All of you know “The Blabber!” You know, the guy or gal who always “by mistake” blurts out the news about the “surprise party” planned for your friends. Or the one who gives away what’s inside of the large box with too many unsubtle hints. Or the one who deliberately guesses the gift you got and ruins your surprise. Or what about the smart aleck older kids who snidely remark about the identity of the one and only Santa Claus right in front of your toddler!
The Blabber is less interested in honoring you or the occasion than wanting everyone to know how smart and wise they are “very loudly!”
Then there’s the plain and simple “The Sour Puss” who hates holidays, or for one reason or another, just seems to want to spoil it for everyone else by remarking how lame dinner was, or how fake the holiday is, or how ridiculous it is to believe that God would come down to earth as a baby in the first place.
How could that happen anyway!? “The Sour Puss” smirks, with sarcasm dripping from their lips like acid, as the smiles of everyone around them start to sag.
“The Blabber” and “The Sour Puss” are the original “grinches” of Christmas! And their doubts and dashes cut through everyone else’s joy like ice.
Don’t you just want to say “No” to all that negativity?” “Cut it out!” Just “shut up!!” I’m against your against. Your negativity is SO not cool!
Well, that’s kind of what God seems to say to Zechariah in our story for today.
Zechariah is a priest. He’s a Temple priest in Jerusalem, and he’s up for “incense duty” this week. It’s his turn to light the incense on that special altar. So, on that day, he goes inside, and everyone else remains outside praying. As always, Zechariah prays for a son. He and his wife Elizabeth had been praying for a son ….for years. Years and years! But Elizabeth had never become pregnant. Now they were aging, and Zechariah had pretty much given up on it. But out of habit, he prays his prayer once more, and lo and behold, when he turns around, there stands the angel Gabriel, the messenger of God, right there beside him!
Gabriel says to Zechariah, Your wife Elizabeth is with child. You’re going to be a father!
And Gabriel says?.....
“By gosh, hallelujah! Woohoo! Woopie! I’m gonna be a daddy!”
No?
How about….”Oh man, thank you God! What a gift. Oh my goodness Lord! Thank you for answering my prayers.”
Yes? [Lots of heads shaking…]
No again?
Or maybe he says, “Wow! I’m speechless at your greatness!” Maybe he bows in humility before God?
No…no, he doesn’t.
He says… [let the congregation say what Zechariah said…..]
“Nope. Ah…not happening. Yeah, right. I…don’t think so. But good joke. Come on, Gold….I’m old….my wife is far beyond the ability to have a kid…. Be real. That can’t be true. Sorry. Come again…. This isn’t funny.”
Can’t you imagine God, at that moment, knowing how happy Elizabeth was over receiving the news that she was pregnant, looking at his Temple priest, who had prayed for YEARS for this gift, and now was saying basically, “okay…we all know, that can’t happen!” . . . Can’t you imagine God thinking something to the effect of…”Will you just shut up!?”
Only when God thinks something like that…it really happens! And so the Angel Gabriel tells Zechariah…”Well, you better be quiet about your snide remarks and snarky heart from now until the baby is right there in front of you!” “You can’t very well doubt then!” “You’ll not ruin this for Elizabeth….and furthermore, you’ll not be raining on MY parade!” says God.
So, Zechariah, faithful priest and pray-er turned doubter…. Was struck deaf and mute for months until the birth of his son, John.
Meanwhile….Elizabeth and Mary were praising God to highest heavens for their gifts of children.
But look….Zechariah wasn’t a bad guy. After all, he prayed all the time! He loved God. He read the scriptures. He followed the laws. He fulfilled his role in the Temple. He was a priest for goodness sake. He prayed perhaps more than anybody else! He just didn’t really seem to believe his prayers really mattered! Or that God could really answer them.
But as we all know….what may seem impossible to us is entirely possible in the realm of God’s great power and love.
And so, Zechariah was cast into a time of silence. Perhaps he spent it thinking about his response. Or maybe he spent it contemplating God’s miracle. Or maybe he just learned a bit of humility for challenging the power of God. Cause above all, prayers are about humility, aren’t they?
When we pray a prayer of petition to God, we are admitting first, that we have a problem that we can’t solve on our own.
Second, we are acknowledging that God has the power to solve it in God’s own way and in God’s own time!
And third, we have to get ready for the possibility that everything we think we know about our truth or our reality or the world as we know, may be challenged, as God turns on a dime and turns our world upside down around us.
