God Came Near: Two Men, Two Women and a Baby

It is 13 weeks until Christmas. Can you believe it? likely than not we are thinking about
things we would like for someone to give us for Christmas. But we are probably not
wishing for the sort of surprise Zechariah and Joseph received before the first Christmas.
In their own ways, both these men found themselves on a mission before either of them
knew what the mission was or how earth shaking its results would be. The mission was
not immediately obvious to either of them. Rather, it seems to have lurked and skulked
just out of sight, hidden in the every day events of mundane life. Zechariah was a Jewish
priest from the hill country of Judea
So, Zechariah spent his time helping the little community make decisions about
how to send their tithes to the temple in Jerusalem, keeping food from being
contaminated by contact with pollution of any sort, and overseeing the instruction of the
village boys in the basics of learning the laws of God by heart. If he lived in one of the
cities of refuge, he might have been one of the elders who heard the confessions of the
hopeless who came for protection from vengeance killing. Like many Jews of his day he
thought, if Israel just kept the law for one day, God would send Messiah! That is why
Lukes preface to the story of Zechariah has such a touch of sadness. Luke says of both
Zechariah and Elizabeth, They21 were both righteous in the sight of God, following22 all
the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.23 1:7 But they did not have a
child, because Elizabeth was barren,24 and they were both very old.25 Zechariahs
sadness is the sadness of all those people who struggle with desires and dreams that do
not fit the world as they know it. They desired a son; they lived blamelessly. The two
things just lie there quite uncomfortably together in the same heart, because we assume
21

tn Grk And they. Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins
sentences or clauses with and, and English style, which generally does not, (kai)
has not been translated here.
22
tn Grk walking in (an idiom for ones lifestyle).
sn The description of Zechariah and Elizabeth as following blamelessly was not to say
that they were sinless, but that they were faithful and pious. Thus a practical
righteousness is meant here (Gen 6:8; Deut 28:9).
23
tn The predicate adjective has the effect of an adverb here (BDF 243).
24
sn Elizabeth was barren. Both Zechariah and Elizabeth are regarded by Luke as
righteous in the sight of God, following all the commandments and ordinances of the
Lord blamelessly (v. 6). With this language, reminiscent of various passages in the OT,
Luke is probably drawing implicit comparisons to the age and barrenness of such famous
OT personalities as Abraham and Sarah (see, e.g., Gen 18:915), the mother of Samson
(Judg 13:25), and Hannah, the mother of Samuel (1 Sam 1:120). And, as it was in the
case of these OT saints, so it is with Elizabeth: After much anguish and seeking the Lord,
she too is going to have a son in her barrenness. In that day it was a great reproach to be
childless, for children were a sign of Gods blessing (cf. Gen 1:28; Lev 20:2021; Pss
127 and 128; Jer 22:30). As the dawn of salvation draws near, however, God will change
this elderly couples grief into great joy and grant them the one desire time had rendered
impossible.
25 25
tn Grk were both advanced in days (an idiom for old age).

that if we will live right and do the right thing, life will be fair and we will enjoy fulfilled
desires. But life is often unfair. At the same time, as a priest, Zechariah knew of the
priestly ideal: the call to see beyond the circumstances and deeper than the obvious to
offer the hopeless a refuge. Luke tells the story that Zechariah was on duty in Jerusalem.
He had been chosen for the honorable task of taking his turn in the Jerusalem temple to
burn incense in honor of the Lord. While there, he had a supernatural encounter with the
angel Gabriel.
1:8 Now26 while Zechariah27 was serving as priest before God when his division
was on duty,28 1:9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood,29 to
enter30 the holy place31 of the Lord and burn incense. 1:10 Now32 the whole crowd33 of
people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering.34 1:11 An35 angel of the
Lord,36 standing on the right side of the altar of incense, appeared37 to him. 1:12 And

