So Zechariah has heard it directly from Gabriel – an angel of the Lord God. He and Elizabeth are going to have a son. That son’s name is to be John. He’s going to grow up and be the promised messenger who will prepare the way for Messiah’s coming. Enough said. Right?
Wrong. Like so many others who hear the Word from the Lord, Zechariah is full of questions. The gist of them centers on: “So how can I be sure of this?” Zechariah’s done the math and studied his lessons from biology. He of course grew up on the story of Abraham and Sarah, but that was then, and this is now. Like so many before him, Zechariah doesn’t want to rely on pure faith. He wants a sign – something that proves that all this is going to happen. He wants something to take back to Elizabeth and share with relatives and neighbors that will protect him from seeming like an old deluded fool.
So for nine months, Zechariah launches off on a longest game of charades in human history. I have my own suspicion that Zechariah was the cause of modern male tendencies on communication. I suspect that up until Zechariah, men everywhere were very verbal, but after this, Elizabeth was the first woman to say: “My husband never talks to me.” And ever since then, women around the world have been saying the very same thing.
Of course I’m just kidding about that, but as I think about it, nine months is a long time to have to go without being able to speak (though I realize some never have that ability in their lifetimes at all). I’m sure Elizabeth became quite proficient at Zechariah’s long game of charades. She had to. But I’m also sure all the time Zechariah couldn’t use his voice, he used his mind to ponder every word that Gabriel uttered to him. I’m sure he became even a deeper thinker as the months of silence passed and he saw Elizabeth grow bigger in her pregnancy. I’m sure he even thought about another time when God gave a sign about a birth. It was a prophet named Isaiah who spoke to King Ahaz and left him with little to say as he prophesied:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14
I believe we could all use a little more silence in our lives to ponder the wonders of Christ’s coming. It’s a big part of having a “John the Baptist” Christmas.
Wrong. Like so many others who hear the Word from the Lord, Zechariah is full of questions. The gist of them centers on: “So how can I be sure of this?” Zechariah’s done the math and studied his lessons from biology. He of course grew up on the story of Abraham and Sarah, but that was then, and this is now. Like so many before him, Zechariah doesn’t want to rely on pure faith. He wants a sign – something that proves that all this is going to happen. He wants something to take back to Elizabeth and share with relatives and neighbors that will protect him from seeming like an old deluded fool.
So for nine months, Zechariah launches off on a longest game of charades in human history. I have my own suspicion that Zechariah was the cause of modern male tendencies on communication. I suspect that up until Zechariah, men everywhere were very verbal, but after this, Elizabeth was the first woman to say: “My husband never talks to me.” And ever since then, women around the world have been saying the very same thing.
Of course I’m just kidding about that, but as I think about it, nine months is a long time to have to go without being able to speak (though I realize some never have that ability in their lifetimes at all). I’m sure Elizabeth became quite proficient at Zechariah’s long game of charades. She had to. But I’m also sure all the time Zechariah couldn’t use his voice, he used his mind to ponder every word that Gabriel uttered to him. I’m sure he became even a deeper thinker as the months of silence passed and he saw Elizabeth grow bigger in her pregnancy. I’m sure he even thought about another time when God gave a sign about a birth. It was a prophet named Isaiah who spoke to King Ahaz and left him with little to say as he prophesied:
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14
I believe we could all use a little more silence in our lives to ponder the wonders of Christ’s coming. It’s a big part of having a “John the Baptist” Christmas.
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