Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Luke 1:64 - 1:66

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Paul Kretzmann Commentary - Luke 1:64 - 1:66


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Further events:

v. 64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.

v. 65. And fear came on all that dwelt round about them; and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judea.

v. 66. And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.

Two strange things connected with the story of John have been noted: The fact that the child was the son of parents past the age of bearing children, and the giving of a name which had not been in use in the family of Zacharias. Here is added the recovery of speech on the part of the father. For the greater part of a year the neighbors had known him to be dumb, and now, with the same suddenness as the calamity had overtaken him, the ban is removed from his tongue, for which he at once gives praise to the Lord. The effect upon the assembled company and upon all the inhabitants of the hill country of Judea was a very deep one. Not superstitious fear, but Revelation rent awe took hold upon them. wherever the story of these events was told, the people were similarly impressed. They felt that such singular and peculiar circumstances surrounded the birth of this child that God Himself must be concerned in his welfare, that all things pointed to an uncommon future for the boy. The usual comment was: What, then, will this child come to? And the people made a mental note of the circumstances with a view of watching further developments. If they had only continued their watchful attitude until John began his ministry on the banks of the Jordan! And the comment of the evangelist justifies the questioning of the people in the hill country; For the hand of the Lord was with him. This sentence sums up the whole history of John's childhood and anticipates some of the later developments.