26 26

tn Grk Now it happened that. The introductory phrase (egeneto, it

happened that), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in
contemporary English and has not been translated.
27 27
tn Grk he; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
28 28
tn Grk serving as priest in the order of his division before God.
sn Zechariahs division would be on duty twice a year for a week at a time.
29 29
tn Grk according to the custom of the priesthood it fell to him by lot. The order of
the clauses has been rearranged in the translation to make it clear that the prepositional
phrase (kata to ethos ts hierateias, according to the custom
of the priesthood) modifies the phrase it fell to him by lot rather than the preceding
clause.
30 30
tn This is an aorist participle and is temporally related to the offering of incense, not
to when the lot fell.
31 31
tn Or temple. Such sacrifices, which included the burning of incense, would have
occurred in the holy place according to the Mishnah (m. Tamid 1.2; 3.1; 57). A priest
would have given this sacrifice, which was offered for the nation, once in ones career. It
would be offered either at 9 a.m. or 3 p.m., since it was made twice a day.
32 32
tn Grk And, but now better represents the somewhat parenthetical nature of this
statement in the flow of the narrative.
33 33
tn Grk all the multitude. While assembly is sometimes used here to translate
(plthos), that term usually implies in English a specific or particular group of
people. However, this was simply a large group gathered outside, which was not unusual,
especially for the afternoon offering.
34 34
tn The hour of the incense offering is another way to refer to the time of sacrifice.
35 35
tn Grk And an angel. Because of the difference between Greek style, which often
begins sentences or clauses with and, and English style, which generally does not,
(de) has not been translated here.
36 36
tn Or the angel of the Lord. Linguistically, angel of the Lord is the same in both
testaments (and thus, he is either an angel of the Lord or the angel of the Lord in both
testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, Angels,
DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for an angel in both testaments: Christology and
The Angel of the Lord, Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 32435.

Zechariah, visibly shaken when he saw the angel,38 was seized with fear.39 1:13 But the
angel said to him, Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard,40 and
your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you41 will name him John.42 1:14 Joy and
gladness will come43 to you, and many will rejoice at44 his birth,45 1:15 for he will be great
in the sight of46 the Lord. He47 must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled
with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.48 1:16 He49 will turn50 many of the people51 of

37 37

sn This term is often used to describe a supernatural appearance (24:34; Acts 2:3;
7:2, 30, 35; 9:17; 13:31; 16:9; 26:16).
38 38
tn The words the angel are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects
were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
39 39
tn Or and he was afraid; Grk fear fell upon him. Fear is common when
supernatural agents appear (1:2930, 65; 2:9; 5:810; 9:34; 24:38; Exod 15:16; Judg
6:2223; 13:6, 22; 2 Sam 6:9).
40 40
tn The passive means that the prayer was heard by God.
sn Your prayer has been heard. Zechariahs prayer while offering the sacrifice would
have been for the nation, but the answer to the prayer also gave them a long hoped-for
child, a hope they had abandoned because of their old age.
41 41
tn Grk a son, and you; (kai) has not been translated. Instead a semicolon is
used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
42 42
tn Grk you will call his name John. The future tense here functions like a
command (see ExSyn 56970). This same construction occurs in v. 31.
sn Do not be afraidyou must call his name John. This is a standard birth
announcement (see Gen 16:11; Isa 7:14; Matt 1:21; 31).
43 43
tn Grk This will be joy and gladness.
44 44
tn Or because of.
45 45
tn At his birth is more precise as the grammatical subject (1:58), though at his
coming is a possible force, since it is his mission, as the following verses note, that will
really bring joy.
46 46
tn Grk before.
47 47
tn Grk and he; because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the
conjunction (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is
begun in the translation.
48 48
tn Grk even from his mothers womb. While this idiom may be understood to refer
to the point of birth (even from his birth), 41 suggests that here it should be understood
to refer to a time before birth.
sn He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. This is the language of the
birth of a prophet (Judg 13:5, 7; Isa 49:1; Jer 1:5; Sir 49:7); see 1:41 for the first
fulfillment.
49 49
tn Grk And he. Here (kai) has not been translated because of differences
between Greek and English style.
50 50
sn The word translated will turn is a good summary term for repentance and denotes
Johns call to a change of direction (Luke 3:114).
51 51
tn Grk sons; but clearly this is a generic reference to people of both genders.

Israel to the Lord their God. 1:17 And he will go as forerunner before the Lord52 in the
spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the
disobedient to the wisdom of the just,53 to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for
him.
As Zechariahs sheer terror faded into fear and finally into mild curiosity, the cold
underlying cynicism and doubt and background mistrust of God came to the foreground.
We need to listen to our hearts for the background feeling that is there. Most of us never
take time to hear our hearts this way. In that place where disappointment or anxiety or
condemnation gathers like that shadows in the night we can just hear the heart beat of the
dreams and the desires that seem to have led us to the place of defeat or perhaps of hope.
1:18 Zechariah54 said to the angel, How can I be sure of this?55 For I am an old
man, and my wife is old as well.56 1:19 The57 angel answered him, I am Gabriel, who
stands58 in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring59 you this
good news. 1:20 And now,60 because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled
in their time,61 you will be silent, unable to speak,62 until the day these things take
place.
And so Zechariah was introduced to the spiritual discipline of silence. It might be
fun if we remind ourselves of Zechariahs silence from time to time by inserting into the
action. And Zechariah said In fact the two men (this man and Joseph) who have
more than bit parts in the narrative of Jesus birth are unusually silent. Now, silence is
most usually associated with females in Scripture. This is not because God so wills it, but
because in the cultures of the Bible, males usually dominated and women were socially
invisible. Luke opens his story full of the context of the empire of Rome and angelic
visitation from the heavenly court of Gods imperial rule and Luke makes the women
very talkative. We get to see into their hearts. It is the women who are empowered first
to speak words of faith, hope, and joy for Israel. But that is another sermon. Zechariah
52 52

