yet, that’s exactly what Zechariah teaches John. 

When his son is born, all the people will gather around trying to figure out what all this miraculous stuff surrounding John means. They want to know what kind of amazing future this son of Zechariah has in store for him. But it’s at this moment that Zechariah begins to speak for the first time since his mouth was silenced for doubting God’s promise to him through the angel.  With those freshly opened lips, before he even speaks about his miraculously born son, he sings the song of Christ.

Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and achieved redemption in his people, and he has raised a horn of salvation [for] us in the house of his child David, just as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, [that we have] salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all those hating us; to produce mercy with our fathers and to remember his holy covenant (vv 68-72). 

Zechariah sings of the redemption that Jesus was about to win with his blood. He sings of Jesus as the horn of salvation from the house of David ... the one who is going to rule from David’s throne forever in peace and mercy. Zechariah begins his song not by praising his son but by praising the Son of Mary, the Mother of God. He praises her Son as the one who is going to deliver his people from their enemies ... from sin, death, and the devil.

And then he goes on to tell his son, John, that his job will be to prepare the way for this Savior, that his goal in life will be to get people ready to receive the love of God in Christ. And you also, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, for the purpose of giving the knowledge of salvation to his people in the remission of their sins (vv 76-77).

1.

And Jesus brought us that salvation. 

Walking the road that John the Baptizer prepared, Jesus came to us. Jesus found us. Jesus took all our sins from us ... the sins that earned our condemnation ... the sins that would lead to death. He took all the pride that had us loving ourselves and our money and our accomplishments instead of loving God and our neighbor. Jesus took our selfishness as the sacrificial lamb God provided. Jesus washed our sins in his blood, erasing them, forgiving them. 

Walking the path prepared by Zechariah’s son, Jesus led a perfect life, without sin, so that ... when he died and rose again ... he could welcome us into his kingdom ... giving us the new life we have now. Walking the path prepared by Zechariah’s son, Jesus has cast out demons and raised the dead. Jesus has triumphed over your enemies and given you the gift of everlasting life. When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us (Titus 3:4). He has taken unfaithful parents who raised children to be selfish and prideful, and he turned us into faithful parents who look much more like faithful Zechariah. 

And even more so, walking the path prepared by Zechariah’s son, Jesus has taken us ... the people who were sinful, idolatrous children of the world ... and made us holy, beloved children of the Most High. From the cross, as he cried out, It is finished, singing the song of pardon and peace ... the song of mercy and healing ... the only song that opens the doors of heaven to us.

[Conclusion]

So if you want to know true glory, and if you want your children to know it, listen to Zechariah’s song and run to Christ. If you want to thrive in this life and want your little ones to do the same, go with them to the feet of the one who walked the path prepared by John the Baptizer. If you want your children to possess untold treasures, and if you want to possess them as well ...

HEAR THE SONG OF ZECHARIAH AND GO WHERE IT LEADS YOU ... TO THE LAMB OF GOD

... who covered you in the righteousness of God and gave you every treasure of his kingdom ... in Jesus’ name. 

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