Obedience in Silence: Trusting God While Others Watch

It was the custom for a firstborn son to carry his father’s name or that of a close relative. It honored the family and carried forward its legacy. So when Elizabeth, with unwavering resolve, declared, “No; he shall be called John,” the room must have fallen silent.

Confused glances darted back and forth. Whispers rose like steam when you pull the lid off a boiling pot from the crowd. "None of your relatives is called by this name," someone protested (Luke 1:61). Why John? Why abandon tradition for something so unexpected?