Mid-Advent 1
Lk
1:5-25
12/5/18
A once in a lifetime event; a
tremendous privilege and honor – that is what Zechariah had in store as he
prepared to enter the temple and burn incense at the hour of prayer. As we learn in our text, the priesthood had
been divided up among the families of the priestly line into divisions that
each served at the temple in Jerusalem for a period of time.
There were a number of different
jobs that needed to be done each day. There was the burnt animal offering; the
meal offering; the maintenance of the candlestick; and the burning of incense
at the hours of prayer. How was one to
divide up tasks among the priests of the division assigned for that time? A very straightforward system had been
devised in which priests were chosen by lot for the different assignments.
There was, however, one interesting
wrinkle in the system. The offering of
incense was considered a privilege and honor. And so after a priest was
selected by lot to do this, he was not eligible again to do it until all the
other priests in the division had also done it.
For this reason, it was an opportunity that was most likely only going
to happen once in priest’s life.
Zechariah’s chance had finally arrived! We know that it was a very meaningful moment
for him, because of what Luke tells us about Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. He
says that “they were both
righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes
of the Lord.” This was a pious and faithful couple – the kind of people you
would love to have at your synagogue.
They were
the kind of people who would be great parents.
After all they would certainly raise them in the faith of the God of
Israel – in the way of the Torah. Yet alas, Luke also tells us, “But they had
no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.”
Zechariah and
Elizabeth had not been able to have any children. And they were now well beyond
the age when it possible to do so. The
description in our text, “because Elizabeth was barren” captures how the matter
was viewed in that culture. For a woman
to be childless in a world that wanted many children was to know not just
heartache, but shame. It invited the
question that maybe she had done something to bring this upon herself – that
God would treat her this way. Yet of
course, for a woman like Elizabeth, such speculation could not be further off
the mark.
While the
people were praying outside during the hour of prayer, Zechariah entered into
the temple to burn the incense at the incense altar. As he did so, an angel appeared standing on
the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw the angel he was
fearful. Yet the first thing the angel
said was, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and
your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.”
The divine
messenger had incredible news!
Zechariahs’ prayer had been heard!
Elizabeth was going to give birth to a son. This itself was reason for joy and
thanksgiving. But the angel went on to
describe something far bigger than just the blessing received by an elderly
couple. Instead this child was going to be an instrument of God in his end time
work.
The angel
said, “And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for
he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink,
and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.” The angel described not just a child, but a
prophetic figure filled with the Spirit before birth.
Then he
added, “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,
and he will go before him in 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 for the Lord a people prepared.”
The angel described the child as a kind of second Elijah, just as
Malachi had prophesied in the fifth century B.C. when he wrote: “Behold, I will
send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.”
This was
amazing and joyful news. Yet Zechariah’s
response was not one of joy. Instead, it
was one of reservation – even skepticism.
He said, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is
advanced in years.” Essentially,
Zechariah asked the angel for some kind of sign that would confirm the
authenticity of his announcement. He
asked, because he didn’t really believe the word he was hearing. It seemed too incredible, too grand.
We hear
about Zechariah’s reaction, and we shake our head. How could he not believe this great news when
an angel announced it to him? But are
you really all that different? Do you
trust God’s continuing love and care for you, or do you doubt him when things
don’t go as you want? When the world
makes it uncomfortable to keep God’s word, do you continue to walk in faith in
the ways of the Lord, or do you take the easy way and put God second?
You could
say that in your case, you have never had an angel appear and deliver that word
to you. But remember what Jesus taught
us in parable of the rich man and Lazarus.
From hell, the rich man begged Abraham to send Lazarus back to warn his
brothers to turn away from their sin. Abraham responded, “They have Moses and
the Prophets; let them hear them.” The patriarch pointed out that they had
God’s Word. When the rich man replied that if someone went to them from the
dead, they would repent, Abraham answered: “If they do not hear Moses and the
Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.”
The means of delivery is not the issue. Even the word of God delivered by an
angel can be doubted and received with unbelief.
Zechariah
demanded a sign – something more if he was to believe the angel’s word. And so
the angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was
sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be
silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because
you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
The angel
declared that he had been sent to bring good news. The verb used here is the same one that is
used elsewhere in Luke to indicate the proclamation of the Gospel. This good news was not just the fact that an
aged couple was finally going to have a child.
Instead, it included what God was going to do through this child. He would be the Spirit filled instrument to
turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
As we will see on the Third Sunday
in Advent, John the Baptist was the final prophet God used to call Israel to
repentance in preparation for the coming of God’s reign in Jesus Christ. He would make ready for the Lord a people
prepared, because God was sending his Son into the world in order to fulfill
all of his promises to Israel. The
saving reign of God was coming into the world, and God’s people needed to be
prepared in repentance and faith.
During Advent we are preparing to
celebrate the birth of the Savior.
Conceived by the Holy Spirit, he was born of the virgin Mary in
Bethlehem. True God and true man, he was
the saving reign of God in the world.
Through his death on the cross God judged your sin in order to give you
forgiveness. By his resurrection from the dead he defeated death. In death and in resurrection his was the end
time action that Gabriel’s words recall.
We continue to hear the word of the
Lord in the inspired Scriptures. We hear
the assurance of God’s forgiveness, love and care. But unlike Zechariah we don’t need to ask,
“How will I know this?” We don’t need to
ask for a sign as proof, because God has
already given it to us in Jesus Christ. We are preparing to celebrate the
birth of the incarnate Son of God. By
his life and ministry; by his death on the cross; by his resurrection from the
dead God has given all that we will ever need to believe and trust in his
continuing love and care. We have all that we will ever need to believe and
trust in his forgiveness and gift of eternal life.
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