An Angelic Surprise

The Passage

Luke 1:5-25

"5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.

8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 "And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 "For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 "And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 "He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

18 And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."

19 And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 "But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time."

21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. 23 So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.

24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, 25 "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.""

A Little Background

The central focus of all the Bible is Jesus.  As we saw in John 1, Jesus, the Word made flesh, was in the beginning with God and was God.  Creation was made through Him and for Him.  If we were to go back to Genesis, we would see that when Adam and Eve sinned, they were separated from fellowship with God.  But God promised a “Seed” or a descendant who would crush Satan (Gen. 3:15).  From that point on, the Bible records the events of human history anticipating and preparing for the time when Jesus would come to rescue mankind from Satan’s power and restore, redeem or reconcile man back to God.   

Luke 1:1-4 and John 1:1-18 laid a foundation telling us why the Gospels were written and who Jesus is.  Now we begin the history of Jesus’ earthly life.  It really begins with Zacharias and Elizabeth.  “And they were both [Zacharias and Elizabeth] righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.”  This elderly couple was part of the tribe of Levi, and Zacharias served as a priest in the temple.   In the last post, I mentioned the Old Testament tabernacle.  It was a simple tent that could be moved about for worship through animal sacrifices.  Later, the tabernacle would be replaced by a temple, a permanent dwelling.  The temple in today’s passage is the temple that Herod had commissioned to be built.

Some Explanation

It was Zacharias’ turn, as priest, to serve at the altar of incense in the Holy Place inside the temple.  Notice Zacharias’ response when he saw the angel Gabriel and the angel’s response to him.  Whenever a person in the Bible has an encounter with an angel or with God, their response is fear and trembling, often falling face down; the reply from the angel or from God is, “Do not fear.”   Zacharias and Elizabeth had prayed for a son.  Gabriel was sent as God’s messenger to tell them that their prayers would be answered.  He also told Zacharias that they would not have an ordinary child.  Their son would be set apart for one specific calling—to prepare the people for the coming of the Lord Himself.  Gabriel told Zacharias to name the child, John.  He also explained what John would do:

1. He would be great in the sight of the Lord
2. He was not to drink wine or strong drink
3. He would be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb
4. He would turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God
5. He would go before Him [Jesus] in the spirit and power of Elijah to

• turn the hearts of the fathers to the children (prophecy of Malachi 4:5,6)
• turn the disobedient to the wisdom of the just 
• make ready a people prepared for the Lord

Zacharias and Elizabeth are described as being righteous and blameless before God because they obeyed the commandments and laws of the Lord.  This does not mean that they were sinless.  It’s not a contradiction of Romans 3:10 (Ps. 14:3) which says that “there is none righteous, no, not one.”  It simply means that they were careful to observe all the commandments of the law in an attitude of faith in God.  The law required them to offer sacrifices for their sins which they apparently acknowledged and were faithful to do.  Raising a son who would prepare the way for the Messiah would require parents whose hearts were sent on diligent obedience. 

Observations and Insights

It’s hard for me to understand Zacharias’ response to Gabriel’s announcement.  If Gabriel’s sudden appearance caused this devout man to fear, why would he then doubt the angel’s message?   He obviously believed the angel he was seeing was real for he was talking to him.  While Gabriel was talking, he certainly commanded Zacharias’ attention.  But instead of praising God for His faithfulness to consider and answer his prayer, Zacharias looks at himself and Elizabeth, and sees the obvious problem of their age.   "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."   When he looked at himself, he allowed doubt and unbelief to overtake the truth of Gabriel’s message.  Like Zacharias, when I focus on self instead of God’s Word (in Zacharias’ case, the message delivered by Gabriel) I lose faith.  Self-focus is the enemy’s tool for unbelief.  Instead, may I fix my eyes on Jesus the author and finisher of my faith (Hebrews 12:2).  
Next:       Luke 1:26-38