tn Grk before him; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for
clarity.
53 53
sn These two lines cover all relationships: Turn the hearts of the fathers back to their
children points to horizontal relationships, while (turn) the disobedient to the wisdom of
the just shows what God gives from above in a vertical manner.
54 54
tn Grk And Zechariah. Here (kai) has not been translated because of
differences between Greek and English style.
55 55
tn Grk How will I know this?
56 56
tn Grk is advanced in days (an idiom for old age).
57 57
tn Grk And the. Here (kai) has not been translated because of differences
between Greek and English style.
58 58
tn Grk the one who is standing before God.
59 59
tn Grk to announce these things of good news to you.
60 60
tn Grk behold.
61 61
sn The predicted fulfillment in the expression my words, which will be fulfilled in
their time takes place in 6366.
62 62
sn Silent, unable to speak. Actually Zechariah was deaf and mute as 1:6163
indicates, since others had to use gestures to communicate with him.

could not speak, he could only grunt or make signs or write down short messages to
express, ever so briefly, what he could fit on a small tablet. And it seems to have been
just what the doctor ordered.
Prov. 11:12 Whoever belittles another lacks sense,
but an intelligent person remains silent.
The proverb is not very clear on whether the intelligence produces the silence or
vice versa.
But I have noticed that, when anxiety, doubt, fear, frustration, cynicism or any
other negative emotion takes over as the background noise in our heart, it is most often
necessary to become silent so that we can hear the voice of God and experience his
peace.
Psa. 4:4
When you are disturbed, do not sin;
ponder it on your beds, and be silent.
Psa. 65:7

You silence the roaring of the seas,

the roaring of their waves,
the tumult of the peoples.
We, men and women, are enfleshed yearning. Augustine wrote in his
autobiography called The Confessions: God, you have made us for yourself, and our
hearts are restless till they find their rest in you. My mother used to tell me, Yancy,
think before you speak. It was a very difficult lesson, so difficult I am still working on
it. When I was very young I was first attracted to my wife, Lanette, not only because her
beauty caught my eye, but her quietness intrigued my soul. Silent waters run deep. The
times are too numerous to count when I have heard the word of God coming out of my
wifes mouth, saving me from untold harm with her gentleness and clarity. Someone one,
a woman at my church, said: Take a couple of months to practice silence. I dont mean
that you should not talk to anyone at all, but that you take the time to refrain from
offering your opinions about things, so that you can wait and hear the Lords opinion.
That kind of silence is more precious than gold, because it is the silence of faith that
endures the most difficult of trials. Men, especially loud men like myself, would do well
to imitate such women.
21 Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his
delay in the sanctuary. 22 When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they
realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and
remained unable to speak. 23 When his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
And Zechariah said,
God came near to Zechariah, whose job it was to give opinions about all sorts of
matters having to do with holiness and uncleanness and God: to speak to God for people
and to people for God. God made him quiet and this silence prepared him for his mission.
And Zechariah said
24 After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she
remained in seclusion. She said, 25 This is what the Lord has done for me when he
looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.
And Zechariah replied,
Joseph was a construction worker from the tribe of Judah, most likely a
stonemason but probably handy with all sorts of tools. The family was from Bethlehem in

