God’s Devoted Followers Don’t Always Trust Him
This is a blog version transcript of podcast episode 006 by the same title. Listen here.
In the last episode, we saw three powerful world leaders who advanced their own kingdoms in ways that God used to advance His.
In this episode, we’re looking at Luke 1:1-25, the prequel to Jesus’ birth. If you’d like to listen to the scripture to review the story, there’s a link in the show notes. As always, we’ll start with some context.
Who wrote the book of Luke?
No author is specifically mentioned in the book of Luke, but the oldest manuscript from the 2nd century AD includes Luke’s name in the title. Luke completes his book around AD 55-65, before he wrote the book of Acts, a travel journal of missionary adventures with Paul (2 Timothy 4:11).
In the introduction, Luke writes that his book is for “most excellent Theophilus,” which means “friend of God.” The book of Acts mentions “most excellent” as a title for Roman leaders, so it could be that Theophilus is a Roman leader who decided to follow Jesus. Scholars are divided as to whether Luke is referring to a specific individual or if his historical account is written for the public, which was common in that day.
The previous episode mentioned that this region of Judea was under Greek control, but now the Romans rule. Luke’s writings show he is familiar with both Greek and Roman culture, but also with Judaism and the Old Testament. Most likely, Luke was not a Jew, but he might not have been Greek either.
We know he wasn’t one of Jesus’ 12 disciples, which could cause some to doubt his gospel, but he validates his writing by mentioning that his words are based on his own investigation and eyewitness accounts.
If the book of Luke was written in the first century AD, when did the actual events take place?
Both John the Baptist and Jesus are born during the Pax Romana, which means “Roman Peace.” From 27 BC to AD 180, Rome rules a large portion of what used to be Alexander the Great’s Greek empire. Caesar Augustus and then Marcus Aurelius rule nearly every piece of land that borders the Mediterranean Sea.
Rome requires obedience and tribute (taxes), but allows provinces to have their own customs and laws. This important for Jews who are still able to continue worshiping at the temple and in the local synagogues.
In verse 5, Luke gives us other clues about the time and location of our story when he writes, “In the time of Herod king of Judea…” Herod’s father is hired by Rome to collect taxes, and he helps his son get ahead by making him governor of Galilee in 47 BC.
With a reputation for stopping rebellions, Herod is named “Herod the Great” and then the Roman Senate appoints him “King of the Jews,” making him the ruler of Judea which includes the provinces of Judea, Galilee, Samaria, and Idumea. He rules Judea from 37 BC until his death in 4 BC.
The sources below include a link to a map of his kingdom and a timeline of his life.
Judea was the original territory of the tribe of Judah that included the towns of Bethlehem, Bethany, Hebron, and Jerusalem…where our story begins.
When Herod the Great rules Judea, there is a priest named Zechariah, or Zacharias, which means “the Lord has remembered.” He has a wife, Elizabeth, which has several meanings including, “God is my oath.”
They are both descendants of Aaron, which makes them both Levites, the tribe God designated to serve at the Tabernacle in the book of Exodus (Exodus 28:1).
Zechariah and Elisabeth are righteous and they blamelessly (emphasized in the original Greek) keep God’s commandments, but Elizabeth was barren (also emphasized). And they were both, well, let’s say that they could get the senior citizen discount everywhere they went.
In a culture where children are a blessing, infertility is considered God’s punishment or curse. But here are two people of good character who follow God but don’t have children.
The Hebrew perspective of conception was that the womb was closed and only God could open it, which could be understood that somehow God was displeased with Elizabeth or Zechariah. But I see that infertility is not God’s curse just as children are not His stamp of approval.
Centuries after Aaron and his sons were appointed priests, there are now lots of Levite priests organized into divisions that serve at the temple for about two weeks a year. In Luke 1, Zechariah’s group is on duty and there are lots of jobs to do at the temple, including burning incense for the daily sacrifice in the morning and in the afternoon.
Of all the priests in his division, Zechariah is chosen by lot to go into the temple, into the holy place, possibly the only time in his life he has this privilege.
While the people are gathered outside praying, Zechariah offers incense inside, and he sees an angel of the Lord standing at the right side of the altar of incense. In the Sources, there are links to the floor plan and an image of the interior.
Zechariah is understandably startled and Luke says he is gripped with fear. The Greek word tells us that this is the kind of fear that makes you want to run away, the kind that makes you feel completely inadequate.
The perceptive angel recognizes his reaction and responds, “Don’t be terrified, Zechariah.” (At this moment, Zechariah may be thinking, Woah. He knows my name.)
The angel continues, “Your prayer has been heard, and your wife, Elizabeth will bear you a son.” The Greek word “heard” means, deeply heard, as if someone has listened intently. God heard every one of Zechariah’s unanswered prayers.
The angel says to call his son John, which means "God is gracious." This baby will be a source of joy for Zechariah but also lots of people will be excited when he is born. He will be great, distinguished, and famous for his authority and ability.
The angel continues speaking in what may seem like a secret code to us, but ancient listeners would’ve understood completely.
