Luke 1:13 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

NIV: 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.

NASB: But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.

CSB: But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John.

NLT: But the angel said, 'Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.

KJV: But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

NKJV: But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

God sent a single angel to kill 185,000 soldiers, in one night, during the reign of king Hezekiah (2 Kings 19:35). Just one angel is adequate to destroy an entire city (1 Chronicles 21:15). Despite artwork depicting them as kindly choir members, or pudgy babies, biblical angels very often inspire abject terror. Most accounts of someone's first encounter with an angel involve references to fear, and usually reassurance from the angel (Luke 1:30; 2:10; Matthew 28:4; Acts 10:3–4; Numbers 22:3; Judges 6:22–23). When Zechariah sees an angel in the Holy Place of the temple, he's understandably shaken (Luke 1:11–12).

This angel has not come for destruction or judgment, but to deliver wonderful news. Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, are honorable people who have sadly never had children (Luke 1:5–7). The angel's announcement suggests that prayers for a child have been a regular part of Zechariah's life. Now, those requests will be granted. Elizabeth will conceive, at last, and they will have a son.

The angel commands that the child be named John, and future generations will refer to him as John the Baptist. The angel also instructs Zechariah to raise the child under special care (Luke 1:14–17) as he will be an important herald of God's salvation (Luke 3:2–3).

Luke 1:5–25 explains how Elizabeth, the childless wife of a priest, learns that she will give birth to a prophet. This child will eventually be known as John the Baptist. Her husband, Zechariah, learns this from an angel but doubts due to his advanced age. As a result, he is rendered temporarily mute, and likely deaf as well (Luke 1:62). As predicted, he and Elizabeth conceive and await the birth of their son. This occurs several months before Elizabeth's relative, Mary, receives even more amazing news from an angel.

The angel Gabriel predicts two miraculous births. The first is a son born to Zechariah and Elizabeth: an older, childless priest and his wife. Because Zechariah initially doubts this message, he is temporarily made unable to speak. Their child will be known as John the Baptist, a powerful herald of the Messiah. The Promised One whom John will proclaim is the second birth predicted by Gabriel. He tells an engaged virgin, Mary, that God will miraculously conceive His Son in her. The two women meet and rejoice over their blessings. John's arrival sets the stage for Luke's familiar account of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Luke was a travelling companion of the apostle Paul (Acts 16:10); his book of Acts is a direct "sequel" to the gospel of Luke (Acts 1:1–3). Those two books make up more than a quarter of the New Testament. Luke begins by explaining how his orderly approach is meant to inspire confidence in Christian faith. His work is based on eyewitness interviews and other evidence. The first chapter details the miraculous conceptions of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. Chapter 2 continues with Jesus' birth.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.