God’s faithfulness did not depend on Zechariah’s.
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them… Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors and has remembered his holy covenant.”
I have empathy for Zechariah’s unbelief. He will often be remembered due to his unbelieving silence. Isn’t that the journey for most of us, though? He got to the place where he was able to center God in his story and declare that in spite of his faithlessness, God remained faithful. God had remembered his people. God was the promise-maker and promise-keeper of this God-ordained covenant. God’s faithfulness did not depend on Zechariah’s.
It must have been an uncomfortable silence for Zechariah when he got home after performing his priestly duties. I wonder if his face looked like he had seen a ghost. Elizabeth may have said, “Oh hard day at work? Do you want to talk about it? That bad, huh?”—only to be met with silence and surprise in her husband’s eyes. Having been the daughter of priests and married to priests, I wonder if she knew that life serving God sometimes leaves you, well, speechless.
I have empathy for Zechariah’s unbelief. The angel declares that due to his unbelief at the angelic annunciation, he would be rendered unable to speak until the day when these things take place, which would be fulfilled at their proper time. It’s not that Zechariah had not been thinking about this. He actually had been petitioning for a child even as the angel confirmed that God had heard his prayers. However, revelation is a hard gift to receive even when we get what we have asked for. Revelation requires our response, a full embodied response.
Zechariah entered into a forced silent prayer retreat for the term of Elizabeth’s pregnancy. I wish I could have talked to him about what happened during those months. John is finally born at the time that the angel is pronounced. John, which means “God is gracious”. It was the moment when Zechariah grabbed the tablet and wrote that the baby’s name would be: “His name is John.” It was at this moment, at once, that his tongue was loosed and began to praise God in song. It was in the naming when silence and singing kissed. A naming that was an act of believing.
I have empathy for Zechariah’s unbelief. He will often be remembered due to his unbelieving silence. Isn’t that the journey for most of us, though? He got to the place where he was able to center God in his story and declare that in spite of his faithlessness, God remained faithful. God had remembered his people. God was the promise-maker and promise-keeper of this God-ordained covenant. God’s faithfulness did not depend on Zechariah’s.
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