THE CHARACTERS OF CHRISTMAS -ZACHARIAS

We all love a good story. A well-crafted story contains a beginning, middle, and end. The plot keeps the reader engaged as conflict moves to resolution. However, it’s the characters in the story that give life to the plot. It’s the characters that readers connect with and remember long after a story is told. Stop and think about some of your favorite characters in a favorite story. You may be able to tell the setting and the plot pretty well, but if I ask you to tell me why you love a story, it’s probably not because of the setting. It’s the characters that draw you in.

There is no other time of year where the celebration of a season dramatically fills the air like Christmas. Yet the Nativity is a powerful story of how God gave the greatest gift of his Son for the salvation of sinful people. As God tells this great story, he uses characters that bring his story to life. 

For the next few weeks, we will engage with people as they listen to and obey God’s plan. There are moments when what God calls these people to do will appear impossible, but as we will see, obedience rules the day and the impossible becomes a reality.

First of all, I want to examine a characteristic of God that is quite exciting. God is very concerned with the birthing process.  He created life in such a way that each process we go through to give birth is intricately designed. 

In the scriptures, we see that God created Adam and Eve and the rest of the creatures, and then told them to go procreate to fill the earth. 

He blessed Abraham and Sarah in their old age and not only gave them a son when Abraham was 100 and Sarah was 90…not only that, He told Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the grains of sand.

When Leah persecuted Rachel for being barren, Rachel went to the temple to cry out before God. He heard her cry and soon she had Samuel.

The Shunamite woman was blessed with a son after years of being barren to honor her for how well she treated the man of God.

Throughout all time, God has blessed the barren with children. Today’s Christmas story is no different.

Zacharias was the the father of John the Baptist. While this character is not often associated with the birth of Christ, the baby he will be father to is the one who will go before the Lord to prepare his way. John will be born a few months ahead of Jesus and will go throughout the land preparing people for the coming Messiah. This story is not about John the Baptist, but is about what happens to Zacharias nine months before John is born.

What we will learn from Zacharias’ story is something we can relate to. When God shows up in life and calls us to a task, we sometimes believe we have a deficiency in completing the task God is calling us to. That deficiency can be a crutch and is used to deflect us away from God’s plan and to disqualify us from being used of God according to his plan. 

Whatever we think our deficiency might be, we must always remember that God has the power to work through us despite what we believe is a problem. Listen to how God impacts Zacharias’ life when he believed his deficiency would interfere with God’s plan.

Read Luke 1:5-7

Here learn some details concerning Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth. Luke tells us Zacharias was a priest in the division of Abijah. Now we learn in 1 Chronicles 24 that David organized the priests according to their appointed duties in their service in the temple, according to the procedure established by Aaron as the Lord commanded. Zacharias was in the eighth division of this structure established by David. Elizabeth was also in the line of Aaron. Both parents walked blamelessly according to the law. But they did not have any children because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

When God decides to include people in his plan, age is never an issue he considers. Scripture is filled with young and older people accomplishing his plan according to his will. We all need to keep an open mind to the Lord’s leading and never disqualify ourselves because of some apparent deficiency. Maybe you think your age, or a physical handicap disqualifies you from being used of God in life. You need to set that thinking aside and listen to the Lord’s instruction and allow him to work through an obedient attitude.

It was Zacharias’ turn to perform his duties as priest in the temple. As he had done many times before, he entered the Temple to the altar of incense to execute his duties as the people waited outside for him to return. During this normal routine, God decides to interrupt Zacharias’ duties with a very powerful message. God has an interesting way of taking normal routines in life and communicating his plan.

Read Luke 1: 8-12

As Zacharias is performing his priestly duties an angel of the Lord is standing to the right of the altar. As is typical in Scripture, when an angel appears to speak to a person, the first words from their mouth is “do not be afraid.” I think it’s safe to say that we would be afraid also if an angel showed up to give us a message from God. This is what God does and the angel communicates this powerful message to Zechariah.

Read Luke 1:13-17

We learn many things from this passage concerning John the Baptist. We are told he will be great before the Lord, and that he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb, demonstrating the sovereignty of God in salvation, and we learn the specifics of his ministry to prepare people for the coming Messiah.

As we engage with the angel’s communication, what comes into view is the importance of this character and the reason why he should be part of our Christmas story. Without John the Baptist, the prophetic Scriptures concerning his ministry would not be fulfilled, therefore, destroying the authority of God’s Word. 