And all of that takes a heavy dose of humility. For in prayer, we bow in humble acknowledgment of a God who is far more able than we, and far more loving than we can ever imagine.
Only in the aftermath of that kind of humility, and that kind of silence, comes the realization that says, “Wow! Oh good Lord, this is real!” And our heart erupts in praise!
Sometimes we need the silence in order to appreciate the praise. Or perhaps in order to realize there is something to be praised!
For when all we do is talk, we can miss when God is truly speaking, acting, moving in the world. When all we are doing is doubting, we can miss God’s miracles all around us.
In silence our faith is secured. In praise, it is revealed and celebrated. In our doubting our doubts, we are freed to trust and obey.
Like Jonah’s belly of a whale, or Jesus’ burial in a tomb, silence is temporary. It’s merely the gestation of God’s promise that something new and special will emerge, new life, new hope, fresh realizations of God’s promise to lift us out of our pits and into new places of joy and love.
In the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, like the story of Joseph and Mary, God’s promise is realized in new life –literally. Pregnancy is the very embodiment of promise and the future. Pregnancy is the ultimate literal “promise” of life that will soon emerge. It’s a time of waiting….listening.....contemplation……and prayer that will always result in the birth of hope and the expression of joyful praise!
This is the time of year when we ask ourselves some basic questions, some child-like but not childish questions:
Do I believe in prayer? Really?
Do I believe in my heart that God can work miracles in my life? And in the lives of others?
Take this time of silence….to listen to God’s voice in your life….in your heart.
Take this time to pray that Jesus may enter into your heart today, be born in you today.
I dare you to pray that prayer: Jesus, be born in me today. Give me a fresh unveling of your presence and purity?
Because you believe, don’t you?
Because you know what will happen if you pray that prayer, don’t you?
If you are so moved to pray that prayer, and to recommit yourself to prayer, I invite you to come forward to the altar this morning….ask Jesus to come into your life for real. This advent season….let your faith guide you into a new place….new hope….new life . . . new fillings and fulfillings.
Based on the Story Lectionary
Major Text
Priest Zechariah’s Prayer and Elizabeth’s Pregnancy with John (Luke 1)
Minor Text
The Lord Gives Moses the Words to Speak (Exodus 4)
King David Divides the Priests into Sects, Including the Eighth –Abijah, Descendants of Aaron (1 Chronicles 24)
The Priestly Leaders Including the Sect of Abijah (Nehemiah 12:1)
The Rite of Incense (Mishnah Tamid 6:3)
Gabriel Brings Daniel Wisdom Regarding His Vision After a Pause for Prayer and Supplication (Daniel 9)
The Birth and Dedication of Samuel the Prophet (1 Samuel 1)
The Coming of God’s Redemption and Judgment / The Prophecy of the Servant (Isaiah 42)
The Call to the Prophet (Ezekiel 2)
The Issuance and Silence of Ezekiel and the Prophet by God (Ezekiel 3)
Psalm 39: Prayer for Wisdom (We Are a Mere Breath …Selah)
Psalm 40: Prayer of Thanksgiving
Psalm 33: The Wait for the Lord
Psalm 85: The Lord’s Promise of Restoration
Psalm 130: The Wit for Redemption
Psalm 145: Praise to the Lord/ The Blessings of the Lord
Psalm 95: The Call to Worship
Psalm 119: Glory to God
Psalm 118: The Lord’s Salvation
Psalm 139: You Know My Words Lord
God’s Promise Through History (Acts 13)
God’s Wisdom (1 Corinthians)
Image Exegesis: The Promise of Prayer
The themes of barrenness and fruitfulness play out in various ways in the scriptures, but in advent, these are couple with the themes of desolation and restoration.
Elizabeth means “oath of God” or “promise of God.” Samuel means “heard by God.”
Both tell the story of God’s restorative hope and promise. Indeed Mary’s and Hannah’s songs of praise are nearly identical.
God releases our tongues to praise! In silence our faith is secured. In praise, it is revealed and celebrated.
The metaphors in their story are 1) the messenger 2) message/voice 3) muteness/silence/barren 4) praise and glory 5) pregnancy/pause/seclusion 5) name/naming 6) priest/Aaron 7) incense / prayers/spirit/presence 7) blessed/fruitful/covenant bearing/child bearing/conceive 8) fire/coals 9) vision/wordless 10) words/praise/name/covenant/sound/writing
The juxtaposition of silence/muteness/barrenness/agedness/seclusion/pregnancy/pause/wordlessness/vision and conception/naming/praise/glory/presence/writing/youth/fruitfulness is particularly strong.