Judea, but Nazareth was a bedroom community for the Jewish workers who were
building the nearby Gentile city of Sephoris. Zechariah and Joseph both bore the names
of famous Maccabean insurgents who had helped overthrow Gentile rule only a century
and a half before. Their parents had named them as a sort of hope for the future. The
very air seemed charged with piety toward God and Jewish tradition, resistance to Gentile
ways, and hatred toward Herod the King, the Greeks and especially the Romans. There is
not much in scripture about Joseph, Jesus human father.
The next part of the story involves Elizabeths niece, Mary and an angel who
must deliver a message to this young girl about the power of God.
It is an odd story, yet so like every one of our stories with God, where our
salvation seems to hang from the thinnest thread. In his book, Peculiar Treasures (p. 39),
Frederick Buechner imagines what Gabriel might have contemplated as he waited for
Marys answer. Mary seemed to the angel Gabriel, he writes, as hardly old enough to
have a child at all, let alone this child, but hed been entrusted with a message to give her,
and he gave it. He told her what the child was to be named, and who he was to be, and
something about the mystery that was to come upon her. You musnt be afraid, Mary,
he said. And as he said it, he only hoped she wouldnt notice that beneath the great,
golden wings, he himself was trembling with fear to think that the whole future of
creation hung now on the answer of a [very young] girl. Mary ends up impossibly
pregnant out of wedlock. And even though Mary knew the truth about the pregnancy,
how could she get anyone to possibly believe her.
In Luke Joseph only has a small part and utters no words. Nor does Luke allow
him even a thought or a perspective. We have to turn to the gospel of Matthew to learn
that Joseph was a righteous man and that he was contemplating ending the engagement
with Mary secretly.
Matt. 1:19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose
her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly.
So she ran away to her auntie, who lived about 60 miles away. But notice that
Josephs dilemma is suffered in silence. His sense of what is right made him bite his
tongue. He did not use Marys misfortune or even what he considered Marys sin as a
chance to promote his own honor or defend the the honor of his family or of Israel.
Rather, he remained silent and in the silence of sleep he was able to hear Gods opinion.
The gospels leave us to imagine the crisis, the consternation, the confusion and
the complete shame when he found out that Mary was pregnant and he knew the child
was not his. Matthew quickly puts those thoughts out of our minds by telling us that:
20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him
in a dream and said, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife,
for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are
to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. 22 All this took place to
fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
Matt. 23
Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means, God is with us.
As Luke tells the story, Elizabeth and Mary greet one another and the moment is
so electric with the prophetic presence of God that even the baby who would later

become the prophet John the baptist was filled with the Spirit in her womb lept in the
drama of it all. But like Joseph, Zechariah is silent. The baby in Elizabeth leaps, she
prophesies, Mary, pregnant out of wedlock, prophesies after having walked from about
60 miles away her Uncle Zechariahs and aunt Elizabeths house, but Zechariah takes no
role at all. In fact his silence is the mark of some of the wisest spiritual leadership
recorded in Scripture. There is spiritual promise this discipline:
Is. 30:15
For thus said the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel:
In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.
Is. 32:17
The effect of righteousness will be peace,
and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever.
Psa. 27:14
Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!
It is true that there is a fools silence, a silence that makes fools seem wise.
Prov. 17:28

Even fools who keep silent are considered wise;

when they close their lips, they are deemed intelligent.
But more likely than not even a fool will learn a thing or two if he remains silent. In
silence he can first appear to be wise and later actually become wise.
I am an extrovert, a preacher, a teacher; I gain my bread by using words,
translating, reading, and talking. I live in a sea of words as I suspect you do as well, to a
great extent. I think I have spent hours talking in order to find my own voice and even to
find out what I think. And so I recoil from silence, and I end up saying way too much
way too often. Often my sermon preparation is to grasp moments of inspiration, bits of
this or that and string them together loosely. But for this sermon I was challenged to sit a
day out, largely passed in silence and to write down every word that I believe God wants
me to say. I have been hearing God inviting me into the quiet place, the place of silence.
Maybe you have too. Or maybe it is different for you, because you have been silent in
fear and dismay or depression and you need to break the stranglehold of fears and regrets
and powerlessness first before you can find the productive silence in which God is
speaking. That silence of dismay is no real silence at all, but a echo chamber of
condemnation. It is high time to break the external silence so that you can get to the peace
and eternal silence of Gods heart.
The silence of Zechariah and Joseph is a wonderful silence because it allowed
these two men the spiritual spaciousness to recognize that their own point of view,
clouded by doubt, confusion, pain, frustration, anger, or shame was not the only way to
view a young, out of wedlock mother to be. The ancient world was so addicted to a
certain view of honor, that the dishonor of an out of wedlock pregnancy brought down
swift condemnation and retribution. Few questions were asked. Instead of practicing what
might have been an honor killing, which would also have been an abortion of God made
flesh, these two men were converted and they became protectors of the Word become a
fetus. They found their mission, their answer to the deepest longings in their hearts in the
presence of what would otherwise have been a colossal embarrassment. We practice

