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Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.
So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole magnitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him into the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years." And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time." And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.
So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people."
- Luke 1:1-25
In recent readings, in Matthew chapters 24 and 25, Jesus has been speaking to the disciples about the destruction to come in Jerusalem, and also about His return and the end of the age. (See the readings from last Saturday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday). On Saturday, Jesus finished His discourse, teaching about universal judgment: "All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' Then they will also answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. We have begun the cycle of readings for Christmas, which aren't progressing systematically through a particular Gospel but will be selected from the various Gospels for the season and Nativity. Today we begin with Luke. His introduction gives us to understand that he was not a disciple from the beginning, but his perfect understanding comes from direct sources, eyewitnesses of Christ: the apostles themselves. The Gospel is dedicated to Theophilus, a prominent Gentile who had received Christian instruction (see also Acts 1:1). My study bible cites St. Ambrose, who noted that the name Theophilus means "lover" or "friend of God." Therefore, the saint writes, "If you love God, it was written to you."
There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. Herod is Herod the Great (father of Herod Antipas), who ruled Judea from 37-4 BC. He was known as a great builder, who made tremendous renovations to the temple, rendering it one of the "Seven Wonders of the World." But he had an equally renown reputation as a ruthless and vicious ruler. My study bible says that an ancient prophecy of Jacob indicated the Messiah would come when a king ruled who was not from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10). Herod was a non-Jew calling himself the king of Judea; as such, messianic expectations were extremely widespread. Zacharias and Elizabeth are righteous people; not just outwardly observant, but truly inwardly, of the heart. The text teaches us that the holiness of the Baptist comes at least in part through the faith and piety of his parents. For a woman to be barren was considered a public reproach. But like many women of her Jewish spiritual heritage (Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, and Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary), Elizabeth's barrenness was part of the fulfillment of God's plan for the salvation of His people, says my study bible -- it is God's story and its unfolding that we are reading, as told by Luke.
So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole magnitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. In the priestly system, each was assigned to a particular division. There were twenty-four divisions in all. Each would serve a week at a time in rotation. Their responsibilities in the various duties in the temple were assigned by lot. Zacharias in this way is assigned the duties of the high priest. My study bible teaches that this event takes place at the time of the Atonement, when the high priest would enter the temple and make offerings for the sins of the people. Just as we believe happens within our own liturgical practice, angels minister continually at the altar of the Lord, though usually unseen. My study bible says that those priests of pure heart, like Zacharias, are occasionally chosen by God to witness this angelic liturgy. Isaiah writes of their song, repeated in our services; Revelation reveals their worship in heaven.
But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him into the spirit and power of Elijah, 'to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,' and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." We remember that Zacharias was praying for the atonement of the sins of Israel (not a son). But Gabriel's announcement tells us that both Zacharias' prayer for atonement and also Elizabeth will conceive a son, instrumental in the salvation history of Israel. John the Baptist, says my study bible, will announce the atonement; he will identify Christ as "the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world" (see John 1:29). The prophet Elijah was expected to reappear as forerunner of the second coming of the Lord (Malachi 4:5), as is several times noted throughout the Gospels. John the Baptist will fulfill the spirit and power of Elijah as forerunner of the Lord's first coming (Matthew 11:14).
And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years." And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time." And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. My study bible says that Zacharias is disciplined for his lack of faith, and yet it also serves as proof that the announcement of Gabriel is true. The Messiah, it explains, was expected to fulfill three crucial roles that were held by various people in the Old Testament: prophet, priest, and king. We consider Christ to be true Prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15-18), true King (Luke 23:3, Isaiah 9:7, Micah 5:2), and the true High Priest (Psalm 110:4, Hebrews 4:14). God has silenced the prophets for many years in preparation for the coming of Christ, and also permitted an illegitimate usurper (Herod) to occupy the position of the king of Judea. In the last days before Christ's coming, the high priest is also silenced. These three roles were therefore vacant, illegitimate and silent; thereby all is ready for the Son of God to be revealed as Prophet, King, and Priest.
So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, "Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people." My study bible once again notes the significance of the fact that for so long there had not been a great prophet in Israel, not since the time of Malachi (1 Maccabees 9:27). It heightened anticipation of the Christ, the Messiah and would make it more evident when He came. John the Baptist, as prophet preparing the way for Christ, as kept hidden until Christ was conceived. After that, John was revealed through the prophetic act of leaping in Elizabeth's womb (Luke 1:41).
The story of Christ begins within a framework. That is, within a framework of salvation for God's people. The story of Christ doesn't begin here; it begins in Genesis, in the "speaking into being" of the world, of Creation. John's Gospel reflects this very clearly, with its prologue teaching us about God the Word and the reflective phrase, "in the beginning." It's a whole history and the story of God and God's Creation, God and God's people. Right into the middle of this story we begin with Zacharias and Elizabeth, and the story of the one who is called the Forerunner, John the Baptist. Christ Incarnate is the centerpiece of the full story, and without John, God's story of the Christ would not be complete. John's story begins here, within the framework of expectation of the people of Israel, those who await a Messiah, a Prophet, a King, a great High Priest. In the shadow of the Roman Empire, with all its modernizing influences, its great and vast worldly power, even the beautification and stunning glorious rebuilding and fortification of the temple into something grand enough for Herod and for Empire, into all this comes our story which appropriately begins with the prayer in the temple. As powerful and complex as the world becomes, the time is always right to think about reconciliation, righteousness, and what it means to be a "people of God." Who is the world built for, who was the temple built for? In the midst of the Roman census, a child will be born! He comes into the center of our world, our reality, our lives, and our history. All our concerns and care, the things that impress us, the power that we might fear, the mighty structures we admire, the creations we respect -- all of it comes down to that one child in the middle of time, who makes God human and thereby truly roots us in what is humane. We begin with the parents of the Baptist, the Forerunner, who remind us that all this is really God's story, and that we are called to see God in the midst of everything we think we see and know. We keep in mind this is happening as Israel has not seen a sign, not heard a prophet, not had a true king, for a long while. It's not about what we expect, and it's not about what we would choose if we were to make up this story on our own. In weakness God's strength is perfected. As we count toward the birth of the Christ and its commemoration, let us remember that God came to the world to show us, to help us, to find our way to Him. We're not all to be the same, as our recent readings in Matthew have taught. But to truly learn, we each must find His way for ourselves and to help one another to do so, in all humility. In what way does God's story unfold in you? Zacharias illustrates what it is to deny a possibility when it is revealed by God, based on our own expectations. Let us remember that the least likely may be the very chosen above all, and remember today, in each moment, in a prayer, the God of small beginnings.
