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Luke 1:4–25

Article 4: The Birth of John the Baptist

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IamBarabbas

18 min readAug 6, 2017

Here in this passage you sense the world is changing from the long absence of anything miraculous in Jerusalem. There are angels, long standing prayers fulfilled and dramatic responses to cultural woes.

The closest person we have a a scientist back in Jesus’ day would have been Doctor Luke, (see my 1st article for reference to his background). The Writer Luke not only tells us about Jesus’ birth but that there was a preparation for his coming. There was to be a transitional period from the Old to the New covenant with God.

Luke hits head on the fundamental question contemporary people ask about these stories, how can you believe and take them seriously in the light of modern science? Luke understood the objection so he gives us two stories of supernatural conceptions. The one we go through today is John the Baptists.

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

Luke 1:4–25

5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron.
6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations.
7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week.
9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense.
10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.
11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar.
12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.
13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.
14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,
15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.
16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.
17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”
18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”
19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!
20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long.
22 When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realised from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.
23 When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home.
24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months.
25 “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”

Once in a lifetime

The first thing to notice is how meticulous Luke really was in his account just by what he says in the first Verse.

In the time of Herod king of Judea.

We know this was Herod the Great, who ruled over Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and surrounding regions from 37BC — 4AD, confirmed by the roman senate as king of the Jews. Only half-Jewish himself and eager to please his Roman superiors, Herod expanded and beautified the Jerusalem Temple — but to the Jewish people’s displeasure, he placed a Roman eagle over the entrance as reminder of who’s in charge, symbolising the oppression to the Jews. When he helped the Jews, it was for political purposes and not because he cared for their God. Later, we get a wider picture of Herod the Great’s paranoid character as he would order a massacre of infants in a futile attempt to kill the infant Jesus, whom some were calling the new “king of the Jews” (See Matthew 2:2)

What else we find in this verse is far more profound than it first appears.

There was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron.”

So we see Zechariah and Elizabeth are both from the traditional line of priests. Zechariah and Elizabeth didn’t merely go through the motions in following God’s laws; they backed up their outward compliance with inward obedience, unlike many religious leaders of the time whom Jesus later called hypocrites. Zechariah and Elizabeth did not stop with the letter of the law, their trust in God was from the heart and that is why they are called “righteous in God’s eyes”.

One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

A Jewish priest was a minister of God who worked at the Temple managing its upkeep, teaching people the scriptures and directing the worship services. At this time there were over 20,000 priests throughout the country — far too many ministers in the Temple at one time. Therefore the priests were divided into 24 separate groups of about 1,000 each give or take, according to David’s instructions (see 1 chronicles 24:3–10)

Incense was burned in the temple twice daily (Exodus 30:7–10) when the people saw the smoke from the burning incense, they prayed. The smoke drifting heavenward symbolised their prayers ascending to God’s throne.

Zechariah was a member of this Order of Abijah and on duty this particular week. Each morning a priest was to enter the Holy place in the Temple and they were the ones to burn incense. The priests would cast lots prior to this to decide who would enter the inner sanctuary, and one day the lot fell to Zechariah. But it was not by chance that Zechariah was on duty, he was chosen that day to enter the Holy place by God. This was perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, with so many priests in each group, he may never enter the temple again to lead the nation in prayer. God was guiding the events of history to prepare the way for Jesus to come to earth and he chose truly committed people to do it through, he honoured their faith.

Though, despite their faith, there was a thorn in the side of Zechariah and Elizabeth, a deeply personal one. Legacy.

Legacy were something deeply important, and if you’d read my previous article about genealogies, you’ll know why. To not father children even in our day and age can be seen as deeply shameful for some with people even frowning upon people’s barrenness, especially from relatives;

They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

Many Christians today and non-Christians are giving their all but sometimes something is holding you back. Zechariah and Elizabeth we know had stopped praying to have a child because they knew they were too old and gave up on God answering such a prayer based on their knowledge of reproduction, based on what they thought was possible. Many times I am victim on limiting God based on what I think and not been open minded to change that might surprise me.

