LOC – 004  The Annunciation to Zechariah & Elizabeth

Lesson Objectives

God can intervene in the lives of individuals against the laws of nature.

Nothing is impossible with God.

We should pray and never lose hope.

God determines who is righteous.

Lesson Commentary

Read Luke 1:5-25

We begin our adventure with the annunciation of the birth of John the Baptist. This is significant because of the role that John played in preparing the way for Jesus Christ and fulfilling the prophecies of the Old Testament. This event takes place 4-6 B.C. 

Our dating system that centers on the birth of Christ, was devised by the historian Dionysius. He missed three to four years in computing the actual birth year of Jesus. Luke records the life and teachings of Jesus Christ, writing to the Gentiles, who liked culture, wisdom, reason, beauty, and education. He sought to show Jesus’ humanity and power. Let's begin seriously “Walking With Jesus.”

The Cast

Lk. 1:5 – Herod the Great will rule from 37 BC to 2 BC. He will die shortly after the massacre of children in Bethlehem (to be discussed in a few weeks.) He is a powerful, yet ruthless ruler. He murders anyone who poses a threat to his throne. In this paranoia, he even had his own sons killed. 

Zechariah is a descendant of Aaron, whose descendants are the priests of Israel. God made a covenant of priesthood with the descendants of Aaron. He made a covenant of royalty with the descendants of David. John the Baptist comes through the line of Aaron, and Jesus will come through the line of David. Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, are advanced in years and they have no children. She is past menopause so she is past the age of child bearing.

Lk. 1:6 – Zechariah and Elizabeth are upright (many translators use “righteous”) by God and man’s standards. They love God, obey Him and worship Him from very deep within themselves. This shows in their lives and is recognized by their peers. A good way to interpret “righteous” is right living. To be righteous is a hard concept to understand. It is something to be determined or imputed by God alone and something that we will struggle with trying to understand and do for the rest of our lives. Thank God for His grace and His righteousness.

Lk. 1:7 – Incidental to this story is the fact that Zechariah and Elizabeth have no children. This is usually “blamed” on the woman (although we know that it isn’t always the truth.) Add to this the fact that they are advanced in years and it establishes the power of God in what is about to take place.

In the Temple

Lk. 1:8 – Zechariah is serving in the Temple as a Priest. There are so many priests by this time that they take turns serving in the Temple. (See I Chronicles 24:1ff for an explanation.) 

Lk. 1:9 – Because of the large number of priests by this time, this will probably be the only time in Zechariah’s life that he will get to offer incense. There are twenty-four divisions. Each division serves for one week, twice per year. Zechariah is of the descendants of Abijah and it has finally come time for him to serve in Jerusalem.

Lk. 1:10 – Zechariah is offering incense in the Holy Place of the Temple. This represents the prayers of the entire nation. The people are praying outside while this is being done. At this moment, Zechariah is the focal point of the entire Jewish nation. He is their spiritual representative before God. Prayer is significant in that it is not only a time to petition God for healing from sin and deliverance from the trials of this world, but it is also an opportunity to pour out your heart in worship and praise to God.

The Angel’s Message

Lk. 1:11 – An angel appears standing just to the right of the Altar of Incense. The prophet, Zechariah, of the Old Testament is the last person to have had contact with an angel. Now we have a priest named Zechariah being visited by an Angel after some 400 years of silence with not even a prophet to speak for God.

Lk. 1:12 – Zechariah is somewhat afraid. This is not your typical every day experience. Though he is righteous before God, he is still discomforted at this interruption to the laws of Nature. How many angel visits occurred over the four thousand-year history of the Old Testament?

Lk. 1:13 – The angel responds. “Do not be afraid.” This is the first of several times this phrase will be said in the New Testament. Even in his old age, Zechariah believes that God can give him and Elizabeth a son and that they are to name him “John.” This son fulfills a prophecy given in Isaiah 40:3ff. We will get to know him as John the Baptist. (They already know the sex of the child and that he will grow up to do great things for God. How much would you new parents like to know that your child will do great things? Prayers of faith filed in heaven are not forgotten. God does not take our prayers lightly, even when we only offer them lightly. Your communication with Him is very important to Him. He always wants to hear you. He always listens. He always answers, even when we don’t realize it.

Lk. 1:14 – Zechariah is assured that his child will be healthy and will fulfill a specific mission for God. Many parents would long for this kind of reassurance from God, that they will not have to worry about what their child will be like, or if he will grow healthy and pleasing to God. Luke frequently uses the word “joy” in his writings. Most of the time, it is closely associated with “salvation.” The salvation of God will bring joy to all who receive it.

