Matthew starts his Gospel with Jesus’ genealogy, showing Davidic lineage.
John goes back much further and begins his Gospel with Jesus’ identity as God.
Mark jumps right into how John the Baptist is the one who prepares the way for the Messiah that Isaiah foretold would come.
Luke goes deeper into John the Baptist’s story and how he came to be. John was born to an older couple who were without children. John is a few months (six) older than Jesus and we discover they will be relatives. Two arrivals connected by family from two incredible miracles, involving two women - one quite old and the other quite young. Two dads who must accept the incredible news that would send anyone to their knees.
Luke 1:39–45 (NLT):
39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”
This is the start to THE incredible story as only Luke tells it.
First, John was foretold to be special. And his main specialty is that he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from even before he is born (Luke 1:15).
Second, this actually is evidenced when Mary visits Elizabeth. Mary voices a greeting to Elizabeth upon her arrival. The unborn John shares his miraculous indwelling of the Holy Spirit and reveals to his mother (Elizabeth) that the Lord has arrived within Mary!
The first testimony to Jesus’ Lordship as Messiah was from an unborn baby to his mother about Jesus who was an unborn baby in his mother.
If God can do all of this in these two families, what kinds of advents might we be in store for in our lives? God is the God of the possible.
by Rev. Dr. Kevin Walden
Prayer
Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe who knits us together in our mother’s wombs and leads us by