Advent prepares us for the celebration of Christ Jesus’ first coming – his birth. We celebrate Christ’s birth on Christmas Day. Yet, as we read the Holy Scriptures, we’re reminded that there was an amazing number of things going on behind the scenes, and it’s here, in Advent, that we can “muse”, “ponder”, and let our hearts soak in the wonder of God’s work.
For
example, in reading about Zechariah’s encounter, we should also think about his
wife, Elizabeth. The Scripture recalls
her part in this story:
Luke
1:5-6
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named
Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of
Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the
commandments and statutes of the Lord.
Let’s
recognize that Elizabeth’s childless condition is not based on any offense she
has committed before God. She, along
with Zechariah, has a marriage that is honorable to all that is of God. To be called “righteous” was not a derogatory
word, as it often is in our culture. To
be “righteous” is also to be “blameless”.
They sought God in prayer, in worship, and obedience to the Law of
God. AND, God saw it.
We remember
that God sent his Angel, Gabriel, to announce to Zechariah that their childless
state was soon to end – they were to be the parents of John (the Baptist). Yet Zechariah didn’t believe that would be
possible, and so the Angel Gabriel says “Enough, be quiet and stay that way
until it has all come to pass” (my paraphrase of 1:20).
Luke
1:19-20
And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of
God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that
these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be
fulfilled in their time.”
Zechariah
has been rebuked for his unbelief. To be
fair, I could have been rebuked many times for the lack of faith in God’s
word. We all have been Zechariahs at one
time or another. What happens when we
doubt, or reject God’s word? Does it
stop God? No. Does it make God change his plans? No.
With or without faith, God is at work, and a silent Zechariah discovers
that as he returns to his home.
Luke 1:22-25
“When Zechariah
came out (of the Temple), he was unable to speak to them, and they realized
that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and
remained mute. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his
home. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived…”
Let’s pause
and take this in. Zechariah returns
home, but he cannot say words to convey to Elizabeth was has occurred. Perhaps he wrote it down for her to
read. Perhaps he was too ashamed to
convey his doubts and disbelief that God rebuked him in such a strong way. What we do know is that Elizabeth got
pregnant. She, who was childless, and who
felt the sting of her barrenness that formulated her identity has felt the
touch of God. The scripture ends this
first part with this:
Luke
1:24-25
After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she
kept herself hidden, saying,
“Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take
away my reproach among people.”
I remember
a couple in the community where I lived who tried to have children and they
could not conceive. Year after year
passed. Then in around year 17 of their
marriage, the miracle of childbirth took place.
They were both astounded and full of joy. I am guessing that the same experience happened
to Elizabeth. Perhaps Zechariah too…although,
I can’t help but think he thought a lot about his doubts and the Angel’s words.
Marriage…
it is a sacred bond where God brings a man and woman together to form a bond of
“oneness”. It doesn’t mean they lose
their identities or their personalities, but they discover a mystery is occurring
– a miracle of two people who are seeing God at work in their marriage – if they
want to. God is at work in marriage – I believe
that I’ve seen that. I see it in Elizabeth.
Peace
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