Luke 1:67-79

Luke 1:67-79

Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;

for he has come to his people and set them free.

He has raised up for us a mighty Savior,

born of the house of his servant David.

Through his prophets he promised of old

that he would save us from our enemies,

from the hands of all who hate us.

He promised to show mercy to our fathers

and to remember his holy covenant.

This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:

to set us free from the hand of our enemies,

free to worship him without fear,

holy and righteous in his sight

all the days of our life.

You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High,

for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way,

to give his people knowledge of salvation

by the forgiveness of their sins.

In the tender compassion of our God

the dawn from on high shall break upon us,

to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death,

and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

Opening Prayer: Lord God, send your Son and Spirit and do not delay so that those who trust in your compassion may find solace and relief from their coming.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Davidic Covenant: When John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah, was released from his silence, the first thing he did was praise God with inspired thanksgiving. Zechariah thanks God for fulfilling the Davidic and Abrahamic covenants and looks forward to the forgiveness of sins in the New Covenant. The first part of Zechariah’s hymn of praise considers the covenant with David in the history of salvation (Luke 1:68-71). Zechariah proclaims that God has raised up for us a mighty Savior from the royal House of David. The literal phrase is “horn of salvation.” This phrase recalls the song David sang when he was delivered from his enemies: “The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, … my shield and the horn of my salvation (2 Samuel 22:2-3). The horn is a symbol of God’s power. “Zechariah’s words echo the royal hymn of Psalm 132, which celebrated God’s covenant with King David and his descendants. There the Lord said, ‘I will make a horn to sprout for David; I have prepared a lamp for my anointed’ (Psalm 132:17)” (Sri, Dawn of the Messiah, 62). This new anointed king, this new son of David, will be the Messiah who will restore the kingdom and covenant of David.

2. The Abrahamic Covenant: The second part of Zechariah’s hymn considers the covenant with Abraham (Luke 1:72-75). Zechariah utters three lines that all point to this covenant. First, God is said to perform the mercy (Greek: eleos; Hebrew: hesed) promised to our fathers. Second, God is said to remember his holy covenant with Abraham, Issac, and Jacob (see Exodus 2:24; Psalm 105:8-11). Third, Zechariah recalls that God swore an oath to Abraham that he would bless all nations through his descendant (see Genesis 22:15-18). “Hesed is covenant faithfulness. So, to ‘perform hesed’ means the same thing as ‘remember his holy covenant.’ And the ‘holy covenant’ is the same thing as the ‘oath’ God swore to Abraham because the covenant is the extension of kinship by oath” (Bergsma, New Testament Basics for Catholics, 100). Our true enemy, then, is not a physical enemy like King Saul trying to kill David, or the Pharaoh persecuting the tribes of Israel in Egypt, or the Romans oppressing the Jewish people. The deliverance and liberation we need is one that transforms us, frees us from the power of sin and the devil, and leads us to persevere in holiness and righteousness.

3. The New Covenant: The third part of Zechariah’s hymn considers the role of his son, John the Baptist, and looks forward to his preparatory role in bringing about the New Covenant in Christ (Luke 1:76-79). God promised in Jeremiah and Ezekiel that the New Covenant would bring about the forgiveness of sins. In giving knowledge of salvation, Zechariah’s son, John, will not merely give lectures about salvation but will help God’s people to experience it. “While salvation can mean any rescue from danger or death, here it refers to what God’s people receive through the forgiveness of their sins. John’s mission will be to help rescue God’s people from their sins and from the consequences of their sins” (Martin, Bringing the Gospel of Luke to Life, 49). Zechariah sees the dawn or day breaking from on high. Luke, here, uses a word in Greek (anatole) that can mean both the dawning of the “rising sun” and the shooting forth of a “new branch.” Since the physical sun normally rises from the earth in the East, the “dawn from on high” is a symbol of the heavenly origin of this new light. The image also recalls the prophecies of a branch or shoot (Jeremiah 23:5; Zechariah 3:8) coming from the line of David. The new dawn and new branch, which come to fulfillment in Jesus, will bring light to those in darkness, free us from the fear of eternal death, and guide humanity to reconciliation and peace with God.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, Radiant Dawn, Splendor of Eternal Light, and Sun of Justice, come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death. Guide me by your light and your Spirit.

Living the Word of God: How can I imitate John the Baptist and “prepare the way of the Lord”? How can I – through my words, actions, and prayers – help someone today to encounter Jesus and the merciful salvation he offers?