The Birth of John the Baptist

The mother of John the Baptist, Elizabeth, secluded herself during her pregnancy (Luke 1:24–25). Luke never tells us why, but we know that she was so successful in keeping others from knowing that she was pregnant that even one of her own relatives, Mary, did not find out about it for six months. Mary discovered the truth only when the angel Gabriel revealed it to her in his announcement that she would bear the Savior (vv. 26–38).

Something as momentous as a pregnancy cannot be hidden forever, of course. Eventually, the presence of a new baby will ensure that friends, family, and neighbors know that something marvelous has happened. If this is true in the course of ordinary life, it is certainly true when the pregnancy and childbirth are part of an extraordinary course of events that will bring salvation into the world. So when Elizabeth finally gave birth to John, the forerunner of the Messiah, her becoming a mother could no longer be hidden. Moreover, Luke tells us that when this happened, Elizabeth’s neighbors and relatives rejoiced that “the Lord had shown great mercy to her” (vv. 57–58). Although it is not clear at this point what these well-wishers understood about John’s birth in the scope of the history of God’s plan of redemption, surely they knew that something incredible had occurred, given that Elizabeth was “barren” and “advanced in years,” past the age of fertility (Luke 1:7). Surely at least some of them thought back to the ancient matriarch of Israel, Sarah, who had given birth under similar circumstances (Gen. 18:9–15; 21:1–7).

When the time came to give the child his name eight days after his birth, Elizabeth insisted that they call him John, but the people were perplexed because it was not a family name (Luke 1:59–60). They turned to Zechariah to ask him about this, and he had to write the baby’s name on a tablet because, as we remember, he had been mute from the time of Gabriel’s announcement to him because he did not believe the Lord’s message. In accordance with the angel’s words, Zechariah’s tongue was loosened and he began to speak, praising God, once he revealed that the baby’s name was John (vv. 61–64; see Luke 1:18–20).

The name John means “the Lord is merciful” or “the Lord is gracious.” The name is a sign that something special took place when John arrived on the scene. The fullness of what that meant was yet to be made clear, but the people could see enough to know that God was at work, for “the hand of the Lord was with” John (vv. 65–66).