Commentary - Luke 1:67-80

Bird's-eye view

After nine months of divinely imposed silence, Zechariah's mouth is opened, and what comes pouring out is not a complaint about his punishment but a torrent of Spirit-filled prophecy. This song, traditionally called the Benedictus, is a magnificent hinge in redemptive history. It stands with one foot firmly planted in the soil of Old Testament promise and the other stepping decisively into the new era of fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Zechariah, a priest of the old covenant, now prophesies as a herald of the new. He is not just celebrating the birth of his son, John; he is announcing the dawning of the messianic age. The prophecy has two main movements. First, Zechariah blesses God for visiting and redeeming His people, fulfilling the ancient covenant made with David and Abraham (vv. 68-75). Second, he turns to his infant son and defines his life's mission as that of the forerunner, the one who will prepare the way for the Lord Himself (vv. 76-79). This is not sentimental poetry; it is robust, covenantal, and Christ-centered theology, setting the stage for the entire gospel narrative that is to follow.

The central theme is fulfillment. God is doing what He always said He would do. The long night of waiting is over, and the sunrise is at hand. The salvation Zechariah proclaims is comprehensive: it is salvation from political enemies, yes, but it is fundamentally a salvation from sin, accomplished through the tender mercy of God. This passage is a master class in how to read the Old Testament. All the promises, the covenants, and the prophecies find their ultimate yes and amen in the coming of the Messiah, for whom John the Baptist is the divinely appointed opening act.

Outline

Context In Luke

Zechariah's prophecy comes at the culmination of the opening movement of Luke's Gospel. Luke has carefully paralleled the announcements of the births of John and Jesus. We have seen the angelic announcement to Zechariah, his subsequent unbelief and muteness, the announcement to Mary, her faithful response, and her song of praise (the Magnificat). We have witnessed the birth of John and the neighborhood's astonishment. Now, the story returns to Zechariah. His naming of the child in obedience to the angel's command breaks the divine silence imposed upon him, and this prophecy is the immediate result. The Benedictus functions as a divinely inspired interpretation of the events that have just transpired. It explains the significance of John's birth by placing it within the grand sweep of God's covenant history with Israel. It looks backward to the promises and forward to their fulfillment in Christ, thereby setting the theological agenda for the rest of Luke's two-volume work. It is the last great Old Testament prophecy, and at the same time, the first great New Testament sermon.

Key Issues

The Muted Priest Sings

For nine months, the priest Zechariah had been silenced. In the holy place, the place of revelation, he had doubted the word of God delivered by an angel, and his mouth was shut as a sign. This was a profoundly symbolic judgment. A priest's job is to speak for God to the people and for the people to God. Zechariah was a priest who could not speak. This represented the state of Israel at the time, a priesthood that had largely fallen silent, going through the motions without the true word of God. But now, in an act of faith and obedience, he writes on a tablet, "His name is John." And with that act, his tongue is loosed. The first thing he does is not to complain or make excuses, but to bless God. The silence is broken by a song. This is what happens when God's grace breaks through our unbelief. The mouth that was closed in doubt is opened in praise. And this is not just any praise; it is prophecy. He is "filled with the Holy Spirit," which in Luke's gospel is the divine sign that what is being said is not mere human opinion but the authoritative word of God, explaining God's own actions in history.

Verse by Verse Commentary

67 And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:

Luke is very deliberate here. He wants us to understand that what follows is not just the emotional outburst of a proud new father. This is divine revelation. To be "filled with the Holy Spirit" is the prerequisite for prophecy. The Spirit of God takes hold of Zechariah, and he speaks God's truth about God's plan. His nine months of silence were a period of instruction, and now the final exam is an oral one, and he passes with flying colors.

68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, For He visited and accomplished redemption for His people,

The song begins where all true theology must begin: with blessing God. "Blessed be the Lord." Zechariah's first words are not about himself or even his son, but about the God of Israel. And why is God to be blessed? Because He has visited and redeemed. These are momentous words. "Visited" implies a direct, personal intervention in history. God has not remained distant; He has come down. And the purpose of His visit is redemption. This word, redemption, means to buy back, to set free from bondage. Zechariah speaks of this in the past tense, "accomplished redemption," because in the birth of the forerunner, the main event is so certain that it can be spoken of as already done. The check has been written; the funds are in the mail.

69 And raised up a horn of salvation for us In the house of David His servant,

Now the redemption is given a specific character. It comes in the form of a "horn of salvation." In the Old Testament, a horn is a symbol of strength and power, like the horn of a mighty bull. A horn of salvation is a mighty savior, a powerful deliverer. And where does this mighty savior come from? "In the house of David His servant." This is a direct reference to the Davidic covenant (2 Samuel 7), where God promised to raise up a king from David's line whose throne would be established forever. Zechariah, a priest from the line of Aaron, understands that the ultimate hope of Israel is not in the priesthood, but in the King.

70-71 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old, Salvation FROM OUR ENEMIES, And FROM THE HAND OF ALL WHO HATE US,

This is not a new plan. God is not improvising. This is what He has been saying all along, through all His prophets, from the beginning of time. And the content of that prophetic promise was salvation. Salvation from what? From our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us. Now, for the first-century Jew, this would have immediately brought to mind the Romans. And it certainly includes that. God's salvation is a comprehensive, world-altering salvation that deals with oppressive political powers. But it is much deeper than that. The ultimate enemy is not Caesar, but Satan, sin, and death. The salvation Christ brings is a victory over these fundamental enemies, which then works its way out into history to topple every lesser tyrant.

