“God Prepares the Way” Luke 1:5-25

We often hear of spontaneous people and how it’s so freeing to be spontaneous. Just go with the flow and follow the wind seem so enticing. Yet, if you’re like me, spontaneity is not really your thing. I don’t mind being spontaneous, as long as you give me enough advance notice so I can make some plans.

Most of us prefer to be prepared for things. When we come to work, we like to sit at our desk, get things ready, review our schedule for the day, and then, finally, get started with the work proper. Sure, unexpected things occur, but if we’re prepared, we can handle the unexpected.

It was a dark time in the history of Israel and Judea. It had been a long time since the people had experienced the political freedom that most people long for. The Romans had come and brought their ways with them. To be sure, the Romans were relatively easy, but they were still conquerors and represented the oppression that comes with conquest.

One symbol of Rome’s rule was the appointment of Herod the Great as king of Judea. Everything about Herod reminded the people that they were not their own, that they were under the rule of a despot, particularly in Herod’s case. A quick read of Matthew and the visit of the magi lets us know all we need to know about this man.

The people yearned for freedom, and it is into this setting that we find the events of Luke that are recorded in the first two chapters. God had a plan in place to bring true freedom—freedom from sin and freedom to fellowship with God in peace—to His people. And in God’s way, He prepared the way for the coming Messiah.

Central Truth: God always prepares the way for His plans.

Zechariah and his history (5-10)

Luke gives us a quick description of Zechariah and Elizabeth. He describes Zechariah as a priest from the tribe of Abijah, and Elizabeth as a descendant of Aaron as well. Both husband and wife are described as people devoted to God through the practice of the law. As distinct from Paul’s declaration that as for the law he was faultless in the eyes of men, here Luke lets us know that it is God who declares them upright in His sight.

It was thought that children were a blessing to a couple, and that a couple who could not bear children were under some punishment from God. Luke records their relationship with God and then describes their lack of children in order to show that Elizabeth’s barrenness was not a punishment, but simply a fact of life.

The descendants of Aaron were divided into groups in the Old Testament, with each group serving in the Temple in a designated time of the year. During that time, those who were from that subtribe would go to Jerusalem and there perform the priestly duties. According to one of my commentaries, there were quite a lot of priests in Judea during this time, and the way to determine who was to perform specific tasks would be determined by the casting of lots. It was not uncommon for a priest to live his entire life and never be selected by lot to serve. To be chosen was a once-in-a-lifetime event, and the lot fell to Zechariah to enter the Temple and offer incense.

The offering of incense was a symbolic way of entering into the Temple and praying to God to enter the building and there hear the prayers of the assembled people outside. The offering of the incense was a solemn duty, highly honored, and Zechariah was expected to come out at the conclusion of his duties and bless the gathered people.

When God prepares us for His task, whatever that task might be, He brings us into right fellowship with Him. For some, that right fellowship consists of hearing and obeying. For others, like Jonah, it takes a little more. In Zechariah’s case, the priest was in a place where he would be open to God’s direction in his life. God works in us to prepare us for His good works.

Zechariah, however, was surprised by an encounter with an angel that would change the day of worship for him and those waiting outside.

Zechariah and the angel (11-20)

As Zechariah was performing his priestly duties, he was suddenly confronted by the appearance of an angel standing to the right of the altar of incense. The presence of anyone in the area would be startling enough, since Zechariah was supposed to be alone, but an angel must have been even more unexpected. The Bible indicates this was the case, because Zechariah is described as startled and gripped with fear. It’s a feeling I believe almost anyone would experience to suddenly be standing in the presence of an angel.

It seems the first words of every angel is, “Do not be afraid.” And that was the first statement Zechariah heard from the angel. The next phrase was designed to get Zechariah’s attention. The angel calls him by name, and speaks about a prayer that has been on the priest’s heart for some time.

We don’t know if the prayer was for a child or if it was for a coming messiah. While Zechariah probably prayed for both, I would imagine the more intimate prayer for a child would be what the angel was speaking about. The reason I say this is because Zechariah is then told that Elizabeth is to give birth to a son. And, as an additional instruction, the son is to be named John, which means “God is gracious.”

