Since I started mapping out the course of this study, it has been in the back of my mind to put together a collection of portraits, as it were, a longer look at the people met in the pages of the Gospels. As this is pretty much the last we will hear of Zacharias, other than his confirmation of his son's name, it seems like the proper time to look at his life. As with so many of the players in the Gospel story, only the briefest of sketches of this man is to be found. Yet, as I have considered what it was like to be in his sandals during this moment of time that is depicted, I feel like a great deal of his character is revealed.

Zacharias, it seems to me, plays a far more significant role in the drama than is suggested by the brevity of his appearance on the stage. He became, for a year or so, a prophet not unlike Ezekiel, who so often was called upon to be a living parable before the nation. This seems to have often characterized God's use of His messengers before Israel - don't simply tell them, be a living message before their eyes, unavoidable. Zacharias became such a living parable for Israel, although I'm not sure either this was recognized at the time. It was recognized that vision had returned, the long silence had been broken. In making of him such a sign and a wonder, isn't there a bit of continuity shown? God has not changed, still operates in the same general fashion, giving His messages to those He chooses, and causing them to stand out before His people in the strangest ways, so as to make His point clear.

Earlier Times (1/28/04)

Almost nothing is said of Zacharias' lineage. We are told only his order, that he was from the division of Abijah, and that he had married into the line of Aaron. What, if anything, can we learn about the man himself from this? One thing I find interesting is the absence of any mention of whether he was of the Pharisaical sect. One might think that, being righteous in God's eyes, he probably wasn't, but that may be to under appraise the Pharisees. There were indeed some among their ranks, perhaps even many, who truly sought righteousness, not just appearances.

Another supposition that is tempting to make is that his family must have been of some repute, given the marriage that was arranged for him. Descent from Aaron was not by any means a guarantee of familial wealth, yet it was still a great honor to have a wife from his line of descent. That their home was made in the hill country of Judea, does this suggest anything at all? Perhaps it might indicate that while his family was of some account in Levitical circles, it was not a great family, as it were.

I think we can safely assume that Zacharias was raised in an atmosphere conducive to growth in righteousness. I think we might surmise that his parents sought to raise him in accordance with God's instruction, had instructed him from his earliest years in the ways of the Mighty One of Israel. It is also clear that he learned his lessons well. He learned them well enough to avoid falling into the trap of self-righteousness that was ensnaring so many of his contemporaries. He learned them well enough to avoid temptations of power. He veered neither to the left nor to the right, but walked steadfast upon the path God's words pointed him towards.

We can be certain that in his adult life, Zacharias was acquainted with sorrow. The joy of marriage had been in some part dimmed by failure to bring forth a child. Yet, he had not sought out an excuse for divorce, which would have been easy enough to come by. No, he held to the word of God, and held to the wife of his youth. He would be faithful. I wonder how often he had to fend off the counsel of well-meaning friends who, like the friends of Job, could only assume that the evidence their eyes saw was proof of some sin that needed dealing with. I wonder how often others came with the advice that he put her away and take another wife who would remove this shame of childlessness from him. Yet, he continued steadfast. He was tried, and found upright, of a workmanship that would withstand the purpose for which he had been created. And, so it is that we find him described as he when he reaches the moment of purpose, his own 'proper time.'

The Moment (1/29/04)

The brief moment of Zacharias' life that we are shown in Luke's narrative is a moment of highest honor, and at the same time a moment of deepest shame. It is a moment of honor before men, as Zacharias is chosen for the privilege of presenting the incense offering, of bearing the prayers of a nation into the presence of God. It is a moment of honor before God, as he is favored with a heavenly visitation. There is a doubling of that more valuable honor in the declaration Scripture makes of this man: God considers him righteous. What better record could one possibly have in this life, than to leave it with that epitaph! "God considered him righteous."

