Luke 1:15

Be great. In the estimation of Heaven it is not wealth, rank, noble descent, or intellectual gifts that constitute greatness. God values moral worth and prizes the attributes of love and purity. John was great “in the sight of the Lord” (see Matt. 11:11) in contrast with Herod, “great” in the sight of men who crave rank, wealth, and power. John was a great servant of his fellow men; Herod was a great tyrant over them. John lived for others; Herod lived for self alone. John was great in the same way that Elijah was great, in turning “many of the children of Israel ... to the Lord their God” (Luke 1:16). Herod was great in the same way that Nimrod was great (see on Gen. 10:9-12), in leading men to doubt and oppose God (Gen. 10:9, 10; see ch. 11:2-4). See pp. 41, 42; see on Matt. 11:13, 14.

Wine. Gr. oinos (see below under “strong drink”).

Strong drink. Gr. sikera, a loan word from the Aramaic shikra’ and the Heb. shekar (see on Num. 28:7). Shekar may be wine or any intoxicating drink like wine, whether made from barley or distilled from honey or dates. The root of the Hebrew verb means “to drink to the full,” “to drink to hilarity,” or “to be drunken.” Some commentators have thought that Luke’s use of the two terms oinos, “wine,” and sikera, “strong drink,” shows that intoxicating beverages made of grapes are not included in the term sikera. But this distinction is not justified because: (1) Sikera is simply a Greek transliteration of the Heb. shekar, which includes all intoxicating drinks. (2) The poetic form of vs. 14-17 does not justify a distinction as to kind between “wine” and “strong drink” any more than between “joy” and “gladness” in v. 14. When we speak of working with “might and main” we do not refer to two separate and distinct sources of power; we simply mean the exertion of all our strength. In the same way, Luke, or rather the angel Gabriel, uses the two terms merely to emphasize the exclusion of anything intoxicating.

Like Samson (Judges 13:4, 5) and Samuel (see on 1 Sam. 1:22), John the Baptist was a Nazirite from birth (DA 102). At all times a Nazirite (see on Gen. 49:26; Num. 6:2) was to keep the appetites and passions under strict subjection to principle (see on Judges 13:5). The important task assigned to John the Baptist would call for mental strength and spiritual insight, that he might stand as an example before the people of his time. In a similar way those who participate in the task of proclaiming the second coming of Christ must purify their lives “even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3).

Filled with the Holy Ghost. Rather than with strong drink (see Eph. 5:18). When at Pentecost the apostles were “filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:4, 15-17), they were accused of being “full of new wine” (v. 13). With those whom God has chosen for His service there must be no doubt as to the type of stimulation that moves them to action.

The lower form of stimulation excludes the higher form. John was to be illuminated, sanctified, and guided by the influence of the Holy Spirit. In his Gospel and in the book of Acts, Luke mentions the Holy Spirit more than 50 times, compared with 13 times by all the other gospel writers combined.

From his mother’s womb. John’s very existence was due to the will and power of God, not of man. He came into the world with his assigned lifework, and was to be dedicated to God from the very first. It was possible for the Holy Spirit to “fill” John from birth because the Spirit had first been able to fill John’s mother, Elisabeth, directing and controlling her life. During the early years of the children, parents are to stand in the place of God to them (PP 308). “Happy are the parents whose lives are a true reflection of the divine” (PK 245). It was through the Holy Spirit that Mary received wisdom to cooperate with heavenly agencies in the development and training of Jesus (DA 69). Mothers today who choose to live in communion with God may expect the Divine Spirit to mold their little ones, “even from their earliest moments” (DA 512). Thus our children, like John the Baptist, may enjoy the happy privilege of being “filled with the Holy Ghost.” See on ch. 2:52.