As we learned in past exegeses, God’s voice IS God’s presence, and God’s Word and message, as well as the name God bestows are all part of the creativity and activity of God. But the “pregnant” time before God’s incarnation is the time of preparation, announcement, waiting. Just as John himself will be the one who prepares for and points to the Messiah….and the time of advent is a “waiting” time, so also is this the case in the story of Elizabeth and Zechariah. There is a time of muting/silence/waiting…until the birth of John and his official naming which, when confirmed in writing by Zechariah, initiates the new covenant, and the advent of the messianic age. Zechariah’s voice opens in praise, and his fingers write John’s name. (See the exegesis on the “finger of God.”)
It is important that both Elizabeth and Zechariah hail from the line of Aaron the Priest. Elizabeth herself is a descendant of Aaron. She comes from a family of priests. And we know that Zechariah belongs to the sect of Aaronic priests called the order of Abijah. (David had separated the priests into 24 categories). There were so many priests then and still in Jesus’ time that they took turns serving in the Jerusalem Temple. The service of lighting the incense on the incense altar was limited to once yearly and was chosen according to a cast of lots. It is significant that on this day, Zechariah is chosen for this important ritual.
The ritual involved pouring the incense onto the hot coals, so it would stay lit. Outside of the holy inner sanctuary, the people’s prayers would be heard. The stream of smoke from the incense altar represented their prayers rising to God. We know that in the midst of this moment, Zechariah’s own prayer –a prayer for a child—had been heard and acknowledged by God.
Suddenly, Zechariah, alone in the room, notices the angel (Gabriel) standing to the right of the incense altar. The angel tells him not to be afraid, that his prayers have been heard, that his wife will bear a son, who will be great in the sight of the Lord. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth, and he will bring the people back to God in the spirit and power of Elijah!
This is a shock for Zechariah. Even though he is praying and going through the ritual of incense, still he is taken aback, when God actually answers his prayer! And his first response is to question the message! For this he is rendered mute, so that he might contemplate this gift of God, and the prophecy of who his son will be. He remains mute until he “signs off” on naming the child John (Yochanan). With this “signature,” his loyalty to God, and understanding of John’s mission, is sealed. His words are of praise and prophecy.
The scriptures call Zecharyah and Elisheva tsaddik (righteous). They are blameless –pure, “virgin” in their walk with God.
It’s important to notice that (similar to other scriptural stories as seen in prior exegeses) the story of Mary’s (Miryam’s) virgin conception is placed within the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Mary’s child will be the messiah, but the child John will be the one to prepare the way. Just as Elizabeth’s pregnancy comes first….John’s ministry will also come first. The connection between voice and silence is clear when John within the womb leaps for joy upon recognizing Mary’s voice.
We don’t hear anything after that about Elizabeth and Zechariah. We are told that John is raised in the wilderness (most likely by the communities of Essenes who lived in those surrounding regions of Judea) and were dedicated to protecting and foretelling the coming messiah. There is a Jewish legend (non canonical) in fact which suggests that during the Slaughter of Innocents by Herod (whom Zechariah served under as a priest) that Elizabeth took the baby John into the wilderness and hid with him in the cleft of a rock. It is said that Zechariah was killed refusing to reveal where his wife and baby were hidden. Whether (like Samuel), John was given to the Essenes to raise. Or whether Elizabeth and John found solace and protection in the wilderness, we don’t know for sure. But we do know that John remained in the wilderness regions until his public ministry began, and that he was obviously trained in the Essene-like eschatology and call for repentance and baptism that they upheld.^
We learn that Mary is inseminated 6 months into Elizabeth’s pregnancy and visits her, remaining with her the remaining 3 months until John’s birth. It is likely that her “Magnificat” was sung at the moment of John’s birth. Mary then returns to Nazareth, and she and Joseph plan to leave the region to protect her and their baby. They will reside in Joseph’s ancestral town –in Bethlehem.
Praise and prayers are an important part of these “first” stories. In fact, the metaphor of incense is all important to the prayer of Zechariah, answered by God. In the incense ritual, it was believed by the Jewish people that the peoples’ prayers enveloped within the holy smoke (olah) from the incense were carried by an angel to God in his heavenly sanctuary. The smoke rising represents the pillar of cloud signifying the presence of God. The presence of the angel Gabriel is therefore a sign that Zechariah’s prayer has been fulfilled.