But there has been a clear statement we read later in Matthew

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26

Surprise

While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.

Angels are spirit beings who live in God’s presence and do his will. Only two angels are mentioned by name in scripture — Michael and Gabriel — but there are many who act as God’s messengers (Genesis 16:7–13; Exodus 3:2–4; 32:20 Numbers 20:16; Isaiah 63:9). Here, Gabriel (1:19) delivered a special message to Zechariah. This was not a dream or a vision, the angel appeared in visible form and spoke audible words to Zechariah.

Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.

Zechariah, like many others, when encountering God or one of his agents would be in fear, for they were seeing something out of the ordinary and if not prepared, might freak out. So this seemed a natural reaction considering what an angel represented.

The doubt of the impossible

But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah!

Do not be afraid was a common response to comfort those who experience such an encounter, (Genesis 15:1; 26:24; Judges 6:22–23)

God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.

The name Zechariah means “the Lord has remembered” — A very appropriate narrative. The name John means “the Lord is gracious,” and Jesus means “The Lord saves” These two names were prescribed by God, not chosen by human parents. Throughout the gospels, God acts graciously and saves his people and he most definitely remembers our prayers. He will not withhold salvation from anyone who sincerely comes to him.

While burning incense on the altar, Zechariah was also praying, most likely for the coming Messiah to his people. How odd it must have seemed that the angel would say that his prayer had been answered that Zechariah would soon have a son yet, at the same time, the answer to the nation’s prayer for the Messiah would also come true. Zechariah’s son would grow up to prepare the way for the Messiah. Sometimes God’s answers for prayer aren’t always as straightforward as you think. Sometimes he sends people into your life and you haven’t noticed. Be aware of the bigger picture he may be painting in your life.

You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.

John was set apart for special service to God. He has been forbidden to drink wine as his nazarite vow, an ancient vow of consecration to God. This was often a trait God prescribed for his chosen ones to preach a message in Old Testament times. (see Numbers 6:1–8) Samson (Judges 13).

This is Luke’s first mention of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the trinity (we talked about in the 2nd article in this series). Luke refers to the Holy Spirit more than any other gospel writer. Because Luke also wrote the book of Acts, we know he was thoroughly informed about the work of the Holy Spirit. Luke recognised and emphasised the Holy Spirit’s work in directing the beginnings of Christianity and guiding the early church. The presence of the spirit was God’s gift to the entire church at Pentecost. Prior to that God’s spirit was given to the faithful for special tasks. We need the Holy Spirit’s help to do God’s work effectively.

And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

John’s role was to be almost identical to that of an Old Testament prophet: to encourage people to turn away from sin and back to God. John is often compared to the great prophet Elijah who was known for standing up to tough rulers (Malachi 4; Matthew 11:14 17:10–13) see the end of the article for a short profile on Elijah.

The Facepalm moment ..

Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

Oh Zechariah, Oh Zechariah, you fool..

Luke speaks of the day when Zechariah was leading the nation in prayer, he doesn’t appear to be an atheist as he believed in prayer so presumably he believed in God. Then an angel turns up in the temple and well he didn’t seem too surprised by that either, well he talked to the angel. So he must have believed in angels.

So this angel says to him that his prayer has been heard. Zechariah would know exactly what he meant, he’d been praying for a child and the angel spells it out for him. But to his own lack of belief he tells the angel “no we’re not, I’m too old! As is my wife” There is the objection (FYI avoid calling your wife old!). He’s not an atheist, he believes in God, believes in angels he’s leading the nation in prayer and yet he does not believe God is capable of putting the physical clock back. He’s saying God cannot move atoms, he cannot intervene in his own creation.

You see Zechariah knew the law of nature, you get too old to have children, he knew that as well as any modern day gynaecologist. So he objected based on his knowledge of the laws of nature.

And the final section

Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.” Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realised from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary. When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”

So we see here the angel shuts John’s mouth, a reward for being doubtful and he doesn’t speak another word until John is born. So if you claim to believe in God, angels, prayer, the eternal world but don’t believe God can move atoms then you really have nothing to say.

This is why there is such a loud silence in many of the pulpits of our land. In the heart of so many people who profess to believe in God they do not believe that this universe is anymore than a closed system, thinking there’s no real God who can intervene in space and time. But the Christmas story of Jesus says there is…He (God) came down from heaven for us. (John 1:14?).

But we now know the laws of nature, miracles violate that right?

Suppose you receive a gift, £100, so you put it in the drawer. Then again you receive another gift of £100 from a rich relative and you put the other £100 in the drawer so you’ve got £200. You wake up the next day, you check the drawer and there’s only £50 there. So your mind begins to calculate, *Enter Sherlock Holmes mode* , and you discuss to yourself whether the laws of arithmetic have been broken or the laws of England. See the difference between two types of law? That’s where the confusion lies, how do you know the laws of England have been broken? You thought the drawer was a closed system and you discover it isn’t. You know someone has put their hand in there and pinched some of the money, but how do you know that? Because you know the laws of arithmetic haven't been broken. You see the Laws of England are not the same as the laws of arithmetic. The laws of arithmetic don’t cause anything, they don’t act as guardians like the police, they’re not like that, they simply describe what normally happens.

So God who created the universe and built into it those regularities which we describe mathematically as laws is not a prisoner of those laws, of course not. He can feed a new event into the system if he likes, it doesn’t break any laws in fact the laws take over as Luke points out. Even though Elizabeth was barren, they were both too old, God could feed an event into the system and then the natural flow of birth, a normal pregnancy length of 9 months, that’s a law most people know very well. Once God encodes the change in Elizabeth, life takes it’s normal toll and the baby will be born. So the laws of nature do not imprison God and nor can they, that is a confusion of thought.

If I were claiming John was born through natural circumstances with no intervention of Elizabeth’s barrenness then of course it breaks the laws of nature but no one’s claiming that. We’re claiming that God did something special and now you see the difference.

The supernatural case of Zechariah and Elizabeth was putting the clock back and restoring nature so that they could have a child. Zechariah’s objection was regarded as silly to God as it wasn’t logical, Zachariah was inconsistent. So now we see why he was silenced,

…Meanwhile during all this drama, we see in verse 21 the people were waiting outside for Zechariah to come out and pronounce the customary blessing upon them (as found in Numbers 6:24–26)… They may have been waiting quite a while..

Summary

Overcoming disgrace

Zechariah and Elizabeth were both godly people, yet they were suffering. Some Jews at that time did not believe in a bodily resurrection, so their hope of immortality was in their children. In addition, children cared for their parents in their old age and added to the family’s financial security and social status. Children were considered a blessing, and childlessness was seen as a curse. Zechariah and Elizabeth had been childless for many years, and at this time they were too old to expect any change in their situation. They felt humiliated and hopeless. But God was waiting for the right time to encourage them and take away their disgrace.

Beginning and the end of an era

Elizabeth and Zechariah’s story rings truths of the Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation and his wife Sarah (Genesis 18:11). Both were old, both were told by God they would have a child beyond their time and they they would do great things in their lives. At the end of the Jewish line there are familiarities with where it all began and as the Jews transition to the age of Christ. When Jesus said “It is finished” on the cross, he meant it.

God’s timing is often beyond our understanding

God answers prayers in his own way and in his own time and has his eyes on our lives from an eternal perspective, not just the early side of it. He worked in an “impossible” situation — Elizabeth’s age and barrenness — to bring about the fulfilment of all the prophecies concerning the Messiah. If you want to have your prayers answered you must be open to what God can do in impossible situations. And you must wait for God to work in his way and in his time, remain patient. No matter how impossible God’s promises may seem, what he has said is his Word will come true at the right time.

