God With Us: Fortelling the Birth of John

Luke 1:5-20

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. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 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. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 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. He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 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.”

Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

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. ²⁰And 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

Despite carrying out his religious duties with diligence, Zechariah lacked a God-sized hope and trust that would have made him a true follower of God. Him being silence was an act of mercy because it allowed him to be still and truly allow God’s miracle to sink in. That is why he would eventually explode in prayer once he was able to speak again.

Are you a “Christian” who follows rituals and attends church on Sundays but you lack the kind of hope and faith that will make you say, “Okay!” if God’s messenger said to you that your prayers have been answered? Or are you a Zechariah who needs more evidence? We become closer to God by knowing His Word and reverencing Him and obeying His laws. Are you close to it? What can you do to make your relationship with our God stronger?