The Silence Is Broken Series

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INTRODUCTION

The God of the Bible is a God who is constantly communicating with his people. But God is holy and resists sin. Whenever mankind gets into a spiral of sin and wickedness, God becomes silent and looks for the appointed time and person, to start talking with man. Have you ever been praying to God and experienced silence?

This is what happened between Judges and Samuel, there was silence from God because of Israel’s sin. God waited for a young Samuel to start talking. When we come to the Gospels, especially the infancy narratives, we find the silence broken from the OT book of Malachi. There have been 400 years of silence from God. Let’s read the narrative:

We are today going to look at the infancy narrative of Jesus. The birth/infancy narratives of Jesus are found in Matthew and Luke. Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2 are the infancy narratives of Jesus. Matthew and Luke have never met each other.

Luke 1:1-4 1Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

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.

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. 10And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

11 Then 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. 14He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth,

15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

19The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

21Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

23When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25“The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

About the Author

Author: Luke. He wrote Luke & Acts.

Wrote to: Theophilus.

Luke is about what Jesus began to do. Acts is about what Jesus is continuing to do.

Luke is a co-worker of Paul. He is an eyewitness to the history in the book of Acts.

Luke is the contemporary of eyewitnesses or those who were with Jesus in the book of Luke.