The Dumb Priest
With the goal of fortifying Theophilus’ certainty concerning the gospel of Jesus Christ, Luke sets out to create what would become one of the four foundational testimonies describing the days of Jesus here on the earth. Luke, being a physician by training, naturally infuses his writing with great research and historically accurate background, even going as far as defining the rulers of the times and people of interest according to their occupations as well as where they lived. Understanding the importance of the subject matter, Luke left no room for inaccuracies in his gospel.
Curiously, Luke begins his gospel of Jesus Christ by focusing on a contemporary of Jesus, John the Baptist, who was actually Jesus’ cousin through his mother’s side of the family. In fact, Luke, beginning even before John was born, starts with John’s father, Zechariah. A priest who ministered in the temple at Jerusalem, Zechariah, along with his wife, Elizabeth, are noted as “righteous before God, walking blameless in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.” It seems that Zechariah and Elizabeth were an upstanding couple, devoted to God in service. Unfortunately, they were without children due to Elizabeth being “barren”. This childless state was certain to continue until death since, according to Luke, they were “both advanced in years.”
So Luke starts off writings about the Good News of Jesus Christ with a story of a priest and his wife who could not have a child. In verse 8 of the first chapter of Luke we see Zechariah serving before God, according to the custom of the priesthood. He was chosen by “lot” to enter the temple of the Lord to burn incense. Going into the area called the “holy place” in the temple was no small matter and the “whole multitude of the people were praying outside” when the priest entered (Luke 1:10). So here goes Zechariah, a devoted, blameless priest of God, into the holy place. But this time in the holy place was to be unlike any previous time for Zechariah. According to Luke’s account, an angel appeared before him and gave him news that he never expected.
Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, was struck dumb for not believing.
The angel stated, “your prayers have been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.” (vs 13) Interestingly, Zechariah’s prayers matched up with God’s plan. We know this because his future son was announced in prophecy hundreds of years before he was born (Isaiah 40:3, Mark 1). The angel went on to explain to Zechariah that his new son would be “great before the Lord”, “filled with the Holy Spirit” and he would “turn many” to the Lord. His son would be privileged to “go before him [the Lord]” in the “spirit and power of Elijah.” (vs 14-17) So John, the son of Zechariah was going to be the man who prepared the way for the Man! Unfortunately, the future dad was unable to accept this news at face value and voiced a question - “How shall I know this?” (vs 18) The years had piled on and having a child did not seem to Zechariah to be something that could happen. But the angel did not see things the same way.
“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.” (vs 19) The angel was not playing. He informed the priest that because “you did not believe my words” you will be “silent and unable to speak” until the “day that these things take place.” (vs 20) Zechariah was immediately struck dumb and unable to speak so that even when he exited the holy place, those who had been waiting on him “realized he had seen a vision”. There’s a significant understatement for you. When an angel shows up, tells you that a son is going to be born to you in spite of your old age and then strikes you dumb because you don’t believe, that is not a vision. It is a #%&@**&## moment!
In his letter Luke goes on to explain to Theophilus about how Jesus’ birth was announced. I will not go into detail on this, but I should state that Mary, the teenage virgin, handled the announcement, also delivered through Gabriel, in much better form than the old priest. It should also be noted that having a baby without natural copulation is significantly more difficult to believe than having a baby when you're too old to have it. But Mary was straight with the angel - “let it be to me according to your words.” (vs 38).
Now back to Zechariah and Elizabeth and their new arrival. As ordered by the angel, the priest was speechless for the duration of his son’s gestation period. According to Luke, when it came time for Elizabeth to give birth, she had a son and the neighbors and relatives “rejoiced with her.” (vs 58) Zechariah isn’t mentioned as rejoicing probably because he couldn’t make a sound! As is Jewish custom, they circumcised the boy at 8 days and then came time to name him. Here Luke explains that the neighbors and relatives would have named him “Zechariah after his father”, but Elizabeth would not allow it. His name was to be John. Well, that would not do! After all, no one in their family was named John. You have to follow tradition. You have to honor the father, all be him dumb and such. So they took up the matter with Zechariah.
This is where we want to be right now. Sitting in that humble home of the once barren couple who served and honored the Lord God devotedly. Here in this small Jewish settlement, surrounded by family and friends rejoicing for the miracle that has happened to Zechariah and Elizabeth. How sweet. How nice for them that they would bring forth a son even in their old age. But this is where Zechariah sets the record straight. Requesting a writing tablet, Zechariah wrote down, “His name is John.” With that statement the old priest completed the message delivered by the angel, Gabriel, and established the future of a man, the harbinger of the Salvation that would be manifest in the world through Jesus Christ.
Could Zechariah have called the boy another name? Could he have turned his back on a God that had struck him dumb for not believing? Could he have honored himself by giving the child his own name instead of the one God desired? YES! He could have done that. Would it have changed the destiny of the child? I don’t know. But what we do know is that Zechariah did not call the boy anything other than what God had instructed. Even while his family and friends “all wondered” (vs 63) still he obeyed. His actions and the miracle of John’s birth became a banner over the boy. A standard proclaiming “the hand of the Lord was with him.” (vs 66)
Zechariah goes on to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to prophecy of the coming salvation and of God’s mercy which would be shown to Israel. He further prophesied of his son, “you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins” (vs 76-77). The once childless, dumb priest became the proclaimer of salvation and the announcer of the redemption of Israel and the world. God had silenced his voice because of his inability to believe a child would be born into his home. But God opened his mouth to proclaim that a Child would be born into the world, for the salvation of us all!