Luke chapter 1 describes an elderly couple who were sadly resigned to the fact that they were unable to have a baby, when God intervened very unexpectedly and miraculously. What do you do when God suddenly answers a prayer that you have been praying for a long time, when you have given up hope of getting a positive answer? Other people might have taken the “good fortune” in their stride, and got on with life as normal. However, the elderly couple in question recognised that God was doing a new thing, which required a different response.
The popular expectation was that the child would be named Zechariah after the father, or some other name which reflected the family tradition. The least controversial thing for the new parents to do would have involved complying with popular expectations. However, because they recognised that God was doing something special, they chose to do what the angel had said, and they named the child John. When God is doing a new thing, it requires a new name.
According to behindthename.com, the name John comes from the Hebrew Yochanan, meaning “God is gracious”. The word “gracious” is not used very frequently now, but various definitions include benignant, disposed to bestow favours, characterised by kindness and generosity of spirit, and compassionate. The child John was a son to Zechariah and Elizabeth, but more than that his life was a symbol of God’s kindness and generosity towards his people.