The power of prayer is paramount to the story. And Zechariah’s surprise that the prayer rising in the smoke of incense is really heard is somewhat amusing. His punishment for second guessing God is to be muted. Perhaps God figures, if his prayers are only “lip service,” then so it shall be! Only when he “signs off” on God’s miracle at John’s ceremony, are his lips opened to utter the praise and worship that should have come as a result of the answered prayer 9 months before.
This “selah” ….is a necessary “pregnant pause” so that John can “learn,” be guided, be taught by God in the meantime the proper response –praise! In fact, the name, Yohanan, means “Yahweh has shown favor.” This is Elizabeth’s response!
Why pray to God if you don’t truly believe God has the power to answer it? It seems, Zechariah prayed for a son, but never truly expected his prayer to be fulfilled. In his hasty response, Zechariah acknowledged the facts and problems, but not at the majesty and mystery…the power of God!
Essentially, God muzzles Zechariah. How many of us too would love to put a “plus” into the mouth of those complaining against us, particularly when we are giving a treasured gift.
“He who restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding. Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.” (Proverbs 17:28)
The bottom line though –it isn’t Zechariah’s and Elizabeth’s righteousness that “earn” them a son. It’s God’s grace that gifts them with John –so that he might be a glory to God!
It’s all about glorifying God!
The wilderness for John is essentially too like a womb…a period of waiting…..a selah. He is the voice from the wilderness. And he will call all those exiled ……back into the Lord’s fold –all the lost sheep who have wandered. He will preach a gospel of repentance. The wilderness is John’s “selah” just as it was for Jesus as well for 40 days and nights. After that, both of them would live their lives completing God’s mission.
Selah is an interesting word and one appropriate to this time of “silence” before the time of praise and worship! It may have multiple definitions. Appearing primarily in the psalms, it’s exact definition is not known. However, as a musical mark, it probably means “stop and listen.” It’s a time to pause and “think on these things.” Another possible definition is to exalt, or praise the Lord, to lift up. Yet another is to “weigh….to reflect upon….measure carefully.” All of these may be part of the “pregnant moments” of contemplation before praising and exalting God!
When one thinks of the “selah” in this way, we see many examples in scripture. Even illnesses can be seen as a mere selah before the salvation/healing of God! In fact, Jesus frequently makes sure we understand that he is not making people well just for wellness sake, but so that attention can be called to the glory and power of God! So that God may be glorified is the answer to everything Jesus does. Blindness is a selah before sight. Deafness is a selah before hearing. Muteness, a selah before speech. This pregnant pause is a teaching moment, in which we may marinate in the ways of the Lord! And upon realizing God’s power and might, our lips may be opened solely so that we can praise God! What is the reaction of those Jesus heals? They worship loudly! Proclaim God mightily! The Lord gives us words, so that God may be glorified!
“Then the Lord said to him, “Who gives speech to mortals? Who makes them mute or deaf, seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you are to speak.” (Exodus 4:11-12)
Jesus himself had the power of God to silence or to give speech –one of the signs that he is indeed the messiah!
“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.” (Mark 4:39)
“And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.” (Luke 4:35)
The selah is a time when things quiet. Wisdom is imparted by God in the midst of the pause. And when the pause is over….may God be praised!
^See the Infancy Gospel of James for example. Note: In the Gnostic Pistis Sophia, Elizabeth is inseminated by the Holy Spirit and the baby infused with the soul of Elijah. This is a highly “spiritualized” explanation for John’s ministry.
The Jewish Encyclopedia names John the Baptist as an Essene. There is dispute as to what exactly John ate: locusts and honey. Some say, actual insects, although the preparation of the Mediterranean dish would seem unusual where John resided. Some say, the fruit pods from the carob (locust trees) which were prevalent in the wilderness areas. Some say, “honey cakes” which appear to be the correct translation according to the Ebionite version of the scriptures. Essenes were vegetarians. So it’s likely that it was one of the latter two options. The Essenes represented the “holiness movement” of the day. They were the hasya (pious) –the Hasidim. Important also to note is that many of the Hillel from the former Sanhedrin in Jerusalem fled from the growing Shammai into the wilderness to reside along with the Essenes. Menaheim the Essene in fact was the close companion of the Great Rabbi Hillel, whose “way” Jesus’ seems to have gleaned some of his theology from.