"When Zechariah offered incense in the temple of Lord
An angel descended from heaven and conveyed a good newsThat his wife will bear you a son and he should call him John.He will be great among the Isreal.He will give happiness to the whole world.Because you did not believe the news, you will be mute till the child is born.For nine months till the birth of John,Zechariah was unable to speak."
- Catholic Hymn from the Holy Qurbana of the Malankara (Indian) Orthodox Church, sung when we commemorate the Annunciation to Zechariah
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus
Unlike Matthew, who begins his Gospel with the birth of Jesus, Luke begins with the birth of John the Baptist, the "voice of one crying in the desert" who comes to prepare the way of the Lord. St John is a prominent figure in all the four Gospels. He is described as being a prophet who calls people to repentance. We do not know anything about his childhood or youth, St Luke only tells us that his parents were Elizabeth and Zechariah.
We are told that Zechariah was married to Elizabeth, who was a daughter of Aaron. This small but important piece of information tells us that she was from the lineage of Aaron, who was from the tribe of Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob and was known as the leader of the priestly tribe in Israel (see Deut 18:1-5, 21:5, 24:8, 2 Samuel 15:24).
Likewise, both Elizabeth and Zechariah were said to be righteous before God, walking in the commandments, and blameless (Luke 1:6). Furthermore, this birth would be a true miracle, since Elizabeth, like Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Hannah, was well beyond her childbearing years.
Just as we see in the story of Abraham and Sarah, where we see an angel foretelling a birth of a son to Sarah, so too an angel came and told Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth would bear him a son. This angel's name is Gabriel, the same Gabriel that comes to Mary later in the same Gospel. However, unlike Mary, who accepts the glad tidings, Zechariah doubts the truthfulness of the message, and as a result he is struck dumb (Luke 1:18). Later, after the birth of his son, Zechariah's mouth was opened, and he gave thanks and offered this prayer to God:
"Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy Prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us; to perform mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, the path which He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people in the forgiveness of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, when the day shall dawn upon us from on high to give light to those who sit in darkness and shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of Peace" (Luke 1:68-79).
Zechariah's prayer opens with a traditional Jewish way of prayer by blessing God for everything that He bestowed upon Isreal. Likewise, the reference to the horn is a reference to God's saving power. The horn was an ancient symbol of power and authority, especially during times of war and distress (Jer. 48:25). Zechariah also mentions great leaders in Isreal, such as King David and the first patriarch Abraham together with the prophets of old. God used these people in order to bring His saving leave to His chosen people just as He uses Elizabeth to give birth to John, who will later become the Baptist, and Mary, who have birth to Jesus.
The birth of John was certainly miraculous, something that neither Zechariah or Elizabeth expected. But, as with Abraham and Sarah, God works in miraculous ways, catches people off guard and tests their faith in the process. The Gospels reveal that nothing is beyond God's power. John is the voice crying in the desert preparing the way for the Christ, and it is he who also will "guide our feet into the way of Peace".
The preparation of the birth of Jesus begins with the Annunciation to Zechariah regarding the birth of John, who is truly the forerunner, and who came before Jesus to prepare the way for our salvation.
On a personal note, the Indian Orthodox Church commemorates only the Annunciation to Zechariah in the last Sunday and birth of John the Baptist is commemorated later on the first Sunday of December. But for purposes of addressing and understanding this whole theme, I have taken both of them together.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon me a sinner.
