Welcome to Breakpoint, a daily look and an ever-changing culture through the lens of unchanging truth.

For the Colson Center, I'm John Stone Street.

You know, one overlooked grace from God is that he and his infinite wisdom gave us four Gospels instead of just one or two.

For example, if it were up to only Matthew and Mark, we'd have the impression that John the Baptist appeared out of nowhere and was more than a little weird, after all it is from their accounts that we learn of his odd wardrobe and otter diet.

One point that every one of the Gospels emphasized is that he was a fulfillment of a promise from God given by the prophet Isaiah. Quote, Behold, I send my messenger before

your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare the way of the

Lord, make his path straight. What neither Matthew, whose gospel begins with a nativity story, nor Mark,

whose gospel does not contain an account of Jesus' birth include,

is any of the details that connect John to the beginning of Jesus' story.

Luke and John, however, do make that connection in very different ways.

Luke's Gospel contains the most details about John's beginning, specifically that, like Jesus,

his birth was also miraculous, and also involved a visitation

from the angel Gabriel. But it's one particular detail, one that's often overlooked, that I find

especially remarkable and instructive for this cultural moment. Luke reveals that John the Baptist

was the first person, other than Mary, who was told by the angel,

to recognize Jesus as the Messiah. While Mary was still pregnant with Jesus, she went to visit

John's mother, Elizabeth, who was also still pregnant. Luke described what happened, likely telling

the story as he had heard it himself from Mary. Quote, when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,

the baby leaped in her womb,

and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. And a loud voice, she exclaimed,

Blessed are you among women? And blessed is the child you will bear. But why am I so favored that the

mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears,

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