Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah’s Prophecy, God Sent John
Release Date: 12/24/2025
Characters at the Cradle: The Birth of Jesus, The Main Character
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick This week, we are going to look specifically at the birth of Jesus and the important role that the shepherds and angels played as characters at the cradle. However, before we look at some more of these secondary characters, we must first STOP and look at the main character. Jesus is the main event. He IS the ultimate character at the cradle, around whom God’s entire story is written. He is the pinnacle of all creation, the peak of all prophecies, and the climax of the story! Join me today as we look at Luke 2:1-4. Did you know that everything in human history is under...
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Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah’s Prophecy, Light to the World
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Zechariah concluded his prophecy in verse 79 by proclaiming that John the Baptist would “give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” John the Baptist would proclaim a message that would give light to the shadow of death, which is often people’s greatest fear. But this light would also guide our feet to the way of peace. So we don’t misstep, trip, or fall! As we discussed yesterday, God gives us the sunrise every morning, simply because of his grace. The sun gives us light for the day. In the same way,...
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Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah’s Prophecy, A Message of Repentance
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick Zechariah’s prophecy gives strong gospel implications to the importance and need for repentance. Luke 1:77-78 says that John, in preparing the way for the Lord, would “give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high…” Zechariah knew that John’s life’s mission would be to point to Jesus. John the Baptist would bring a message of repentance before people even heard Jesus’s message. His words would prime the hearts of people to receive the Word (John...
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Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah’s Prophecy, God Sent John
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick The Godhead - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are present throughout the biblical narrative. Much like in Genesis 1, where the Trinity is present during creation, the same holds true with these characters at the cradle. The Bible tells us that many of these characters at the cradle were specifically marked with the Holy Spirit during their encounters with the Christ child. The Spirit “came upon” Mary (Luke 1:35). Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit as she first met Jesus in the womb of her cousin, Mary (Luke 1:41). And then in verse 67, Zechariah is filled with the...
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Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah’s Prophecy, About What?
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick We are looking at the characters at the cradle, the people who found their lives intersecting with the life of Jesus, with divine precision. Each person carried a unique role and responsibility and stewarded his or her place in history with great purpose. Zechariah was one of those characters. In spite of his initial unbelief, which left him deaf and mute for a season, he allowed his time in silence to shape him and refine him for what was to come with the birth of John. Once Zechariah’s speech was restored, he was filled with the Spirit and began to prophesy. About what,...
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Characters at the Cradle: Zechariah’s Prophecy, Speech Restored
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick This week, we cover Zechariah’s prophecy found in Luke 1:67-79. This passage is powerful and full of revelation and insight. If you remember where we have been, Zechariah’s words come on the heels of Elizabeth’s prophetic exclamation in verse 42, Mary’s song of praise in verses 46-56, and the birth of John in verses 57-66. Zechariah is coming off his nine months of silence. Because he expressed words of doubt and unbelief when the angel Gabriel had told him that he would finally have a son named John, Zechariah was rendered mute and deaf. By the time John arrived,...
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Characters at the Cradle: John the Baptist, Awe and Wonder
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick “And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, ‘What then will this child be?’ For the hand of the Lord was with him.” Luke 1:65-66. When Zechariah’s voice returned, he started blessing God for all that had happened to him and Elizabeth. He was incredibly grateful for the birth of his child. The text goes on to tell us that all the neighbors were filled with fear. The “fear” talked about here is not dread or being afraid. On the...
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Characters at the Cradle: John the Baptist, Words of Worship
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick When Zechariah wrote down, “His name is John,” for all to see and read, he obeyed in specificity all the angel of the Lord had commanded him to do. At that moment, something significant happened. Let’s take a look. “And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God” (Luke 1:64). Immediately. What a powerful word! Not gradual, not slowly… immediately! Zechariah’s act of obedience led to his immediate breakthrough. At that moment, he was able to speak again. And the words that poured forth blessed the one true God. This might...
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Characters at the Cradle: John The Baptist, His Name is John
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick The ultimate name of the Christmas story is born into a cradle. His name is Jesus. But there are many characters at the cradle who play significant roles in highlighting the Savior of the world. One, in particular, is the forerunner to the message of Jesus. His name is John. Luke 1:61-63 continues the story of John’s circumcision. Even though everyone thought this special baby would be named after his father, Gabriel instructed Zechariah to name him John. Because Zechariah was still mute, Elizabeth had just spoken up to tell everyone the name. No one who gathered for this...
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Characters at the Cradle: John The Baptist, What’s His Name?
A Moment of Hope
by David Chadwick What’s in a name? There is power in a name. Meaning in a name. Purpose in a name. In Scripture, names often point to someone’s God-ordained purpose. Today, you will learn why John’s name was significant. After John was born, Zechariah and Elizabeth took him to be circumcised on the eighth day, as was the Jewish custom. This was also the time when the father would pronounce the name of the child. Often in biblical times, the child would be named after the father. This actually still happens a lot in today’s culture as well. So for John’s circumcision, everyone...
info_outlineby David Chadwick
The Godhead - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, are present throughout the biblical narrative. Much like in Genesis 1, where the Trinity is present during creation, the same holds true with these characters at the cradle.
The Bible tells us that many of these characters at the cradle were specifically marked with the Holy Spirit during their encounters with the Christ child. The Spirit “came upon” Mary (Luke 1:35). Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit as she first met Jesus in the womb of her cousin, Mary (Luke 1:41). And then in verse 67, Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit.
Zechariah continued his Spirit-filled prophecy in verse 76 by specifically addressing his child, John, given to Zechariah and Elizabeth in their old age. He would be called “the prophet of the Most High.” John’s divine purpose would be to go before the Lord and prepare his ways. What a powerful calling! John’s life would be marked as a human mouthpiece for the Most High God.
Did you know that Malachi prophesied about John’s arrival as the forerunner of Jesus in Malachi 4:5? Malachi was the last of the Old Testament prophets, prophesying right around 420 BC before the 400 years of silence. Take note of the wonder of this situation! The last Old Testament prophet prophesied the coming of the final prophet, who would prepare the way for Jesus’s arrival.
God chose, ordained, and sent John to prepare the way for his son, Jesus. Both John’s and Jesus’s miraculous births were a sovereign part of God’s plan to redeem the world. Through their providential lives, the grace and mercy of Jesus were displayed, restoring the ability to have restoration between creation and the Creator.
John would carry the same spirit of the great Old Testament prophet Elijah, who constantly preached repentance, which paved the way for Jesus to share God’s message of rich forgiveness, grace, and mercy. But remember, without the message of repentance, God’s grace and mercy are just sloppy sentimentality.
True life change should always propel you into a new life of holiness and righteousness that can only be found in Jesus.