John Calvin Commentary Luke 1:13

"But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: because thy supplication is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John." — Luke 1:13 (ASV)

Fear not, Zacharias – it should be observed that the glory of God is not so appalling to the saints as to swallow them up entirely with dread, but only to cast them down from a foolish confidence, so that they may behold him with humility. Therefore, as soon as God has humbled the pride of the flesh in those who believe in him, he stretches out his hand to raise them up.

He acts differently towards the reprobate, for whenever they are dragged before the tribunal of God, they are overwhelmed by absolute despair. In this way, God justly repays their vain delights, in which they give themselves up to the intoxicating licentiousness of sin. We should, therefore, accept this consolation with which the angel soothes Zacharias: that we have no reason to fear when God is gracious to us. For they are greatly mistaken who, in order to enjoy peace, hide themselves from the face of God, when instead we should acquaint ourselves with him and be at peace (Job 22:21).

Your prayer is heard – Zacharias may seem to have acted improperly, and inconsistently with the nature of his office, if, on entering the Holy Place in the name of all the people, he prayed as a private individual to obtain offspring. For when the priest acted in a public capacity, he should, in forgetfulness of himself, as it were, have offered prayers for the general welfare of the Church.

If we were to say that there was no absurdity in Zacharias, after performing the main part of the prayer, devoting the second part of it to private meditations about himself, the reply would not be without merit. But it is highly unlikely that Zacharias, at that time, prayed to obtain a son, for which he had lost hope on account of his wife’s advanced age; nor indeed can any precise timing be inferred from the angel’s words. I interpret it, therefore, simply that his prayer, which he had poured out before God for a long period, was finally heard. That the desire of having children, if it is not excessive, is consistent with piety and holiness, can be gathered from Scripture, which assigns to it not the lowest place among the blessings of God.

You shall call his name John – the name was given, I think, to the Baptist in order to heighten the authority of his office. יהוהנן (1 Chronicles 3:15), for which the Greeks use Ἰωάννης, signifies in Hebrew the grace of the Lord. Many suppose that the son of Zacharias was so called because he was beloved of God. I rather think that it was intended to highlight not the grace God bestowed upon him as a private individual, but the grace his mission would bring to all. The force and weight of the name are increased by its timing; for it was before he was born that God inscribed on him this token of his favor.