S160P6 – A man by any other name: John the Baptist
Lk. 1:59-64
So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.” But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called. And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God.
I cannot say why the tradition exists in so many cultures with regard to sons and not to daughters, but the naming of a first-born son after his father is quite common. My older brother is a junior, and that was pretty much expected when he was born. Of course, sons and daughters, whether born first or last or somewhere in between, often are named for relatives from the past and present. Family names are there to denote just that, the lineage from which a person comes. It is a matter of pride at claiming that new child as part of your clan, and the child also can be proud to be part of that family. When God assumed the role of naming John the Baptist as He wanted, He similarly was staking a claim.
There is a connection between the Greek name translated as John here and the Hebrew name Yehochanan, which means Yahweh is gracious or merciful. At a time when this child seemed like an impossibility, God gave a message to his father fortelling his birth. Just like Abram and Sarai, Zacharias and Elizabeth were well past the childbearing age. Regardless of how badly they wanted and prayed for a child, no one would have expected them to become parents at that time. God, on the other hand, had another plan for them. He would give them a miraculous son to introduce the world to his own miraculous Son. Spiritually a son to God and a brother to Jesus, God himself gave John his name. [v. 13]
It is obvious from this passage that the community expected Zacharias and Elizabeth to choose a name for their son that connected to their family in some way. It mattered that he would be known as a child from that lineage. When God took the step of naming the child, He was making John part of his own lineage. He was a child dedicated to the Lord’s work and purposes. Grace and mercy certainly were part of this child’s story, a man ushering in the arrival of Messiah by whom all can be restored to their creator. Father, thank You for the wild man in the wilderness declaring that the Lord is here, and help us to keep proclaiming the arrival of Messiah just as urgently.