Zechariah

When people say they were speechless after some shock, their silence probably didn’t last very long. In a minute or two they opened up with a torrent of talk. One of my Christmas heroes really was speechless—he literally was struck dumb by God to ponder the powerful angelic message that he didn’t believe.

The poor man may have thought that he would never utter another word as long as he lived. He submitted to God’s discipline without bitterness. But when the miracle child appeared, just as the angel Gabriel had promised, he showed to all, and to his God, that he fully grasped the great role his infant son would play in preparing the world for Mary’s even greater Son: “Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, ‘His name is John’” (Luke 1:62,63). Giving his baby the name the angel had foretold was a silent testimony that showed understanding, obedience, and trust in God’s revelation. God smiled from heaven and released his servant’s tongue.

What glorious praise then came out of his rusty mouth! The “Song of Zechariah” in Luke chapter 1 is an outburst of poetic faith and joy that his child would herald the ministry and work of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world.

When you read Zechariah’s story, your heart will jump for joy too.