The Forerunner
Luke 1:1-25
Rev. Dr. Michael H. Koplitz
Luke 1:1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, 3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; 4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been 1ataught.
Luke 1:5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
Luke 1:8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, “aDo not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. 14 “You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 “For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. 16 “And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 “It is he who will ago as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, cTO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Luke 1:18 Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20 “And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”
Luke 1:21 The people were waiting for Zacharias, and were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs to them, and remained mute. 23 When the days of his priestly service were ended, he went back home.
Luke 1:24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.”
You'll definitely be able to relate to this story from my childhood. I remember wanting to be taken to the mall to buy a record for my record player. Of course, I couldn’t drive when I was a kid, so I had to go to my parents and say will you take me to the mall so that I can buy a record? The first words out of my mother’s mouth were “before you can go to the mall, then you have to do some chores.” She would then give me some things that I had to do in order to win her favor so that she would take me to the mall so I could buy my record. Therefore, this act was a forerunner of what I really wanted to do.
How does this relate to the gospel story of John the Baptist? Well, actually it does spiritually but not materialistically. Before the Messiah was to come, that is Jesus, he had to be preceded, or should I say, there had to be a forerunner for him. That forerunner was supposed to be the return of Elijah. Many Jews still believe that Elijah will return. The question that you can ask these believers is Elijah supposed to return to flesh and body form or in spiritual form.
According to tradition, when God took Elijah to heaven in the fiery chariot, someone placed his body in a remote cave. This was done so that when his spirit returns, he could reenter his original body, which would still be fresh, and resume his ministry. It is believed that the story is a midrash or a legend, which may or may not have been known at the time of Jesus. The people believed that there would be a forerunner to the Messiah.
This event is recorded only in Luke's gospel. However, to the story line about Jesus, it is important. Whether or not John the Baptist was Elijah reincarnated really isn’t the question, we should be asking. We should just accept the fact that the spirit of Elijah had returned in John the Baptist. John the Baptist was dedicated as a pious person to the work of the Lord. As we learn later on in the gospel of Luke it was John the Baptist, who performs the washing ritual, which we call the baptism of Jesus, and introduces Jesus to the world. Therefore, John the Baptist is very important because without him, the epiphany of Jesus would not have occurred.
We all have things in our lives that we wish to do, but there may be some preparation involved. For those of you who are chess players, like me, we know that there are certain moves that have to be made on the chessboard to prepare for an attack and even for a defense. Well, God wanted the people to be prepared to receive the Messiah. Therefore, he sent John the Baptist with the spirit of service that Elijah had, to go into the waters of the Jordan and baptize people for the removal of their sin, eventually baptizing our Lord Jesus and making the world aware that God’s son had returned. Even the historian Josephus writes about John and Jesus.
The one thing that we will never understand as humans is why does God do things the way God does them? Many times, we can understand what God is doing and why, but it really is in our place to try to figure out what the Almighty is about to do or has done or will do. We simply need to accept it on faith that these things have happened, and it’s because God wanted them to happen.
The church sets aside the time of Advent, which is four weeks before Christmas, and considers this a time of preparation. I was wondering what we were preparing for. It is my understanding that we prepare our hearts to receive Christ again in our lives. So why do we have to repeat the stories? As they were repeated yearly, stories and memories were remembered. The world needs to remember the stories of the Bible and those who came before us not only to remember who they were and what they did, but to remind us we should live in the same manner.
There are probably many of us who must stop and exit the world for a moment to regroup and to remember what is truly important. What is this importance? Well, for most of us, it is a reconnection to God through Jesus Christ. The story of John the Baptist should remind us that from time to time, we have to reevaluate our spiritual condition and determine whether we are in genuine connection with God. All the material possessions that you own and you accumulate throughout your life will not accompany you when you go to heaven. However, the spiritual treasures that you store up in heaven through your pious acts and remembrance of what Jesus did for you will be with you in heaven.
That brings up another point which is our souls are sent here in human form that we may not only experience what God’s creation is all about but also so that we can learn more about God. We need to take advantage of the fact that we are here living by the ways of God. We can find the ways of God and how best to live by reading the Gospels and emulating the life of Jesus Christ.
Another thought for you to consider is that you are the forerunner for your children in the faith. You are also a forerunner for those who do not know Jesus yet. I learned about Jesus through my wife and children who attended church regularly. I was not introduced to Christ until then. It is thrilling to see that my children are introducing their children, my grandchildren, to Jesus. As parents, they are the forerunners of Jesus to their children. Ask yourself, are you the forerunner of Jesus to your children or any other relative or friend? If you are doing this, continue to do it. If you are not, perhaps you should do it.