Yet, we find this righteous man in the moment of his honor falling into a trap, the trap of disbelief. In this, he becomes a warning to us all. How often are we guilty of this very same problem? We have been praying over some matter of import - and notice once more that Zacharias' prayers were not for his own gain, but were the righteous prayers of one concerned for God's people more than himself, his prayers were not for his child, but for the Son of God. We have been praying earnestly for what seems to us a very long time, and suddenly God comes with the answer in hand, "You've been heard, it will be done." What is our reaction? Do we rejoice to hear God's answer, to see His answer worked out in our sight? More often than not, we do exactly what Zacharias did. We look the answer in the eyes and say, "that's impossible. Nope. Can't be."

Thanks be to God that He changes neither His answer, nor His assessment of us in those moments! Oh, He is assuredly displeased. Nothing offends God like unbelief! No, and unbelief cannot be left unpunished, for among sins, it is perhaps most heinous of all, for it declares the God of Truth to be a liar. No, there must be punishment for this breach, but He will not remain angry with us forever. Forgiveness and Mercy are in His hands along with Justice. Zacharias heard the judgment against him read out. You have not believed, you have declared this matter greater than God's ability, declared Him a liar in this case. Therefore, you will suffer to be silenced. The lips that could declare such blasphemies will declare no more until the Truth has been made evident to you. You will see the error of your words, and only then, when there can be no doubt that it is you who have lied, and not God, will you be allowed to speak once more.

There is so much of God to see in this reaction of His. It would be easy to think that this was nothing more than the spiteful reaction of wounded pride. Yet, this is unbefitting one of infinite Glory. Rather, what we are seeing is His great Mercy in action. The crime of Zacharias' words of doubt are great beyond our imagining. It's very hard for us to grasp the spiritual significance of what seems like such innocent doubt. When it comes to God's promises, God's declarations, there can be no innocent doubt. Doubt can only be an accusation against God. Doubt can only be a charging that God lies, that Truth lies. And, in charging this, there is also the charge that God is not God at all. Added on top of this, especially in the thought expressed in, "that's impossible," is the charge that there is something greater than God, something beyond the all-powerful; there's the latent charge that there is something He doesn't know about, something beyond His omniscience which His infinite wisdom failed to take into account, thus thwarting His purpose.

So, in that one statement, God is stripped of His omnipotence, His omniscience, His wisdom, and His sovereignty. We have declared that His reign is not supreme, for in this matter He cannot have His way. We have declared that His power is not supreme, for this thing He has said He will do, we say He is not capable of doing. We have declared that His knowledge is not supreme, for we say that there was an extenuating circumstance He was not aware of which will preclude His accomplishing His purpose. We have declared that His wisdom is not supreme, for we say that He neglected to take all the details into account in planning out how He would accomplish His purpose. We have stripped Him, in our thoughts, of four of His most essential characteristics, any one of which would declare Him 'not God' in our minds. Can you see the severity of your crime in that simple moment of doubt?

How merciful, then, that God chose to silence Zacharias before he could deepen his sin. God would not suffer him to bring further shame upon himself with his doubt. Instead, he would make certain that Zacharias knew Truth to be true before ever he spoke another word. There would be no opportunity given him to express his doubt any further. Indeed, in the moment he was silenced, I'm sure all doubt slipped immediately from his thoughts. Yet, I know myself well enough to know that in the ensuing days and months, doubt would happily find its way back in were sterner measures not taken. See, then, the severity and the mercy of God; the severity in His dealings with sin, His mercy in His dealings with the sinner. Sin must be torn out and destroyed, lest is poison spread in the soul. Yet, God is not willing that even the worst sinner should be destroyed by his sins. He died that we might be cured of the sin-sickness of our souls. It is only stubborn rebellion and unbelief that prevents us from accepting His offer.

Nine Months as a Sign and Wonder (1/30/04-1/31/04)

Now, from the exchange with Gabriel until the birth of John, we hear about as much about Zacharias as he is himself able to say. Here, all that is said is that he returned home as soon as the present term of service was completed. Beyond that, we will see him once more at John's circumcision, where he writes out his consent to the naming of his son. It is worth noting that as soon as he showed his obedience to God's command in naming his son, the silence ended, and with his very first words in several months, it is recorded that praise of God was upon his lips. And with his praises, fear gripped all who lived nearby. The sign and wonder that had walked silently amongst them for nine months could not now be ignored.

