Zechariah prophesying over lil’ John the Baptist. From Jonathan Case

[This is part of a series on John The Baptist as Prophet. You can read the other posts here!]

I love the Advent season. It is a time of collective waiting, contemplating the arrival of Jesus’ birth. Advent is a time to marinate in the early story of Jesus, and I particularly appreciate Luke’s account. In Luke’s gospel alone are we introduced to the family of John the Baptist.

One of my favorite Advent devotionals is called Watch for the Light, and the introduction writes this about Advent: “Mother Teresa once noted that the first person to welcome Christ was John the Baptist, who leaped for joy on recognizing him, though both of them were still within their mother’s wombs. We, in start contrast, are often so dulled by superficial distractions that we are incapable of hearing any voice within, let alone listening to it.” There is something about Advent that calls me to slow down, and listen to the deep longings within me, the things I wait for.

The Parents of a Prophet

A series on John the Baptist would be incomplete without looking at John’s parents, who are all too familiar with waiting. Luke tells us at the time of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth, and “both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.” (Luke 1:6-7)

John’s parents were an interesting couple… devout, full of justice (as the greek word dikaios can also be translated), and also having experienced the suffering of being barren in a society that placed utmost importance and value on having offspring, particularly a boy. Childlessness was a sign of divine punishment and a source of shame to the Israelite community. Yet, Luke’s introduction encourages the readers’ respect and sympathy, and other biblical couples like Abraham and Sarah whisper hope into their bleak situation.

Zechariah is chosen (by God) to burn incense in the temple, and according to priestly tradition and rotation this would only be given to a specific priest once in their lifetime. During this momentous honor, Zechariah is visited by an angel, and thus begins the nativity story that is full of angelic encounters we’re familiar with. This particular encounter is lengthy, and full of directions to poor Zech, who is trembling with fear and full of doubt in the midst of this angelic conversation.

A Prayer Heard

The angel tells Zechariah that his prayer has been heard. In this simple statement, a deep and profound truth about what it means to follow God is spoken to us all.

The statement begs a question… what prayer has been heard? Maybe the obvious answer would be that Zechariah was praying for a son. But was he still praying for that? His blustering pushback on the Angel (never a good idea, we learn) that he is too old, and his wife is past that stage in life makes one think he gave up on that prayer a long time ago.

The religious answer would be that Zechariah was praying for a much bigger prayer, for all of Israel. Zechariah, along with all the other people gathered to pray at the temple that day and for the past 400 years, would have been praying for the Messiah to come and deliver Israel. This was the prayer that Zechariah probably “should” have been praying, as he carried out his sacred duty that day… potentially the pinnacle of his priesthood, when the weight of his chosen people rested on his shoulders and his prayers.

In that holy and important context, God chooses to reveal his plan to Zechariah… the first taste of the Incarnation, the very beginning of Jesus’ birth story. And yet those words would have touched an intimate, sorrowful, and painful place for Zechariah. They would have spoken to all of Zechariah’s failures, all his disappointments. Those words gave Zechariah the great Yes! To all the hopes and prayers he had given up on a long time ago.

And those words also did the same thing for the people of Israel, who were in the same stage collectively as Zechariah and Elizabeth, waiting and watching for a dream that seemingly died a long time ago. The Israelites were waiting for God’s deliverance through the Messiah as desperately and perhaps with as much doubt and disappointment as Zechariah and Elizabeth waited for a child.

This is what I love about Zechariah and Elizabeth’s story. The amazing, momentous redemption plan God had for the world in Jesus began with their tiny, sad story in waiting for a child. God made it so that Jesus would not come into the world before John paved strait paths for him. God allowed this barren woman to carry the child that would first welcome Jesus to the world, in utero. The deepest longing for Zechariah and Elizabeth was met through the baby John, and yet John’s arrival also met the deepest longing for the Jewish people and ultimately the world.

This is especially important for all those who work for the Lord to understand: our tiny, somewhat insignificant story gets wrapped up in God’s great story for the world. It does not get forgotten, left behind or brushed aside. In many ways, it becomes the key to unlock God’s Kingdom on earth. Did Zechariah and Elizabeth ever dream that their infertility would someday be turned into the triumphal entry of God’s Son on earth? Did Zechariah ever imagine that while he spoke prayers for Israel, God heard the deep prayers of his heart for a son, the prayers he stopped praying years ago… and that the answer would be one and the same?

The prophets all show us how their lives got wrapped up in God’s plan for his people and the world, from Hosea and his marriage to John and his birth. It may seem unfair, perhaps manipulative, but it also sets our story in a much bigger one, and perspective is often crucial in the midst of our own struggles.

My Struggle for a Child

This story continues to bring me comfort as my husband and I find ourselves in a similar place to Zechariah and Elizabeth. While we’re not as old (I hope!), we have prayed and waited for a child over the past years, and that process has been marked by grief for us.

Last year we decided to return to the conversation of adoption that we had started even before trying to get pregnant. I have wanted to adopt since before I can remember. We explored the private adoption process through recommendations of many difference friends of ours, and yet found ourselves drawn to the public process of adoption. This, we learned, starts with the foster system. Sitting in the orientation for the county foster program, our eyes were opened fully to the great tragedy and injustice that is our country’s answer to orphans and children in distress. We knew then that our small story of wanting a child was being wrapped up in the much bigger story of God’s redemption and provision for His children… his tiny, scared, abandoned or abused children in particular.

Had we never struggled through our process to have children, I don’t know if we would ever have engaged the foster system beyond hearing sad stories in the news. And yet now, our deepest cries for a child are wrapped up in much bigger cries for His Kingdom to come, His will to be done for all children, especially the vulnerable ones. And God’s answer, very different than what we expected, answers both.

As you travel down the path you find yourself on, take comfort in knowing that God envelops our own small dreams and hopes into a much bigger plan of redemption for the world. His answer always answers both, and our understanding of that can be used for powerful work in the world as prophets, evangelists, and apostles.

Have you experienced this in your life? How have your life experiences shaped your ministry? 

[This is part of a series on John The Baptist as Prophet. You can read the other posts here!]

Free APE Training Material

Sign up to receive our blog posts via e-mail and get instant access to our APE Library with videos, seminars, leaders notes, and more.

Email