silence when we seek counsel, when we listen to a sermon, a brother or a sister, when we
allow another to correct our thinking or simply show us another way of seeing. Now,
when our own words bring us to tears, it is often because we have talked ourselves into
self-pity. But when our listening, observing silence brings us to tears, it is quite often
another matter; it is sometimes because we are listening to what God is saying in our
daily lives. I love the words of Zechariah after all those the months of silence. We can tell
what he had been hearing from God and how he had been listening because we have
point A when he wasnt hearing and we have point B after he listened in the story itself.
Point A was erupted in fretful, cynical, sarcastic words of unbelief: How will I know
that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years (Luke 1:18) But
then we have point B, (Luke 1:67ff). As his lips began to form the words and his voice
took to prophetic cadence and song, I see the scene as one of great laughter and joy. I
imagine that with each line the astonished people watching him, must have first been
caught up short in silent contemplation that slowly made them bend over in the most
hilarious laughter possible to human beings.
Then [the babys] father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this
prophecy:
68
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them.
69
He has raised up a mighty savior for us
in the house of his servant David,
70
as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
71
that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all
who hate us.
72
Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,
and has remembered his holy covenant,
73
the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham,
to grant us
74 that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies,
might serve him without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
76
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
by the forgiveness of their sins.
78
By the tender mercy of our God,
the dawn from on high will break upon us,
79
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Between those two points, Zechariah silently bowed the knee to God and to the
Messiah. At some point in time Zechariahs angel and his aged, pregnant wife, and the
prospect of being a father at 70 or 80 years was all too much and he broke out into
laughter or grateful tears. Joseph went to bed an unbeliever and woke up as protector of
the Almighty God wrapped in the flesh of a small, quivering fetus. When he saw Mary
next I imagine that he was completely undone. Such changes are born in the silence

where God whispers our name and we discover who we are and why we were put here on
planet earth.
Psa. 37:7
Be still before the LORD, and wait patiently for him;
do not fret over those who prosper in their way,
over those who carry out evil devices.
Psa. 46:10

Be still, and know that I am God!

I am exalted among the nations,
I am exalted in the earth.
I dont know how it happens, but it can happen again today. Jesus is here, sharing his
heart. He put off the trappings of almighty power and honor and he came down, he came
near to us. God has dirt under his finger nails and mud on his hands, because he loves
you. Holy God became a mortal human being, because he loves you. He taught us a
better way to live, to live with his life in us, with his heart forward, with his wisdom, with
his voice ringing in our silence so that we can tell it in the streets. Because he loves you,
he turned down the Crown that the devil offered him, he faithfully served Gods purposes
and he suffered the rejection of his own people and went to a painful execution on the
cross. He didnt look anything like a king hanging there between heaven and earth, but he
is king nonetheless, because again and again he is crowned in the hearts of those who
believe in him. And that inward coronation takes place among confession, and tears, and
great laughter.
Life group questions:
1. Can you think of a time when silence allowed you to see something you might
have missed otherwise?
2. Do you suffer in silence? Is there something that has been wrapped in silence that
you need to confess for your own good, so you can have the peaceful silence and
stillness of knowing God.
3. Take five minutes to practice silence and hear God about who you are and why
you are here on earth.
Extra note: Priests had their ancestral inheritance in 48 cities of Israel, scattered
through out the land. God effectively spread their priestly influence among the people.
Part of the plan involved 6 cities designated as cities of refuge (Num 35; Deut 4:41-43,
19:1-13; Josh 20). The establishment of the cities of refuge speaks of Gods grace and
mercy both then and now. The cities of refuge were for the hopeless. The common
practice was for a person to take matters into his own hands in revenge. For example, if
someone accidentally killed someone, the family or friends were expected to pursue the
killer without mercy and kill him. One can imagine how lesser accidents could result in
death. For example if a girl ended up pregnant and she lived in a town she was had to be
stoned because, it was assumed that she didnt cry out and if she didnt cry out, she was
guilty of sexual sin. The honor of the family was sullied and what we call an honor
killing might be the result. But the cities of refuge offered hope for the hopeless. The
cities of refuge were places of easy access. They were placed so that no one in Israel
would be more than a days journey from one of the cities (Josh 20:7-8). The roads to the
cities were built to be twice as wide as other roads and carefully maintained. No

stumbling blocks were placed in the way of those seeking refuge. Cities of refuge were
places of openness and honesty. Before anyone could be admitted to the city, the person
had to be willing to confess his sin to the elders of the city (Josh 20:4). Scripture says that
everything in the OT is fulfilled in Christ (Matt 5:17). The imagery of the cities of refuge
is used in Hebrews 6:17-20. Jesus Christ is pictured as the One in whom we find refuge
and have hope. Since the church is the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:27), intended to function
as His hands and feet and to do what Christ did (Eph 5:1), then we as the body of Christ
must become a refuge. We are in a time of needing to minister to wounded people who
are hurting emotionally and spiritually like never before. The church has to become an
unqualified safe haven, a place of help, hope and healing for all who come.