Unbelief (Luke 1:5–25)

It was indeed a dark day for the nation of Israel. The people had heard no prophetic Word from God for 400 years, not since Malachi had promised the coming of Elijah (Mal. 4:5–6). The spiritual leaders were shackled by tradition and, in some instances, corruption; and their king, Herod the Great, was a tyrant. He had nine (some say ten) wives, one of whom he had executed for no apparent reason. But no matter how dark the day, God always has His devoted and obedient people.

I. A faithful and Fearful priest (vv. 5–17)

5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. 8 So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also 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 a people prepared for the Lord.”

A. Zacharias and Elizabeth were a godly couple who both belonged to the priestly line.

The priests were divided into twenty-four courses, and each priest served in the temple two weeks out of the year. In spite of the godlessness around them, Zacharias and Elizabeth were faithful to obey the Word of God and live blamelessly.

Their only sorrow was that they had no family, and they made this a matter of constant prayer. Little did they know that God would answer their prayers and give them, not a priest, but a prophet! And no ordinary prophet, for their son would be the herald of the coming King!

B. Zacharias was chosen to offer incense in the holy place.

The incense was offered daily before the morning sacrifice and after the evening sacrifice, about 3 o’clock in the afternoon. This was a high honor that was permitted to a priest but once in a lifetime. It was probably the evening offering that was assigned to Zacharias.

As Zacharias was doing the incense offering Gabriel appeared by the altar, Zacharias was frightened, for the angel’s appearance could have meant divine judgment. But then Gabriel said, “Do not be afraid” Imagine how excited Zacharias must have been when he heard that he and Elizabeth were to have a son!

Gabriel instructed him to name his son John (“Jehovah is gracious”) and to dedicate the boy to God to be a Nazarite all of his life. He would be filled with the Spirit before birth and would be God’s prophet to present His Son to the people of Israel. God would use John’s ministry to turn many people back to the Lord, just as Isaiah had promised

II. A faithless priest (vv. 18–22).

18 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.

A. Zacharias’ faith.

You would think that the presence of an angel and the announcement of God’s Word would encourage Zacharias’ faith, but they did not. Instead of looking to God by faith, the priest looked at himself and his wife and decided that the birth of a son was impossible.

He wanted some assurance beyond the plain word of Gabriel, God’s messenger, perhaps a sign from God. This, of course, was unbelief, and unbelief is something God does not accept. Zacharias was really questioning God’s ability to fulfill His own Word! Had he forgotten what God did for Abraham and Sarah? But before we criticize Zacharias too much, we should examine ourselves and see how strong our own faith is.

B. Faith is blessed, but unbelief is judged.

Zacharias did not believe; therefore he could not speak. When he left the holy place, he was unable to give the priestly benediction to the people, or even tell them what he had seen. Indeed, God had given him a very personal “sign” that he would have to live with for the next nine months.

Zechariah could not believe his eyes. This was too much for him to take in. Even in such an awesome situation, unbelief faces divine discipline. Gabriel announced it: You will not be able to tell anyone about this unparalleled experience. Be assured, our unbelief cannot stop God’s plans. His words will come true.

III. A favored priest (vv. 23–25).

23 So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. 24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

A. The week of priestly duty was over.

Zacharias must have had a difficult time completing his week of ministry, not only because of his handicap, but also because of his excitement. He could hardly wait to return “to the hill country” where he lived. He had news to share with his family, even if he must write it all out.

Gabriel’s word came true. Elizabeth became pregnant. What a surprise for her friends and all the townspeople! Elizabeth did not let anyone know. For five months she remained in seclusion. She was part of God’s great plan of salvation history. She waited until God was ready to make his plan known. Apparently, she gave up an expectant mother’s great joy—the joy of sharing her news—to wait for God’s timing.

B. God kept His promise and Elizabeth conceived a son in her old age.

Elizabeth declared, The Lord has done this for me. She suffered because of her husband’s silence and deafness. Still, she knew God was at work in her life.

Failure to bear children resulted in earthly disgrace. Failure to believe God resulted in inability to hear or speak. Acknowledging and obeying God swept away disgrace and resulted in praise. God was at work miraculously carrying out his plan of salvation. No other explanation can explain what happened to Zechariah and Elizabeth.