The angel Gabriel made what seems to me an odd comment when predicting the career of John the Baptist to his father, Zechariah:

He will go before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Most parents I know already turn their hearts toward their children. What might Gabriel mean?

John the Baptist spent all his public ministry turning hearts to the Lord. Right up until the day Herod displayed his head on a silver platter, John preached in spirit and power, turning the disobedient toward wisdom.

One thought reflects the idea that those Jewish ancestors who followed the Lord back in the day would be pleased with the new righteous devotion of a younger generation. Passing on a fervent faith remains a value of all followers of Christ.

Another more personal idea emerges. John worked to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. This includes his initial Jewish hearers, but expands much deeper than Zechariah could have imagined. Gabriel predicted John’s work would reverberate down centuries, include both Jews and Gentiles, and influence those following the ways of the Lord ever since.

Gabriel’s promise to a stunned and muted priest remains in place. Even today people prepared for the Lord benefit from the example of Zechariah’s son, a wild man who laid the groundwork for Jesus.

Luke 1 in reading the Bible cover to cover in 2022

Photo by Jim Wilson