As one of my home's foremost authorities on parenting, it occurred to me tonight that it would be of great interest to study the parents of the man whom Jesus declared to be the greatest man ever born, John the Baptist (Matthew 11:11). Who were the people who raised the man who was honored so highly by Jesus Himself, who wore camel hair, ate wild honey and locusts, and prepared the way for the Lord, and what did they do to bring such a man up? Now, up front I want to acknowledge that from the beginning John the Baptist was "filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb" (Luke 1:15). However, As we will see, I believe that God chose them to be the parents of this great man for a reason, just as He did with his own Son, Jesus. I wish that more had been written about them for us to read, but I know that the Lord has His reasons, and that His reasons are always good. He did tell us something very important, though. Luke 1:6 records that John the Baptist's parents, Zacharias and Elizabeth, "were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord." These were people who feared God and believed Him, as evidenced by their obedience.
We get further insight into Elizabeth's character in verses 39-56 of Luke 1. In this passage we learn that when Mary was told by Gabriel that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, that she "went in a hurry...and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth," whom verse 36 tells us was Mary's relative. There she received encouragement from Elizabeth and stayed for about three months. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, understood that Mary's baby was her "Lord," and she said: "Blessed are you among women...and blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord." To a woman in Mary's position (young, not yet married, having just been visited by Gabriel and told that she had been chosen to be the mother of the Savior of the world), such words of encouragement and affirmation from an older saint in her family must have been invaluable.
The account concludes with the baby's birth in verses 57-64. On the eighth day, according to Jewish custom, the boy was to be named, and everyone expected him to be called Zacharias, after his father, but both parents insisted that he be called John, in humble obedience to God. And the first words out of the proud father's mouth after at least nine months of silence because of his unbelief were "in praise of God" (Luke 1:64).
"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people..." (Luke 1:68).