NYUBF | New York UBF

2008 Christmas Lesson 4

ZECHARIAH’S SONG OF PRAISE
(Benedictus)

Luke 1:57-80
Key Verse: 1:67-68

“His Father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: ‘Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.’”

Last week, in San Diego, California, a man lost his wife, two daughters and mother-in-law when a jet airplane crashed into his house due to the engine failure. He had married his wife four years ago and had two wonderful children. When the man heard the news, he was shaken. I cannot imagine how he must have felt. One of the reporters asked if he blamed the pilot. The man answered, “No, I believe that he did his best to avoid the accident. I don’t blame the pilot. I don’t want him to suffer from guilt all his life. I believe that my wife, my two daughters and mother-in-law are in heaven with God. But I cannot believe that they are not here with me.” The man sobbed and said, “I don’t know how I should feel, now. Help me!” While I was watching the news, I felt deeply troubled in my heart. I said, “Oh, Lord! Why is this happening to him?” Recently, several thousand people died of cholera and still tens of thousands of people are infected with the disease. Yet, the nation’s dictatorial president said, “We don’t have problems in our country.” These are only a fraction of what is happening today. When we hear stories like these, we are deeply troubled. We feel powerless. Questions arise in our minds, like “What is God doing?” “Does God’s salvation make sense to the man who lost everything?” “What does Gods’ salvation mean to people who are dying in Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan or North Korea?” “What can we do about it?” What is going to happen to this world? What is going to happen to us when we die? Where can we find peace and strength when we are going through so many challenges and difficulties in life? What does God’s salvation mean to us? Is Jesus’ birth truly good news? Although it’s not easy to find answers, we definitely need to struggle with these questions. These are good and legitimate questions.

When we study Zechariah’s stories in Luke’s Gospel, we can sense that Zechariah himself must have struggled with similar questions. At the time that Zechariah had lived, things in the world didn’t make sense to him either. The world was ruled by the Roman Empire. Although it was the era of “Pax Romana” meaning “Roman peace”, the world didn’t have peace. The Roman Empire ruled the world with her military power, and the people under her rule were constantly exploited and oppressed. Those who rebelled against her rule were mercilessly put to death. This kind of vicious cycle of oppression has been repeated throughout the history of humankind. The word “oppression” characterizes the history of humankind. In today’s passage, however, we see new kind of kingship and kingdom emerging into the history of humankind, that are completely different from any worldly king or kingdom.

First, for the Lord’s hand was with him. (57-66)

Look at verse 57-58. When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. It must have been a very difficult delivery for her since it was her first delivery and she was very old. Both the baby’s and mother’s lives were in danger. Perhaps all the relatives and neighbors were greatly concerned about the mother and the child because they knew what Elizabeth had to go through due to her childless situation all her life. Now, she in her old age, maybe around 70 year old, was about to deliver a child. So they must have been earnestly praying for God’s mercy. When they heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, they were overjoyed and shared her joy with one another. Our life in today’s world, especially in NYC, is very uptight. But we cannot deny that life is precious and too important to ignore for any reason. We should celebrate God’s gifts of life and salvation over and over again and share our joys and sorrows together as a community of faith.

Look at verses 59-62. In these verses, we see that there were some troubles surrounding the naming of the child. On the eighth day the relatives and neighbors came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, according to their traditions. But his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” In fact, it was the Lord’s instruction to name the child John, but the relatives and neighbors who might not have known this were shocked by Elizabeth’s unusual idea. So they said, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” Hoping to overrule her idea, they made signs to his father to find out what he would like to name the child. Zechariah, who had been unable to speak, asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”

