Bird's-eye view
Luke begins his orderly account of the gospel not with a thunderclap from heaven, but with the quiet, faithful life of an old, childless couple. This is how God always works. He sets the stage for the greatest event in human history, the incarnation of His Son, by first announcing the birth of the supporting actor, the forerunner. The story of Zechariah and Elizabeth is the story of the Old Covenant in its twilight. Here we have a righteous priest from a righteous line, married to a righteous woman, faithfully performing his duties in the Temple at the heart of Israel's worship. And yet, for all their righteousness, they are barren. This is a picture of Israel itself: outwardly observant but inwardly barren, unable to produce the promised seed. God breaks His 400-year silence not to a king in a palace, but to a humble priest in the holy place, demonstrating that the new thing He is about to do will grow directly out of the old, fulfilling it and transcending it. The passage contrasts the astonishing grace of God's promise with the faltering faith of man, and shows that God's purposes will not be thwarted by our weakness.
The angel Gabriel’s announcement is a hinge point in redemptive history. It connects the last prophecy of the Old Testament concerning Elijah with the new reality of a Spirit-filled messenger. John the Baptist is to be the great transitional figure, the final and greatest of the old prophets, whose entire mission is to point away from himself and toward the coming Lord. Zechariah’s doubt and subsequent muteness serve as a powerful sign: the old priesthood is now silent. The time for speaking the Aaronic blessing is over, because the Blessing Himself is about to arrive. The old order is being struck dumb to make way for the Word made flesh.
Outline
- 1. The Setting for the Overture (Luke 1:5-25)
- a. The Righteous and Barren Remnant (Luke 1:5-7)
- b. A Providence of Worship (Luke 1:8-10)
- c. The Heavenly Messenger (Luke 1:11-17)
- i. An Answer to Prayer (Luke 1:11-13)
- ii. The Forerunner’s Profile (Luke 1:14-17)
- d. The Doubt of a Priest (Luke 1:18-20)
- e. A Sign of Silence (Luke 1:21-25)
Context In Luke
Luke, the careful historian, grounds his gospel in real, verifiable history: "In the days of Herod, king of Judea." This is not a fairy tale. Luke is writing an "orderly account" (Luke 1:3) so that his reader, Theophilus, may have certainty. He begins his narrative not with Jesus, but with John the Baptist. He does this to establish the historical and theological continuity between the Old and New Covenants. John is the bridge. By starting in the Temple with a priest of the line of Aaron, Luke shows that the gospel is the fulfillment of everything the Temple and the priesthood pointed toward. The story of John's miraculous conception and birth is intentionally structured to parallel the subsequent, and far greater, story of Jesus's miraculous conception and birth. This diptych structure, which continues through the first two chapters, serves to highlight both the greatness of John and the infinite superiority of Jesus.
Key Issues
- The Nature of Old Covenant Righteousness
- The Theological Significance of Barrenness
- The Role of the Aaronic Priesthood
- The Function of Angelic Announcements
- The Nazirite Vow and John's Identity
- The Fulfillment of the "Elijah" Prophecy
- The Difference Between Honest Questions and Unbelief
The Beginning of the Good News
After four hundred years of prophetic silence, the heavens open again. But God does not restart His conversation with mankind with a shout. He begins with a whisper in the heart of the old covenant system, the Temple. He chooses a representative of that old covenant, a faithful priest, to receive the news that the covenant's fulfillment is at hand. This is not the story of how a good man's wish for a son was finally granted. This is the story of how God, in His sovereign timing, initiated the final act of His great plan of redemption. Zechariah and Elizabeth represent the faithful remnant of Israel, those who were still waiting for the consolation of Israel. Their personal story of barrenness and longing is a microcosm of the nation's story. They were righteous, but their righteousness could not bring forth life. The nation had the law, the temple, the sacrifices, but it could not bring forth the Messiah. Life, true spiritual life, had to come from outside, as a sheer gift of God's grace. And so it does, announced by an angel from the immediate presence of God.
Verse by Verse Commentary
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah, and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
Luke pins his narrative to secular history. This happens under Herod the Great, a wicked and paranoid king. In the midst of this dark political reality, God is moving. Zechariah is not just any Israelite; he is a priest. And not just any priest, but of the division of Abijah, one of the 24 divisions established by King David. His wife, Elizabeth, is also of a priestly line, a "daughter of Aaron." This is a power couple of the old covenant. They are steeped in the heritage of Israel's formal worship. Their lineage is impeccable.
6 And they were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and righteous requirements of the Lord.
Their pedigree is matched by their piety. They were righteous in the sight of God. This does not mean they were sinless. It means their lives were oriented toward obedience. They were the real deal, not hypocrites. Their righteousness was not just an outward show but a genuine, Godward orientation of their hearts. They took God's law seriously and sought to walk in it. They are presented as the ideal representatives of the best of Old Testament faith.
7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
And here is the great tension, the great "but." For all their pedigree and piety, they are marked by barrenness. In the Old Testament, children were a sign of God's blessing, and barrenness was often felt as a disgrace or a sign of disfavor. Their condition is a living portrait of the nation of Israel. The nation had the lineage, the law, the temple, but it was spiritually barren, unable to produce the promised offspring. Their old age underscores the human impossibility of their situation. There is no hope for them, apart from a direct, miraculous intervention from God.
8-10 Now it happened that while he was performing his priestly service before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priestly office, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.
