John Grisham wrote a popular novel entitled Skipping Christmas, which among other things was intended to remind us of how far from its real meaning the modern, secular and materialistic Christmas has come. Since I don't think my own celebration has departed quite so far as that of most people, I can truthfully say that I love Christmas and the many ways in which through its traditions my spirit is able to worship God and to thank Him for the Savior He sent us.
But I do not deny that most of us play down the message of the Advent season—the four weeks leading up to Christmas—which in many liturgies precedes and gives added meaning to Christmas Day itself. The scripture verses read from the pulpit during the weeks of Advent highlight not just the longing for the coming of God, but also the felt need for repentance. This is a concept that many Americans (and moderns, period) find difficult to "get a handle on." But it is fundamental to Christian experience, and to the true celebration of Christmas.
I have been reminded of this most recently through my daily Bible reading schedule. For my Advent and Christmas Bible reading this year, I decided to do a study of John the Baptist, beginning with the account of his conception and birth, and continuing through his entire career—or at least as much of it as I can follow in the interval between Advent 1 and Epiphany (January)! Since John's birthday came before that of his cousin Jesus, his was a "birthday before Christmas."
The Announcement and Conception of John
Luke tells the stories of the annunciation and conception (1:5-56), naming and birth (1:57-79; 2:1-18) of John and his cousin Jesus in interleaved parallels: John (1:5-25), Jesus (1:26-56), John (1:57-79), Jesus (2:1-18). This is because he rightly sees the two parallel events as inseparable parts of God's plan to reveal his salvation to Israel.
About John—his role and significance—all three synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) quote the prophet Isaiah:
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,’” (Mark 1:2-3 NRSV)The quotation that immediately follows comes from Malachi 3:1 combined with Isaiah 40:3. Mark cites the source of only the second part. All three gospel writers cite the text with the pronouns "you", referring to the messiah, although both the Hebrew and Greek versions of Malachi 3:1 have "me" referring to God. This was their way of indicating that they knew Jesus was God. But more important, for our purposes, is the role assigned to John here: he is to be God's messenger to prepare the way for Jesus the messiah. How does he do this?
We will find the answer, as we study the stories of the announcement of his conception, his naming as a newborn, and the beginning of his public ministry. Let's begin with the announcing of his conception.
This episode is only recorded in Luke's gospel,
“In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.” (Luke 1:5-7 NRSV)Being the historian that he was, Luke ties the incident to a known period of Jewish (and Roman) history: it happened during the reign of Herod the Great (74-4 BC). Modern historians would have liked Luke to have been more specific and indicated which year of Herod's reign this occurred in. Most scholars today have settled on 6 BC as the year. Of course, the irony of the "BC" should be apparent to anyone who knows what those letters stand for: "before Christ"! But the devisers of the Julian calendar simply didn't know the precise date of Jesus' birth.
We are introduced to a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was not a "chief priest," but a minor or ordinary one. This accords with other ways in which God prepared for bringing his Son into the world—using humble folk, low-level priests, carpenters, and shepherds. The only characters who play a positive role in this event who are not lowly and humble folk are the Magi, whom tradition makes into three "kings." But we do not know that they were royal at all, merely eastern scholars.
Zechariah was married to a woman named Elizabeth who like him was descended from the first high priest, Aaron, the brother of Moses. Since they would both play a decisive role in raising John to be the prophet to prepare the messiah's way, it was important that they both be "righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord" (1:6). "Blameless" living is not the same as sinless living: it means that they were conscientious about obeying God's law. And if they lapsed into a sin, they would confess it and make the proper repentance and sacrifices. This is the kind of example these two would provide as a model for their son John.
But there is another reason why Luke stresses their blameless living. There is an apparent contradiction between their blameless lives and the fact that God had withheld children from them into their old age. You see, in ancient Israel childlessness was not simply attributed to a genetic fault—in fact, people knew nothing of genetics—but to a decision of God's to withhold children, usually because the childless persons were unfit. This was a heavy burden for Zechariah and Elizabeth to carry! But God had waited long in order to give them the highest privilege—next to that given to Mary and Joseph—of parenting the prophet of the messiah! Sometimes God waits to give you and me privileges late in life. I have had a fulfilling career as a university scholar. But in my retirement God has blessed me with the free time to involve myself in Bible teaching and counseling, which has been more rewarding than any academic pursuit.
“Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him” (Luke 1:8-13 NRSV)There was a kind of rotating duty for minor priests to offer incense in the sanctuary. The "sanctuary" was not the "Holy of Holies" which only the high priest could enter on the Day of Atonement, but it was a part of the temple that only the priests could enter; so the worshiping Israelites had to remain outside in the temple courtyard. And since incense was symbolic of the prayers of God's people, the worshipers in the courtyard were praying while Zechariah inside was offering the incense.
In any event, Zechariah was as human as you or I, and the sudden appearance next to him in the sanctuary of a mysterious figure—did he know immediately that the figure was not human?—thoroughly frightened him!
“But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”The angel assures Zechariah that his prayer has been heard by God. He doesn't say what the prayer was, or even if it was an old prayer repeated daily over a period of years, or one voice only in the sanctuary that day. But at least part of the answer will be in the gift of a son to the old priest and his wife. He must be named "John"—Hebrew Yohanan, which means "God has shown grace (to his people)." The choice of the name was important, or God would have left it up to the parents.
Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.”” (Luke 1:13-20 NRSV)
It was self-evident that the parents themselves would be happy with this child, but not evident that "many" (v. 14) would rejoice at his birth. Perhaps the thought here is not just the neighbors at the time of his birth, but the many down through history who would be grateful to God for providing his Son with such a faithful and humble forerunner, for the angel rightly predicted that "he will be great in the sight of the Lord" (v. 15). In fact, John became great also in the sight of men. Although his fearless preaching of repentance and obedience to God's laws turned Herod Antipas and his wife against him and led to his martyrdom, he was remembered as a great prophet by his Jewish countrymen, including the great Jewish historian Josephus.
John was to become what in the Old Testament Hebrew is called a nazîr, a nazirite. Although this sounds a little like the name of the town Nazareth, it has nothing to do with that place name. It means a kind of monk or hermit, who in his devotion to God and striving for maximum obedience and purity took vows to abstain from many of the pleasures of life such as wine. Some nazirites were "temporary" ones, vowing to abstain for a short period of time—a few months. The apostle Paul once took a nazirite vow (Acts 18:18).
Advocates of "abortion rights" do not like the angel's statement about John: "even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit," for it implies that the pre-born are real persons capable of a relationship with God and whose lives Christians should protect. But later, when Mary comes to visit Elizabeth, while both women are pregnant, pre-born John leaped for joy in his mother's womb (Luke 1:41-45), showing that he was filled with the Spirit and recognized the messiah still in the womb of Mary!
The next verses are the heart of John's ministry: "He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, … to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." And John did just that! Subsequent chapters in the gospels show that he prepared not only his intimate circle of disciples, several of whom became part of the twelve apostles of Jesus (John 1:35-40), but through his powerful message and his baptizing the repentant he prepared the entire people of Israel so that they would have a better understanding of who Jesus was, the promised messiah.
Zechariah's words to the angel, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years” do not sound like a refusal to believe. But the angel's reply indicates that he heard in them the voice not of faith but of doubt. "Because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.”
“Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary. When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. When his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, “This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.”” (Luke 1:21-25 NRSV)All of this was going on inside the sanctuary, where no one but John was hearing and observing. In fact, even if other priests were in the area, it is possible that only John sw the figure and heard what he said. Outside the sanctuary the people continued to pray, but were worried at the delay, for priests were known to drop dead during their service, especially elderly ones like Zechariah. Then some other priest would have to go in and recover their bodies. But Zechariah came out all right. The problem was that he came out unable to speak, which led the observers to conclude that he has seen a vision.
But the words of the angel came true, for Elizabeth became pregnant and remained in seclusion for five months, grateful to God, as was her speechless husband.
Sometimes God does things for us that leave us "speechless"! It is good to experience how God can literally "take our breath away" with his marvelous mercy and grace, but it is not good when this leaves us "speechless" in the sense that we do not thank him! I can imagine that both Zechariah and Elizabeth did that repeatedly during the following months, and that Zechariah, unable to tell his wife what God had in store with the child in her womb, prayed repeatedly for the ability someday to relay this vital message not only to her but to others who needed to know that God was about to save his people from their sins.