We can imagine how surprised all their friends and relatives were! But they were even more surprised when Zechariah’s mouth was immediately opened and his tongue was loosed, and he began to speak, praising God. The neighbors were all filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. The stories about the birth of John the Baptist must have been around the area for quite a long period of time. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking “What then is this child going to be?” because they knew that the Lord’s hand was with him. Even though they didn’t understand everything, they were sure that the Lord’s hand was with the child. What does it mean that the Lord’s hand was with him? It means that John is a man on whom God’s special power rests. In fact, he would be the forerunner of the Messiah, announcing the coming kingdom of a new king, Jesus Christ. Through the ministry of John the Baptist, the new age of God’s grace would begin. Perhaps that’s why the Lord God wanted name him John, which means “the Lord (Yahweh) is gracious.” Earlier, when Elizabeth found that she became pregnant, she had said, “The Lord has done this for me. In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” (1:25) We need many things in life. But what we need the most is God’s grace because only God’s grace can take away our shame and guilt and make our lives beautiful and wholesome. According to John 1:16, Jesus is so full of God’s grace that from the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

Second, Zechariah’s Song of Praise (67-80)

Verses 67-79 make up Zechariah’s song of praise, which was named the “Benedictus” by the Roman Catholic Church. When Zechariah sang this song of praise, he was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied. Around 10 months before when the angel Gabriel announced to him that his wife would bear him a child, Zechariah didn’t dare to believe it because he thought that he and his wife were too old to have a child. He said, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife Elizabeth is well along in years.” Although he was considered upright in the sight of God, his faith was not perfect. However, he still had doubt and negative feelings about what God could do. Perhaps, it was not just because of his childless situation but also because what was happening in the world, especially in Israel. Due to his unbelief and doubt, he was struck dumb and had to spend sufficient time in meditating on God’s words and prayer. Now, after 10 months he had probably spent this way, Zechariah lost his doubt and unbelief and regained his confidence and trust in God Almighty. He became more open and flexible to the work of the Holy Spirit. By the time of naming his child, Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied.

Look at verses 67-68. Zechariah’s song of praise starts with the phrase, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people.” These two verses summarize the main theme of his song: God came to redeem his people. Here, the phrase “has come” means “has visited.” Since Mary had stayed with Elizabeth his wife for three months, Zechariah was informed about the advent of the Messiah. In fact, by the news of the coming of the Messiah, Zechariah could have been greatly excited because he was one of those who had been longing and waiting for the coming of the Messiah to save his people. “O come, O come, Immanuel!” which means “God with us.” Israel, God’s chosen people, has been subjugated by their political enemies over and over again since the beginning of their history. However, their hope and expectation for the Messiah has never died although to many of them salvation meant more political than spiritual salvation. Yet, as we read Zechariah’s song, we notice that it gives a new understanding of salvation, that is the hope of God’s salvation is more than political but spiritual and beyond.

Read verses 69-74. “He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David (as he said through his holy prophets of long ago), salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us – to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham; to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” Here, we see the their longing for the Messiah is based on God’s promise of salvation to Israel’s forefathers, beginning with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David, which we can read in the holy Scriptures. First of all, Luke describes God’s salvation through the metaphor of a horn. To him, Jesus the Messiah is a horn of salvation. The horn is the symbol of power and strength of an animal. It is the focus of power for a bull, a moose or a rhino. Jesus is to be that horn of salvation where all the power of God is focused. Jesus is the power of God’s salvation for all humankind. The phrases “salvation from our enemies and from the hand of those who hate us” (69) and “to rescue us from the hand of our enemies” (74) give us a strong impression that God’s salvation for Israel is understood more in political and national terms. However, when we think about the covenant God made with the people of Israel, especially the oath He made to Abraham, it is much more than political and national.

Look at verse 72. “to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, the oath he swore to our father Abraham.” The oath God made to Abraham is found in Genesis 22:15-18. God said to Abraham, “I swear by myself that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the starts in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nation on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” As we read the Scriptures, we see that since the beginning of the world, God has been preparing and working for His great plan of redemption of humankind. And God established the covenant relationship with people, particularly with Abraham and his descendants. Covenant is a contract or agreement, like the marriage covenant. Unlike a contract in which two equal partners are involved, the covenant is between unequal parties, like between the mighty king and his people. It is more of God’s declaration that He would be faithful to His people in spite of their shortcomings. It is God’s strong desire and determination to love His people to the end. We can see it when we read the Scriptures, particularly the love of God for His unfaithful wife Israel described in the book of Hosea. God’s love for His people will never change.

