Verses 64-66
God rewarded Zechariah’s obedience by removing his temporary disability. His first words were praise of God (cf. Acts 2:4; Acts 2:11).
"The first evidence of his dumbness had been, that his tongue refused to speak the benediction to the people; and the first evidence of his restored power was, that he spoke the benediction of God in a rapturous burst of praise and thanksgiving." [Note: Edersheim, 1:159.]
Luke stressed the widespread effect this incident had in the whole area. Everyone concluded that John would be an unusual child because God’s hand was with him. It was also Luke’s purpose in emphasizing the naming of John to elicit the same reaction in his readers. When John began his public ministry, there must have been some Jews who submitted to his baptism because they had noted God’s hand on him from this event onward (cf. Luke 2:19; Luke 2:51).
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