The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold (Luke 1:5-25)
INTRODUCTION:
Zechariah and Elizabeth did not give up their
faith even though they were childless for long time and were ashamed in
front of the society for that reason. They continued to remain faithful
to the Lord and served God and His people. Though Zechariah knew that
Elizabeth was barren, he did not hate her or divorce her even though
childlessness could be a ground for divorce during those days. The Lord,
after testing their faith, rewarded them with a son who became the
forerunner of the Messiah. Thus, the parents were also blessed, honored,
and remembered through their son who was born at a time of no hope. Let
us also keep up our faith amid our unanswered requests to God.
Bible Text
(5) In the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was
a priest named Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah; his wife
was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. (6) Both
were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and
ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. (7) But they had no child, because
Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years. (8) Once when he
was serving as priest in his division’s turn before God, (9) according
to the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter
the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense. (10) Then, when the whole
assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the incense
offering, (11) the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the
right of the altar of incense. (12) Zechariah was troubled by what he
saw, and fear came upon him. (13) But the angel said to him, “Do not be
afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife
Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him 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. He will drink neither wine
nor strong drink. He will 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 go before him in the spirit and power
of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the
disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people
fit for the Lord.” (18) Then Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I
know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” (19)
And the angel said to him in reply, “I am Gabriel, who stand before God.
I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. (20)
But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these
things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be
fulfilled at their proper time.” (21) Meanwhile the people were waiting
for Zechariah and were amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary.
(22) But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they
realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He was gesturing to
them but remained mute. (23) Then, when his days of ministry were
completed, he went home. (24) After this time his wife Elizabeth
conceived, and she went into seclusion for five months, saying, (25) “So
has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my
disgrace before others.”
Interpretation
The Prehistory of Jesus
Just as Abraham, the Father of all the
faithful, has a prehistory described in Genesis chapters 1-11, Jesus the
savior of all people, also has a prehistory that is given in the New
Testament more by Luke than by any other Evangelists. This includes:
(1) Announcement of the birth of John the Baptist
(Luke 1:5-25)
(2) Announcement of the Birth of Jesus Christ (Luke
1:26-38)
(3) Mary Visiting Elizabeth (Luke1:39-45)
(4) The Canticle of Mary (Luke 1:46-56)
(5) The birth of John (Luke 1:57-66)
(6) The Canticle of Zechariah (Luke 1: 67-80).
(5) In the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah; his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
In the days of Herod, King of Judea
Here Luke gives the political backdrop of the
time because King Herod the Great had a
prominent role in the early stage of Jesus’ life. Herod was the one who
put the life of Jesus in danger. He was the King of Judea (40/37 BC – 4
BC) approved by Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar. However, since Herod was
the son of an Idumean Antipater, a non-Jew and not from the lineage of
King David whose descendants were supposed to be the kings of Jews,
Herod was not acceptable to the Jews as their king. So, Herod was afraid
when he heard from the Magi that a king was born for the Jews. So, he
ordered to kill the children below two years of age causing the Holy
Family to flee to Egypt and remain there for few years as refugees.
Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah
Just as David’s family was
blessed to have kings of Jews including the promised Messiah descend
from it, Aaron’s family was blessed to have priests emerge from it.
Every direct descendant of Aaron was automatically a member of Levitical
priesthood. Since there were many priests by birthright, King David had
divided them into 24 sections. Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist
was from the division of Abijah, eighth of the 24 sections who served in
the temple of Jerusalem. (1 Chronicle 24:10).
Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth
Jesus’ mother and foster father were from the royal
family of David. Similarly, the parents of John the Baptist, the
forerunner of Jesus, were from the priestly family of Aaron. According
to the Jewish historian Josephus, the Levite priests were careful to
marry from their own tribe to keep the dignity of their priesthood.
Though Mary and Elizabeth were relatives both belonged to different
tribes of Israel.
(6) Both were
righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and
ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. (7) But they had no child, because
Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years.
Though Righteous, Zechariah and Elizabeth were childless
In the sight of their contemporaries, the
childlessness of Zechariah and Elizabeth was a punishment from God.
According to the popular belief of the time, the society could
reasonably assume that, though Zechariah and Elizabeth appeared to be
pious, they were not justifiable before God. However, the Word of God
testified that both were righteous in the eyes of God. They were
“observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.”
Despite their faithfulness to God, they did not get
any answer for their prayers for a child in time. Elizabeth was barren
and both were advanced in years. Some of the
prominent persons in the Salvation History were born late to their
parents when it was impossible by the laws of nature.
Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Samson, and Samuel were forerunners of John
Baptist in this regard. According to the Proto-evangelium of St. James,
Mary the mother of Jesus was also born late to her parents Joachim and
Anne.
