PRELUDE TO CHRISTMAS

A voice cries: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3-5 ESV)

“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.” (Malachi 4:5-6 ESV)

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord…. Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John…. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (Luke 1:5-6,8-13,16-17 ESV)

            The gospels were written to describe various events involving Jesus, the Son of God. Matthew and Luke begin the narrative with the Christmas story. Yet Luke saw additional value in an event preceding the birth of Christ and gave an encouraging thought about prayer.

            What did Zechariah pray? What captivated his thoughts? What was foremost on his mind? Many today believe he was obsessed with having a child, wanting to remove, completely erase, disgrace from the family name. Really? Would a priest of Israel pray a selfish prayer on the only occasion in his life when he would stand before God in the temple? Would the fragrance of prayer only be for him and his wife? I wonder.

            Approximately 19,000 descendents of Aaron existed during this period of time. A priest usually had just one opportunity in a lifetime to enter the temple for the incense ceremony, a sacred moment. The privilege was not given to every priest, only those selected by lot. Once chosen, names were hardly given any further consideration.

            The last word from the Lord was prophetically written four hundred years earlier when Jews were returning from captivity and rebuilding the temple. Malachi ends the divine admonishments with an encouraging word, the promise of a powerful spokesman for God. What would a priestly representative of captive people pray after hundreds of years without a word from the Lord?

            History records several discouraging events occurred in those four centuries. The Jewish race endured the corruption of Greece, only to end up living under the cruelty of Rome. And a despicable Herod became the recognized king of Judea. He was the combination of corruption and cruelty, wickedness personified. No one was more deranged, debased and depraved, the defecation of evil.

            Was this the best Israel could hope for? Divine intervention was desperately needed.

            Did the priestly Zechariah pray something more in line with what associates and friends were wondering: “Lord, is this the time when you will provide the real King, one from the linage of David? Things could not appear more frightening and hopeless. We live under subjection to godless people and have a leader from within our own ranks just like them, even worse. Wouldn’t this be a good time for the fulfillment of the promise mentioned by Malachi? Will you now send the voice of one crying in the wilderness after the pattern of Elijah?”

            The angelic reply would then be better understood as, “Do not be afraid, your prayer for a Rescuer has been heard. In fact, you will personally be part of the solution. You will have a son directly connected to the promise.”

            Zachariah struggled believing what had just happened, a unique encounter and divine announcement in a sacred chamber of the temple. Questions and doubts filled his heart. The outcome? Since God had remained silent for four hundred years, surely Zachariah could be mute until he saw the fulfillment. His silence ended with a mouth filled with praise.

            The priestly father was old when the boy was born. The number of years Zachariah was involved in the life of his son is not known. Did he have enough time to tell John about the circumstances of his birth? Did he teach him the promises of Isaiah and Malachi? Did the boy hear from the lips of his father about a special calling?

            John the baptizer seems to have had involvement with a religious sect called Essenes, a cluster of Jews dedicated to purification rites and praying for the promised Messiah. They daily studied Scripture and watched over the promises of God. Shunning marriage, they regularly took in orphans and raised them. Did Zachariah make arrangements with the leaders of Qumran, an Essenes “wilderness” community, to raise his son should anything happen to him and his wife? Did this group of devoted protectors and preservers of the Promise become the guardian of the Forerunner, molding and shaping John to prepare the way of the Lord?

            More than praying for a son Zachariah prayed for an Elijah to correct a terrible injustice, and gained in response the special honor of providing the forerunner for the Messiah.

            You have been praying a very long time. Does heaven appear to be taking an extended vacation? Has the Throne been silent, your petition remaining unanswered? Has your situation gotten worst? Are you wondering, “Lord, wouldn’t this be a good time for an answer?”

            Take to heart the words of an angel, “Do not be afraid … for your prayer has been heard.” The moment you have waited for is about to unfold and you will be part of the solution. Wait silently for the answer and believe.

            Have a blessed 2014 Christmas.

FINAL THOUGHT

            Most often Zachariah’s prayer is associated with, “This is the way the Lord has dealt with me in the days when He looked with favor upon me, to take away my disgrace among men.” (V.25) Yet consider the circumstances: He was a priest “in the days of Herod, king of Judea.” (V.5)  If you had only one opportunity to represent your nation before God and present an appeal, would you pray a personal prayer or a priestly petition? The plea for intervention is more connected to a blatant tyrant then to a barren wife, to verse five instead of twenty-five. Zachariah did not focus on a child, he sought a Redeemer. And John the forerunner was a favorable yet personal blessing in response to praying.

             “And [Jesus] told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.” (Luke 18:1 ESV) Some answers are more connected to praying than to the prayer. Keep talking to God!