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Good Tuesday morning my “Walking with Jesus” friends, two weeks from today is Christmas Eve!
Today let’s begin the New Testament Advent journey toward Christmas.
Yesterday we ended with Malachi 4:5,6 and I told you the white page in your Bible, between the Old & New Testament, represents 400 years of TIME! Spiritually SILENT time! No prophet claimed to have any fresh word from God. Yet, time moved on, and between 400 bc and Luke chapter 1, a great many things happened in our world. Here are two… Plato was born in 429bc. Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332bc.
The Persian Empire ruled the known world from about 540bc to 330bc, then the Hellenistic Period (Greek Empire) from 330bs to about 165bc. Then a turbulent and confusing time called the Hasmonean Period, and finally the great Roman Empire came to global dominance about 60bc.
The Jewish people and the geographical area we know as Israel, through those centuries, were under the domination of the ruling global empire at any point in time. Synagogues began to be built in cities and towns where there were large enough populations of Jews. The Temple in Jerusalem, which had been destroyed in 586bc by king Nebuchadnezzar, was rebuilt by returned Jewish exiles in 516bc, (Ezra 6:14). Jerusalem’s city wall was finally completed in 444bc (Nehemiah 6:15).
During the following 400 years Jerusalem grew in population and regional significance. The Temple was refurbished and the “temple mount” enlarged by Herod the Great. That Temple is where Zechariah the prophet meets Gabriel the angle in Luke 1! Some of that “Temple mount” wall, is what we know today as the “wailing wall” or “western wall” in Jerusalem. Perhaps you’ve visited there, as I have.
Luke chapter 1 opens in about 7 bc. I realize Matthew is the first book of our New Testament, but if we take it chronologically, Luke chapter 1 is the first thing which happens, after the 400 years of silence. Octavian Augustus is the Caesar (27bc – 14ad) in Rome, and the Roman empire dominates most of the known world. Herod the Great (37bc-4bc) is the “king” of the Jews, but under the watchful eye of Rome. He has limited authority and is a paranoid, egotistical, unpredictable man, feared by most everyone and tolerated by Rome.
Luke, as you remember, was a physician from Macedonia who traveled with the Apostle Paul (Acts 16:10), and heard the Gospel & story of Jesus from Paul and others. Luke, evidently, did a careful investigation by interviews, of the people closest to Jesus, and he wrote the Gospel of Luke primarily for the Greek, Gentile audience all across the Roman Empire. As a physician, you can imagine he’s careful about details and fascinated by miracles, especially healing miracles. We presume Luke met Mary, Jesus’ mother, most of the disciples still living, Mary Magdalene and others who were close to Jesus.
You’ll see in Luke 1:5 the Christmas story as we know it, opens with Zechariah the priest, coming to Jerusalem to serve in the Temple. Way back in king David’s day, about 1000bc, there were so many priests, David divided them into 24 ‘divisions’ (1 Chronicles 24:3-19). Each division served at the Temple for 1 week, twice during the year. The rest of the time these priests lived in their local towns, serving as spiritual leaders and sometimes having other jobs (farming etc).
Both Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were from the family line of Aaron, the brother of Moses, the first “high priest” (Leviticus 8). Therefore we assume they had great expectations God would bless them with sons who would be priests… but alas, Elizabeth was barren (Luke 1:7) and they were both well beyond the years of child bearing. Does that sound familiar (Abraham & Sarah, Genesis 15)?
You’ll notice Luke 1:6 tells us despite their childless home, their attitudes remained God honoring and evidently their hearts worshipful. The ‘custom of the priesthood’ was that every day a ‘lottery’ was taken and one priests’ name was selected to enter the Holy Place to offer the prayers for the nation that day. This selection privilege could only happen ONCE in a lifetime, so you can imagine the honor! Evidently Zechariah had waited his whole life for this moment!! As you see in vs. 10 many people gathered outside the Temple as Zechariah entered. Perhaps some gave him their personal prayer requests to take in with him.
I imagine old Zechariah didn’t sleep much that night, was up very early and had read Scripture and prayed, doing all he could to be as prepared as possible for this, the most important day of his life. Of course, what he didn’t know was that up in heaven God was giving Gabriel final instructions, before sending him to that same Temple. His visit would break the 400 year silence and his encounter with Zechariah would change Zechariah’s life forever, and open the Christmas story!
Zechariah approached the large altar in the courtyard of the Temple, and scooped fresh hot coals into a little bucket. In the other hand Zechariah had a little pouch of very special incense used only in the Temple. Then carefully old Zechariah climbed the stairs and entered the Holy Place of the Temple. He’d never been in there before and I imagine he just stood in the doorway, his old heart pounding at the sight. Straight ahead, the veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Along both walls to right & left, the golden lampstands. In the center of the room, the Table of Shewbread with 12 loaves of sacred bread. As his eyes adjusted to the dim light, Zechariah entered the Holy Place, with a profound sense of worship and privilege. I can feel the chills running up and down my spine, what about you?
Slowly, I imagine Zechariah crossing the Holy Place room, carefully looking at everything, approaching the Altar of Incense with deep respect. First he’d remove the old ashes from the day before, then pour out the hot, live coals on the altar. Then with a deep breath, I see Zechariah opening the little pouch and sprinkling the incense on the hot coals. Or course instantly, a magnificent scent would begin to fill the room as the smoke rose up from the coals. It was time to pray. . . Perhaps Zechariah spread out his arms, perhaps he sang some worship songs, and then Zechariah began to praise and thank God, and pray… for Israel, for the people outside, for himself and his dear wife. What would you have prayed for my friends? What have you already prayed for today?
Suddenly a brilliant light flashed in the Holy Place… and angel was standing to the right of the Altar of Incense!
Zechariah was startled, shocked, terrified… an angel! “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, your prayer has been heard…” (Luke 1:13) I wonder what happened next? Did Zechariah kneel, did he lay prostrate on the floor, did he cover his face as Moses had done (Ex. 3:5)?
I imagine the angel just waited, for Zechariah to catch his breath. The angel had spoken in Zechariah’s language and called him by name!! And assured him that all the prayers he had ever lifted before God… had all been heard! Hold on to that my friends, it’s God’s promise to you and me as well. Any prayer, offered in faith before God, from anywhere in the world, in any language known to man… God hears and welcomes!
The angel finally continued… “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.”
Impossible! Elizabeth was old and had been barren her whole life. He was also old. But I suspect into Zechariah’s mind quickly came the Hebrew stories he knew so well… Abraham & Sarah and miracle son Isaac (Gen. 21). Isaac and Rebekah and miracle twins Jacob & Esau (Gen. 25). Jacob and Rachel and Leah (Gen. 29). Manoah and his wife and their miracle son Samson (Judges 13). Hannah and her miracle son Samuel (1 Samuel 1). Oh yes, God was able… but could it really be true for Zechariah & Elizabeth? And how did this angel know Elizabeth’s name?
And “John”…why was the angel so specific that he gave Zechariah instructions about a specific name for this miraculous son? And “John”…why John? No one in Zechariah’s family was named John. “John” means “The LORD is gracious”, what new Grace was God planning to pour out on Zechariah, Elizabeth and the people of Israel?
Oh my friends there’s more… much more that the angel said to Zechariah, but we’ll look at that tomorrow. For today, let’s pause right here and like Zechariah, let’s be awed by the truth. God loves to hear our prayers, so let’s pray right now, all of us reading this or listening to my voice, where-ever you are around the world. What do you think God would like to hear from you today as you praise Him and pray?
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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