The angel then describes the significance of this child for Judea and for God. First, John will be delight to his father and to his nation. God has a special plan for the child and gives instructions to raise John. God forbids John from drinking any fermented or strong drink, and promises instead to have the Spirit fill the child from birth.

John’s ministry is to be one of preparing the people for the coming Messiah. He is to preach and proclaim. The idea of the Spirit at the time of John’s birth was a symbol of prophetic ministry, and John will fulfill that role. All of John’s ministry is to be focused on preparing for the coming of Jesus.

As Zechariah is listening to the angel, he must have been dumbfounded. There was a lot to process in what he was hearing, and the old priest must have had a lot of questions. And his first question is, “How can I be sure of this?” The “this” he was asking about was not the ministry of John, but the actual conception and birth. “I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” It’s not that Zechariah didn’t want the angel’s words to be true, it’s just that the promise seemed to be so farfetched as to be almost unbelievable. Even coming from the mouth of an angel.

The angel’s response is to first identify himself to give further authority to his words and second to give Zechariah a sign that was both confirmation of the promise and punishment for lack of faith.

The angel tells Zechariah that he is Gabriel. Gabriel describes himself as an angel that stands in God’s presence, and that he was sent specifically and directly from God to Zechariah to give him the message he just heard.

To confirm that his message was valid and to confirm to Zechariah that the message was true, Gabriel announces that Zechariah will not speak again until the birth of the promised son. The priest’s silence will be a sign that a miracle has occurred and a reminder to him of his lack of faith.

God doesn’t work in secret. He does reveal His will to those whom He wishes to involve in His plan. God’s timing is not always ours, and His plans are not always ours, but when we place ourselves at His disposal, God can and does reveal His plan to us. Maybe not to the degree that He did with Zechariah, but to the degree that we need to know.

Zechariah and the people (21-25)

Having a talk with an angel while performing one’s priestly duties can delay the duties being completed. What should have taken a few moments has been extended to a conversation with an angel. To the people outside, it was a time to become restless and anxious.

For a priest to enter God’s presence in the performing of his duties, the priest is to be holy in God’s eyes. A priest entering his duties without having confessed and presented himself to the Lord would invite judgment. When the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement, he would have a cord tied to his ankle. His robe had bells sewn into the hems at the four corners of his priestly robes. Only the high priest could enter the Holy of Holies, and only on that day. If, for some reason, he was unworthy to enter, he would be struck dead. The priests outside would be listening for the bells to chime as the high priest performed his duties. If there was silence for a rather long time, the duty of the priests with the cord would be to pull out the lifeless body of the high priest. To enter and retrieve the body would invite death to them, as well.

So, Zechariah has entered the Temple in order to give incense, and yet, he’s not coming out. Had he been struck down? Was there some other reason?

Finally, Zechariah appears, and there must have been a collective sigh of relief. But only for a moment, because instead of giving the traditional blessing to signal the conclusion of the prayer time, Zechariah is unable to speak. At first, there must have been confusion, but eventually it was decided that the priest had seen a vision, in part because Zechariah was signing to them about what had happened inside.

Luke then records that Zechariah returned home after his day of duty was complete, and Elizabeth does become pregnant. A commentary mentioned that it would be hard for people to believe that she really was expecting, so she went into seclusion for five months. After five months, there would be no doubt that she was indeed expecting a child.

When God prepares us and reveals His plan to us, He will send confirmation through various ways and means. While we are expected to step out in faith, God affirms that faith through others and through additional revelations.

Conclusion

I don’t know of anyone who has ever encountered an angel and known that they had. I know that God speaks to us today through His Spirit that indwells us. It is the Spirit that prepares us and reveals to us God’s plans.

Sometimes, we may find it hard to believe. Believe anyway. God can and does great things. With Zechariah, God revealed His plans to bring salvation to the world, and that plan would begin with the birth of John, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. And the world would never be the same again.