He showed the power of His arm; He scattered the haughty in the thoughts of their hearts; He hath cast down the mighty from their thrones, and hath exalted the humble; He filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty; He received Israel His servant, remembering mercy, as He had spoken to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed for ever. And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house. 

The Father's muscle is the Son; thus, God and the Father in His Son manifested power and power over nature, for at the incarnation of the Son, nature was defeated: the Virgin gave birth, God was made man, and man became God. The Lord "scattered the haughty" demons, expelling them from the souls of men and sending some into the abyss, and others into swine. We can also understand the Jews, whom He scattered throughout every country, and who are still in the diaspora. "He brought down the mighty from the thrones," that is, the demons who had dominion over people and had thrones in the souls of men, resting in them. But the Pharisees are also strong, as stealers of what belongs to the poor, and as teachers, they have thrones from which they were deposed. He "lifted up the humble" people or the Gentiles, whom sin humbled them; He exalted them, granting them sonship; like the hungry, the same, that is, the Gentiles (for they had no scriptures, law, or commandments), He filled with the good things of the Scriptures, and the Jews, who were rich in the law and commandments, He sent them out of Jerusalem, mountainous and efficient, devoid of all good things. For the Jews now have nothing, although they seem to have. "He took Israel His servant." It speaks either of the sensual Israelites, for many tens of thousands of them believed, and God's promise to Abraham was fulfilled, who said to him: "And in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed" (Gen. 12:3); or it speaks of spiritual Israel, for whosoever seeth God is called Israel, for the name signifies, he that seeth God; and so, he received these who saw God, raising them up to a heavenly inheritance. - Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, then returned. Since Elizabeth had to give birth, the Virgin withdraws for the sake of the multitude of those who are gathered together for the birth, for it is unseemly for the Virgin to be in such circumstances. And from the fact that the Virgin returned at the time for Elizabeth to give birth, it is evident that the Angel came to Mary in the sixth month from the conception of the Forerunner; yes, Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months; It's almost nine months.

     And the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had magnified His mercy upon her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child and wanted to name him, after the name of his father, Zacharias. To this his mother said, "No, but call him John." And they said to her, There is no one in thy kinsman who is called by this name. And they asked his father by signs what he would like to call him. He demanded a tablet and wrote: John is his name. And everyone was surprised. And immediately his mouth and his tongue were opened, and he began to speak, blessing God. 

The Virgin remained with Elizabeth for about three months, perhaps because she was struck by a miracle and needed some consolation, which she could find in her stay with Elizabeth; but when the birth drew near, she departed. "And the time has come for Elizabeth to give birth"; It should be noted that it is not said about sinners - the time to give birth is fulfilled, but only where it is said where the one who is born is righteous. For the generations of sinners are usually imperfect and incomplete, and it would be better for them if they were not born. - Why was the name given after circumcision? Because first you need to receive a seal from God, and then a human name. In other words, circumcision means the rejection of carnal attributes, for no one is worthy to be called a soldier of God and to be inscribed by name in the book of heaven before he rejects and cuts off carnal attributes. Elizabeth said of the name that his name was John, as a prophetess. Or perhaps John himself assigned a name; for he gave his mother the gift of prophecy. Zachariah, unable to make signs to them, asks for a tablet; And when he was in complete agreement with his wife about the name of the child, everyone was surprised, for this name was not in their kinship, and no one could say that both of them had agreed on it before the time. John means the grace of God; therefore the father immediately received grace and prophesies first about Christ, and then about the son.

     And fear was upon all who dwelt around them; and they told all these things throughout all the hill country of Judah. And all those who heard it put it in their hearts, and said, What shall this child be? And the hand of the Lord was with him. And Zechariah his father was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he visited his people, and wrought deliverance for them, and raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David his servant, as he proclaimed by the mouth of his holy prophets who had been from old, that he would save us from our enemies, and from the hand of all those who hate us. He will show mercy to our fathers, and will remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our father, to give us, without fear, after deliverance from the hand of our enemies, to serve Him in holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life. 

At the miraculous pronouncement of Zechariah, fear fell upon everyone; for just as the silence was imposed on him, the people were amazed, so now, when he began to speak again, they are amazed, so that by these two miracles all could understand that he who was born is higher than many. All this was done by special arrangement, so that he who bears witness to Christ would be received with full trust, and so that everyone would be convinced from the very birth of John that he was above many. Zechariah blesses God, who looked down on the Israelites. He did come to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but very many of them did not want to receive grace, which is why He looked upon the true Israelites, that is, on those who believed. "He raised up the horn of salvation," that is, the power and kingdom of salvation. For "horn" signifies either strength, since horned animals have power in horns, or kingdom, for kings were anointed from the horn. Christ is the Power and Kingdom of the Father; thus, the horn of salvation has risen for us – Christ. For He seems to have rested when He paid no attention to many sins and endured idolatry; but when He became incarnate in the last times, He arose and crushed all the demons who hate us, and no longer continues to rest and suffer long. He erected "in the house of David," that is, in Bethlehem; for there He was born. Bethlehem, of course, is the city of David, as the prophets said. For they all spoke of the Incarnation, and Micah also mentioned the house of David, that is, Bethlehem, saying: "And thou, Bethlehem, are in no way less than the governors of Judah, for from thee shall come forth a Leader" (Matt. 2:6 and Micah 5:2). - "He did mercy" not only to the living, but also "to our fathers," for the grace of Christ was extended to them also, although they were already dead. Namely: to us the living He has given the hope of resurrection, and we will be resurrected; but not only will we be worthy of this blessing, but also those who have previously died. For all nature has received this good. And in other words: "He did mercy with the fathers" in that He fulfilled their expectations, for what they hoped for, they saw fulfilled in Christ. And seeing their children in bliss from so many blessings, the fathers rejoice and, participating in the joy, receive mercy, as if made for themselves. What covenant did He refer to, and what oath did He take to Abraham? Without a doubt, about this: "In blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed" (Gen. 22:17). Abraham has indeed multiplied now, when all nations have become his sons through faith; for as he believed, they also became his sons through faith. - "Fearlessly - (in Church Slavonic - without fear) - after deliverance from the hand of our enemies." Often others are delivered, but with fear and much labor and struggle; but Christ crucified for us without any labor on our part, and finally delivered us without fear, that is, without danger. Why did He deliver us? Is it not so that we may live in pleasure? No, but in order that we might serve Him, and not for a day or two, but every day, and serve not only in carnal worship and service, but "in holiness and truth" (in Church Slavonic, by reverence and truth). Reverence is righteousness in relation to God, and truth is justice in relation to people. For example, he who keeps himself aloof from sacred things, and does not impiously touch divine things, but retains perfect respect for that which is venerable, is venerable; equally venerable is he who honors parents, for they are also household gods. And whoever is covetous, nor predatory, nor thief, nor adulterer, nor fornicator, is righteous. In this way, one must serve God with "reverence," that is, reverence for divine things, and with "righteousness," that is, a laudable way of life in human relations, to serve Him, and not before men, like the man-pleasers and hypocrites.

     And you, little child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will precede before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to make His people understand salvation in the forgiveness of their sins, according to the gracious mercy of our God, with which the East has visited us from above, to enlighten those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to direct our feet to the path of peace. And the child grew and grew strong in spirit, and was in the wilderness until the day of his appearance to Israel.