Lk. 1:15 – Not only will Zechariah have a son, but he will also be great before the Lord. Luke uses “in the sight of” thirty-five times in Luke and Acts. It is only used once elsewhere in the New Testament. There are health restrictions (no strong drink) imposed on this baby and he is promised to be filled with the Holy Spirit’s presence. Later John will voluntarily take on the restrictions of the Nazarite vow. His manner of dress and the vow and other behaviors will stress the urgency of the message he is sent to proclaim. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even while still in his mother’s womb. We will see when Mary comes to visit, that John, the unborn baby, leaps in his mother’s womb in response to Mary’s visit. 

Lk. 1:16 – John the Baptist will prepare the way for Jesus; who will not be their king in an earthly sense, but will be their Lord and Messiah. There is such an expectancy of the Messiah coming soon that people are eager to hear John's message. Contrary to what people expect, even today, Jesus is a spiritual leader, not a physical one.

Lk. 1:17 – John will do work like Elijah, the prophet did, and preach like him, and be bold like he was. Herod and his wife, Herodias, will hate him as Ahab and Jezebel hated Elijah. Though many missed it at the time, John will fulfill the prophecy that had been spoken of in Malachi 3:1 and 4:5-6. This isn’t the only time that God granted a baby to a couple that was past child-bearing years. Cf. Sarah (Genesis 15:3; 16:1); Rebeccah (Genesis 25:21); Rachel (Genesis 29:31); the wife of Manoah (Judges 13:2); Hannah (1 Samuel 1:2) were also technically too old to conceive and bear a child. They looked to God who can do the impossible. God can do what seems impossible in your life as well.

Zechariah’s Response

Lk. 1:18 – Zechariah asks the angel for a sign, as though the angel wasn’t a sufficient sign in itself. It is not uncommon for a prophecy from God to be accompanied with a sign. Sometimes it was requested by the recipient, like Elisha or Gideon. Sometimes it was offered by God, like Moses, or the shepherds at Jesus’ birth.

His reasoning is valid because he and Elizabeth are old. They are past the age of being able to bear children. However, it is not wise to question the messenger of God, especially if that messenger is an angel.

Lk. 1:19 – Gabriel calling! Gabriel is God’s messenger of good news! His name means “power of God” or “mighty one of God”. He is always the one who gets to deliver good news.

Lk. 1:20 – There are consequences for questioning the angel. Because Zechariah questioned the angel’s word, he is struck mute and deaf for his disbelief. The word used for “mute” is also used to include deafness. How many of you would ask for a sign if an angel appeared to you?

Lk. 1:21 – Meanwhile, outside the Temple, everyone is waiting. What are they thinking? Has Zechariah become ill or has he died? They are waiting for him to pronounce a blessing upon them to signify that their prayers have been heard. This extended period causes them to question.

Lk. 1:22 – When Zechariah comes out, he can’t speak so He has to write. The people soon realize by his signs, that he has seen a vision. That is a powerful statement to them that God is working in their midst.

Lk. 1:23 – His malady does not hinder him from performing his duties, so he continues at his post. When he has fulfilled his responsibility, he returns to his home somewhere in the hill country south of Jerusalem. When we can’t fulfill our service to God as well as we would like to, but we serve Him as well as we can, it will be acceptable to Him. Zechariah may be hindered in his ability to speak, but he is not hindered from serving God.

Lk. 1:24 – Try to imagine Elizabeth’s feelings. Luke says that she hides herself. How do you think you would feel if you conceived your first child late in life? She could be taking care of herself to protect the child and prevent miscarriage. She could also be staying away from people to avoid exposure to disease. A third reason is to avoid becoming ceremonially unclean. Or she may simply be embarrassed at this wonderful phenomenon occurring at such a late stage in her life. 

Lk. 1:25 – Being childless was a reproach. The woman is usually blamed (although we know that that isn’t always true). Now look at how God blessed her! This was quite an experience for her. It may well have taken time for her to adjust to being pregnant and feeling comfortable with it in public. It is merely another reminder of what God can do. How is God speaking to you? What is He saying to you? Are you listening and believing, or questioning? 

Its been 400 years since Israel has heard from God. We are going to see a flurry of divine communication and visitation in the next few months of Israel's history. Next week, we will look at the annunciation to Mary and her visit with Elizabeth. It sounds like some exciting things are about to happen to some people in Judea and Galilee. Plan on being here.

Read Luke 1:26-56.