Several things become clear about Zacharias in what is said about the birth scene. First, it is very clear he found ways to communicate. Second, it is clear that one thing he had done was to communicate to Elizabeth what he had been told. She who was declared righteous along side of him, would also need to prove faithful to God's requirement. Now, it should be noted that Zacharias had the final say in naming his son. Had Elizabeth been unwilling to have his name be John, it really wouldn't have mattered, if Zacharias said it would be so. That is clear from the family's reaction to Elizabeth's naming of the child. They turn to Zacharias for confirmation, and will not accept the name until his own acceptance of the name is made certain. Yet, she is the one who has borne this child for many months, she, too, has had to be willing to God's purpose.

The other thing that becomes exceedingly clear is that Zacharias, whether at the moment Gabriel revealed his name, or during the ensuing period of silence, had come to understand the full import of what had befallen him. By the time his lips are freed to speak, he can speak with confidence that God has accomplished His people's redemption (Lk 1:67). Messiah has arrived. He was also clear as to the mission for which his son had been born, and prophesied that mission over the young child. I doubt, however, that he fully comprehended the course his son's life would take.

I get ahead of myself. For this moment, I really want to consider the significance of those nine months of silence. The beginning of that period had been marked by very public, very visible manifestation. In a moment of highly visible public service of worship, bearing the prayers of the nation into the sanctuary, the servant of God emerges after significant delay, and is found to be incapable of speech. One wonders, how many days of service remained after this point, and how many inquiries had he undergone before the time was up? Surely his fellow priests would be keen to know what had befallen him in the sacred place. Surely, he had found a way to communicate the vision to them. What, though, did they make of it? Were they as skeptical as he had been?

Some in the crowd outside might, perhaps, have thought this some sort of fakery, priestly grandstanding of some sort. Perhaps even amongst his fellow priests there were those who rather doubted the veracity of his experience. If so, the ensuing nine months must surely have convinced them that he wasn't playing games. If my understanding of the Levitical service rotation is correct, he had been back at Temple for another term of duty during that time. And still, the silence persisted. No, no room was left for doubt.

For nine months, this man stands in front of a nation as a sign and a wonder, a sign of the cost of unbelief. I've noted this elsewhere in this study already, but it bears reconsidering. Zacharias had been given an unbelievable message, an answer to prayer that was beyond his expectations, an answer that was so improbable as to trigger his mental defenses. He would not, in this instance, take God at His word. Israel was about to be faced with a similarly unbelievable message from God. Messiah, for Whom they had longed for centuries, Whom many were beginning to suspect would never come, but was only a figment of prophetic imaginations, was about to stand amongst them. The people would reject Him, even as Scripture had said would happen.

For nine months, this man stands in front of a nation as a sign and a wonder, a sign of the cost of unbelief. I've noted this elsewhere in this study already, but it bears reconsidering. Zacharias had been given an unbelievable message, an answer to prayer that was beyond his expectations, an answer that was so improbable as to trigger his mental defenses. He would not, in this instance, take God at His word. Israel was about to be faced with a similarly unbelievable message from God. Messiah, for Whom they had longed for centuries, Whom many were beginning to suspect would never come, but was only a figment of prophetic imaginations, was about to stand amongst them. The people would reject Him, even as Scripture had said would happen.

Yet, Zacharias was silenced only for a time, a time during which belief was restored in him, indeed seems to have been restored above and beyond what he had known prior. Scripture assures that the silencing of Israel is also for a time, that there will come a moment of redemption for them, such as will shake the world as never before. If the saving of the Gentiles has had such incredible impact, an impact still felt after millennia have passed by, what will be the impact of Israel finally recognizing and accepting Messiah, but the salvation of the world! If their rejection brought reconciliation to the world, Paul writes, what will their acceptance bring? It will be like bringing the dead to life (Ro 11:15)!

