Luke 1:67-79: December 20—Go, tell it on the mountain

Nov 30, 2009
By WILEY RICHARDS

Wiley Richards is a retired professor of theology and philosophy at The Baptist College of Florida in Graceville.

Scholars are not certain who wrote the Christmas carol “Go Tell It on the Mountain.” Some think it arose as early as 1865, probably written by a slave. Regardless of authorship, the hymn was published by John W. Work, Jr. (1872-1924), in the hymnal “African-American Spirituals,” also entitled “Folk Songs of the American Negro” in 1907, in Nashville. Now classified as a Negro Spiritual, it is a favorite of choirs and other groups of singers. Its call to spread abroad the Christ born in Bethlehem still resonates with the joy of Christmas. In the adoring words of the aged Zacharias, five attributes of God’s anointed Christ stand out.

First and foremost, He is the prophesied Messiah (v. 67). The Bible describes the father of John the Baptist as being filled with the Holy Spirit Who endowed him with the gift of prophecy. The ministry of the Holy Spirit is muted in the Old Testament. As Old Testament interpreters note, the Holy spirit came upon people for a particular purpose. The empowering of Zacharias was not an isolated event. The Spirit filled John the Baptist before his birth (Lk. 1:15) and came upon Mary (1:35). These scattered descriptions of Holy Spirit actions gave a foretaste of His magnificent role throughout the Book of Acts. The era of the Holy Spirit had begun.

Second, Zacharias pictured Jesus as the royal Messiah (vv. 68-69). The advent as seen by these early revelations center around the basic themes of the Messiah’s Davidic line, His fulfillment of prophecy, and His purpose of salvation. Zacharias, overwhelmed by the promise of his son John, never elevated himself or his role in the drama of redemption. His message of adoration focused on God and His actions. The hymn of praise blessed the God of Israel who had visited and redeemed His people. Observe that Zacharias used verbs in the past tense as though God had already accomplished those missions. These words simply guarantee the outcome in history of what transpired in those glorious moments when eternity invaded history.

The fulfillment came through the medium of the royal line of David, called the “house of David” by Zacharias. The phrase “horn of salvation” refers not to the horns of the altar, but to strength as symbolized by the bull. Jesus, coming from the royal line, possessed the authority in a human sense of the rights and prerogatives of a ruler.

In that the Messiah was the successor of David, Zacharias realized the coming Savior was the covenant-keeping Messiah (vv. 70-75). The old man understood the prophetic significance of the events he was experiencing. He alluded to the “holy prophets” who recorded the beginning of the universe. From early times the message of divine deliverance from opposition centered around the covenant between God and His people. It came initially in His covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3).

At the time Zacharias proclaimed the message of divine deliverance (v. 74), Israel suffered under the yoke of Roman bondage. The release from bondage did not begin until the flag of David began to fly over Jerusalem in 1948. The next part of the prophecy awaits fulfillment as it relates to Israel serving God in holiness and righteousness. Romans 11:11-12, 25-27 unequivocally assert a national recognition of Jesus by the Jews.

Zacharias spelled out the role of John as the forerunner of the light-giving Messiah (vv. 76-79). Zacharias knew his son’s position as the one preparing the way for the initiation of the public ministry of Jesus (v. 76). John’s life and work fulfilled the prophecy of Malachi 4:5-6, quoted by Mark 2:1-2. John’s message was one of repentance for the remission of sins (v. 77), a beautiful anticipation of John’s ministry (Mk 1:4).

John was more than a gifted preacher. His preparatory ministry kicked off a great transition in history as God’s “dayspring” dawned. The image relates to the breaking of the dawn as the sun arose to bathe the land in light. The darkness the Light dispels had special reference to the Gentiles who lived in the shadow of death.

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