The Infancy Narrative: Zechariah & Mary Series

Luke in chapter 1 presents the first part of infancy narrative of Jesus:

The subjects (Zechariah & Mary) are informed that two sons will be born.

Zechariah in the temple and Mary in Nazareth. They will all be pregnant. The same angel will visit Zechariah and the same angle will visit a woman, Mary in two different places. The way the events are juxtaposed by Luke is beginning to show how an Elijah like personality is just coming at the right time, within that connection of the wider family tradition that will be leading to the birth of the Messiah who is going to shape the rest of the story from Luke 3.

God is doing something in the world and that is going to shape the narrative of the Kingdom of God that Theophilus should know about and the rest of the world should know about.

Be engaged to encounter this mighty God as we madidate on this scripture today.

Luke 1:5-7 5In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

Zechariah Was A Priest.

The Priesthood of Israel was divided into 24 courses, each provided temple service for one week, twice a year (1 Chronicle 24:1-19). Abijah is identified as the eight division of the priesthood in 1 Chronicles 24:10. Mark Staruss, ZIBBC 326

As a priest he was expected to marry a wife who in most cases will also come from a priestly lineage.

Elizabeth Is From A Priestly Line. Luke says Elizabeth was a daughter of Aaron.

They Were Righteous. They were faithful followers of YAHWEH in the second temple Judaism. They were both righteous before God. They were blameless, following all the commandments and statutes.

They Were Childless. Elizabeth was barren not because they were in sin. Elizabeth was barren not because she was suffering punishment from YAHWEH. But she was barren.

If you remember the stories of Sarah, Rebecca, and Hannah in the OT, they suffered reproach from the society. Though they are tall figures in their time, they did not have a child. Zechariah was a priest, blameless, righteous, but they did not have a child.

Luke 1:8-9 8Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.

Here Luke is telling us about the Messianic Mission. Luke is going to locate the origin in the temple. Something is going to begin in the temple, in the heart of Judaism.

Significance Of The Temple In Luke 1-2

40% of the narrative in the first two chapters of Luke are situation in the temple. The temple is the scene in which a lot of these events are going to take place.

The Temple In Chapters 1-2 Is A Place Of God’s Abode. It is where God dwells and God would encounter people, and the Spirit of working. Some will be waiting in the temple expecting the Messiah to show up. So narratives are centred around the temple in chapters 1-2, the heart of Judaism.

People Met God And God Would Meet People In The Temple. Characters like Anna is going to encounter the baby Jesus. Simeon is going to encounter the baby Jesus.

The Temple Is Also A Place Of Instruction. Torah was instructed in the temple.

The Temple Is A Place Of Prayer And Purity.

Zechariah himself would be leading prayer and will be told that the people will be praying while Zechariah goes in there to perform his duty.

The Temple Is The Place Where There End-Time Prophesies Are Unfolding.

The whole coming of Jesus into our world and how this story is going to play out in our world is part and parcel of what God is doing with his covenant people, the Jews. Now the Gentiles will become part of what God is doing as well.

Zechariah’s Encounter With God. Luke 1:8-25

Luke 1:10-13 10And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. 11Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13But the angel said to him: “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.

Zechariah Was Preforming His Priestly Duty.