Yes, their silence is but for a season, and in that moment when God takes their silence from them, it will be, as it was for Zacharias, the moment in which their obedience is proven. It will come about only after faith and belief are restored, for He will not suffer the voice of an unbelieving spokesman to be heard in His service. Zacharias was silenced until faith could purify his words, and when the moment came that he could speak again, he burst forth with such praises of God as brought fear to those around him! Why? I would maintain that it is precisely because the righteousness God had seen in him was now manifest to those around him as well. He was truly presenting God to the people, and a people truly presented with Almighty God cannot but know fear, for their own sinfulness gives them clear cause to be concerned in the presence of the Holy One of Israel.

When Israel is restored to faith, they will burst forth with praises of God such as have never been heard before. They will bear testimony of God in His fullness, in His faithfulness, in His holiness; and the world, hearing Truth declared with conviction, will tremble at the power of His name.

Zacharias stood as a living sign before the nation of Israel for nine months. Israel stands even today as a sign before the Church of the Living God as it has stood for centuries. Israel in large part missed the significance of Zacharias standing before them, and I suspect we in large part miss the significance of Israel. When there is unbelief standing in the pulpits, do we wonder that the voice of the church is silenced? When God's representatives fail to represent Him, behave in a fashion that would seem to indicate that He either doesn't exist or doesn't care, is it any wonder that the Church that allows such spokesmen is become powerless? God does not change. I do not believe He will long allow the voice of unbelief to plague the halls of His house. There will be a silencing of unbelief. Thanks be to His mercy, that the silencing will bear fruits of belief, and an increase of usefulness in the end!

One other thought that occurs in regard to this time: There came a day when cousin Mary came to visit, she also being pregnant, though more recently so. As the record shows, these two recognized, somehow, the significance of those they bore. We are quite clear on how they knew their own, but it required a greater spiritual awareness to recognize the same in each other. Now, this would seem to have more to do with the ladies than with the man considered here, but it is his wife that first acknowledges the honor that God has bestowed upon Mary. There is not a doubt in my mind that she must assuredly have shared this observation with her husband. He would already be primed for news of Messiah, because of the announcing of his own son. Still, it must be surprising to him to hear that Messiah, too, will be part of the extended family. I can also imagine that given what he was experiencing for his unbelief already, he might be rather quick to accept by faith what he hears.

During John's Ministry (1/31/04)

After John's birth, and the prophecy Zacharias pronounces over him, no more is said of this man. One wonders how he took things as his son grew. Given the similarity between Zacharias' prophecy and John's understanding of his ministry, I think it is probable that Zacharias kept John informed of his destiny. John was the son of a Levite, child of a daughter of Aaron. It is impossible that he was not being bathed in Torah daily.

Two days ago, I was privileged with an opportunity to sit in on an adult education class at the Temple our church shares space with. This was, in essence, a discussion forum led by four rabbis, yet a discussion forum in which all were invited to participate. I learned a great deal in this brief exchange. Some of it had to do with the present, which is both interesting and useful, but not necessarily of import to this present study. What was far more exciting for me was to see around me an example of what Jewish life was like in the days of John and Jesus. We read of the Jesus teaching among the porches of the Temple, of Paul going into every synagogue he could find and declaring the Gospel, of the apostles gathering at the Temple in Jerusalem to teach and pray. What I saw Thursday night was very much of a piece with these scenes; four rabbis sitting on the steps leading up to the platform, not towering over the people in their authority, but sitting with the people, sharing at a far more even level.

The other thing that really blew me away in the course of the evening was the young daughter of one of the rabbis present. This little child, perhaps ten or twelve years old, sat on the steps with her mother and the other rabbis, and held her own in the conversations. That she was well versed in Torah was evident. That she had not only memorized words and phrases but understood, and could apply the truths of Torah to find meaning in current matters was also clear. Two factors that come to mind from this scene. First, there is to me an obvious parallel to the scenes we read of Jesus, sitting in the Temple at twelve years of age, holding earnest discussion with the priests and elders. For myself, I have always had somewhat of a 'wow' reaction to that passage, the view that even as a child, Jesus must have been something special. This is doubtless true, but what we see of Jesus in that scene, I suspect, is far more typical of a Jewish upbringing, at least the upbringing of a child in a family that held to Jewish faith. Parents took (and still take, apparently) great care to ensure that their children were raised up in awareness and understanding of Torah, that they knew the Law, that they practiced the Law. They took to heart the admonition to train their children in the way they should go. My goodness! Consider the Law's proscription for unruly children! What parent wouldn't labor long and hard to ensure their child never had to suffer such punishment!

