Big Idea: The promise of the birth of a special child shows that a new age is dawning: John the Baptist will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord.

Understanding the Text

We have considered Luke’s introductory statement of intent (1:1–4) in the introduction (“Luke the Historian: Luke 1:1–4”), and I will not comment further on it here. The story then begins, to the reader’s surprise, not with Jesus but with the promise of the birth of John the Baptist. The reader will be invited to compare the origins of the two men, both born by the special power of God, both heralded by the same angelic messenger, both named by the angel, and both called to fulfill a key role in the working out of God’s purpose of deliverance for his people.

Chapters 1–2 (Luke’s “infancy narrative”) stand apart…