22. The Birth of John

What the Story Says

1. How many years went by when God did not speak to his people through a prophet?

   God did not speak to his people through a prophet for 400 years (#22-01).

2. What problem did Zechariah and Elizabeth have?

   They were very old, but Elizabeth had not been able to have children (#22-01).

3. What would John get the people ready to do?

   John would get the people ready to receive the Messiah (#22-02).

4. Why did Zechariah become unable to speak?

   Zechariah became unable to speak because he did not believe the angel when the angel said Zechariah would have a son (#22-03).

5. To whom was Mary engaged to be married?

   Mary was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph (#22-04).

6. Who did the angel tell Mary that her son would be?

   The angel said she should name her son Jesus, and he would be the Son of the Most High God who would rule forever (#22-04).

7. Why was Mary confused about how she could have a son?

   Mary was a virgin. Therefore, she did not understand how she could have a son (#22-05).

8. How did Mary respond when the angel told her that God and the Holy Spirit would come to her so that she would be pregnant?

   Mary believed that what the angel said would happen to her (#22-05).

9. What did Elizabeth’s baby do when Mary came to visit Elizabeth?

   Elizabeth’s baby jumped inside her when Mary can to visit (#22-06).

10. Why did Zechariah and Elizabeth name their baby John?

    The angel has commanded them to name their baby John.

What the Story Means to Us

1. Why were Zechariah and Elizabeth unable to have children before this time?

   Zechariah and Elizabeth honored God, and he was pleased with them. They were not yet unable to have children because God wanted to do a miracle through them. He wanted them to become the parents of John in their old age.

2. Was Zechariah being reasonable when he doubted the message of the angel?

   It would certainly seem reasonable that Zechariah doubted the angel, because God had not spoken to his people for 400 years. However, God did not merely send a prophet to Zechariah. Instead, he sent one of his mighty angels. The presence of the angel should have convinced Zechariah to believe the message.

3. Mary was a virgin. Therefore, her son did not have a human father. Why do you think this was important?

   Every descendant of Adam and Eve are born with a desire to sin. They receive this desire from their parents. However, Mary’s son did not have a human father, and therefore did not receive this desire to sin. He was the Son of God. For that reason, he was holy and never sinned. He is the only person who has ever been born who does not have this desire to sin. God did not need to punish him for his sins. Instead, he could be punished in the place of other people who sinned.

4. How was baby John able to know when Mary came to Elizabeth, and to jump in Elizabeth’s womb?

   John was already a person who could think and act even while he was in Elizabeth’s womb. He was already able to worship God by jumping inside Elizabeth when Mary came to him with the baby Son of God inside her.

5. Why did God send John ahead of the Messiah?

   The Messiah was the most important person who ever came to earth. When important people traveled somewhere in that time, someone went ahead of them to make preparations for their arrival and to tell people that they were coming. This is what John would do for the Messiah. He would tell them that the Messiah was coming, and prepare people to receive him.

Summary

God did not send the Messiah in the way that people usually arrive in the world. God did a miracle so that John could be born to elderly parents and prepare the way for the Messiah. Then God caused the Messiah to be born of a virgin so he would be without sin. The Messiah did not have a human father—he was the Son of God! There has never been anyone like him in the world.