Of interest regarding Zacharias, however, is that this same manner of upbringing was surely evident in his own household, perhaps even more pronounced, given that this was the firstborn, and of Levitical descent - a child doubly dedicated to the Lord. Surely, the days of John's youth were filled with training in God's word, and surely there was an accent placed upon the Messianic prophecies, and those of Messiah's forerunner. John was strongly inculcated, then, with a sense of his mission.

One can only believe that Zacharias watched with pride as his son grew, and showed clearly his acceptance of the mission God had assigned him. One can imagine that pride in his son growing as he heard of the impact his son was having. Indeed, I would think it not much of a stretch to presume that at some point, son baptized father in the waters of repentance.

I suspect that Zacharias was also following the rise of Jesus' own ministry during this time. There's the small possibility that he was even there to witness Jesus' baptism. This, after all, was a man versed in Scripture, hungry for Messiah's arrival, and possessed of 'insider information' as it were, as to Messiah's presence. I think it would be perhaps more shocking to find that Zacharias had been amongst the crowds that rejected Jesus. No, I think that is perhaps impossible, assuming he was even alive at that point, age alone would suggest he wasn't amongst the crowd at the end.

At John's Death (1/31/04)

Even with all he knew and understood of the purpose for his son's birth, there were to be events that must surely tear the heart out of this old man. Can you imagine the concern that must have filled him when he learned that John had confronted Herod to his face over that king's sinful ways? Was this part of the plan and purpose, or had John gone too far? What anguish he must have known during the long days of John's imprisonment! And what pain when those long days ended in such gruesome fashion.

It is of some interest to note that Scripture records that it was John's followers who retrieved his body, and not his family. Was their grief too deep, perhaps, for them to come for him? Or was there, perhaps, some degree of fear involved, lest mad Herod's vengeance reach to them as well? The grief, I think we can assume. The fear, we can only speculate about. There is, of course, another possible explanation for their absence. They were old when he was born, although we are not told exactly how old. It's entirely possible that both Zacharias and Elizabeth had passed away by this point, and been spared the anguish.

The only thing that would seem to mitigate against that possibility is that it seems so clear that Luke had spoken to this couple in the course of his research. Yet, this is perhaps the less likely thing. No, I shall have to revise my thinking. Luke clearly interviewed somebody who was quite familiar with the events, but one is forced to doubt that it was either Zacharias or Elizabeth. If they were old at the start of things, say 6 BC or so, is it really likely that they were still around in the late 60s for Luke to talk to? I'm guessing that would put the both of them well over 100. No, far more likely that they had long since passed on into glory.

At Jesus' Death (1/31/04)

Given the thoughts above, I would also begin to wonder if Zacharias was still around when Jesus died. He would have been in his nineties perhaps, a rather extended age for the time in which he lived. I would also think that, were he alive, he would most certainly have been amongst Jesus' followers. How could he not be with the experience he underwent? And, were he among Jesus' followers, it would seem likely that we would have some mention of it, especially with the concern at least John felt with regard to making clear that John the Baptist was not Messiah. Wouldn't he have made particular note that even John's father recognized that?

No, it would seem that Zacharias was spared much of the pain of both John's and Jesus' final days. Clearly, he had been party to the birth of Messiah, could rejoice in having lived to see the day that Israel's Redeemer arrived. Perhaps, he had been able to sit and listen to the Son of God teach on occasion. But, it seems most unlikely that he was present among the living when Jesus was crucified. How merciful is our God, even in such matters as this! Had he lived, would his faith have survived the double blow of his son's death, and his Messiah's death? That last blow almost sufficed to undo those who had been with Him from the start. It destroyed the faith of many who had more tenuous connection to Him. How merciful of our God to spare Zacharias the possibility of defeat by taking him home at the height of his faith!