First, the angel says he will never drink wine or fermented drink. Ancient listeners would’ve understood that to mean he would be a Nazirite—one who takes a vow to be dedicated to God. (Numbers 6:1-21)
In this case, John’s parents will make the vow for him, just like Samson’s parents (Judges 13:1-5) and Samuel’s parents. (1 Samuel 2:8-28). Most often, a Nazirite vow is for a specific length of time, but in the case of these three men, it was a life-long commitment.
There’s a link in the Sources for more details about Nazirites.
Next, John will be filled with the Holy Spirit before he is born, and many people of Israel will return to the Lord because of him. He, talking about John, will go as a forerunner in the Spirit and power of Elijah, a prophet who lived 800 years earlier.
Elijah performed incredible miracles through God’s power, and Jews believed that he would return as the forerunner of the Messiah, preparing the minds of the people to receive the anointed one. If John comes in the power of Elijah, then the Messiah must not be far behind!
Last, the angel says that John will “turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children. He will teach those who do not obey to be right with God. He will get people ready for the Lord.”
Zechariah the priest, a Hebrew Bible Scholar, would’ve recognized these verses as the very last inspired-by-God verses written in the past 400 years which appear in our Bibles as the last two verses of the book of Malachi, the last book of our Old Testament.
After centuries of waiting for the Messiah, which means anointed one, the angel presents clear evidence that John will prepare for His imminent arrival. If the angel was a lawyer, he could’ve have said, “I rest my case.”
It’s a lot to take in for Zechariah. After 400 silent years, the Lord is speaking—to him, about having a son, a son who will prepare the way for the Messiah. Instead of believing the messenger who I imagine was shining brightly, Zechariah wonders, “How can I know?” which means, “How can I know from my own experience?”
This all sounds too good to be true. “I am an old man and my wife is,” as he delicately puts it, “advanced in years.” All physical evidence says otherwise. And the angel replies, “I am Gabriel and I’ve been sent from God’s presence to tell you this good news.”
Again, Zechariah, a student of the Bible, recognizes Gabriel as the angel who appeared to Daniel (Daniel 9). I wonder if Zechariah has second thoughts about asking his question. But it’s too late now. Gabriel says, “Because you didn’t believe, you won’t be unable to speak until the day this happens.”
We don’t how long Zechariah and Gabriel were chatting, but long enough that the people outside were waiting and wondering what was taking him so long.
When he finally comes out of the temple, he can’t say a word; all he can do is make signs that makes them realize something supernatural had happened in the temple.
Zechariah is a faithful Levite, so he finishes his rotation of serving at the temple and he and Elizabeth return home, which is not far from Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
We don’t know how long after, but Elizabeth becomes pregnant, just like Gabriel said. She gives God all of the credit.
“The Lord has done this for me. He looked at me favorably and cut off my disgrace and loss of reputation.”
The Greek form the word for “has done” is a prolonged form of a primary. It means that God did it, but He keeps on doing it. The day John was born, and every day after, God restored her reputation.
Elizabeth remains in hiding for five months. It is the custom of the day, but I can imagine it could also be because her elderly body was exhausted from pregnancy or maybe she didn’t have answers for nosey friends.
Whatever the case, after decades of infertility, she is carrying a child. And not just any child, but a son who will prepare the way for Jesus the Messiah, just as Gabriel said.
In our story today, I see:
God listens intently to our prayers.
He listened to every one of Zechariah’s prayers, yet God didn’t answer because it wasn’t time. I’ve heard it said that God answers prayers with yes, no, or not yet. I believe He also answers in “Yes, but not the way you expect.”
God removes our shame and disgrace every day.
When Elizabeth discovers she is pregnant, she says “Because of my infertility, I lost my reputation and people have no respect for me. But you looked at me with favor and took that all away—not just today, but every day from now on.”
There are lots of reasons why we could feel the judgment of other people, which often leads to feelings of shame and rejection. But when we choose to follow God, He looks at us with love and delight. He removes our shame on the day we choose Him, and we can live free from that shame for the rest of our lives.
God takes unbelief very seriously.
God sent an angel to Zechariah to deliver very specific information about his special son, and Zechariah’s response was “How can I know?” Zechariah had no grid for what was happening, and wanted tangible natural evidence beyond the supernatural message of the angel.
Hebrews 11:1 says,
“Trusting is being confident of what we hope for, convinced about things we do not see.” (CJB)
We need to hold on to God’s promises even when our natural eyes see no evidence of truth. The supernatural cannot be measured by the natural.
I will leave you with Hebrews 11:6 in the Amplified Version:
“But without faith it is impossible to
[walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.”
May God fill your heart with supernatural faith as you continue to pursue Him.
Think about it:
What is our response when God shows up in a supernatural way? :
Sources:
Timeline of Herod and Map of His Kingdom
The Nazirite Vow
Introduction to Luke 1 | 2 | 3 | 4
Bible Hub for meanings of original words
Complete Jewish Bible (CJB). Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved. (Hebrews 11:1)
Amplified Bible (AMP). Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved. (Hebrews 11:6)