Malachi 3:1  “Behold, I send My messenger, And he will prepare the way before Me. And the Lord, whom you seek, Will suddenly come to His temple, Even the Messenger of the covenant, In whom you delight. Behold, He is coming,” Says the Lord of hosts.

But God is executing his plan, in his time, with his people.

We read these biblical accounts of normal ordinary people interacting with God’s messengers and message. If we are not careful, we can accuse these people of not listening to what God has instructed. I often wonder how I would respond. I do not believe I would be joyfully jumping up and down because of what God was telling me in that dramatic moment. In fact, I might be tempted to run the other way or look for another sign to verify what God was telling me in that moment.

 Truth is, God does communicate to us  in many other ways, primarily through his Word. As we read and engage with God’s message to us, we must ask ourselves, “how obedient am I to his instructions?”

Read Luke 1: 18-20

Zacharias begins a conversation with the angel, who is identified as Gabriel and who makes this powerful, identifying statement “I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak with you and to bring you this good news” (1:19). Remember, angels are messengers dispatched by God and only communicate what God wants them to say.

When we hear Gabriel telling Zacharias what will happen, this becomes God’s personal message to Zacharias. He doesn’t jump for joy but wonders how the plan will happen. They are both advanced in years and Elizabeth is barren. The sign Gabriel gives Zacharias comes in the form of a mild rebuke. Zacharias will not be able speak for nine months, until the baby born.

Read Luke 1: 21-25

Zacharias’ time in the temple was longer than expected by the people because of this angelic conversation. When he finally emerges from the Temple, he is unable to speak. He returns home to Elizabeth where she conceives a child. 

When was the last time you sought God’s plan for your life? For Zacharias and Elizabeth, it appears that at some point they were praying for a child, and God would answer that prayer, but Zacharias would still wonder.

We do the same thing, we want to be used of God and when he gives us clarity concerning direction, we question his leading. As our prayers align to God’s will, his plan will be made clear in time and the only response is obedience, no matter how crazy the plan may appear. We try desperately to elevate a deficiency in life that we might use to disqualify us from a task God calls us to do. 

We can all relate to Zacharias’ action as God revealed his plan, perhaps you are there right now, questioning his direction in your life. Perhaps this task in your life is what God had wanted for you from before you were born. Embrace the task and obey without hesitation. Then watch what God will do in your life.

Read Luke 1:57-66

Nine months following Gabriel’s appearance to Zacharias in the temple, the day came when their child was born. People were gathered around Elizabeth, rejoicing with her. They finally had the child they were longing for, a son.

The birth of this child was truly the work of God, for Zacharias and Elizabeth were old and barren. This birth was nothing short of a miracle.We know the joy of birth, and the excitement others share with us in these moments, especially when conception has been difficult.

According to Jewish law, on the eighth day following birth and in accordance with the Lord, Zacharias and Elizabeth brought their child to be circumcised and to name him. It was common to name the child after his father. So, everyone expected this boy to be named Zacharias. However, as God had instructed them, Elizabeth and Zacharias name their boy John.

 People were confused at this name because no one in the family was named John. Since Zacharias could not speak, they motioned to him seeking to affirm this unique name.Zacharias responded, with what would be the first text message, by writing on a piece of paper, “His name is John”. At this moment, after nine months of silence, Zechariah was able to speak as he opened his mouth, he began by blessing God.

Read Luke 1: 67-79

The forerunner of the Messiah has been born and his task is set before him. As John grows and develops his life is prepared for a very important task, to prepare people for the Messiah’s appearance.

CONCLUSION

You may find yourself connecting to a character while being challenged. Zacharias was praying that God would give him and his wife a child. As he performed his duty as priest, God interrupted his task with a divine announcement. You may be praying for God’s leading in your life, and God is calling you to change jobs, not marry a person, or go into ministry. Maybe you are thinking as Zacharias did, how can this be? God knows about your life, what are you putting in that space that is causing you to miss out on God’s plan?

As we seek and pray for God’s will and plan in our lives, and we step out to obey regardless of what we think is a deficiency we begin to see the amazing work of God in our lives which causes us to magnify and glorify him, which is the ultimate purpose of his calling in our lives. May we look beyond our issues and trust God for his work to be done through our lives for his glory.

God is a birther…He wants to birth something in each one of us. He plants it deep: a dream, a passion, a purpose. It grows and matures inside of us while we prepare ourselves for that task. We’re spending time with God in study and worship; we’re learning from those who have gone before us. We are in the waiting room until the time is right.

What is God’s perfect will  and plan for your life? Have you pressed in to it, determined to push past the fear and self doubt? Are you willing to say Yes to whatever God wants of you?