Meanwhile, the congregation waiting for Zachariah was getting restless, wondering what was keeping him so long in the sanctuary. When he came out and couldn’t speak, they knew he had seen a vision. He continued speechless and had to use sign language with the people.
When the course of his priestly assignment was completed, he went back home. It wasn’t long before his wife, Elizabeth, conceived. She went off by herself for five months, relishing her pregnancy. “So, this is how God acts to remedy my unfortunate condition!” she said.
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO. All rights reserved.
Imagine it…this elderly priest and his equally aged wife who never gave birth discover that she is pregnant. When an angel appears to Zachariah and tells him that Elizabeth is going to have a baby, he basically says, “You’ve got to be kidding! At OUR ages?” And for his lack of faith, the angel “strikes him dumb” until the baby is born. The priest goes into the temple to pray …and comes out unable to speak!
Elizabeth apparently took the news a little better. In fact, she was beyond thrilled with the news that she would finally have a baby. Two people exhibited two different reactions – both of them understandable. In the end, God entrusted this couple with a son named John, who would set the stage for the ministries of Jesus. Zachariah and Elizabeth could not possibly have known what a huge responsibility – and honor – had been given them. But I like to think that they embraced it to the best of their understanding.
The question for us is this…if God sent an angel and gave us news that was far-fetched, hard to swallow, frightening, or just plain crazy, how would we react? Would we shake our heads, laugh, and say, “God surely showed me!”? Or would we respond like Zachariah and ask, “How can this possibly be?” Do you see the difference? One response demonstrates tremendous faith…the other, quite frankly, insults God. And God let Zachariah know this by removing his ability to speak for the duration of Elizabeth’s pregnancy.
If you go back and study the Gospels and the history of the time when Jesus was born, you will see that the faith and trust of Elizabeth, Zachariah and others was sorely tested – in ways that could potentially cause questions from family and friends – if not downright ridicule or banishment from the community at large. Yet they stood firm in their confidence that God knew what He was doing…and they went along for the ride.
I can’t say what I would have done in their shoes. I would like to think that I would graciously accept God’s plan and embrace it fully. But I also know how strong the pressure can be from others to conform and behave in a certain manner. My prayer is that we would study these amazing role models and learn from them…that we would become more faith-filled and obedient in our own daily walk with God…and that when He “sends an angel” to give us a message, we would listen and act in a way that pleases Him. God got Zachariah’s attention in a profound way. What will He have to do to get yours?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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