ChristmasReading2022A - Flipbook - Page 40
DAY Nineteen: December 16 - Friday
Zechariah
In the me 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. Luke 1:5-7
When Luke gets to telling the story of Jesus, he does so by introducing
an older married couple by the name of Zechariah and Elizabeth. He
was a priest and she the daughter of a priest. They were good, good
people. And yet, their life—and this is always the case—was not
perfect. They longed for something absent in their lives which was
children. And now they had experienced enough years in life that the
dream had gone dormant. But as with many things that go dormant,
there would be a moment when it would come back to life for nothing
is impossible with God.
One day Zechariah is called to duty at the temple. His division of priests
were to report in Jerusalem for service and he was chosen by lot for a
special job. He was to burn incense. As he goes into the Holy Place, he
sees something so startling, so unexpected that he is immediately
gripped with fear. It is an angel of the Lord standing at the right side of
the altar of incense. The angel, very much aware of his e ect on
humans, says:
“Do not be afraid.”
And the “elephant in the room” no one
is addressing is his and Elizabeth’s
age. The reality of his life, as he
perceives it, is beyond the possibility
of God doing the very thing the angel
spoke of.
We should let that se le into
our minds for a moment. The
most awesome display of
splendor, light and beauty—so much so that it frightens us witless—
and yet, it comes to us not as foe, but as friend. “Do not be afraid.”
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The angel then says something equally signi cant to the quivering
Zechariah,
“…your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a
son…”
This son is the one who will come as ful llment of Malachi’s prophecy
that one in the spirit of Elijah would come (Malachi 4:5-6). He will
return to turn the hearts of the people back to God by announcing the
coming of the world’s true King. Zechariah and Elizabeth’s son is to be
named John which, by the way, means “God is gracious.” Yes, He is!