04 How can I know?

 

Luke 1:18

The Gospel story begins.

The story of Jesus . . . the story of the salvation and hope that He would bring.

The opening of the New Testament, the New Covenant, the New Agreement between God and Man. A new Era. A new Day. A new and wonderful beginning where the plan of God would be revealed and reconciliation between God and Man made possible by a Savior.

And in the very first Act of the drama . . . the Angel of the Lord is met with doubt!

In the very first chapter of the Gospel of Luke the story begins by introducing Bible readers to a man named Zachariah.

He is a Hebrew Priest, and he will become the Father of John the Baptist, and John is foreordained to serve as the Forerunner of the Messiah, the Promised Deliverer of the Nation of Israel and of the whole world.

Luke tells us that Zachariah has no idea what is about to happen. His name has come up in the rotation to serve in the Temple in Jerusalem, to perform his duties as a priest.

Hebrew priests were all descendants of Aaron, the brother of the great hero of the faith, Moses. Moses and Aaron were members of the tribe, Levi. Abraham was the Father of the Hebrew nation – Abraham had a son named Isaac – Isaac was the Father of Jacob, who fathered twelve sons. The tribal system was based upon Jacob’s sons – there were twelve tribes, each one named after a son of Jacob (whom God later renamed, Israel). So, the Nation of Israel was composed of the Twelve Tribes.

Everyone in the line of descendancy from Jacob’s son Levi, were called Levites. Not all Levites were priests, but every priest was required to be a Levite.

Zachariah was born into the Tribe of Levi . . . he was a descendant of Aaron . . . but in his youth he chose to pursue the priesthood – he might have claimed that God separated him and called him into the priesthood. He would have to study, and train, and prepare, and he would have to be approved and anointed by the Elders and religious leaders of Israel before he could assume the office of priest.

Zachariah’s father, or Grandfather, and/or Great Grandfather might have served in the priesthood. He might have been the first of his family to do so. We do not know.

The priesthood was not a vocation, a job, or a means of livelihood. Zachariah worked to support and provide for his family by working at some secular endeavor. The priesthood was his calling to spiritual service.

A priest in Israel might study, train, and prepare for his entire life in the priesthood, and only be selected or called upon to actually perform the duties of the priesthood, once in that lifetime. There were many priests throughout all of the nation of Israel, and they served by lot, and list, and rotation. This was not what Zachariah did every day of his adult life. The story that Luke tells about him in his Gospel happens during a once in a lifetime occasion in the life of this humble servant of God.

If anything at all could make this part of the Gospel story seem more important, and more God-ordained than the timing of Zachariah’s service, I cannot think of what it might be.

Zachariah is the man of God in the right place at the right time.

During his service in the Temple (how excited, awed, and overjoyed Zachariah must have already been), the Angel of the Lord (named Gabriel) appeared to him. (Luke 1:13-17).

13) The Angel Gabriel said to Zachariah: “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) Because he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink,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 ahead of 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 prepare the people, to prepare them for the Lord.”

I have always wondered at the passages like this in the Bible (there are several). The Angel of the Lord suddenly appears out of nothing (not just your run of the mill angel, but the Angel of all Angels, Gabriel) and says, ”Fear not!” What I wonder is, how is that working for you? The not being afraid part, I mean.

I imagine that Zach was still terrified . . . comforting words aside.

This is a great deal to take in without warning.

So, Zachariah’s response is not contemplated, measured, weighed and thought out. What comes out of his mouth is a genuine and unvarnished reply, straight from his shocked heart and mind.

His response is a question, “How can I know that what you have said is true?” (For Zachariah, knowing and believing were the same).

He does overcome his fear enough to express honest doubt and uncertainty.

You might tell an angel anything that you think he wants to hear. You might muster up the strength to boldly accept what you have heard without question or reserve. But Zachariah didn’t do that. He shot straight with the Angel of the Lord and said, “I don’t believe you -- prove it!”

The Gospel story might have fallen onto the rocks at its very first step. If doubt, hesitation, uncertainty, or unbelief had caused God to ditch His plan we would never have heard or benefited from the story of Jesus. The story would have never begun.

Here is the lesson: God knows how difficult it is for us to believe. He knows how weak we are and how prone we are to question what He is doing (or about to do) and He is always prepared to help us step forward in spite of the pitfalls.

EVERYTHING that the Angel promised came to pass . . . AND he gently tweaked Zachariah for failing to believe from the beginning. The Father-to-be would not be able to speak a word until the day that his son was born!

The first words he spoke after the angelic appearance was, “His name will be JOHN.”

Every single moment that Zachariah was mute was a loving confirmation that God is faithful!

Think for a moment . . .

“Angel, how am I going to KNOW that what you have just told me is TRUE?!”

Well, your wife Elizabeth is going to surprise you by telling you that she is pregnant. And every day for the following nine months you will be able to look at your beautiful wife of so many years, and see the glow and joy and wonder of what God has promised as she carries the coming Prophet.

And then . . . you’re going to have a baby! A little, round, pink, cuddly baby boy (he was to be a little rough and craggy as an adult, but he was a normal baby boy). That baby is the ultimate proof that God does what He says that He will do. Every time you hold that baby, feed him, bounce him on your knee, or play with him you will know that you are touching a promise of God that has been carried out before your eyes.

Zachariah . . . if you had only been thinking clearly . . . you would have realized that you would know from the natural proofs of the circumstances appearing before you . . . you would see the evidence of God bringing His will to pass.

Personally, I think being stricken mute by the angel is a humorous touch. Zach may not have thought it was funny, but maybe he did. Maybe that silent old man smiled knowingly at everyone who looked at him.

“Look at that poor old man,” someone probably said. “If I couldn’t talk I don’t know if I would be as happy as he appears to be.”

Maybe he enjoyed the little joke -- he was going to be a Father. 

Many people who suddenly lost their voice would feel that it was a tragedy -- the judgment of God. But to this joyful priest, his forced silence was a sign. A sign that God’s plan was going forward, and he and his wife and new son were going to be a part of it.

Was God pleased with Zachariah’s unbelief? No, but it didn’t even slow the Creator down.

The story continued . . .

(Without Faith on Amazon)