The Nativity of the holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist John is one of the great church holidays. The Church especially honors John the Baptist as the greatest of the prophets, about whom the Lord Himself said: "Of those born of women, there has never been a greater John the Baptist" (Matthew 11:11). From the very beginning, his life was marked by God's special election: he was supposed to be the one who would prepare people to meet the Savior.
The Gospel of Luke tells us that the parents of St. John were the righteous Zachariah and Elizabeth. Zachariah was a priest, and Elizabeth came from the family of Aaron. They lived a long life of piety, but had no children.: Elizabeth was infertile. In the ancient world, childlessness was perceived as a severe ordeal and even a disgrace, so the birth of a son in old age became a great mercy of God for them.
One day, when Zachariah was ministering in the Jerusalem temple, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to him. The angel announced that Zachariah and Elizabeth would have a son, who was to be named John. He will be great before the Lord, will be filled with the Holy Spirit, and will convert many to God. But Zachariah doubted it.: how can a child be born to elderly parents? For this doubt, he was struck dumb until the time of the fulfillment of the angelic word.
The birth of John the Baptist was a miracle that foreshadowed an even greater miracle — the Nativity of Christ. St. Dimitry of Rostov says that the miraculous birth of the barren and elderly Elizabeth prepared people for the mystery of the Savior's birth from the Most Pure Virgin Mary. God shows that nothing is impossible for Him. The one who resolves the infertility of the old woman is able to make the Virgin a Mother without violating Her purity.
When the time came, Elisaveta gave birth to a son, and all the relatives and neighbors rejoiced with her. The words of the Archangel were fulfilled: "Many will rejoice at his birth" (Luke 1:14). This joy was not only a family one. In the birth of John, the approach of the Messiah, whom the people of God were waiting for, was already felt.
On the eighth day, according to the law of Moses, the baby was to be circumcised and given a name. His relatives wanted to name him Zachariah, after his father. But Elizabeth said, "No, but to call him John" (Luke 1:60). Then they asked Zachariah. He asked for a tablet and wrote: "His name is John" (Luke 1:63). At the same moment, his mouth opened, the dumbness stopped, and he began to praise God. All those present were seized with fear and wonder and asked, "What will this child do?" (Luke 1:66). And the answer was already contained in God's plan: the baby would become the Forerunner of the Lord.
The name John means "God is merciful" or "the grace of God." Indeed, the whole life of St. John became a testimony of God's mercy to people. He did not point to himself, did not seek glory, but talked about Christ all his life. His ministry was the ministry of a voice that calls a person to repentance and encounter with God: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight" (Mark 1:3).
Church tradition tells us that after the Birth of Christ, when King Herod ordered the beating of infants, Saint Elizabeth hid with little John in the desert. The righteous Zachariah was killed in the temple because he did not reveal the whereabouts of his son. John himself, protected by the hand of God, grew up in the wilderness until the day of his appearance to the people of Israel.
The Feast of the Nativity of John the Baptist reminds us that God acts quietly but imperiously in history. Where a person sees the impossibility, the Lord opens the way of salvation. Where it seems that hope has faded, joy is born. John the Baptist comes into the world as the dawn before the sunrise of the Sun of Truth — Christ the Savior.
Honoring the Nativity of St. John the Baptist, the Church invites us to hear his main call: to repent, purify our hearts, correct the path of our lives and prepare a place for the Lord in ourselves. After all, Christ comes not only into the history of mankind, but also into the heart of every person who is ready to receive Him.