God has raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of his servant David. Following the loosening of his tongue, Zechariah burst into a song of praise as he rejoiced in the wonders which the Lord had done for his family. Known as the Benedictus, Zechariah’s song of praise is a bag ‘mixed’ feelings.  Indeed, Zechariah saw in the birth of his son the coming to fulfillment of God’s promises. He saw in the Lord’s favor that had rested upon his family the first fruits of God ultimately raising up a Savior for God’s people. As a priest ministering in the Temple, Zechariah had knowledge of God’s prophecies on behalf of Israel. He knew that a day was sure to come when God’s promise to raise up a Messiah for the nation of Israel would be fulfilled. Zechariah saw the dawn of that day in the birth of his son, John. However, it is also good to recognize that while the Benedictus in general was a celebration of God’s fidelity to the covenant, the immediate context was Zechariah’s own salvation. The birth of John the Baptist was salvation for Zechariah’s household, for with a son, Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were now assured of someone coming to their aid in their old age. With a son, they could now walk with their heads held high for they now had a ‘backup plan’ (cf. Ps 127:3-5: ‘Children are a heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warriorare children born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their opponents in court’). For Zechariah, it was personal and close to home. Salvation must be felt at the individual level, for it is when the individual is truly saved that we can say the society is truly saved.
But Zechariah also understood the role that John the Baptist was to play in the larger salvific plan of God. He understood that John was not his to keep. The joy of salvation he had experienced in the birth of John had to be experienced by others as well, especially those who were dwelling in darkness and in the shadow of death. It was John’s responsibility to bring the dawn of light to these men and women. It was John who was to bring the message of the light’s dawning upon the people of God in order to make their lives bright. He accomplished this by announcing the coming of the Messiah even as he prepared the hearts of the people by preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
Like Zechariah, may we experience the concretization of God’s saving acts in our lives. May we never tire of waiting on the Lord.