MONDAY
This week we are going to explore the worship of Zechariah and Mary in the Christmas story. In Luke’s gospel he has the stories of Mary and Zechariah running parallel through chapter 1. So for the first 3 days, we are going to look at the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Then the last two days this week we will look at the story of Mary.
Luke 1:5–25 (NIV)
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
Luke 1:57–66 (NIV)
The Birth of John the Baptist
57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
62 Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
Let’s begin by looking at a little bit of the context to grasp this story. First, God has been silent for 400 years! In times past God has spoken through the prophets, but from the close of the Old Testament to this event God has been silent.
Zechariah was likely one of 18,000 priests that were divided up into smaller divisions. These divisions served at the temple likely two times a year. He was chosen by lot (like rolling dice) according to the custom of the priesthood to go in and burn the daily incense. This incense symbolized the prayers of God’s people rising to God. The prayer that God has heard (v. 13) is perhaps his prayer for a child, but it is more likely his prayer for the redemption of Israel that he was praying for in his official capacity as a priest. This prayer, however, would be answered by responding to his personal prayer for a child as well.
John will be “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (v. 17). Zechariah would have understood this as a clear reference to the time of the Messiah (Mal. 4:5-6).
Although he and his wife are righteous in the sight of the Lord, Zechariah doesn’t believe the angel’s message. This is a natural response, of course. Elizabeth is too old to have a child. This is simply a matter of human biology. Yet, the angel tells him that he is Gabriel who stands in the presence of God. This is a direct command from the throne room of God and it will certainly come to pass. Zechariah is temporarily punished for his disbelief. This punishment teaches him to trust the words of God. Zechariah learns this lesson as is evidenced by his declaration that the child’s name will be John.
To announce his name as John is a humble act on Zechariah’s part, as well as an act of obedience. His son would be expected to be named after himself or one of his grandfathers. However, Zechariah obeys the word of the Lord through the angel and names him John. He has learned his lesson to trust God and obey him. As a result, his discipline is lifted and he can speak again.
Zechariah’s story challenges our faith in miracles. How would you react in that situation? An element of skepticism is, of course, natural but remember, Zechariah is a priest who knows the miracles of God in the Old Testament. He is in the temple of God where the all-powerful God’s presence rests. He is offering prayers for deliverance. It seems as if he was just going through the motions without expecting God to actually show up. It is difficult to do our same religious duties day after day, week after week, year after year with the same expectancy. Yet, when God decides to move, we must be ready. Are you eagerly expecting God to move and patiently surrendered to his timing, his will, and his way? When you are confronted with a move of God, can you respond with faith and trust instead of doubt and certainty?