He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Luke 1:63

            First of all, the angel Gabriel said that would be his name.  Zechariah made sure the people obeyed the angel.

            The name “John” means God is gracious and a gift from God.  The arrival of John the Baptist after 400 years of silence since the last book of the Old Testament means that God had not given up on the Israelites and he wanted to save them from their sins.  God did that with grace and love.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—  Ephesians 2:8

            John was key in introducing that gift of grace to the world.  His name was important because the meaning of his name expressed God’s heart.