72-73 To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant, The oath which He swore to Abraham our father,

Zechariah now traces the promise back beyond David, all the way to Abraham. The coming of this King is an act of mercy, not just to the living, but "toward our fathers." The saints of old who died in faith, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, are vindicated by this act. God is proving Himself faithful to them. He is remembering His holy covenant, specifically the oath He swore to Abraham. This is the bedrock of everything. God made an unconditional promise to Abraham to bless him and to bless the world through his seed (Genesis 22:16-18). The coming of Christ is God making good on that ancient oath. Our salvation rests not on our faithfulness, but on the fact that God swore an oath to our father Abraham.

74-75 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before Him all our days.

Here is the purpose of the redemption. What is the goal of being rescued from our enemies? It is not so that we can do whatever we want. It is so that we might serve Him. Freedom from tyranny is freedom for worship. God saves us from our enemies so that we can become His willing servants. And this service is to be rendered "without fear." The old covenant was characterized by fear and trembling, but the new covenant is one of filial love and confidence. We are rescued from the fear of condemnation, the fear of our enemies, the fear of death, so that we can serve God in "holiness and righteousness" all the days of our lives. This is not a temporary fix; it is a permanent, lifelong transformation.

76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High, For you will go on BEFORE THE LORD TO MAKE READY HIS WAYS,

Having laid the foundation of God's great saving plan, Zechariah now turns to his own infant son, John. He speaks directly to him, defining his identity and mission. "And you, child." Your life is caught up in this great drama. You will be a prophet, but not just any prophet. You will be the "prophet of the Most High." And your specific task is that of the forerunner. You will go "before the Lord." Notice the high Christology here. John will go before the Lord, Yahweh, to prepare His ways. This is a direct quote from Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1. Zechariah understands that the one whose way John is preparing is no one less than the Lord God of Israel coming in the flesh.

77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins,

How will John prepare the way? By preaching. And what is the content of his sermon? He will give the "knowledge of salvation." This is not salvation by having the right intellectual data. It is a true, experiential knowledge. And how is this salvation known and experienced? "By the forgiveness of their sins." This is the heart of the gospel. Zechariah cuts right through all the political and nationalistic hopes. The fundamental problem is not the Roman occupation; it is human sin. The fundamental solution is not rebellion; it is forgiveness. True salvation is rooted in the remission of sins.

78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise from on high will visit us,

And why does God offer this forgiveness? What is the ultimate source of our salvation? It is not because of our merit or our deserving. It is because of the "tender mercy of our God." The Greek speaks of the bowels of mercy, a deep, visceral compassion. It is God's heartfelt pity for us in our sinful state. And this mercy takes a particular form. It is a visitation from the "Sunrise from on high." This is a beautiful and powerful metaphor for the Messiah. After a long, dark night of sin and waiting, God is causing the sun to rise. Christ is the dawn of a new day.

79 TO SHINE UPON THOSE WHO SIT IN DARKNESS AND THE SHADOW OF DEATH, To direct our feet into the way of peace.”

The purpose of the sunrise is to give light. And who needs the light? "Those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death." This is a description of the human condition apart from Christ. We are sitting, inert and helpless, in a profound spiritual darkness, living under the constant shadow of impending death. The coming of Christ is like the first rays of dawn breaking into a dark prison cell. And the light does something. It is not just for seeing; it is for walking. It directs our feet into the "way of peace." This is not just the absence of conflict, but the Hebrew concept of shalom, which means wholeness, flourishing, and right relationship with God and man. Christ, the Sunrise, leads us out of the darkness of death and into the way of true life.

80 And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the desolate regions until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Luke concludes this section with a summary of John's early life. He grew up, not just physically, but becoming "strong in spirit." There was a spiritual robustness and resilience about him from the beginning. And his preparation for ministry took place not in the schools of Jerusalem, but in the wilderness, the "desolate regions." This was the traditional place of prophetic preparation, a place of dependence on God alone. He remained there in obscurity until the appointed time, "the day of his public appearance to Israel." God's timing is perfect. John was hidden away until the moment was right for him to step onto the stage of redemptive history and announce that the King had arrived.

Application

Zechariah's song is a potent reminder that our God is a covenant-keeping God. He makes promises, and He keeps them. The entire Old Testament was a great and swelling promise that one day God would visit and redeem His people. In Jesus Christ, that promise has been decisively fulfilled. This means we do not serve a God who is distant or forgetful. We serve a God who has drawn near, who has acted, and who has accomplished our redemption. Our faith should be as robust as Zechariah's song, rooted in the historical facts of what God has done.

Furthermore, this passage defines true salvation for us. It is easy for us, like the first-century Jews, to define our greatest enemies in political or cultural terms. We think our biggest problem is the government, or the moral decay of society, or our difficult circumstances. Zechariah reminds us that our fundamental problem is our sin, and our greatest enemy is death. Therefore, our greatest need is forgiveness. The good news is that because of the tender mercy of our God, the Sunrise has visited us. Jesus Christ has come to shine in our darkness. The knowledge of salvation is found in the forgiveness of our sins, purchased by His blood.

Finally, we see the goal of this salvation. We are rescued from fear in order to serve God in holiness and righteousness. Grace is not a license to live as we please; it is a summons to a life of joyful, fearless worship and obedience. We who have seen the Sunrise are now called to walk as children of the light, with our feet firmly planted on the way of peace that Christ has opened for us.