(8) Once when he was
serving as priest in his division’s turn before God, (9) according to
the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter the
sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense. (10) Then, when the whole
assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the incense
offering,
Burning incense per division’s turn
All priests served in the temple of Jerusalem
during the busy season of the three main Jewish feasts: Passover,
Pentecost, and Feast of the Tabernacles. At other times, each division
of priests served two terms of one week each in a year. Even then, all
priests of the division could not be in the temple during the off
season. So, they were selected by lot which was a selection from God.
Many would not get this opportunity. So, Zechariah must have been
delighted for his selection for priestly duty and had prepared himself
spiritually for the service.
The temple of Jerusalem had
different sections. The most sacred place was the Holy of Holies, a dark
place where only the high priest entered once a year on the feast day of
Atonement with a lamp to incense. This was where the Ark of the Covenant
was kept in the first temple built by King Solomon. However, Prophet
Jeremiah had removed it before the destruction of the temple by the
Babylonians. (2 Maccabees 2:4-8). The Ark was never restored for the
second temple built by Ezra or the third temple reconstructed by King
Herod the Great.
At the entrance of the Holy of Holies within
the Holy Place was the golden altar of incense where incense was burnt
every day before the morning sacrifice and after the evening sacrifice.
Only priests were allowed in the Holy Place where there were also
menorah lamps and the table of showbread on which there were 12 pieces
of bread representing the 12 tribes of Israel. The priests used to
replace the bread with fresh ones on every sabbath. Ordinary people
would pray outside the entrance of the Holy Place waiting for the priest
to come and bless them. They could not see what was happening inside the
Holy Place of the temple because of the veil that was separating them
from the Holy Place.
(11) the angel of the
Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense.
(12) Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him. (13)
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your
prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you
shall name him John.
Angel appearing to Zechariah
The name of the angel of
the Lord was Gabriel, whose name is specified in three instances in the
Bible. The first appearance of Angel Gabriel was to Daniel (Daniel 8:16)
to interpret his dream, the second was to Zechariah (Luke 1:19), and the
third was to Mary (Luke 1:26). What was special in the case of Zechariah
was that this was the only case where the angel appeared to someone in
the temple.
Zechariah was afraid
of the sudden appearance of the angel on the right side of the altar. He
was expecting to be alone in the Holy Place. This was the first time in
his life that he ever experienced the presence of an angel. It was not a
dream. He was also terrified because he was worried about having made a
mistake. So, the angel first told him that there was nothing to fear due
to his appearance. We notice that when the Risen Lord appeared to his
apostles, who were familiar with him during his earthly life, were
terrified at the sudden sight of the Lord. (Luke 24:36). “Do not be
afraid” was often a phrase used at the time of a divine vision in the
Bible. For instance, vision to Abraham (Gen 15:1), Joshua’s vision of
God (Joshua 1:9), vision to Daniel (Daniel 10:12, 19), Angel Gabriel to
Mary (Luke 1:30), and angel to shepherds (Luke 2:10).
Promise of a son
Why did an angel from the Lord had to appear and
communicate beforehand that Zechariah and Elizabeth would have a child?
God could have given them a child without first giving the message. God
wanted to reveal that this extraordinary childbirth was for a special
purpose in salvation history. God allowed the suffering of persons of
faith in order that they may be “tested” in their faith and thus grow in
fidelity. This assured them that this child has an extraordinary mission
to accomplish.
A pre-named child of God
The Angel Gabriel declared
the name of this special child to be born. Traditionally, the father of
the child used to give the child a name according to the names of the
forefathers in the family declaring that the child was his beloved one.
Here the angel announces that the child would be a male and had to be
named John. Naming the child on the eighth day after birth during
circumcision was the Jewish practice of the time. Here we see an
exception. The child was named before he was conceived. Instead of the
human father, the Divine Father named him making him God’s special child
born of human parents.
The name of a person expresses his personality. The
name John means “Yahweh has shown favor.” This favor was not just for
his parents at an unnatural and unexpected time but also for all
humanity. This favor was the indication of the coming of the long and
eagerly awaited Messiah.
(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. He will drink neither wine nor
strong drink. He will 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 go before him in the spirit and power
of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the
disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people
fit for the Lord.”
Role of the child to be born
The angel assured joy and gladness to the parents at the child’s birth,
which was quite natural because this was their dream come true. And many
would rejoice with the elderly parents at his birth. Just like his
parents, John would also be great in the sight of the Lord. Much of what
emerged according to the words of the angel was also like a prophesy
come true. John like some great people of the
past was also consecrated by the Nazirite vow (Numbers 6:2) and set
apart for the service of the Lord. Nazirites had to abstain from
drinking wine or any alcohol related items (Numbers 6:3-4). They were
not supposed to cut their hair (Num. 6:5). And they were not to
encounter corpses even of their parents (Num. 6:7). Examples of such
Bible characters are Samson (Judges 13:4–5) and Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11).
