For what purpose did He deliver us? Was it not so that we might live in pleasures? No, but so that we might serve Him, and not for a day or two, but every day, and serve not merely with bodily worship and service, but "in holiness and righteousness." Holiness is righteousness in relation to God, and righteousness is justice in relation to people. For example, one who keeps himself away from sacred things and does not touch divine things impiously, but preserves perfect reverence for what is venerable, is holy; equally holy is one who honors his parents, for they too are household gods. And one who is neither covetous, nor a plunderer, nor a thief, nor an adulterer, nor a fornicator, is righteous. Thus one must serve God "in holiness," that is, with reverence toward divine things, and "in righteousness," that is, with a praiseworthy manner of life in human relations, serving before Him, and not before people, like men-pleasers and hypocrites.
Lk. 1:76. And you, child, shall be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
It seems strange that Zacharias speaks such words to a child, for it is not fitting to converse with an infant who understands nothing yet. To this one may say that this child had an extraordinary birth — for at the arrival of Mary it leaped and prophesied in the womb — so there is nothing improbable in its understanding the words of its father even after birth. "You will go before the face of the Lord," he says, leaving me soon. For Zacharias knew that before long he would be parted from John, since John was to withdraw into the wilderness. Why then "go before"? In order to "prepare His ways." And the ways are souls, to whom the Lord comes. Thus the Forerunner prepared souls so that the Lord might walk in them. How did he prepare them? Through imparting to people the knowledge of salvation.
Lk. 1:77. to give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins,
Salvation is the Lord Jesus. Thus, through John, knowledge of salvation was imparted to people, that is, knowledge of Christ, for John bore witness concerning Jesus. This knowledge consisted in the remission of sins, for the Lord would not otherwise have been acknowledged as God if He did not remit the sins of the people. For to remit sins is proper to God.
Lk. 1:78. through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the Dayspring from on high hath visited us,
And He forgave us our sins out of the tender mercy of His compassion, and not for our works; for we had done nothing good, yet He, who is called the Dawn, looked upon us from on high. For He is the Sun of righteousness and shone upon us who were in darkness, that is, in sin. Two evils held sway over human nature: ignorance of God, in which the pagans found themselves, and sin, which the Jews possessed, even though they knew God.
Lk. 1:79. To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
So, He appeared to human nature in order to enlighten both those "sitting in darkness," that is, in ignorance and godlessness, and those sitting in the "shadow of death," that is, in sin. And sin is the shadow of death in this sense, I think: just as a shadow follows a body, so where there is death, there is also sin. For example, from the fact that Adam died, it is clear that there was also sin. Likewise, you will find the death of Christ not without sin, for Christ died, but for our sins. Therefore sin, always accompanied by death, is rightly called the shadow of death. One could say other things about this as well, and I think we said them in the explanation of the Gospel of Matthew. But is it enough merely to shine upon those in darkness? No; it is also necessary to direct our feet onto the path of peace, that is, of righteousness. For just as sin is enmity with God, so righteousness is peace. Thus, the path of peace is the righteous way of life, toward which Christ, having dawned from on high, directed the steps of our souls.
Lk. 1:80. And the child grew and became strong in spirit,
The child "grew" in body and "became strong in spirit," for with the body the spiritual gift also grew; and the more the child grew, the more the powers of the spirit were manifested, since the instrument (the body) was capable of containing them.
Lk. 1:80. And he was in the deserts until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
Why was John in the deserts? So that he might live apart from the wickedness of many and, not being ashamed before anyone falsely, rebuke with boldness — for if he had been in the world, then perhaps from cohabitation and association with people he would have lost his purity — and at the same time so that, when he would preach about Christ, he might enjoy full trust, as a desert-dweller who surpassed others in his way of life. He remained hidden in the deserts until God was pleased to reveal him to the people of Israel.