Zechariah is simply doing his duty. A priest might only get this opportunity to burn incense in the holy place once in his entire lifetime. The casting of lots was not seen as chance, but as guided by God's providence (Prov 16:33). So, God sovereignly selects this righteous, barren priest for this specific task at this specific moment. While he is inside representing the people, the people are outside praying. The incense smoke rising symbolized the prayers of the people ascending to God. The entire scene is one of waiting, of longing, of prayer. Israel is praying for deliverance, for the Messiah. And the answer is about to walk through the veil.
11-12 And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear fell upon him.
The supernatural breaks into the natural. An angel appears, and his position is significant: at the right hand of the altar of incense, the very place where the prayers were being offered up. The answer to the prayers is standing right there. Zechariah's reaction is not wonder, but terror. This is the proper biblical response of a sinful man in the presence of an unfallen, holy being from the immediate presence of God. This is not a chubby cherub from a greeting card; this is a messenger of the Most High, and the encounter is terrifying.
13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John.
The angel's first words are of comfort: "Do not be afraid." Then comes the astounding news. "Your prayer has been heard." This likely refers to two things at once: his personal, long-prayed prayer for a child, and his corporate, priestly prayer for the redemption of Israel. God is about to answer both prayers with one son. The child is to be named John, which means "Yahweh is gracious." His very name will be a proclamation of the gospel.
14-16 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and HE WILL NOT DRINK ANY WINE OR STRONG DRINK, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.
This will be no ordinary child. His birth will be a source of widespread joy. His greatness is not in the sight of men, but in the sight of the Lord. He is to be set apart, living under a Nazirite vow from birth, like Samson and Samuel. This external separation (no wine) is a sign of his internal reality: he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, not from his conversion as an adult, but from the very womb. His mission is defined here: he will be a preacher of repentance, a revivalist who will "turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God."
17 And he will go 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, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
This verse directly quotes from and alludes to Malachi 4:5-6, the very last words of the Old Testament. Gabriel is explicitly telling Zechariah that the 400 years of silence are over, and the final prophecy is about to be fulfilled. John will not be a reincarnation of Elijah, but he will minister in the same spirit and power: bold, confrontational, calling the nation to repentance. His work is one of covenant restoration, healing the broken relationships within the nation ("turn the hearts of the fathers to the children") in order to prepare a people for the arrival of "the Lord" Himself.
18-19 And Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
After this glorious announcement, Zechariah's response is one of doubt. He looks at the circumstances, his old body and his wife's old body, instead of at the God who makes the promise. He asks for a sign. This is not the same as Mary's question later ("How will this be?"), which was a request for information. Zechariah is asking for verification, for proof. He is a priest; he knows the story of Abraham and Sarah. He should have known better. Gabriel's response is a sharp, authoritative rebuke. He identifies himself: "I am Gabriel, who stands before God." In other words, "You are not questioning me, you are questioning the God from whose very presence I have just come. My identity and my origin are all the sign you need."
20 And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”
The judgment fits the crime perfectly. The mouth that spoke unbelief is now silenced. The priest who should have come out of the Temple to announce God's good news is rendered mute. He wanted a sign, and now he has one: his own silence. But even in this judgment, there is grace. It is temporary ("until the day when these things take place"), and it confirms the truth of the message. The angel affirms that despite Zechariah's doubt, God's word will be fulfilled in its proper time. God's plan is not dependent on our perfect faith.
21-23 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and were wondering at his delay in the sanctuary. But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. And he kept making signs to them, and remained mute.
The people waiting outside knew the liturgy. The priest was supposed to emerge and pronounce the Aaronic blessing over them (Numbers 6:24-26). But he comes out and cannot speak. The old covenant priesthood is struck dumb. The blessing can no longer come from the lips of a son of Aaron. A greater priest is needed. Zechariah's personal condition becomes a public, prophetic sign to the whole nation that something has fundamentally changed.
24-25 After these days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and she kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked upon me to take away my disgrace among men.”
While her husband is publicly silent, Elizabeth conceives. Her response is not doubt, but humble gratitude. She recognizes this child as a direct gift from the Lord, a sign of His favor that removes her cultural disgrace. Her seclusion is not one of shame, but likely of quiet joy, wonder, and protection. She is pondering the great thing God has done, a model of quiet faith in contrast to her husband's faltering unbelief.
Application
First, we see that God honors quiet faithfulness. Zechariah and Elizabeth were not famous. They were not movers and shakers. They were simply living righteously before God in their ordinary lives. And it was into this ordinary faithfulness that God brought his extraordinary plan. We should not despise the day of small things or the long years of quiet, unheralded obedience. God is preparing us for things we cannot yet see.
Second, this passage is a potent reminder that God's plans are not thwarted by our weaknesses. Zechariah, the chosen recipient of this glorious news, faltered in faith. And yet, God's promise was not nullified. God disciplined Zechariah, but He did not disown him. He worked His purposes right through Zechariah's failure, even using his muteness as a sign. This should be a great comfort to us. Our faith is often weak and faltering, but our salvation and God's ultimate victory depend not on the strength of our grip on Him, but on the strength of His grip on us.
Finally, the entire story is about preparation. John's whole life was to prepare the way for Jesus. This is the calling of the church as well. We are not the main event. We are the forerunner. Our mission, in the spirit and power of Elijah, is to call our crooked and perverse generation to repentance. It is to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, to restore covenant faithfulness in our homes and communities, so that we might make ready a people prepared for the Lord, whether that means for His coming to them in salvation or for His final return in glory.