The Herald of Salvation in Luke’s Gospel About Christ
Friends I will give you some facts about the birth of Jesus Christ ,In the Gospel of Luke 1:5-25, it is written, “In the time of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron.
Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old
Once, when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.'”
It is absolutely necessary to begin the story of salvation with the narrative of John the Baptist for several reasons.
The first reason is that it connects the Old Testament with the New Testament. This is crucial. Remember, the Old and New Testaments do not present two different religions.
It is not as if there is a Jewish religion and a Christian religion. Instead, the Old and New Testaments are revelations from God that sequentially tell the story of salvation. It is one religion, one faith, the faith in the one true, living God, which includes His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a complete revelation given by God. The Old and New Testaments complement each other.
The second reason is that Luke’s account of the story of salvation begins with John the Baptist because he fulfills the prophecies of the Old Testament. Thus, we understand that the Old Testament, which contains the prophecies, is fulfilled by the New Testament. Therefore, the New Testament is also divinely inspired.
Starting the story with John the Baptist is also necessary because his birth was the starting point where God spoke again after 400 years of silence. It is at this juncture that we see the appearance of angels.
In Luke 1:11, it is written, “Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.” And we see that the long silence of God was broken. From here, the story of salvation unfolds.
So, Luke takes us back to that place where God, according to His predetermined decision, immediately performs a historical act within His supernatural power. Therefore, Luke takes us back to John the Baptist, the one who prepares the way for Christ.
This is not only the first place where the appearance of angels occurs but also where the narrative progresses to the birth of Christ. We know that the angels played a crucial role in delivering the message to Mary and had a significant role during the time of Christ’s birth.
These multiple appearances of angels constitute the first event in the sequence of the events of salvation.
It is also true that the birth of John the Baptist, the baptizer, was a miracle. Similarly, the birth of Jesus Christ was a miraculous birth. So, the miraculous birth of John the Baptist establishes the importance of miracles in this narrative, and then we see the miraculous birth of Christ. Thus, Luke, with great caution, starts the story from where it should begin, and God begins His supernatural work.
Furthermore, it is extremely important to note that the story of John the Baptist confirms that he is the forerunner of Christ. I will say it again. As you will see, there is no other opinion that John the Baptist was indeed the forerunner of Christ. If this is true, then the person who recognizes John the Baptist as the forerunner and acknowledges him as the one who baptizes Christ will be the Christ. Isn’t that so? It is crucial to know this.
One day, Jesus Christ came to the Jordan River where John the Baptist was baptizing, and upon seeing him, John said, “See, this is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” He pointed to Christ, revealing that He is the one he was preparing the way for. If you know that the forerunner is the one who will announce the Christ, then that person is indeed the Christ.
Notice that Luke is very careful to establish the connection between Jesus and John the Baptist. The truth is that the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist and his miraculous birth, followed by the announcement of the birth of Christ and His miraculous birth, creates a deep connection in the first two chapters of Luke.
These stories are inseparable because they cannot be separated. The stories are intertwined because Luke, in the first two chapters, profoundly emphasizes the deep connection between the one who was truly the forerunner of Christ. This understanding is crucial for the affirmation that Jesus is the Christ.
God bless you all.
