And it is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;

Just as He spoke to our fathers, To Abraham and his descendants forever.”

And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zechariah, after his father.

And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called.

Zechariah’s Prophecy

And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying:

To show mercy to our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant,

The oath which He swore to our father Abraham,

And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him.

When Joseph and Mary saw Him, they were bewildered; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us this way? Behold, Your father and I have been anxiously looking for You!”

And He said to them, “Why is it that you were looking for Me? Did you not know that I had to be in My Father’s house?”

Therefore produce fruits that are consistent with repentance, and do not start saying to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children for Abraham.

Rejoice on that day and jump for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For their fathers used to treat the prophets the same way.

Woe to you when all the people speak well of you; for their fathers used to treat the false prophets the same way.

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

When He came to the house, He did not allow anyone to enter with Him except Peter, John, and James, and the girl’s father and mother.

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and the glory of the Father and the holy angels.

Now while he was still approaching, the demon slammed him to the ground and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy and gave him back to his father.

And He said to another, “Follow Me.” But he said, “Lord, permit me first to go and bury my father.”

At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for doing so was well pleasing in Your sight.

All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son determines to reveal Him.”

And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.

Now which one of you fathers will his son ask for a fish, and instead of a fish, he will give him a snake?

Or he will even ask for an egg, and his father will give him a scorpion?

So if you, despite being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”