And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him. (Luke 1:59-66 ESV)
Luke lays out a number of themes, two of which are wonder and names. Here the people wonder what the experiences of Zacharias and his family mean for everyone else. Mary is wondering what her son will be like. The shepherds will wonder, as well as all those people who hear their message. Anna and Simeon will wonder. Maybe we should wonder too? And then there are the names. Not only all the names used to describe the Messiah, Jesus Christ, but also John. Do you know what it means? Do we take the time to weigh the importance and meaning of all these names of Christ?
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