Zechariah & Elizabeth
Luke 1:57-79
When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.
On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has come to his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up a horn of salvation for us
in the house of his servant David
(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago),
salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
to show mercy to our ancestors
and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to enable us to serve him without fear
in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High;
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him,
to give his people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the rising sun will come to us from heaven
to shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the path of peace.”
After centuries of seeming silence, an angel of the Lord appears to Zechariah an announces that he and his wife will have a child. Zechariah doubts the angel and is struck silent until the birth of his son. That’s where today’s passage picks up the story. Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son will have an important role to play and his birth seems to mark the beginning of a new era. Therefore, Zechariah breaks out into prophecy, praising God and speaking to the life that John will have as a precursor to Christ. His words create a bridge between all that has come before and all that is about to happen through Jesus.
Consider how long the descendants of Abraham have been waiting for a Messiah and how close that promise is to being fulfilled. Although there was still some time before Jesus was born and many years before he would begin his ministry, the birth of John the Baptist represents the start of something new. Have you ever had a to wait a long time for something? Maybe you are still waiting for something that you’ve hoped for for many years. As we draw closer to Christmas, remember the centuries of Israelites waiting for their Messiah and take comfort in the knowledge that God’s promises never fail.
Prayer:
Thank God for always being faithful, even when it seems like his promises take a long time to be fulfilled. Share with God anything that you are waiting and hoping for.