THURSDAY December 12, 2024 “WHO are Zechariah & Elizabeth?”

Hello, my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,

When you meet someone for the first time, what information about them is most important to you? And when you are introducing yourself to someone for the first time, what do you want them to know about you?

On our journey toward Christmas 2024 we are seeking to answer one key Christmas question each day. Today let’s meet two special people Zechariah and Elizabeth, and find out WHY they are so important to the Christmas story?

Did you know that the Christmas story actually begins with Zechariah and Elizabeth, not with Mary or Joseph or the Shepherds or even Jesus!? Luke 1:5 is our introduction: “In the time 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.” The author of the gospel of Luke was a medical doctor and led by the Holy Spirit Luke wants us to know Zechariah & Elizabeth’s names and pedigree! For both of them it was a big deal to be direct descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses and first priest selected by God. For Jewish families their pedigree, their family bloodline, was very important.

For priests serving in the Temple, it was especially significant if they could trace their family all the way back to Aaron. We notice Luke also tells us Zechariah ‘belonged to the priestly division of Abijah’. (Luke 1:5) Back in the days of King David, to bring organizational order to the very large number of Hebrew priests, they were all divided into 24 divisions, (1 Chronicles 24:1-19) and each division of priests came to Jerusalem, from wherever they lived in Israel, to serve in the Temple for two weeks each year. The remainder of the year they were spiritual leaders for the people of their hometown. As we might imagine, sons of a priestly couple who could BOTH trace their lineage to Aaron would be highly respected from the moment of their birth.

That’s why the next piece of information Luke gives us about Zechariah and Elizabeth is so important: “Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the LORD’s commands and decrees blamelessly.” (Luke 1:6) If you look closely, you can see both horizontal and vertical assessment of their morality, their spirituality and their ethics. “Righteous in the sight of God” is a huge statement which tells us God’s evaluation of them.

That’s the ‘vertical assessment’. I find the same phrase used as the Bible describes Noah. (Gen. 6:9) It does not mean they were sinless, perfect people, but as God evaluated their hearts, their motives, their desires, He found them seeking to be God honoring at all times. And the “horizontal assessment” is how these people were viewed by other people who watched them and knew them and that’s why the word ‘blameless’ is so important. A similar phrase: “above reproach” was used by the apostle Paul when writing to Timothy about qualifications for men serving as Elders or Pastors. (1 Tim. 3:2) It seems clear that both in the sight of God and anyone who knew them, Zechariah and Elizabeth were model specimens of God honoring people. Do you know anyone like that my friends?

What’s amazing about Zechariah and Elizabeth is what Dr. Luke tells us next: “But they were childless because Elizabeth was barren, not able to conceive, and they were both very old.” (Luke 1:7) Do you know any married couples who deeply desire children but have tried everything and still are unable to get pregnant? The Bible gives us the stories of several such couples, do you remember? Abram and Sarai (Gen. 16:1); Isaac and Rebekah (Gen. 25:21); Jacob and both Leah and Rachel (Gen. 29:31); Elkanah and Hannah (1 Samuel 1:5,6)!

Barrenness was a heartbreak for any married Jewish woman, but for Elizabeth, a descendant of Aaron, married to priest Zechariah, we should assume it was a constant heartbreak and that both she and her husband would have prayed daily, asking God for His direct intervention, as He had in the ancient past for each of these other couples mentioned. But alas, by the time Zechariah and Elizabeth appear in the Christmas story their situation is beyond hope for both of them are elderly, well past any hope of childbearing.

But have you learned my friends, that with God the phrase ‘too late’ does not exist? Perhaps this is precisely WHY the Christmas story begins with these two amazing, God honoring old people who have not wavered in their trust in God nor their efforts to live God honoring lives, even though living daily with the heartbreak of childlessness.

The miraculous appearance of the angel Gabriel to Zechariah at the altar of incense in the Temple actually begins the Christmas story and at the same time breaks the 400 years of SILENCE since the last prophet Malachi wrote these words from God: “I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes. He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the hearts of the children to their parents…” (Malachi 4:5,6)

May I ask what you do when heaven seems silent? Old Zechariah would have known that prophecy very well and even though 4 centuries had passed since anyone claimed they had heard a word from God, Zechariah was blameless in his efforts to live a God honoring life as a priest and husband to childless Elizabeth.

Thus, his ears must have burned, and his heart skipped a few beats when Gabriel the angel suddenly appeared, called Zechariah by name, told him his prayers had been heard by God and then said to him: “Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son and you are to call him John. He will be a joy and a delight to you, and many will rejoice because of His birth, for he will be great in the sight of the LORD… He will go on before the LORD in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the parents to their children…to make ready a people prepared for the LORD.” (Luke 1:13-17)

Do you now see what the life mission was for Zechariah and Elizabeth? God honoring despite childlessness and then after the miraculous birth of John in their old age, they were John’s parents, teachers, mentors in preparing John to be the one to prepare Israel for God’s visit to planet earth in the Messiah, Jesus!

The remainder of Luke 1 gives us two powerful stories which enable us to see deeply into the pure hearts of Zechariah and Elizabeth. First, Luke 1:39-56 tells us the virgin Mary went to live with Zechariah and Elizabeth for three months seeking to learn from them all she could about becoming the earthly mother to Messiah, Immanuel, God with us, Jesus!

Can you even begin to imagine what those conversations were like? Then secondly, Luke 1:57-80 gives us the story of Elizabeth giving birth to her miraculous son in her old age and 8 days later the ceremony of both circumcision and naming of this miraculous boy, John! Suddenly Zechariah received his ability to speak again, and his first words were great praise to God and prophecy over his newborn son John!

Oh, I urge you to read both these stories my friends as they help us look deeply into the character and soul of God honoring, elderly Zechariah and Elizabeth as they welcome us into the Christmas story. And I urge us all to look closely at ourselves. Are these two people a model for you and me of who God wants us to be like when we are old people?

Did you know there’s a song called the Canticle of Zechariah? It’s built on Luke 1:68-79 and sung here by a group of Monks in their monastery.

Today’s Scripture: Luke 1:5-17.

Choose below to read or listen.

Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.

Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.

Pastor Doug Anderson
“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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Good Monday to you my “Walking with Jesus” friends,

Today’s Scripture: 1 Samuel 11.