Family Ties
by Mike
Stine
As children,
we would go over to friends’ houses to play. Some
families were like ours. Some families were much more
well to do than us. Some families had problems that were
very apparent. Nevertheless, we can’t do much about our
family. Unlike our friends, we only get one family and
we are stuck with them for life. This is a blessing or a
curse depending on what family you are in.
God has told us that he will bless the families that
honor him for a thousand generations. But those who do
not honor the Lord he will punish to the third and
fourth generation. While this is not a hard and fast
rule, we do see this played out, especially in the case
of David and his descendants. While the descendants of
David did not always follow God’s ways, he still
continued to be merciful to them because David was a
righteous man.
There is one family however that we find God blesses
tremendously. We don’t know much about the family as a
whole but only about two children. Why God chose this
family, we don’t know all the reasons why. What we do
know is that this family loved the Lord.
The story begins in Luke 1.
5 In the
days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest of
Abijah's division named Zachariah. His wife was from the
daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 Both
were righteous in God's sight, living without blame
according to all the commandments and requirements of
the Lord. 7 But they had no children because Elizabeth
could not conceive, and both of them were well along in
years. 8 When his division was on duty, and he was
serving as priest before God, 9 it happened that he was
chosen by lot, according to the custom of the
priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn
incense. 10 At the hour of incense the whole assembly of
the people was praying outside. 11 An angel of the Lord
appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of
incense. 12 When Zachariah saw him, he was startled and
overcome with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: Do not
be afraid, Zachariah, because your prayer has been
heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you
will name him John. 14 There will be joy and delight for
you, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will
be great in the sight of the Lord, and will never drink
wine or beer. And he will be filled with the Holy Spirit
while still in his mother's womb. 16 He will turn many
of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he
will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to
turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the
disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to
make ready for the Lord a prepared people. 18 "How can I
know this?" Zachariah asked the angel. "For I am an old
man, and my wife is well along in years." 19 The angel
answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence
of God, and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this
good news. 20 Now listen! You will become silent and
unable to speak until the day these things take place,
because you did not believe my words, which will be
fulfilled in their proper time." 21 Meanwhile, the
people were waiting for Zachariah, amazed that he stayed
so long in the sanctuary. 22 When he did come out, he
could not speak to them. Then they realized that he had
seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept making signs to
them and remained speechless. 23 And when the days of
his ministry were completed, he went back home. 24 After
these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and kept
herself in seclusion for five months. She said, 25 "The
Lord has done this for me. He has looked with favor in
these days to take away my disgrace among the people."
This is our
first look at the family. The first thing that we
discover is that Elizabeth was a direct descendant of
Aaron. Her husband Zachariah is a priest. There is a
good lineage as well as a good family currently. Today,
it would be the equivalent of being a descendant of
Martin Luther and being married to someone who worked
closely with Billy Graham on his crusades.
Not only does this sound like an ideal family, we also
learn that they are righteous in God’s sight.
Nevertheless, Elizabeth is unable to have children. Not
only this, but they are both beyond the years of having
children.
As Zachariah goes into the temple to offer incense an
angel of the lord appears to him. The news he brings is
that he and his wife will have a child. This will not be
just any child however, this will be a special child.
(More special than just a child born to a barren woman
past child bearing years.)
The child’s name will be John and he will be full of the
Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. John will
turn many people back to the Lord. Not only will he do
this, he will go in the power of Elijah and he will make
people ready for the coming of the Lord.
Zachariah does not believe this however, and asks how he
can be sure of this. He is given a sign that this is
from God as well as a punishment for his disbelief. He
is left unable to speak until John is born. When he
emerges from the temple, the other priests immediately
realize that he had seen a vision.
When Zachariah’s time of service was completed he
returned home and his wife became pregnant and remained
in seclusion for five months. She recognized the miracle
that was taking place and knew that it was the Lord who
had shown favor on her and had taken away her disgrace.
Luke then tells us the story of Mary and a similar visit
by the angel Gabriel. I won’t tell the whole story
because you are familiar with it. I will point how
Mary’s reaction is different from Zachariah’s at the
news. Zachariah says, “How can I be sure of this?” Mary
asks, “How can this be?” Both sound like questions of
disbelief, but this isn’t the case with Mary.
Zachariah wants proof of what has been promised. I would
like to think that if an angel came and spoke to me that
I’d be willing to believe anything he said. However, I
would likely be questioning my sanity and whether this
was truly happening, so perhaps asking for a sign isn’t
out of the question. After all, Gideon asked for several
signs before he was willing to act.
Mary’s question is not the same however. She wants to
know how this is going to happen. She doesn’t question
how it CAN happen, but simply how it will. Gabriel
answers both questions however. It will happen by the
power of the Holy Spirit. It can happen because it has
already happened with her relative Elizabeth. 1:36,
“Even Elizabeth, you relative is going to have a child
in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in
her sixth month.”
Mary rushed off to see her relative Elizabeth.
39 In those days Mary set out and hurried to a town in
the hill country of Judah, 40 where she entered
Zachariah's house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When
Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped inside
her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42
Then she exclaimed with a loud cry: Blessed are you
among women, and blessed is your offspring! 43 How could
this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should
come to me? 44 For you see, when the sound of your
greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped for joy inside
me! 45 Blessed is she who has believed that what was
spoken to her by the Lord will be fulfilled!"
When Mary hurries to her relative’s house the baby in
Elizabeth’s womb leaps. Remember that Gabriel told her
that the child while still in the womb would be full of
the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth is also filled with the Holy
Spirit and recognizes the miracle that is taking place.
She knows that Mary will bear the Messiah that the Jews
have long been waiting for. Although she herself was
barren and past child bearing years and is now pregnant
she still does not consider herself worthy “that the
mother of [her] Lord should come to [her].”
Mary stays with Elizabeth until the baby arrives.
56 And Mary stayed with her about three months; then she
returned to her home. 57 Now the time for Elizabeth to
give birth was completed, and she bore a son. 58 Then
her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had
shown her His great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.
59 When they came to circumcise the child on the eighth
day, they were going to name him Zachariah, after his
father. 60 But his mother responded, "No! He will be
called John." 61 Then they said to her, "None of your
relatives has that name." 62 So they motioned to his
father to find out what he wanted him to be called. 63
He asked for a writing tablet and wrote: His name is
John, and they were all amazed. 64 Immediately his mouth
was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak,
praising God. 65 Fear came upon all those who lived
around them, and all these things were being talked
about throughout the hill country of Judea. 66 All who
heard took them to heart, saying, "What then will this
child become?" For, indeed, the Lord's hand was with
him.
Elizabeth
gave birth to a son, just as Gabriel had told her
husband. This was a time for rejoicing. The neighbors
and relatives came and rejoiced with her. Yes, this was
a miracle that occurred, but everyone’s reaction was the
same as if this was normal. Any time a baby is born,
friends and family stop by to see the child. And
everyone celebrates.
On the eighth day the baby was taken to be circumcised
as was Jewish custom. It was at this time that the child
was named.
The people wanted the name the baby Zachariah after his
father but his mother knew that he should be called
John. However, there was no one else in the family by
that name. Ultimately, it was the father’s
responsibility to name the child. Zachariah wrote that
the baby should be called John.
At this moment his mouth was opened once again and he
began praising God. This caused a stir among all who saw
this and they talked about throughout the countryside.
And they also recognized that John would become great
because God’s hand was with him.
So we have a very special family that God chose to
bless. In some ways it may be very much like ours. In
others it may be very different. Nevertheless, they
loved the Lord and God chose to bless them for their
obedience in following him.
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