First Sunday: Luke
1:5-25
INTRODUCTION
Zechariah and Elizabeth were childless for a
long time. The society humiliated them, considering it as God’s
punishment. However, they remained faithful to the Lord and served God
and His people. Though childlessness could be a reason for divorce,
Zechariah did not attempt that. After testing their faith, the Lord
favored them with a son who became the forerunner of the Messiah. Those
who had humiliated Zechariah and Elizabeth later honored them because of
their son John, who introduced the Messiah to the world. Let us also
keep up our faith and do acts of charity amid our unanswered requests to
God.
BIBLE TEXT
(Luke 1:5) In the days
of Herod, king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah, belonging
to the priestly clan of Abijah. Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife, also
belonged to a priestly family. (6) Both of them were
upright in the eyes of God and lived blamelessly in accordance with all
the laws and commands of the Lord, (7) but they had no children.
Elizabeth was barren and now they were both very old. (8) Now, while
Zechariah was serving in the temple along with the priests of his
division, whose turn it was to serve, (9) it fell to him by lot,
according to the custom of the priests, to enter the sanctuary of the
Lord and burn incense. (10) While all the people who had gathered for
the incense service were praying outside, (11) an Angel of the Lord
appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
(12) On seeing the angel, Zechariah was deeply troubled and fear took
hold of him. (13) But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid,
Zechariah, be assured that your prayer has been heard. Your wife
Elizabeth will bear you a son and you shall name him John. (14) He will
bring joy and gladness to you and many will rejoice at his birth.
(15) This son of yours will be great in the eyes of the Lord. Listen: he
shall never drink wine or strong drink, he will be filled with the Holy
Spirit even from his mother’s womb. (16) He will bring back many of the
people of Israel to the Lord their God. (17) He himself will open the
way to the Lord with the spirit and power of the Prophet Elijah; he will
reconcile fathers and children, and lead the disobedient to the wisdom
of the righteous, in order to make ready for the Lord a people
prepared.” (18) Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I believe this? I
am an old man and my wife is getting on in years.” (19) The angel
replied, “I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and I have been sent to
speak to you and bring you this good news! (20) But because you have not
believed my words, which will come true at the proper time, you will be
mute and unable to speak until this has happened.” (21) Meanwhile the
people waited for Zechariah, and they were surprised that he delayed so
long in the sanctuary. (22) When he finally appeared, he could not speak
to them and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He
remained dumb and made signs to them. (23) When his time of service was
completed, Zechariah returned home (24) and sometime later Elizabeth
became pregnant. For five months she kept to herself, remaining at home,
and saying, (25) “This is what the Lord has done for me. In these days
God has shown me favor and taken away my shame.”
INTERPRETATION
The Prehistory of Jesus
Just as Abraham, the father of the faithful,
has a prehistory described in Genesis chapters 1-11, Jesus the savior of
all, also has a prehistory that the New Testament gives. Luke provides
it more than the other evangelists:
Matthew starts his gospel with the
genealogy of Jesus tracing from Abraham, the father of faith to King
David, and then to Joseph, the husband of Mary (Matthew 1:1-17). God
made a covenant with Abraham and David and promised them that the savior
of the world would come from their lineage. Luke gives another genealogy
from Mary’s side (Luke 3:23-38). Here it traces back from Mary through
King David to Adam, the son of God. God’s first covenant with humanity
was through Adam. God had promised him a savior of the world after the
fall of the first parents (Genesis 3:15).
(5) In the days
of Herod, king of Judea, there lived a priest named
Zechariah, belonging to the priestly clan of
Abijah. Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife, also belonged to a priestly
family.
In the days of Herod, king of Judea
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 had endangered Jesus’ life
when he was an infant. Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar had appointed Herod
as the king of Judea (40/37 B.C. – 4 B.C.). However, the Jews could not
accept him as their king because he was not from King David’s lineage.
Herod’s father was an Idumean Antipater, a non-Jew. Only a David’s
descendant could become an acceptable King of the Jews.
Herod was afraid when he heard from the Magi
that a religiously acceptable king was born for the Jews. Since he could
not identify the Infant King, he ordered to kill all children below two
years of age in and around Bethlehem, causing the Holy Family’s escape
to Egypt and life there for few months as refugees.
Zechariah
belonging to the priestly clan of Abijah
Just as God blessed David’s family to have
the kings of Jews including the promised Messiah descend from it, so too
God blessed Aaron’s family to have priests and High Priests derive from
it. Every direct descendant of Aaron was a member of the Levitical
priesthood. Since there were many priests by birthright, King David
divided them into 24 sections. Zechariah, the father of John the
Baptist, was from Abijah’s division, the eighth of these 24 sections (1
Chronicle 24:10).
Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife
Jesus’ mother and foster father were from
King David’s royal family. John the Baptist’s parents were from the
priestly clan 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 because intertribal
marriages occurred between the elite tribes of Judah and Levi.
