December 19, 2023: Filled With The Holy Spirit

"And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." (Luke 1:41, ESV). "And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied," (Luke 1:67, ESV). "and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb." (Luke 1:15, ESV).
 
Luke obviously loves the Holy Spirit by the way he writes about Him! And he sees something interesting in the Christmas narrative—three times, Luke mentions people who are filled with the Holy Spirit in the first chapter of his Gospel. What is unique about this is that the Holy Spirit came upon people in the Old Testament, but here, Luke is recording that John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb. He also writes that his parents were filled with the Holy Spirit.

To be filled with the Holy Spirit, one must receive the Holy Spirit within themselves. Like a glass receives water, so are those filled with the Holy Spirit. Something big is happening, and Luke writes about it!

I believe that Zechariah and Elizabeth were filled with the Holy Spirit to help prepare their son, John, for the mission he is called to and so that they might stay out of the way of John's destiny. I also believe that John was filled with the Holy Spirit due to the nature of his ministry, a forerunner of Christ! His message to repent needed Holy Spirit fire upon it so that Israel's heart would be turned back to God and prepared for the entrance of the Word, Jesus Christ.