THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
Announcement of the Birth of John: Lk 1,5-25
In verse 5, the evangelist becomes the storyteller. The prologue was personal ("I"), now he tells the story. At once we are into the atmosphere of the Old Testament. In the Greek, Luke is actually imitating the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament. "In those days" is a typical biblical phrase. By doing this, Luke is stressing continuity with the past. His message will be fulfilment of the past (1,1), not a break with it.
To this, Luke adds the name of the ruler, Herod the Great, king of Judaea. This has the effect of anchoring the story in a particular time (about 6 BC) and place. This story took place "in those days", not "once upon a time".
The priestly orders are described in detail in the books of Chronicles. Zechariah's wife Elizabeth was we are told a descendant of the priest Aaron.
The Old Testament atmosphere continues as we hear that Elizabeth is barren. There are a number of special births in the Old Testament we need to consider. Sarah, Abraham's wife, would be the most important, Gen 16,1; 18,9-15. Also important is the mother of Samson, Judges 13,2. Rather different as she was not old but not irrelevant is Hannah, mother of Samuel, 1 Sam 1,2.5.
That Zechariah was chosen by lot in verse 8 is a sign of divine choice. This may well have been a once in a lifetime event for a priest like Zechariah.
His duties would have included the daily offering of incense (Ex 30,7-8). Incense is a sign of prayer rising before God (Ps 141,2), the people outside are praying (verse 10) and will be the necessary witnesses of Zechariah's experience (verse 21).
"Angel" means "messenger" so they are messengers for God; I gave Hagar's angel as an example (Gen 16,7).
John as described in verse 15 would be a nazirite following Numbers 6,2-4 and like Samson in Judges 13,5. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, called from his mother's womb as was Jeremiah (Jer 1,5).
The mission of the child, verse 16, would be that of repentance, turning Israelites back to God, much like Elijah. Instead of Malachi's parallel line of turning hearts of children to their parents (Mal 4,6), the role of John will be turning the disobedient back to righteousness (verse 17).
Both Abraham and Moses protested about their role. Zechariah however gets a judgement from the angel who is now identified as Gabriel, known from the book of Daniel. His message is good news, a theme that will echo through these chapters as the two children are born. These are chapters which echo with joy (1,14).
It is possible that Zechariah's muteness is a way of silencing him until the appropriate moment when he responds to the good news of his son's birth with his canticle.
There is an immediate fulfilment of the angel's message before the crowd in verses 21 and 22.
The scene concludes in verses 24 and 25 with Elizabeth awaiting her child.
As we read through this scene, the echoes and allusions to the Old Testament have been numerous. Even in translation, the biblical atmosphere is only too clear.
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