They Were Amazed...

It's a life-changing event having a baby at Elizabeth's age. It is always a life-changing event...but even more so at advanced age.

The neighbors rejoiced when the baby was born. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. What is his name? John.

None of your relatives has this name.

Ask Zechariah.

"His name is John," Zechariah writes and they were amazed. Not that Zechariah could suddenly speak, but that his name is John.

None of your relatives has this name.

Naming a baby is not a huge challenge, but all the things John and then Jesus were going to ask of their disciples would elicit the same response: We've never done it that way before.

You have to wonder about us.

Miracles all around and what do we say?

None of your relatives has this name.

Luke 1:57-68

 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. 60 But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” 61 They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” 62 Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. 63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. 66 All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.