Lk 1:57-66, 80
When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. 59When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, 60but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.”
But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.”62So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. 63He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. 64Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. 65Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. 66All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.
The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
They rejoiced with her. Elizabeth’s neighbors are a curious lot. They rejoice with her when her child is born. Then fear comes upon them when the child’s future is in doubt. This is often our experience—when we are blessed, people rejoice and flock to us. When we are on the threshold of doubt and difficulty, we find ourselves alone. Only the Lord sticks with us through thick and thin.
That is why the child is named John, meaning, a special blessing from God. When we need him most, that is when his blessing comes. God is not a fair-weather neighbor. God is an all-weather friend! All our names should have a “John” with them, for we are truly blessed. We are gifts from God.