GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
LUKE 1:76-79
76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,
because you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
Now, after praising God for the appearance of the Messiah, Zechariah turns to his little boy and addresses him. There is no reason to criticize translations like the NIV for saying, “And you, my child,” even though there is no possessive in the Greek phrase. The old priest knew that his son would become renowned; a prophet of God. He turns our thoughts to the prophecy of Isaiah 40:3, “A voice of one calling: ‘In the desert prepare the way for the Lord.’” If God were about to appear, what greater honor could there be for any man than to know that his own son would be the one to announce it! Fathers, encourage your sons to consider the ministry. If he is “apt to teach” (1 Tim. 3:2; 2 Tim. 2:24) and meets the requirements of a Christian man in general, he doesn’t need to be the finest scholar; only a man who is faithful and with a sincere heart. And he will prepare the way for the Lord, too, in hearts that yearn to know!
77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
What a sweet word is aphesis (ἄϕεσις), “forgiveness.” This is a word that can mean release from captivity (Luke 4:18) or cancellation of a debt or a punishment (“you must cancel any debt your brother owes you,” Deuteronomy 15:3). But for the most part, it is used for the forgiveness of sins. This sentence in the Benedictus is fulfilled in Mark 1:4, “John came baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (also Luke 3:3).
78 because of God’s affectionate mercy toward us,
by which the springing day from on high will visit us,
79 to shine on those who sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
I have translated anatole (ἀνατολή) “springing day.” It means more literally “the rising; the dawn.” It’s primarily an astronomical word, although there are times in the Greek of the New Testament when “dawn” and “the east” are synonymous.
A translation should use language familiar to its readers both in their ordinary speech and in the language of their familiar liturgy and hymns, and we still sing “Oh come, O Dayspring from on high” every Advent, based on this verse. Since the meaning is clear either way, yet the hymn is clearer for it, I have used the poetic “springing day” to make “Dayspring” clearer to both reader and singer (and myself).
Examine these two verses carefully. In verse 78 there is nothing but gospel: God’s affectionate mercy toward us. But in verse 79, the law casts a dark shadow: darkness, and the shadow of death (skia thanatou, σκιᾷ θανάτου). We think of Isaiah’s words: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; a light has shined on those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness (skia thanatou)” (Isaiah 9:2). But for those who do not repent of their sins, the light doesn’t shine at all. “Honor the LORD your God before he brings darkness, and before your feet stumble on the mountains at dusk. You will look for light but he will turn it into the shadow of death (skia thanatou) and change it into deep darkness” (Jeremiah 13:16, EHV). If we fail to understand the seriousness of sin and the broken law, the gospel will have no meaning, no sweetness, and no value. “Without this knowledge,” C.F.W. Walther said, “Scripture is and remains a sealed book” (The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel, Thesis IV). So our sins, which plunged us down into the very shadow of death, meant complete and total separation from God forever in the torment of hell. And someone who rejects Christ is still in that horror, whether they understand it or not. The truth is that Jesus, and only Jesus, is our salvation from our sins. Some dismiss sin as old-fashioned or a human invention to force children into obedience, but sin is a fact. Even in our best works and deeds, we sin. Jesus paid our debt and rescued us from sin’s eternal consequences. So share the truth, like Zechariah. Bring your loved ones to hear the gospel, to know the truth, and to be brought from the fear of sin’s ravages to the comfort of Jesus’ victory.
Oh come, O Dayspring from on high,
And cheer us by your drawing nigh;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Immanuel
Shall come to you, O Israel.
(Veni, Emmanuel, 12th Century Latin Hymn)
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
Archives by Wisconsin Lutheran Chapel: http://www.wlchapel.org/worship/daily-devotion/
Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota