The Birth of the John the Baptist Foretold

5 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. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. 8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” 19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” 21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. 23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

Reflection: Zechariah was a priest serving in the temple, offering incense before The Lord, when the angel Gabriel appeared to him. His name in the original is "Gabor" with the idea of a strong, powerful and intimidating presence. Obviously Zechariah felt that, as he was gripped with fear. The angel, which means messenger, gave him his message. His wife Elizabeth was to give birth, even in her old age. This reminds us of the story of Abraham and Sarah, when they were very old and conceived Issac against all odds.

Not only would this child, which they would name John, be great in the sight of The Lord, but he would call the people back to God. This was the function of the Old Testament prophet, though John would be pointing and leading the way to a far greater prophecy. As the child grew, he would never drink anything fermented and would be filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. This will be a theme in Luke, as he mentions the Holy Spirit quite often. He also has a concern for women, and uplifts the faith of Elizabeth, who acknowledged that, "The Lord has done this for me." It is one thing to hear a prophecy, it is quite another to believe it has come from The Lord!

As Abraham and Sarah brought in the chosen one, Issac, as a sign of the Promise, so Elizabeth and Zechariah brought in the One who would point to the Promise fulfilled. And while we may not see a Gabriel in our lives, God calls us into the Promise as God's chosen ones. We too are filled with the Holy Spirit, since our spiritual birth. The Holy Spirit calls us to faith and empowers us to work with others to being the Promise to all nations. We are in a sense like John, messengers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. You might say, well I am in my old age, God couldn't use me. Or, I am not religious enough God for to use me. Or I am too young. Whatever excuse you would use, God uses ordinary people like Zechariah and Elizabeth, Joseph and Mary, and me and you to bring God's message of forgiveness through His Son. Most importantly may we acknowledge like Elizabeth, "The Lord has done this for me!" Amen.