Listening

Zechariah, in being silenced would have learnt to listen.This is something we could all do with from time to time, 9 months might feel like a long time though for us!

Once in a lifetime

Zechariah of the priestly Order of Abijah was not by chance on duty, he was chosen that day to enter the Holy place. This was perhaps a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, with so many priests around, he may never enter the temple again to lead the nation in prayer. God was guiding the events of history to prepare the way for Jesus to come to earth and he chose truly committed people to do it through.

Be ready, sometimes whether it’s a conversation at work or a Facebook status, what you say or do could be the change in someone’s life, reading this very study could be your start of a journey for yourself. Ask God honestly and humbly for guidance, to know him, understand his purpose for you and I promise you he will answer in ways, like Zechariah, in ways you cannot for see nor fathom. God never made his promises to be unfulfilled.

Join us next week when we begin to look at the other baby boy that is promised.

Character profiles

Who was Zechariah?

Zechariah, a Jewish priest, was told before anyone else that God was setting in motion his own visit to earth.. Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, were known for their personal holiness. They were well suited to doing a special work for God. But they shared the pain of not having children, and in Jewish culture this was considered not having God’s blessing. Zechariah and Elizabeth were old, and they has stopped even asking for children.

One day while on duty at the temple of Jerusalem, Zechariah received and unexpected blessing. He was chosen to be the priest who would enter the holy place to offer incense to God for the people. Suddenly, much to his surprise and terror, he found himself face to face with an angel. The angel’s message was too good to be true! But the news of the coming saviour was eclipsed by doubts about his own ability to father the child the angel had promised him. His age spoke more loudly than God’s promise. As a result, God prevented Zechariah from speaking until the promise became a reality.

The Record of the prayer in Luke 1 is our last glimpse of Zechariah. Like so many of God’s most faithful servants, he passed quietly from the scene once his part was done. He becomes our hero for those times when we doubt God and yet are willing to obey. We gain hope from Zachariah’s story that God can do great things through anyone who is available to him.

Strengths and accomplishments:

Known as a righteous man
Was a priest of God
One of the few people to be directly addressed by an angel
Fathered John the baptist

Weaknesses and mistake

Momentarily doubted the angel’s promise of a son because of his own old age.

Lessons from his life

Physical limitations do not limit god
God accomplishes his will, often in unexpected ways

Vital statistics

Occupation:priest
Relatives: wife; Elizabeth, Son: John the Baptist

Interesting fact:

Every time Gabriel appeared in the bible it was to bring important news. 500 years earlier he brought a message to Daniel you can read in Daniel 8:15–17. As we will read next week, he also brings a very important message to Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Elijah’s profile

Watch from 3:40–6 mins

Elijah’s single minded commitment to God shocks and challenges us. He was sent to confront not comfort. Elijah spoke God’s words to a king who often rejected his message just because he brought it. Elijah chose to carry out his ministry for God alone and paid for that decision by experiencing isolation from others who were also faithful to God. It is interesting to think about the amazing miracles God accomplishes through Elijah, but we would do well to focus on the relationship they shared. All that happened in Elijah’s life began with the same miracle that is available to us — he responded to the miracle of being able to know God.

Elijah, like us struggled with his feelings even after being comforted by messages from God which was spoken to him like a gentle whisper. God here, confronted Elijah’s emotions and demanded action. He told Elijah what to do next and informed him that part of his loneliness was based on ignorance: seven thousand others in Israel were faithful to God.

Even today God often speaks through the gentle and obvious rather than the spectacular and the unusual. God has work for us to do even we we feel fear and failure. And God always has more resources and people than we know about. Although we might wish to do amazing miracles for God, we should instead focus on developing a relationship with him. The real miracle of Elijah’s life was his very personal relationship with God. And that miracle is available to us.