THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
THE BENEDICTUS: Lk 1,68-69
We might have expected this canticle to come immediately after verse 64 where we are told that, with his tongue now unlocked, Zechariah praises God. Instead, it comes at the end after the reaction of the people. In verse 67, we are told that Zechariah is making a prophecy filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore this blessing or praise becomes a commentary on all the events so far described and preparing for the birth of Jesus which follows. Luke has made this canticle the climax of all the preparations leading up to the birth of the saviour.
The key word at the beginning is "for" in 1,68b (as in NRSV and NAB). God is blessed or praised, the reason for the praise is then given.
The Benedictus moves from the general in the first part to the particular (the child) in the second (whereas the Magnificat goes the other direction, from Mary herself to a more general programme). Thus the first more general part of the Benedictus is 1,68-73 while the second part, which is spoken to the baby John, is 1,76-79.
The opening statement in verse 68, shows that the theme of the Benedictus is salvation. God is once again preparing to save his people and it is this child who will prepare the way.
I prefer translations like the NAB which speak of "a horn (or power) of salvation" in verse 69 rather than those that translate this as "a mighty saviour" as in the NRSV. Because the mighty saviour has yet to appear (2,11), it seems better to keep this salvation as a general statement of God coming to save his people. We'll come back to this when we read the verse.
A long and complex sentence through to verse 75 needs breaking down, though this not always helped by the translations. Verse 68 can be read as one sentence in English. Verses 69 to 71 can be read as a second sentence with "just as he promised through the prophets" as its middle clause. This fulfillment of God's promises refers back to the horn of salvation in verse 69 and also forward to the salvation from enemies in verse 71.
Verse 72a then gives the consequence, that God has thus shown his mercy and remembered his covenant. Finally, verses 72b-75 present the outcome for us: that God may grant us to serve or worship him.
As a result, this is how I read first part of the Benedictus:
- Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,
- for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.
- He has raised up a horn for our salvation within the house of David his servant,
- even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
- salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us.
- Thus he has shown mercy to our fathers
- and remembered his holy covenant, the oath he swore to Abraham our father,
- to grant us that without fear, rescued from our enemies,
- we might serve (worship) him in holiness and righteousness
- before him all our days.
We can now return to the main page.
Salvation: 1,68-75
Verse 68 begins with a statement which echoes those ending the various books within th Psalter (Ps 41,13 or Ps 106,48). Tobit 13,1 opens a Jewish prayer of thanksgiving; this is one of the later books of the OT. Thus the opening line is very Jewish, an appropriate opening for Zechariah as a priest.
God visiting his people is found in the OT for God's intervention to save his people. A rather different note is struck in verse 78 as we will see.
Psalm 18 makes the horn of salvation part of a larger statement about the nature of God. Ps 75,10 speaks of the horn of the wicked.
The opening verse of the Gospel speaks of those events which have been fulfilled among us, now stated again at the end of the chapter.
Ps 18,17 and Ps 106,10 both speak of being saved from enemies.
God's mercy echoes through the Bible. Ps 106 brings out the connection between mercy and the covenant which is appropriate here. The reference to Genesis 17,7 tells of the original oath sworn to Abraham.
The word used in verse 74 can correctly be translated "serve" but its specific meaning here would be worship.
The first part of the sentence is centred on the promises made to David in the book of Samuel (2 Sam 7), with the consequence of salvation seen as being freed from enemies. That's appropriate for a soldier like David.
The second part is then based on the covenant with Abraham as related in the book of Genesis. Appropriately for the patriarch, that enables the people to worship God without fear.
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The Child John: 1,76-79
John will be called "prophet of the Most High"; Jesus by contrast will be "Son of the Most High" (1,32). "Lord" in this verse refers to the coming Jesus, at the begining in verse 68 it meant God himself.
The whole first part of the Benedictus speaks of God's salvation which will now be proclaimed by this child. For Luke, salavation finds a specific meaning in forgiveness of sins. This is proclaimed by John in 3,3 as well as Jesus' teaching in 5,20-23.
The key to this salvation and forgiveness of sins is God's mercy already shown in the first part, 1,72, and a central theme of the Magnificat, 1,50.55, as we have seen.
The Greek word used here for daybreak is also used to translate the Hebrew word for "branch" with its messianic overtones in Jer 23,5. We can be sure that Luke would have been aware of this double meaning.
Verse 79 recalls the great messianic oracles of Isaiah, "the people who have walked in darkness have seen a great light". It therefore refers to Jesus himself who brings peace. Indeed the first words of the risen Jesus to his disciples are "peace be with you" (24,36). The peace brought by Jesus thereby forms a bracket around the whole Gospel.
Biblical peace (shalom in Hebrew) has a far deeper meaning than the word in English. As one commentator put it: "its focus is on wholeness, harmony, well-being, prosperity and security".
In summary, in verses 76-77 the child is portrayed as a prophet but in verses 78-79 he has become more specifically the forerunner of Jesus.
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