Why does Luke begin a gospel about Jesus with an announcement of the birth of John the Baptist in the temple? Like Matthew, Luke felt the need to bridge the gap between the world of the OT and the time of Jesus. Matthew used a genealogy to establish the linkage. Luke took a different route in his first two chapters, bringing OT-like characters in contact with figures from the age of Jesus like Mary. (Luke will do the same at the beginning of his Acts of the Apostles when he needs to transition from the period of Jesus to the age of the Spirit.)
The first scene in Luke’s gospel (1:5-25) takes place as the priest Zechariah is offering incense in the temple. (And Luke will end the gospel with the disciples returning to Jerusalem to pray in the temple.) Zechariah was chosen by lot and this kind of opportunity literally came along once in a lifetime given the number of priests available for such a service. He and his wife Elizabeth are childless and aged. In this respect they are quite similar to Abraham and Sarah in the book of Genesis, the only childless couple in the OT who were incapacitated by age.
They are also reminiscent of Samuel's parents, Hannah and Elkanah. When the barren Hannah paid her annual visit (1 Sam 1:3) to the sanctuary to pray for a child, the priest Eli announced that her prayers would be answered (v. 17). Both Samuel and John are Nazirites from birth, avoiding wine and strong drink (1 Sam 1:11; Lk 1:15). Mary’s Magnificat (1:46-55) is very similar to Hannah’s canticle of praise (1 Sam 2:1-10).
Luke understands that the Hebrew Scriptures are divided into three parts: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. Abraham and Sarah are figures from the Law. The story of Samuel and his parents belongs to the Prophets. Lk 1:67 explicitly says that Zechariah, once his muteness was removed, uttered a prophecy. The angel’s pronouncement of John’s future career in 1:17 alludes to Malachi, the last of the prophetic writings (Mal 3:1; 3:23-24; some translations 4:5-6).
That brings us to the figure of the angel Gabriel. The only time that Gabriel appears in the OT is in Daniel. Each time Gabriel appears to Daniel (Dan 9-10), it is called a “vision,” just as his appearance is called in Luke. Zechariah, like Daniel before him (Dan 9:20-21), was offering up prayers when he had his vision and, like Daniel (Dan 10:15), was struck mute. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the book of Daniel appears in the portion called the Writings – unlike the Christian OT where it is grouped with the Prophets.
In an allusive fashion, Luke has spanned the entirety of the OT with the cast and settings of his first chapter. In Luke’s mind, John is the hinge between the age of the Law and the Prophets and the time of Jesus: “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the Kingdom of God is preached” (Lk 16:16). John is described in the infancy narrative as an Elijah-like figure who will go before the Lord and be filled with the Spirit, terms that are applied to him later when Luke describes his ministry.
The similarities with OT stories do not end after the announcement of John’s birth. After being struck mute, Zechariah returned home and Elizabeth conceived (1:23-24); compare this with “Then they went to their home…and in due time Hannah conceived” (1 San 1:19-20). Elizabeth’s reaction of “The Lord has dealt with me in this way,” (v. 25) echoes Hannah, “The Lord remembered her.” Elizabeth’s feeling that her pregnancy has taken away her “disgrace” is reminiscent of Rachel’s reaction upon giving birth to Joseph: “God has taken away my disgrace” (Gen 30:23).
But why bother to tell the story of John’s birth at all? Luke appears to be following the gospel tradition of introducing John the Baptist before Jesus. As odd as it sounds to us, the Baptist was better known in the 1st century CE than Jesus was. The Jewish historian Josephus, for example, writes twice as much about John’s ministry and death as he does about Jesus (and even that much includes later Christian embellishment). It seems natural that the gospel writers would introduce Jesus’ public ministry by describing how the better-known figure of John the Baptist essentially passed the torch to him. But John has ever since been overshadowed by Jesus and is now known mostly as a minor character in the gospel drama.
In the Catholic Church, John’s birth is celebrated on June 24. Maybe it is coincidental that the Nativity of John the Baptist occurs right after the summer solstice – as the days start getting shorter – just as Christmas occurs right after the winter solstice – as the days start getting longer. Whether intentional or not, the symbolism is inescapable when you recall what the Gospel of John said about the Baptist: “He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light” (Jn 1:8). And later in the gospel, the Baptist himself testified about Jesus: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30).
Old Testament Characters
The first scene in Luke’s gospel (1:5-25) takes place as the priest Zechariah is offering incense in the temple. (And Luke will end the gospel with the disciples returning to Jerusalem to pray in the temple.) Zechariah was chosen by lot and this kind of opportunity literally came along once in a lifetime given the number of priests available for such a service. He and his wife Elizabeth are childless and aged. In this respect they are quite similar to Abraham and Sarah in the book of Genesis, the only childless couple in the OT who were incapacitated by age.
