Written ~ 03-01-2024
Read Luke Chapter One
Luke 1
During the Christmas Week 2023 we read through this chapter of Luke, if you would like to go through the story of Christ’s birth being foretold, you can look up the Bible Studies – Luke 1:26-34, Luke 1:35-38, Luke 1:39-45 and Luke 1:46-56.
But for today, we are going to look at the foretelling of the birth of John the Baptist. The passage we will be studying is Luke 1:5-25 and 1:57-64.
Here we find a Jewish priest named Zechariah. Both he and his wife Elizabeth were from the priestly line of Aaron.
Take a look at verses 1:6-7,
6 “Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.”
Here we learn that both Zechariah and Elizabeth lived a God fearing and very obedient life. What we learn in verse 7 is what starts us off to the miraculous birth of John the Baptist. “…Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.” So not only was Elizabeth unable to conceive, now both she and Zechariah were well beyond the years to even consider having a child of their own.
But this is where God intervenes.
Let’s pick up our story in verses 1:8-12,
8 “One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.”
For Zechariah, this was just any other ordinary day. He served at the Temple regularly and occasionally it would be his turn to prepare and light the incense. However! This day was altogether different, because all of a sudden an angel of the Lord appears in front of him. This would have been a shocking event! I can imagine Zechariah dropping the utensils he was holding and maybe spilling the incense on the ground. Frozen with fear and I would guess, speechless. We’ve learned from other Scriptures that when an angel of the Lord suddenly appears that the first reaction is great fear, it’s no different in this case and quite often we see that the first words an angel will say is… “Do not be afraid!”
Now, we don’t have much history about Zechariah and Elizabeth, we are entering their timeline when they are up in years. But when we see what the angel says to Zechariah next, it can be assumed that because Elizabeth could not conceive that it would be something they prayed about their entire lives. Hoping and praying for a child is an overwhelming desire for any woman who is yearning to be a mother. I wonder though, as they grew older and the possibility of conception became less probable, did their prayers for a child begin to diminish over time? Does this give us understanding as to why Zechariah responded the way he did to the angel’s announcement?
Look at verses 1:13-17,
13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”
Can you imagine the look on Zechariah’s face? This news would have been unbelievable. And we can tell by the response Zechariah gave to the angel of the Lord, that he really did not think what the angel said could be true.
Luke 1:18-20,
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was He who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”
Truly, could you even imagine questioning an angel of the Lord? Well, because he did, what happened next? Zechariah would be mute until the baby’s birth. Just think how frustrated he would have been with himself when he rushed home to Elizabeth and couldn’t tell her all that had happened to him at the Temple and or when he tried to explain the things the angel of the Lord had said.
21 “Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. 22 When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.” (Luke 1:21-22)
This makes me try to visualize what kind of gestures Zechariah would’ve been doing to describe the angel of the Lord he had encountered. Maybe his charades were convincing enough that the people waiting for him knew something incredible had happened.
Verse 1:23 says it was an entire week before Zechariah returned home.
23 When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home.
Maybe during that week he was able to write everything down, so when he saw Elizabeth he could explain in writing what had happened. But either way, their reunion would have been filled with a new kind of excitement that probably had laid dormant for quite some time.
Verses 1:24-25,
24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. 25 “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”
As we continue to read Luke chapter one, in Elizabeth’s sixth month, Mary came to visit her with the news she was also with child. These two women were carrying little boys who would change the course of history. John the Baptist and Jesus, the Messiah. This one chapter brings us into the personal lives of two very humble women, both with godly reverence to the commands and regulations of the Lord. Both were chosen by God to bring change to the world through the children they bore. Incredible.
Let’s continue now with the birth of John the Baptist…
Luke 1:57-64,
57 When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. 58 And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.
59 When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. 60 But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”
61 “What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” 62 So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. 63 He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.
Well look here, Zechariah had been mute for the entire nine months of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. Even though he questioned the possibility she could get pregnant, wouldn’t it seem that once she did get pregnant, he would be able to speak again? But, no, not until Zechariah fulfilled the entire details of the angel’s prophecy would his tongue be loosened. Gabriel, the angel of the Lord said the baby’s name would be John. So as soon as Zechariah acknowledged that yes, his name is John, did he began to speak again.
What a joyous day! A son is born to Elizabeth, well beyond the years of conceiving… BUT GOD.
When God steps into our deepest desires and answers our prayers when all hope is lost, that is a reason to celebrate and praise the Lord!
~AMEN~