In our first installment, we took a look at the shepherds. Last time we considered the Magi. Now it is time to learn from the story of Zechariah.
Zechariah has been in the shadow of his famous son – John the Baptist. John certainly is an important character. But Zechariah was a man who had waited a long time, and so we can benefit from his story as we wait.
First note that Zechariah was “getting on in years.†And he and his wife Elizabeth were childless. In our culture, childlessness has a definite sting. Many modern day parents long for a child to be given to them. But in Zechariah’s day the burden was even greater – especially for the women. To be childless was a curse, possibly for having committed some grievous sin. The text, however doesn’t leave this as an option, for they both were “righteous before God†(1:6).
Are you suffering some kind of affliction? Are thing especially hard for you? It is possible that it is because you have done something that causes the heartache, but it is not necessarily the case. It might be just the randomness of life; or it could be that God has something for you in the midst of it. [Read more…] about Supporting Cast to the Christmas Story: Zechariah