'Then Zechariah his father, filled with the holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: 68 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people. 69 He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant, 70 even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old: 71 salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, 72 to show mercy to our fathers and to be mindful of his holy covenant 73 and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father, and to grant us that, 74 rescued from the hand of enemies, without fear we might worship him 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God by which the daybreak from on high will visit us 79 to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”'
Luke continued his theological theme of God’s fidelity to His promise. He joined together two Jewish Christian hymns (vv. 68-75 & 76-79) to form this canticle about how God dealt with and will deal with the elect. It tells of how God acts and what he is inaugurating in Jesus to redeem His people who in this case are the Israelites. Luke reintroduces the theme of the coming Davidic Messiah spoken about by the prophets; “He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father (Lk. 1:32).” The ‘horn for our salvation’ (v. 69) is Jesus. God is faithful to his covenant with Abraham, and God will fulfill his promise by conquering his enemies and bringing them complete peace. Zechariah knows through the Spirit that the one born of the house of David will be the savior of Israel and that John is the forerunner to him. Both births are key to God fulfilling his OT promise.
John the Baptist is the ‘prophet of the Most High’ and God’s messenger; 'Now I am sending my messenger— he will prepare the way before me;(Mal. 3:1).’ The messenger will prepare the way for the Messiah, “A voice proclaims: In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God (Is. 40:3)!” Verse 76 is similar to Gabriel’s words to Mary in v. 17, “He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord.” John will prepare the way of the Lord by preaching about salvation through repentance and forgiveness of sins. The Messiah will guide the elect to Biblical peace - wholeness, harmony, well-being, prosperity, and security.
Almighty ever-living God, as we await the birth of your Son, direct our hearts and actions according to your good pleasure, so that we may rise above all spiritual obstacles that keep us from you. Help us to be heralds for your Kingdom and to abound in good works that we may be welcomed as faithful servants when our mission is done. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Expanded Edition, Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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