The Birth of John the Baptist
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lordhad shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father,60 but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.”61 And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered.64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongueloosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
I love how involved the neighbors are in Elizabeth and Zacharaiah's lives. Not in like a creepy invade-business-which-is-not-my-own, but in a way where it shows that they're invested in each other's lives and they share each others' joys and sorrows. I think the fact that they know that "none of your relatives is called [John]" (vs61) shows that sense of deep involvement in their lives. And I think that's really cool, and I wanna strive for that within my circle of friends!
ReplyDelete63 'And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered'.
ReplyDeleteDid the neighbors know why Zechariah couldn't speak?
What did they wonder? Why John or why he couldn't speak?
Maybe I'm misunderstanding the situation/cultural/historical background...but I can't help but think: If they knew why Zechariah couldn't speak (he was able to tell them through writing...how can they still question the name John? Elizabeth is having a baby, and Z can't speak, pretty clear works of God...if Z says it's John, it's John haha
maybe I'm being ignorant?