Zechariah's Son

During the season of Advent we hear familiar Christmas stories with the whole host of characters represented.  By now I am sure you heard about Zechariah or there was some reference to John the Baptist made during one of your worship services.  This is all pretty standard stuff.  You can read Zechariah's story in Luke chapter 1.  

Here are a few fundamental things I wanted to highlight about the Zechariah story:
1. He was a priest
2. He was doing his duty in the temple
3. He was at the altar 
4. An angel appears...

This is what the angels says in Luke 1: 13-17

“Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. ¹⁴ He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, ¹⁵ for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,^(V) and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. ¹⁶ He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

I italicized verse 16 for a special reason.  So often when we think of John the Baptist we talk about his weird clothing and lifestyle.  Or we focus upon the role of the preparation for Christ that was his calling.  He will indeed bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.  I just wanted to take a moment to think about where this message was given and whom it was given to.  

Picture the scene: Zechariah burning incense at the altar of the temple of God.  He is doing his priestly duty.  But isn't his priestly duty to help bring people to God in the first place?  It is as if the angel Gabriel gives the message to Zechariah that his son is going to do the very thing that he (and his generation) were not doing.  I wonder how that might have felt?  If you read the rest of the story, obviously there are more important issues at hand.  The miracle of Elizabeth's conception, the setting-apart and special naming of the prophet to lead the way for the Savior, etc.  I mean his mind must have been blown at the very fact that he was going to have a son in the first place, rather than what he was going to do.  You see this in his reply and questioning of the angel which ultimately leads to him being silenced for the duration of the pregnancy plus another week.  But I don't want to miss this subtle point.

There are things that our children are going to do that we are not able to do.  Particularly for those who are serving in the area of ministry, it is a humbling reality to face and understand that one day our children will reach those who we were not able to.  Why is this the case?  In order to reach someone who has never been reached, you must do what no one else has done.  Even if it seems out of the ordinary.  Reference:  John the Baptist.  

Though I think it might come across as a bit rude (sorry Gabriel), the message to Zechariah is actually still a message of hope.  Your son is going to do great things for God, even though we know it will cost him his life - like the majority of the prophets of God. This is my hope for my son - that he will do even greater things than myself, and be able to accomplish the areas of my weakness and lacking.  There is always hope.