(6) Both of them were upright in the
eyes of God and lived blamelessly in accordance with all the laws and
commands of the Lord, (7) but they had no children. Elizabeth was barren
and now they were both very old.
In the sight of their contemporaries, the
childlessness of Zechariah and Elizabeth was God’s punishment. According
to the belief of the time, though Zechariah and Elizabeth appeared
pious, they were not justifiable before God. However, the Word of God
testifies that both were righteous in God’s eyes. They “lived
blamelessly in accordance with all the laws and commands of the Lord.”
(v. 6).
Despite Zechariah and Elizabeth’s
faithfulness to God, they did not get any answer to their prayers for a
child in time. Elizabeth was barren and advanced in age.
So, it was impossible for them to have a child
when the angel appeared to Zachariah.
Some prominent persons in the salvation
history were born late to their parents when it was naturally
impossible. Some examples are Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Samson, and Samuel.
According to the Proto-evangelium of St. James, Mary, the mother of
Jesus was also born late to her parents, Joachim and Anne.
(8) Now, while Zechariah was serving in
the temple along with the priests of his division, whose turn it was to
serve, (9) it fell to him by lot, according to the custom of the
priests, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and
burn incense. (10) While all the people who had gathered for the
incense service were praying outside…
It fell to him
by lot.
To enter the
sanctuary of the Lord
All the people who had gathered for the
incense service were praying outside.
(11) … the
Angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of
incense.
The Angel of the Lord’s name was Gabriel. The
Bible specifies Gabriel’s appearance at three occasions. The first 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). Out of
these, only Zechariah’s vision happened in the Temple.
(12) On seeing
the angel, Zechariah was deeply troubled and fear took hold of him.
(13) But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, be assured
that your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son
and you shall name him John.”
The unexpected appearance of the angel on the
right of the altar of incense frightened Zechariah. He was alone in the
Holy Place. This was the first time he experienced an angel’s vision.
So, the angel comforted him by saying: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah,
because your prayer has been heard.”
Whenever there was a divine vision, we see
the phrase, “Do not be afraid” in the Bible because of the fear of the
visionaries. When the Risen Lord appeared to his apostles, despite their
familiarity with Jesus, the sudden sight of the Lord terrified them
(Luke 24:36). Other such instances were: Abraham’s vision of God (Gen
15:1), Joshua’s vision (Joshua 1:9), Daniel’s vision (Daniel 10:12, 19),
Angel Gabriel’s appearance to Mary (Luke 1:30), and the Angel of the
Lord’s message to the shepherds (Luke 2:10).
Why did an angel from the Lord communicate
beforehand that Zechariah and Elizabeth would have a child? God could
have given them the child without this message. However, God wanted to
reveal beforehand that He was sending this child with a special mission.
The delay in John’s birth to the parents and his birth at an impossible
time was a sign of divine intervention. The angel’s communication
assured John’s parents that God was not punishing them but was testing
their fidelity to Him.
A pre-named child of God
The name of a person expresses his
personality. The name John means “Yahweh has shown favor.” This favor
was not just for Zechariah and Elizabeth at an unusual time, but also
for all humanity because John was the forerunner of the long-awaited
Messiah.
(14) “He will bring joy and gladness to
you and many will rejoice at his birth. (15) This son of yours will be
great in the eyes of the Lord. Listen: he shall never drink wine or
strong drink, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his
mother’s womb.”
The angel assured joy and gladness to the
parents at the child’s birth, which was natural because it was their
dream come true when it was impossible. The angel’s words, “he will be
great in the sight of the Lord” and John’s special role as the
forerunner of the Messiah heightened their joy. Many would rejoice with
these elderly parents at his birth. The angel’s words were like a
prophecy come true.
Like some exceptional people of the past,
John consecrated himself for the service of the Lord and accepted
the Nazirite vow (Numbers 6:2). Nazirites
abstained from drinking wine or any alcoholic items (Numbers 6:3-4).
They did not cut their hair (Num. 6:5), and did not touch corpses, even
of their parents (Num. 6:7). Examples of such Biblical characters are
Samson (Judges 13:4–5) and Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11)
The angel’s another prophecy was that the
Holy Spirit would come over John even from his mother’s womb. We later
read in Luke’s gospel, “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby
leapt in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.” (Luke
1:41).
(16) “He will bring back many of the
people of Israel to the Lord their God. (17) He himself will open the
way to the Lord with the spirit and power of the Prophet Elijah; he will
reconcile fathers and children, and lead the disobedient to the wisdom
of the righteous, in order to make ready for the Lord a people
prepared.”
Because of John’s preaching, many sinners
repented and turned towards God. John helped them wash away their
inequities through baptism in the River Jordan. Malachi’s prophecy
fulfilled in John: “Now, I am sending my messenger ahead of me to clear
the way; then suddenly the LORD for whom you long will enter the
sanctuary.” (Malachi 3:1). Malachi continued, “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 hearts of parents to their children, and
the hearts of children to their parents, lest I come and strike the land
with a curse.” (Malachi 3:23-24). The angel said that this child to be
born would be the second coming of Elijah as Malachi prophesied.