They are also reminiscent of Samuel's parents, Hannah and Elkanah. When the barren Hannah paid her annual visit (1 Sam 1:3) to the sanctuary to pray for a child, the priest Eli announced that her prayers would be answered (v. 17). Both Samuel and John are Nazirites from birth, avoiding wine and strong drink (1 Sam 1:11; Lk 1:15). Mary’s Magnificat (1:46-55) is very similar to Hannah’s canticle of praise (1 Sam 2:1-10).
Luke understands that the Hebrew Scriptures are divided into three parts: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. Abraham and Sarah are figures from the Law. The story of Samuel and his parents belongs to the Prophets. Lk 1:67 explicitly says that Zechariah, once his muteness was removed, uttered a prophecy. The angel’s pronouncement of John’s future career in 1:17 alludes to Malachi, the last of the prophetic writings (Mal 3:1; 3:23-24; some translations 4:5-6).
That brings us to the figure of the angel Gabriel. The only time that Gabriel appears in the OT is in Daniel. Each time Gabriel appears to Daniel (Dan 9-10), it is called a “vision,” just as his appearance is called in Luke. Zechariah, like Daniel before him (Dan 9:20-21), was offering up prayers when he had his vision and, like Daniel (Dan 10:15), was struck mute. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the book of Daniel appears in the portion called the Writings – unlike the Christian OT where it is grouped with the Prophets.
The Naming of John
In an allusive fashion, Luke has spanned the entirety of the OT with the cast and settings of his first chapter. In Luke’s mind, John is the hinge between the age of the Law and the Prophets and the time of Jesus: “The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the Kingdom of God is preached” (Lk 16:16). John is described in the infancy narrative as an Elijah-like figure who will go before the Lord and be filled with the Spirit, terms that are applied to him later when Luke describes his ministry.
The similarities with OT stories do not end after the announcement of John’s birth. After being struck mute, Zechariah returned home and Elizabeth conceived (1:23-24); compare this with “Then they went to their home…and in due time Hannah conceived” (1 San 1:19-20). Elizabeth’s reaction of “The Lord has dealt with me in this way,” (v. 25) echoes Hannah, “The Lord remembered her.” Elizabeth’s feeling that her pregnancy has taken away her “disgrace” is reminiscent of Rachel’s reaction upon giving birth to Joseph: “God has taken away my disgrace” (Gen 30:23).
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An aged
Elizabeth looks on as Zechariah writes down his wish for the name of the baby. The Birth of St. John the Baptist by
Giuliano Bugiardini (1475-1555)
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The story of the annunciation to Mary (1:26-56) interrupts John’s nativity story; we’ll discuss that in a separate article. The actual birth is described briefly in vv. 57-58. Luke spends more time (vv. 59-66) on the naming of John with emphasis on the “miracle” that both Zechariah and Elizabeth independently came up with the same name. We would naturally assume that the two had discussed a name during the pregnancy, even if they had to pass notes back and forth due to Zechariah’s muteness – and apparent deafness. When the muteness is lifted, Zechariah delivers his praise of God (vv. 67-79); we’ll discuss the Benedictus in a later article as well.
The final verse of the story (1:80) sets up the bridge for John’s public ministry: “The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.” The next time we hear of John is 3:2b and it picks up the thread: “the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.”
The final verse of the story (1:80) sets up the bridge for John’s public ministry: “The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.” The next time we hear of John is 3:2b and it picks up the thread: “the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert.”
John Goes Before Jesus
But why bother to tell the story of John’s birth at all? Luke appears to be following the gospel tradition of introducing John the Baptist before Jesus. As odd as it sounds to us, the Baptist was better known in the 1st century CE than Jesus was. The Jewish historian Josephus, for example, writes twice as much about John’s ministry and death as he does about Jesus (and even that much includes later Christian embellishment). It seems natural that the gospel writers would introduce Jesus’ public ministry by describing how the better-known figure of John the Baptist essentially passed the torch to him. But John has ever since been overshadowed by Jesus and is now known mostly as a minor character in the gospel drama.
In the Catholic Church, John’s birth is celebrated on June 24. Maybe it is coincidental that the Nativity of John the Baptist occurs right after the summer solstice – as the days start getting shorter – just as Christmas occurs right after the winter solstice – as the days start getting longer. Whether intentional or not, the symbolism is inescapable when you recall what the Gospel of John said about the Baptist: “He himself was not the light, but he came to testify to the light” (Jn 1:8). And later in the gospel, the Baptist himself testified about Jesus: “He must increase, but I must decrease” (Jn 3:30).
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