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December 14, 2008
“Zechariah’s Song”
Luke 1: 67-75
December 14, 2008 (Cantata Sunday)
Since the theme of the day is Christmas Music, I thought I would present one more Christmas song to you. Don’t worry, I am not going to sing to you. In fact, I just read the lyrics to you. The song that is the subject of my meditation this morning is the Song of Zechariah.
Zechariah was the father of John the Baptist. He had a little tiff with the angel who told him that he and his wife would have a son, and the angel left him unable to speak until John was born. When he was able to speak, he was moved by the Spirit to prophecy, and as was often the case among Jews in those days, his prophecy is in the form of a Hebrew Psalm. In the 6th century, some churches put music to this psalm and it was used in their liturgies.
We are only looking at the first stanza of Zechariah’s song this morning. The second stanza, which begins in verse 76 deals with the part that John the Baptist would play in God’s soon-coming work of redemption.
The first Stanza, the text we are looking at, describes the quickly-coming work of salvation that God was about to complete. This stanza uses Hebrew Old Testament terminology and concepts because Zechariah was a priest and Old Testament Scholar.
This morning I want to lift up and explain some of these concepts so we can appreciate what God has done for us in Jesus the Christ.
Zechariah began his Psalm by announcing that God has come to redeem his people. To us this should serve as a reminder that Jesus was God on earth and that his purpose was to redeem God’s people.
But in the NRSV translation that we are using this morning, one of the more colorful and powerful images in this passage receives an unfortunate translation. If you look at verse 69 you will read: “He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David,”
The words “mighty savior” is a mild translation of a very interesting Hebrew phrase. The Hebrew phrase, translated literally into the Greek in the gospel is “a horn of Salvation”. This Hebrew phrase comes from the imagery of a bull. The bull is a powerful animal, full of muscles from end to end, but when the bull attacks or defends himself, the power of all those muscles are focused through two small points on the top of his head, the points of his horns. So the phrase “horn of salvation” does mean “powerful or mighty Savior”, but that translation deprives the phrase of its beautiful imagery. And in a song or poem, imagery is the name of the game.
In referring to Jesus the unnamed son of David, as a horn of Salvation, Zechariah is making an interesting theological point. He is saying that Jesus is the main point of the revelation of God revealed in the Old Testament and in Zechariah’s time to be revealed in the New Testament. Jesus is the one in whom all the power of God and commandments of God and prophecies of God described in the Old Testament is focused. Jesus is the main point of God’s plan for fallen humanity. All of the saving power of God is channeled into the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
If you are ever asked what is the point of Christmas, the answer is Jesus. If you are ever asked what is the point of Christianity, the point is Jesus. Jesus is the strong horn into which all of God’s power for salvation is focused.
In verses 70 & 71 Zechariah said that this horn of salvation that was coming in the family of David was prophecied from of old to save God’s people from our enemies and from all who hate us.
For the past few years, Christians and people living in the US have been made aware that there are people who hate us and want to destroy us. But I think that the Bible is clear in teaching us that in many ways, our greatest enemies are ourselves. Our fallenness, our sinfulness keeps trying to get us into trouble with God and with each other.
Jesus came to save us from all people and forces that would hurt us or destroy us, including our own evil inclinations. He came so we could have the power to live lives that are pleasing to God. Or as Zechariah said in verses 74 & 75, “That we,… might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.”
Because of the salvation won by Jesus on the cross, we are able to live our lives in the presence of God’s Holy Spirit, without fear of being rightfully destroyed by God. And we can live lives that are holy and righteous and acceptable in God’s sight, because our sins, though in some cases were and are many, have been forgiven.
The phrase that should be in all Christmas songs is “that we might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him, all our days.” Since Jesus came, we have been living before God, in plain view of His Holy Spirit. And we are supposed to be living lives that are pleasing to Him.
Pastor David Horner
Faith Presbyterian Church
West Lafayette, IN 47906
Posted by faithpres at December 14, 2008 02:47 PM