also belonged to a priestly family. Both of them were upright in the eyes of God, and lived
blamelessly, in accordance with all the laws and commands of the Lord, but they had no
child. Elizabeth could not have any and now they were both very old.
Now, while Zechariah and those with him were fulfilling their office, it fell to him by lot, according
to the custom of the priests, to enter the Sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. At the time of
offering incense, all the people were praying outside; it was then, that an angel of the Lord
appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. On seeing the angel, Zechariah
was deeply troubled and fear took hold of him.
But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah, be assured that your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall name him John. He will bring joy and gladness
to you, and many will rejoice at his birth.
This son of yours will be great in the eyes of the Lord. Listen: he shall never drink wine or strong
drink ; but he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. Through him, many
of the people of Israel will turn to the Lord their God. He, himself, will open the way to the Lord,
with the spirit and power of the prophet Elijah; he will reconcile fathers and children; and lead the
disobedient to wisdom and righteousness, in order to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I believe this? I am an old man and my wife is elderly, too.
” The angel replied, “I am Gabriel, who stands before God; and I am the one sent to speak to you,
and to bring you this good news! My words will come true in their time. But you would not believe;
and now, you will be silent and unable to speak until this has happened.”
Meanwhile, the people waited for Zechariah; and they were surprised that he delayed so long in
the Sanctuary. When he finally appeared, he could not speak to them; and they realized that he
had seen a vision in the Sanctuary. He remained dumb and made signs to them.
When his time of service was completed, Zechariah returned home; and, some time later, Elizabeth
became pregnant. For five months she kept to herself, remaining at home, and thinking, “This, for me,
is the Lord’s doing! This is his time for mercy, and for taking away my public disgrace.”
Reflect:
How could Zechariah not trust God’s words? After all, both he and his wife belonged to a long
line of priests. Surely, he was well-educated in faith and the long history of God’s interventions
in history. Besides, he was a married man with the possibility of natural conception of a child,
even though it wasn’t probable at their age. Further, God speaks to him at the Sanctuary, where
God’s presence is guaranteed. Look at Manoah, an ordinary man with no scholarly claims: yet he
simply believes the vision his wife had! The truth is, if Elizabeth was barren in the womb, Zechariah
was barren in the soul – his faith was possibly more routine noise than substance. It was in the
fitness of things that he must remain silent, pondering in his heart, so that his faith would mature
and be born: for the same length of time it took the baby to mature in Elizabeth’s womb.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2022