Post by M.R. Hagerty on Feb 9, 2023 13:44:49 GMT -7
5 . . there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
Zacharias was therefore a Levite, and his branch is given as that of Abijah. The sheer number of Levites throughout Judaea would have been significant, far more than would be needed in the routine services of the Temple. At Passover and the Day of Atonement reinforcements were necessary due to the sheer number of animals brought to the altar, but ordinarily the needs were much smaller than the population of Levites available. To include more of the members of the tribe, a rotation was designed that assigned heads of all the Levite families on a schedule of service that would eventually give all eligible Levites an opportunity to live up to their tribal calling. We enter the story when it had become Zacharias’ time to serve.
8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
The Altar of Incense was located before the veil of the Holy of Holies, i.e. outside in the Most Holy Place of the Temple, according to Moses in Exodus. (The incense described in Hebrews as being inside the Holy of Holies refers to a censor, not the Altar.) The burning coincided with an hour of prayer for the whole citizenry.
That an angel appeared to Zacharias must be combined with the appearance to Mary and the later appearance of angels to the shepherds; and should give to any rational person the notion that something of tremendous moment was unfolding between God and man.
Zacharias fits into the picture as requiring such a visit in that he is the imminent father of John the Baptist, who will be a key figure in the preparation and annunciation of the Messiah. So we see here and later that all the key figures – Mary, Joseph, Zacharias, his wife Elizabeth, the infant John, the shepherds – are all part of the dramatic advent of Messiah and are each attended with special appearances of angels to prepare them for their role.
In Zacharias’ case, he had also been praying for a child, despite the barrenness of his wife, Elizabeth. Precedents were available – Abraham and Sarah.
Luke 1:12-18
12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, . .
John will be an interesting character. In John’s case, no one could say it was all about him. He was about as self-deprecating as one could get. He possessed no permanent dwelling as a home, his clothing was not manufactured or of woven cloth, but was made from the raw materials in nature. His food and living were extremely simple and unrefined. In essence, there was nothing eminent to point to about his person or life, so he was a perfect candidate as a pointer to that One who was greater than him.
16 "And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 "It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
One has to wonder how John gained a following. His message had to do with personal sin. But Judaism had a procedure for personal sins. You plugged in the infraction against the Law and out came the required sacrifice and retribution. So how would John, with no recognized training, attract people away from the dictates of the Law, to a baptism of repentance?
The Mosaic law was in some respects without much heart. It presented a catalog of offenses. It declared the fee one must pay to remedy the situation – the sacrifice. But there wasn’t really a lot of preaching and exhortation unto repentance. You didn’t get riveting sermonizing from the Law. Even in the readings in the synagogues, things were rather rote and routine.
But people were not unintelligent. They were all too well aware that something was thematically missing - the kind of unction and urgency in words that would encourage them to change so that they need not find themselves yet again at the Temple the next week.
John’s message of repentance filled that gap. John did not purpose to draw people away from the requirements of the Law and Temple. He simply preached a message that filled people with a renewed sense that genuine repentance was ultimately what God was after, not ritual and procedure.
This idea people flocked to. His baptism had no efficacious power as Christian baptism would, but it was an outward act embodying symbolism that served to seal one’s conviction and memory of the message. In this, John fulfilled the power of Elijah who was foretold as turning “the hearts of the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous.”
In so doing, the Gospel states that John prepared a remnant of renewed Jewish believers who would be ready to receive Jesus. All this was being conveyed to Zacharias, who had to be more than overwhelmed.
18 Zacharias said to the angel, "How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years."
What is interesting here is the similarity to what Mary will later say, yet without the same consequences. Here Zacharias asks for certainty because he is old and his wife is old. Abraham made a similar comment without the same consequences that will come upon Zacharias.
Personally, it is difficult to see something standing out in the words that would explain Zacharias being made dumb, but leave Mary and Abraham without consequences. What we may surmise is that the making of him dumb would serve as a sign more vividly and effectively remembered by the people, something which could be technically linked to his questioning of the prophecy and also serve a higher purpose. Certainly the immediate effect on people around and the even greater effect when he spoke once again at the dedication of Jesus were profound.
Luke 1:24-25
24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 "This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men."
The disgrace being remedied for Elizabeth by her late pregnancy was the stain of having been barren. Women had few celebrated accomplishments in this society, and childbearing was linked to their femininity and value as a woman. To be barren was to be denied perhaps the only semblance of worth and value in a patriarchal society.
As we shall see, Elizabeth is part of a much greater scene than begetting a child. She shares a wonderful role - to bless the greatest mother in human history.
