by Chris Banta
Luke 1:5-19, NIV
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.”
Reflection
As we wait during Advent for the fulfillment of the promise of Jesus’ birth at Christmas, it’s important to also remember the other promised one, John the Baptist, who prepared the way of Jesus.
The passage begins with the story of a dutiful, devout and humble couple called Zechariah and Elizabeth, both of whom had priestly lineages. It would seem they are exemplars to their contemporaries, except for one big hole in their lives- Elizabeth was unable to bear a child and they are now aged past any expectation that would change. Some of their neighbors might wonder what Zechariah and Elizabeth had done to offend God, since barrenness was viewed as a possible sign of secret sin. Others might wonder why Zechariah didn’t divorce Elizabeth (as was allowed in the case of barrenness) to have a family with a different woman. And yet the couple endures, maintaining their piety and service, and praying to God.
Zechariah eventually finds himself taking his turn at priestly service when he is suddenly surprised by the angel Gabriel. Despite his faith and years of training, Zechariah is paralyzed by fear (note- have you ever noticed that most of the angels in the Bible have to say “Do not be afraid!” when they first appear?). After Gabriel tells Zechariah the good news of the upcoming birth of his son, who will be a blessing to the world, Zechariah doesn’t praise God. Instead, despite his apparent faith and teaching, Zechariah has doubts and pushes back. In my mind, this reminds me of what I consider the most difficult passage in the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy will be done”. In the Lord’s Prayer, we praise God and ask for certain blessings (“give us our daily bread”, “forgive my trespasses”, and “deliver me from evil”) while piously intoning also “Thy will be done”. Don’t we all say that, but sometimes secretly hope maybe by appearing obedient, it is OUR will that will be done, or God might take our suggestions into consideration? Zechariah seems to be saying to Gabriel, “now, wait just a minute here, you’ve waited long enough; how is this going to work?” With all the turmoil in 2020, it’s hard to remember that God’s timeline is not our timeline. God’s will is not our will. Like Zechariah, we have to maintain our faith, practice patience, and ultimately believe in the blessings to come, whatever form they may take. But make no mistake; the blessings will come if like Zechariah (eventually) and Elizabeth, we open our hearts to them.