Thursday 24 December 2020

Psalm 80:1-11

Background

In order to understand today’s passage, we must turn back to Luke 1:5-23, when Zechariah was told by the angel Gabriel that his wife, Elizabeth, would bear a son whose name would be John. Zechariah was understandably shocked, not least because he and Elizabeth were both ‘getting on in years’ (1:18). Because Zechariah asked: ‘How will I know that this is so?’ (1:18) he was struck mute – "until the day these things occur" (1:20).

Perhaps this seems a little harsh. Mary, too, was perplexed when Gabriel delivered the news that she would have a son, and asked ‘How can this be?’ (1.34). However, in Mary’s case, Gabriel patiently answered her question.

Perhaps there is something in the settings in which these two encounters took place. Zechariah was a priest and had been chosen to enter the sanctuary of the Lord to offer incense. Although each of the 24 divisions of the priesthood served in the Temple for a week twice a year, there were so many of them that individual priests might enter the sanctuary of the Lord only once in their lifetime. As Zechariah worked, he was surrounded by the prayers of the people (1:10). Perhaps, then, he should have been a little less surprised to hear from God – and a little more ready to receive good news. In Jesus’ interactions with the religious leaders, he often seemed to hold them to a higher standard because of their knowledge of the Scriptures and the authority they assumed over other Jewish people (cf. John 9:39-41).

When Zechariah affirmed that the baby should be called John, he regained the power of speech. He was liberated when he stopped doubting or resisting and rejoiced in the prophecy that Gabriel had delivered. His song of praise (one of three in the birth narratives of Luke’s Gospel, together with Mary’s song in 1:46-55 and Simeon’s song in 2:28-32) draws on the language of the Exodus, in which God ‘visits’ his people in distress and leads them on a journey to liberation, so that they might be free to worship.

To Ponder:

• ‘Prayer in the Morning’ in The Methodist Worship Book (beginning on page 5) features the song of Zechariah (the Benedictus). If this isn’t your usual practice, try using these prayers each day for a week, and seeing how the words of Zechariah’s song strike you. What offers you comfort or challenge?
• Have you ever been surprised to receive an answer to prayer?
• How might Zechariah have felt, knowing his longed-for child was destined for such great things?