To turn the hearts of the fathers

Even before the birth of John the Baptist, his role was revealed:

And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared. (Luke 1:16-17)

John is to cause others to turn, to repent. It is not surprising that he will turn the children of Israel to the Lord, nor that he will draw the disobedient to turn to wisdom. A prophet turns people from idols to the Lord, from rebellion to wisdom. Yet sandwiched in this turning to make ready a people prepared for the Lord is this phrase: to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children.

Sin has broken the father-child relationship, mirroring the destruction of our relationship with our Father who made us. In God's scheme of redemption, the father-child relationship must be restored. Luke could have quoted all of Malachi 4:6, the closing words of the Old Testament:

"And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Yet he does not mention the work of turning the hearts of children to their fathers, but only of fathers to their children. Turning the hearts of fathers to their children is at the very heart of repentance unto salvation. God give us grace to so live, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children - and to strengthen them in that repentance - to make ready for the Lord a people prepared!