Friday December 29
Luke 1:57-66 The birth of John the Baptist
Now the time came for Elizabeth to
give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord
had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
On the eighth day they came
to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his
father. But his mother said, ‘No; he is to be called John.’ They said to her,
‘None of your relatives has this name.’ Then they began motioning to his father
to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing-tablet and
wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth
was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came
over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the
entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, ‘What
then will this child become?’ For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.
****
Today
we reflect upon the birth and the naming of John the Baptist, and on the wonder
of our own calling.
The
opening chapters of Luke’s Gospel contains two birth narratives, those of Jesus
and of John the Baptist. Both births are preceded by angelic announcements, one
to Zechariah and one to Mary. Zechariah’s story is very different to that of
the young, humble and accepting Mary in the Annunciation. He is an old man, a
priest in Jerusalem, a privileged person at the center of power.
The
angel meets him while he is officiating in the temple, tells him that he will
have a son and that the child is to be named ‘John’. Zechariah is skeptical and
asks for a sign. He is therefore made mute until the naming of the promised
baby.
I
wonder why he couldn’t name his son Zechariah? Zechariah means ‘the Lord
remembers’ and John means ‘the Lord is gracious’. Both names seem appropriate
for the prophet who was to announce the coming of the longed-for Messiah. In
those days, children were understood as the way in which one achieved a kind of
immortality –
one
lived on through one’s children. Everyone at the naming ceremony took for
granted that the child would be named for his father. But the
old
priest is insistent that the child not take his name. Zechariah has had a long
time of silent reflection to think on the angel’s words and on the meaning of
the arrival of this child. Maybe he is simply obeying the angel’s instructions,
but I like to imagine that the old man has grasped the significance of the
command. By giving him his own, non-family name, Zechariah is acknowledging the
unique calling of this baby. This child will not live out the dreams and
aspirations of his father, but will fulfil his own unique calling.
Prayer: Lord you call each of us into service to share
your love, peace, and justice in the world. Help us to fulfill that mission
through the many gifts you give us and strengthen us to bring the voice of your
Word to a noisy world. Amen
Jessie
Rogers is lecturer in Sacred Scripture at St Patrick’s College, Maynooth, Ireland.
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