(18) Zechariah said to the angel, “How
can I believe this? I am an old man and my wife is getting on in years.”
(19) The angel replied, “I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and I have
been sent to speak to you and bring you this good news! (20) But because
you have not believed my words, which will come true at the proper time,
you will be mute and unable to speak until this has happened.”
Zechariah’s unbelief was natural. In a
comparable situation, when Mary expressed her doubt in Luke 1:34, the
angel praised and reassured her (Luke 1:35-37). Zechariah’s doubt
brought a punishment from the angel. However, his muteness was a divine
sign than a punishment. It became a proof of divine intervention for the
people who were waiting outside the Holy Place, for Zachariah’s wife
Elizabeth, and for their neighbors. Without this sign, they would have
doubted Zechariah’s claim of a vision and the angel’s promise of a
child. Zechariah’s muteness lasted only over nine months. As promised,
God relieved him from it when he fulfilled God’s command to name the
child.
(21) Meanwhile the people waited for
Zechariah, and they were surprised that he delayed so long in the
sanctuary. (22) When he finally appeared, he could not speak to them and
they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He remained
dumb and made signs to them.
Zechariah stayed unusually long in the Holy
Place for incensing. So people guessed something supernatural was
happening inside. Zachariah, who could talk before he entered the
Temple, came out dumb. Since his attempts to talk failed, he realized
the truthfulness of the angel. So, he used signs to communicate to the
people.
According to the Old Testament, it is the
Lord who gives mouth and makes one dumb or deaf (Exodus 4:11). God once
made Prophet Ezekiel mute (Ezekiel 3:26) because Israel was rebellious
and ignored his message. When they became receptive, God restored his
speech (Ezekiel 24:27; 33:22) after seven years. Similarly, Zachariah
lost his speech when he expressed disbelief, and regained it when he
obeyed the angel’s request to name the child.
(23) When his time of service was
completed, Zechariah returned home (24) and sometime later Elizabeth
became pregnant. For five months she kept to herself, remaining at home,
and saying, (25) “This is what the Lord has done for me. In these days
God has shown me favor and taken away my shame.”
The scripture is clear that Elizabeth
conceived only after Zechariah’s vision of the angel. Elizabeth believed
Zechariah because of his muteness when he returned from the Temple. She
also expressed her gratitude to God. Elizabeth went into seclusion to
avoid disgrace from the public that she had conceived a child in her old
age. She was also happy that even at an advanced age, God took away her
shame of childlessness and gave her a child who “will open the way to
the Lord with the spirit and power of the Prophet Elijah.” (Luke 1:17).
MESSAGE
1. Marrying from one’s own religion and tribe
was the practice of the Israelites because that helped them to keep
their covenantal relationship with God and their tribal heritage. King
Solomon’s failure was that he worshiped the gods of his pagan wives. We
should give importance to keeping our faith and valuable traditions.
2. Zechariah and Elizabeth did not give up
their faith, although they were childless, and the society humiliated
them. They remained faithful to the Lord and served God and His people.
Though Zechariah knew that Elizabeth was barren, he did not divorce or
dishonor her. The Lord, after testing their faith, rewarded them with a
son who became the forerunner of the Messiah. Thus, people blessed,
honored, and remembered the parents through this special son born at an
unexpected time. Let us also keep up our faith amid our unanswered
prayer requests to God.
3. We do not know God’s timing. Let us wait
for the Lord to act on us. So, Jesus taught us to pray “Thy will be
done.” All we need to do is obey “all the commandments and ordinances of
the Lord blamelessly” as Zechariah and Elizabeth did.
4. Like God sent John with a mission in this
world, God has designed a purpose for our lives. Our success lies in
finding and fulfilling our God-given role in the family and in the
society.
5. Despite the punishment and shame,
Zechariah and Elizabeth trusted and cooperated with God. That led them
to joy and gladness as the angel foretold. We also might feel like God
punishes the righteous. In such circumstances, let us realize that God
has a better plan for us and others.
6. Societal expectations and opinions
pressure us to turn away from God or to criticize Christ’s Church and
his representatives. We should be firm to follow God’s providence
despite humiliations. Noah’s story is an example. He differed from the
ordinary people who were sinners. God’s directions to make a ship on a
dry land saved his family. His contemporaries ridiculed him. However,
the public realized only later that they were wrong, and Noah was right.
7. A child is more than the result of
parents’ union, because God gives the soul. Zachariah and Elizabeth’s
attempts to have a child failed at their reproductive age because God
had withheld it for a later stage. It shows that God is the master of
life. Let us thank the Lord for the lives of our children and take care
of them according to God’s plan.