A while ago, while a school of geese were flying to immigrate to up north, a female goose could not continue flying because she was sick. She fell to the ground. Her mate did not leave her behind, but remained with the female goose for a week, flying around the ground where she lay in order to provide food and protect her from predators. However, the female goose didn’t make it and died after a week of struggle. Then people buried the female goose. However, the male goose still could not fly away. He would come to where she was buried over and over and one day he also died by her tomb. He died there because he was committed to her either by life or by death. This is the kind of commitment God made for the salvation of His people. The word “covenant” is repeated twice in Luke’s gospel, one here and the other when Jesus shared his last supper with his disciples. Luke 22:20 says, “In the same way, after the supper he (Jesus) took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” We are the new Israel, members of a new covenant God has made in Jesus Christ. When we believe in Jesus, we are entering into this new and everlasting covenant relationship, sealed and authorized by the life-blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

One day when Jesus was in the synagogue in his hometown, Nazareth, he read the Scriptures, which define the kind of salvation he brings. He read from Isaiah 61:1, 2, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Lk 4:18-19) Jesus came to fulfill the covenant of God’s salvation. Those who believe and trust in Jesus can have access to the abundant and overflowing grace and blessing of God, beginning from the grace of forgiveness of sins. They will have peace, joy, spiritual insight and freedom. No more oppression from our sins and freedom from our oppressors.

In Jesus our Savior, the Messiah, we also have freedom from fear. Look at verses 74 and 75. “to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.” What is the greatest fear in your life? We are afraid of many things, the fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of death, fear of getting sick, losing jobs or security, broken relationships. But God’s salvation sets us free from those fears. Can you image that you overcome all fears in your life? This precious blessing comes from the intimate fellowship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit. (Jn 15:5) Jesus is Immanuel, God with us. He dwells in us through the Spirit. The Spirit dwells in those who believe in Jesus Christ. Being filled with the Spirit of God does not mean that we always feel good. We are up and down emotionally because of what is happening in our lives. Sometimes, we groan in our helpless limitation and weaknesses. But the Holy Spirit does not go away. He remains in us and groans with us in our day to day struggle. He comforts us and reminds of God’s words, sanctifies us and will transform us completely when Jesus comes again.

When Zechariah turns his attention to his son’s birth in verses 75-79, he mentions more of God’s salvation, which is like the rising sun, full of hope and peace. Look at verses 75-79. “And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.” Zechariah offers a new and clearer understanding of God’s salvation by describing his son John’s ministry. John the Baptist preached the message of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The salvation John preached was first of all the salvation from our sins. He Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world and the one who would baptize us with the Holy Spirit. We can experience God’s salvation and have conviction that we are truly children of God through the grace of forgiveness of sins, through which we also have the grace of eternal life, starting from he grace of justification, the grace of sanctification and the grace of complete transformation in heaven. The salvation God offers to us through Jesus is beautiful and beyond our imagination. God’s salvation brings us true hope for all humankind, like the rising sun that shines on those living in darkness, out of fear and despair and the shadow of death, and guides our feet into the path of peace.

Is your heart troubled? Are you angry for any reason? Are you uptight and discouraged? Are you burdened for any reason? Come to Jesus and let him come in your heart and abide in you. In fact, there are many sneaky enemies who are trying to invade our lives and oppress us. It’s hard to trust anyone these days. There are many biological viruses as well as spiritual viruses we should be careful about. We should not let them in. But you can trust Jesus, the Spirit of the Most High, who comes to you gently and sets you free from your oppressors and gives you true salvation. He does not force us. He would not come in unless we invite him in. He said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20) What a great commitment Jesus made with us. He died for us. He will love us no matter what. He will not reject or betray even though we are unworthy. We have such a wonderful God who loves us. We will be able to find enough strength to go through day-to-day challenges and difficulties and be able to smile and give thanks through the grace of Jesus Christ. We believe that God who began His good work in us will carry it onto completion until the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. “Praise be the Lord, the God of Israel because he has come and has redeemed his people.” (67-68)