In the days of Herod, King of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah of the priestly division of Abijah; his wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 Both were righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years. 8 Once when he was serving as priest in his division’s turn before God, 9 according to the practice of the priestly service, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to burn incense. 10 Then, when the whole assembly of the people was praying outside at the hour of the incense offering, 11 the angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right of the altar of incense. 12 Zechariah was troubled by what he saw, and fear came upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of [the] Lord. He will drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb, 16 and he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of fathers toward children and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to prepare a people fit for the Lord.” 18 Then Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel said to him in reply, “I am Gabriel, who stand before God. I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news. 20 But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”
The announcement of the birth of John the Baptist (JBap) by the angel Gabriel preceded the announcement of the birth of Jesus also by the angel Gabriel. The mention of King Herod would remind Luke’s audience that Rome occupied the region at that time. Zechariah was a priest of the line of Aaron and while he was serving in the Temple, the angel Gabriel announced to him that he would have a son. Zechariah was troubled and frightened by the appearance of the angel, but the angel reassured him that it was a heavenly vision (v. 13; Dan. 10 4:9). Zechariah was rendered temporarily mute due to his disbelief in the angel's announcement about John's birth.
Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were both old and childless (Gen 18:11) and being childless was thought to be a curse from God. Elizabeth was a relative of the Virgin Mary (Lk. 1:36). This story bears similarities to Abraham and Sarah in the OT (Gen. 18:9-15). Luke puts the Tradition about JBap into the OT format for annunciations – the annunciation of birth, the name of the child, and the child’s destiny. The angel announced that Elizabeth would bear a son to be named John (Yahweh is gracious) and many will rejoice at his birth – “He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God” (v. 16).
Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous and lived in accordance with God’s will and the demands of the Torah, the Mosaic Law. Names in the Bible often had significant meanings. Zechariah’s name meant "Yahweh has remembered" and Elizabeth’s name meant “God has sworn” or "God is my oath." John the Baptist’s birth was miraculous, and his name reflected God's graciousness and mercy in fulfilling His promise to Zechariah and Elizabeth, who were both elderly and barren.
As with the annunciation to Mary, the angel spoke of joy and gladness and the wide-ranging impact John’s birth would have. The angel said that John would be set apart from birth, would not drink intoxicating beverages, and would be filled with the Holy Spirit (v. 15). He would go before Jesus with the spirit and power of Elijah (v. 17). Jesus drank wine and said of John, “John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard (Mt. 11:18-19).” Zechariah (v. 18) appeared to doubt the messenger from God and was made mute until the birth of his son. Mary was puzzled but accepted what was told to her by the angel Gabriel. She showed complete trust and submission to God's plan because of her faith (v. 38).
Almighty God, be merciful to us when we doubt and send your Spirit upon us so we may believe in your promises and truly know that you are God and that all things, however improbable, are within your control. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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