Elizabeth and Zechariah – taken from Celebrating Christmas
Luke begins his account of the nativity of Jesus in what might seem a rather surprising way. We are introduced to Zechariah, a priest in the temple at Jerusalem at the time of Herod the Great, and his wife Elizabeth, whose name means ‘My God has sworn an oath’. Against every expectation they become parents as Elizabeth gives birth to John, who will subsequently bear the title of the Baptist, a man who plays a very significant role in preparing the way for the ministry of Jesus.
Luke takes care to mention what might be called ‘the qualifications’ of both Zechariah and Elizabeth. Both are from priestly families that go back to Aaron, a man who was prophet, priest and brother of Moses, and both are ‘righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly’ (Luke 1:6). They are, however, childless – we are told that ‘Elizabeth could not conceive’ – and are both very old. In this sort of culture, childlessness is a source of shame because it not only brings the risk of unsupported poverty in old age but marks the end of the all-important family line. Sadly, the burden of this shame inevitably falls on the woman and, indeed, Elizabeth refers to her childlessness as ‘her disgrace’ in Luke 1:25. Nevertheless, despite their age, the couple continue to pray for a child.
As Zechariah is performing his appointed duty as a priest in the temple in Jerusalem, an angel – Gabriel – appears and says his prayers have been heard and that Elizabeth will bear a son who will ‘make ready a people prepared for the Lord’ (Luke 1:17). Zechariah expresses some scepticism about this and as a result Gabriel takes away his power of speech. The mute Zechariah returns home and Elizabeth becomes pregnant, remaining in seclusion for five months.
Elizabeth now plays a significant role in relation to Mary, to whom she is related (tradition says that they were cousins, but the Greek simply means a ‘relative’). In Nazareth, Mary is told of Elizabeth’s pregnancy possibly as an encouragement that, after centuries of silence, God is now once more acting in power for his people. Mary heads southwards to Judea to visit Elizabeth and at their encounter we read that the baby leapt in Elizabeth’s womb and she was ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’. In Luke’s two-volume work – the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles – Elizabeth is the first individual to be ‘filled with the Holy Spirit’. Empowered by the Spirit, Elizabeth blesses Mary and the child and says, ‘But why am I so favoured, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy’ (Luke 1:43-44).
Mary stays with Elizabeth for three months before returning to Nazareth. The focus of the gospel now shifts back to Elizabeth’s own pregnancy as amid great joy and celebration amongst family and friends she gives birth to a son. Zechariah is still silent but when the decision is taken, in accordance with tradition, to name the child after his father, Elizabeth boldly intervenes saying that ‘he is to be called John’.
