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Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the text comes from the Gospel we have received. We’re in the Advent season, looking at God’s portrayal of His power and His purpose—in various people’s lives. Tonight and next Wednesday will be a meeting of people who are godly, believers, believers. And the last one is going to be probably unbelievable; we’ll have to find out in time.
In Luke’s text, both Zechariah and Elizabeth are called righteous. That term was only used by Luke for these two people, Simeon, and Joseph of Arimathea. That’s it. Those four people are the only ones that Luke refers to as being righteous. So, Zechariah and Elizabeth are in a very special class of saints. Their righteousness, though, was just like yours. They trusted in and believed in, by faith, the sacrificial death of the Messiah for their sins. Even though Zechariah and Elizabeth had no idea what was about to happen to them, their faith did cling to that promise—hence why they were righteous.
And even though they were both righteous, God allowed a great cross to bear—a reality in this sinful world: childlessness. Only those who do not have children thrive in many years. Only they truly know that feeling. How they must have wondered, here we are righteous; she is a descendant of Aaron, a great priest’s lineage. He, as well, serves as one of the priests in the temple. And yet, they have no children.
Now sadly, Jewish culture viewed childlessness as an approach like God. So, there would always be this conversation to the side as Zechariah and Elizabeth would move along with their peers. Finally, the age came to be at a point where any type of hope had been brought up. Her womb dry and his loins dry, no more opportunity for conception.
Then came that day when Zechariah was contented. Having an angel come and speak to you was not a normal occurrence, but a very rare occurrence. Here is Zechariah, who would love to tell people about what had happened, and he can’t. This could be the freedom of many husbands or wives or teachers or children, and that person would be you. And it’s not just you for a few weeks or a few months, but more than nine months was Zechariah’s speech—all because he did not trust or believe the promise.
Now it’s interesting that the angel says to him, “Your prayer has been answered.” And he’s got a distraction. He says to him, “Well, I read that prayer, but then when finally my voice cried out, when her womb cried out, I probably stopped praying that prayer, thinking that your will was not the Lord.” And yet his will was not the Father. It was John, his name would be called—meaning the Lord is gracious. A very apt name for a child born of a miracle, but born from, nevertheless, Zechariah and Elizabeth’s genetic nature.
Notice this verse that adds, “Why have you told this name to me, John?” The angel says three times about rejoicing in joy, and you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice in his birth. Now you and I can look at this and say, what an amazing miracle that God is performing in Zechariah and Elizabeth’s life. But this son that they’re going to have born to them is not just a normal son, but a son with a purpose. This son is going to be filled with the Holy Spirit from in the womb, before birth. Not a lot of other things can say, “My son has already been given the Holy Spirit in my womb.”
Elizabeth would say John is ultimately not only going to have a Holy Spirit, but for her, he will also be the one who will support Him. That’s all the text says. HIM. Better capitalize that H in the word Him because he’s talking about Jesus. John will be the last prophet who proclaims to all the people of Israel who will listen that the One who follows him is God in the flesh, and not another.
Well, while you and I are so familiar with this story, and so familiar and desirous to see this miracle happen, we don’t always think through the radical change acting in Elizabeth and Zechariah’s life. The end of the text talks about Elizabeth hiding herself for five months, rejoicing that God had blessed her. Tell this story to your kids—that a great grandmother conceived a little girl. Ooh! What an amazing thing she had to explain in her life. Now, she’s not a long line; you stare at the same issue. But it was not an innocent thing that would not be talked about. It would be something that would be talked about, but who would believe it?
Her husband can’t speak, and she has hidden herself for five months. The angel has told him, and Zechariah responds, “How shall I know this? How do I know this is really going to happen?” He then listens to the Larry Greases—that are all based on, “I’m a man, and my wife is advanced in years.” Please, would you tell your husband to say that about you? Rather than, “And she’s old too!” No. She’s advanced in years.
Because he didn’t look only at what his body had and her body had and said, “What can I do? I’ll be sure to do.” He negates and forgets everything that the angel had already told him. Think about this too: if they’re that far advanced in the year, would they ever really see their son for a while? Would they ever see him preach? Would they ever see the people that would gather around? Would they ever be told that your son’s a whack job because he’s out there raffling the campus hair and a leather belt around his waist and eating grasshoppers for dinner? John would grow up on the road. John himself would have to be looked upon as different by his peers and not his parents’ fears—the Christian life. He truly is different, set apart. Not only physically, not only parentage-wise, but also according to God’s plan and design.
And even though Zechariah had outlawed and had the same view for more than nine months, and there was this love, God did not reject Zechariah’s belief. He took Zechariah where he was at and fulfilled His will for him. You and I doubt a lot of times about what I can do or can’t do. There are some things we’re very, very convicted and convinced of, and there’s other things that, as we’ve talked about, we don’t pray or predict because we really do doubt what God will do, what He said He will do. And yet God still loves us as He loves Zechariah.
He did not turn His back on Zechariah because Zechariah was presented to Him and came looking like, “Well, you’re not a brass staff engine so I’m not going to use you.” He used Zechariah. Even though Zechariah could only be around John for quite a short time in his life before God called Zechariah, and he lives at home, it is the same for you and for me. God uses us with doubts and fears; with questions, He uses us. But He doesn’t act; He doesn’t. He chooses to do so. He is a God who wants to show Himself to be all-powerful.
There will be nothing in you that will foretell. There will be nothing in this group of people at St. Paul that will foretell. There will be nothing in this world that will change His will; it shall be done. That is why we pray, “Thy will be done.”
For completing His power and purpose in us, He did it in Elizabeth and Zechariah, and fulfilled it in ways that were far beyond their time. And there was joy, gladness, and rejoicing over Him, just as there is joy, gladness, and rejoicing over Him. He does not let go of Him. In the name of Jesus.
