FROM WHOSE PERSPECTIVE
Luke 1:13-15, 24-25 NKJ
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
There are two perspectives given in these two passages from our reading for today. Both perspectives involve John the Baptist who was a prophet forerunner of Jesus.
The first perspective is the most important. The angel Gabriel said that John would be great in the sight of the Lord. That phrase stood out to me. Great in the sight of the Lord. The angel never said John would be a great man. Gabriel never said that people would consider John great. John would be great from the Lord’s perspective. And that tells us something. Great, from God’s perspective, is different from that of people. From reading the gospels, we see John as a firebrand figure. He dressed strangely. He ate bugs and honey. And he did not play politics with the Jewish religious leaders or the Roman authorities. John’s message was straightforward, and he pulled no punches, calling some people vipers and calling out Herod for his unlawful marriage. John wound up in prison and was beheaded for his controversial callouts. And yet, in God’s eyes, he was great.
The other perspective is that of people. Elizabeth is expressing how God had looked on her to take away her reproach among people. We don’t use the word reproach as much today. But it means shame and disgrace. Because Elizabeth had been unable to have children, her infertility was the reason for her shame. In the religious environment she lived in, a woman who could not bear children had to suffer shame from other people. Surely, there were whispers as to what sin had she committed that made her barren. A religious environment can be harsh. But God had mercy on Elizabeth. Not only did God give her the desire of her heart but He also removed the shame and disgrace she had carried for years. Elizabeth’s child would be great in the sight of the Lord, and he would take away the shame of his mother.
APPLICATION
There still exist two perspectives today: the perspective of people and the perspective of God. If you are going to pick one to please, I suggest becoming esteemed in God’s sight. When He was insulted and mocked by people Jesus committed Himself to Him who judges righteously. God is the only One who has a flawless perspective free from outside influence of vacillation.
People never have the whole story. Their perspective is what they see, or feel, or guess. People’s perspective can change in a moment. Trying to please people is a difficult endeavor that is not worth the effort. Living to please God is a completely different story.
PRAYER
Lord my heart is to please You. Your perspective matters most.