Zacharias was therefore a Levite, and his branch is given as that of Abijah. The sheer number of Levites throughout Judaea would have been significant, far more than would be needed in the routine services of the Temple. At Passover and the Day of Atonement reinforcements were necessary due to the sheer number of animals brought to the altar, but ordinarily the needs were much smaller than the population of Levites available. To include more of the members of the tribe, a rotation was designed that assigned heads of all the Levite families on a schedule of service that would eventually give all eligible Levites an opportunity to live up to their tribal calling. We enter the story when it had become Zacharias’ time to serve.
8 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the appointed order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were in prayer outside at the hour of the incense offering. 11 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
The Altar of Incense was located before the veil of the Holy of Holies, i.e. outside in the Most Holy Place of the Temple, according to Moses in Exodus. (The incense described in Hebrews as being inside the Holy of Holies refers to a censor, not the Altar.) The burning coincided with an hour of prayer for the whole citizenry.
That an angel appeared to Zacharias must be combined with the appearance to Mary and the later appearance of angels to the shepherds; and should give to any rational person the notion that something of tremendous moment was unfolding between God and man.
Zacharias fits into the picture as requiring such a visit in that he is the imminent father of John the Baptist, who will be a key figure in the preparation and annunciation of the Messiah. So we see here and later that all the key figures – Mary, Joseph, Zacharias, his wife Elizabeth, the infant John, the shepherds – are all part of the dramatic advent of Messiah and are each attended with special appearances of angels to prepare them for their role.
In Zacharias’ case, he had also been praying for a child, despite the barrenness of his wife, Elizabeth. Precedents were available – Abraham and Sarah.
Luke 1:12-18
12 Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him. 13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, . .
John will be an interesting character. In John’s case, no one could say it was all about him. He was about as self-deprecating as one could get. He possessed no permanent dwelling as a home, his clothing was not manufactured or of woven cloth, but was made from the raw materials in nature. His food and living were extremely simple and unrefined. In essence, there was nothing eminent to point to about his person or life, so he was a perfect candidate as a pointer to that One who was greater than him.
16 "And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 "It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."
One has to wonder how John gained a following. His message had to do with personal sin. But Judaism had a procedure for personal sins. You plugged in the infraction against the Law and out came the required sacrifice and retribution. So how would John, with no recognized training, attract people away from the dictates of the Law, to a baptism of repentance?
The Mosaic law was in some respects without much heart. It presented a catalog of offenses. It declared the fee one must pay to remedy the situation – the sacrifice. But there wasn’t really a lot of preaching and exhortation unto repentance. You didn’t get riveting sermonizing from the Law. Even in the readings in the synagogues, things were rather rote and routine.
But people were not unintelligent. They were all too well aware that something was thematically missing - the kind of unction and urgency in words that would encourage them to change so that they need not find themselves yet again at the Temple the next week.
John’s message of repentance filled that gap. John did not purpose to draw people away from the requirements of the Law and Temple. He simply preached a message that filled people with a renewed sense that genuine repentance was ultimately what God was after, not ritual and procedure.
This idea people flocked to. His baptism had no efficacious power as Christian baptism would, but it was an outward act embodying symbolism that served to seal one’s conviction and memory of the message. In this, John fulfilled the power of Elijah who was foretold as turning “the hearts of the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous.”
In so doing, the Gospel states that John prepared a remnant of renewed Jewish believers who would be ready to receive Jesus. All this was being conveyed to Zacharias, who had to be more than overwhelmed.
18 Zacharias said to the angel, "How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years."
What is interesting here is the similarity to what Mary will later say, yet without the same consequences. Here Zacharias asks for certainty because he is old and his wife is old. Abraham made a similar comment without the same consequences that will come upon Zacharias.
Personally, it is difficult to see something standing out in the words that would explain Zacharias being made dumb, but leave Mary and Abraham without consequences. What we may surmise is that the making of him dumb would serve as a sign more vividly and effectively remembered by the people, something which could be technically linked to his questioning of the prophecy and also serve a higher purpose. Certainly the immediate effect on people around and the even greater effect when he spoke once again at the dedication of Jesus were profound.
Luke 1:24-25
24 After these days Elizabeth his wife became pregnant, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 "This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men."
The disgrace being remedied for Elizabeth by her late pregnancy was the stain of having been barren. Women had few celebrated accomplishments in this society, and childbearing was linked to their femininity and value as a woman. To be barren was to be denied perhaps the only semblance of worth and value in a patriarchal society.
As we shall see, Elizabeth is part of a much greater scene than begetting a child. She shares a wonderful role - to bless the greatest mother in human history.