Another prophesy was that John would be filled with
the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. We later read in the gospel
of Luke that this child to be born “leaped with joy” in his mother’s
womb (Luke 1:41) when Mary greeted Elizabeth, his mother.
Because of the preaching of John the Baptist, many
people turned towards God repenting of their sins, and washing away
their inequities through baptism in the river Jordan. John is the
fulfillment of the prophecy of Malachi: “Now I am sending my messenger -
he will prepare the way before me; And the lord whom you seek will come
suddenly to his temple.” (Malachi 3:1). Malachi again said, “Now I am
sending to you Elijah the prophet, Before the day of the Lord comes, the
great and terrible day; He will turn the heart of fathers to their sons,
and the heart of sons to their fathers.” (Malachi 4: 5-6 / 3:23-24). The
angel said that this child to be born was the second coming of Elijah.
(18) Then Zechariah
said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my
wife is advanced in years.” (19) And the angel said to him in reply, “I
am Gabriel, who stand before God. I was sent to speak to you and to
announce to you this good news. (20) But now you will be speechless and
unable to talk until the day these things take place, because you did
not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”
(21) Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and were amazed
that he stayed so long in the sanctuary. (22) But when he came out, he
was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision
in the sanctuary. He was gesturing to them but remained mute.
Unbelief of Zechariah and a punishment
Zechariah ’s unbelief was quite natural. In a
similar situation when Mary expressed her doubt in Luke 1:34, she was
praised and reassured (Luke 1:35-37). However, Zechariah’s doubt brings
on punishment from the angel. Zechariah’s muteness was more than a
punishment. It was a supernatural sign for the people who have been
waiting outside the Holy Place of the temple, for his wife Elizabeth,
and for their neighbors. Without this sign, they would have doubted his
claim of a vision by the angel. The punishment of Zechariah was not to
last long, rather just ten months. As promised, he was released from it
when he fulfilled the command of God through the angel to name the
child.
(23) Then, when his days of ministry were completed, he went home. (24) After this time his wife Elizabeth conceived, and she went into seclusion for five months, saying, (25) “So has the Lord done for me at a time when he has seen fit to take away my disgrace before others.”
God’s time to take away the disgrace
The scripture is clear that Elizabeth conceived
only after the vision of the angel to Zechariah. Elizabeth probably
believed Zechariah because he was mute after his return from his sacred
service in the temple. Elizabeth also expressed her belief in God’s
timing rather than their expectation of natural birth of a child. She
probably went into seclusion to avoid disgrace from the public given
that she had conceived a baby in her old age. She was also happy that
even at that advanced age her disgrace of childlessness had given way to
a great blessing from God.
1. Marrying from
one’s own faith and tribe was the practice of the Israelites because
that helped them to keep fidelity to God and traditions of the tribe.
King Solomon’s failure was that he worshiped the gods of his pagan
wives. Keeping Catholic faith and one’s own liturgical rite should be
given importance.
2. Zechariah and
Elizabeth did not give up their faith even though they were childless
and disgraced in front of the society. They continued to remain faithful
to the Lord and served God and His people. Though Zechariah knew that
Elizabeth was barren, he did not hate her or divorce her even though
childlessness could be grounds for divorce. The Lord, after the testing
their faith, rewarded them with a son who became the forerunner of the
Messiah. Thus, the parents are also blessed, honored, and remembered
through this son who was born at a time of no hope. Let us also keep up
our faith amid our unanswered requests to God.
3. God has a timing
which we do not comprehend. Let us wait for the Lord to act through us.
All we can do is to observe “all the commandments and ordinances of the
Lord blamelessly” as Zechariah and Elizabeth did. That is why Jesus
taught us to pray “Thy will be done.”
4. Like John sent
by God with a mission in this world, we also have a mission designed by
God. Our success lies in finding and fulfilling our role in the family
and society to serve the Lord our God.
5. Despite the
unbelief and punishment, Zechariah and Elizabeth trusted and cooperated
with God. That led them to joy and gladness as foretold by the angel.
Sometimes we feel like God punishes the righteous. We must realize in
these circumstances that God has a plan for our life.
6. Societal expectations and opinions pressure us to turn away from God or to turn against Christ’s Church. We must be strong to follow God’s providence despite humiliations. Noah’s story is an example in this truth. Noah was a man different from ordinary people who were sinners. Even so, God’s directions to make a ship on dry land saved his family. His contemporaries might have ridiculed him. However, the public only later realize that they were wrong and Noah was right.
7. Children are not just the result of the union
of parents but also the intervention of God who gives the soul. The
attempts to have a child by Zachariah and Elizabeth failed at their
reproductive stage because God withheld the birth of the child. Let us
thank the Lord for the lives of our children and take care of the children
responsibly according to God’s plan for them.