Call Him John (Luke 1.5-25)

Introduction

I’m going to start with a little quiz. Are you ready? Right. What do the following people have in common? Peter the Great, Catherine the Great, Alexander the Great, Napoleon the Great and Herod the Great. Answers on a postcard please… actually, the answer is that none of them were great, as we'll see.

The last of these five so-called “Greats” – Herod was king of the Roman province of Judea at the time Jesus was born and therefore he is in the background to the story. He as half Jew, half Edomite, mixed race – which was never going to work in a place like Israel - and he worked for the Romans which made it worse. He was a client king, a puppet with Caesar Augustus pulling all the strings. Why was he called “the Great”? Because he was a visionary architect. He built amazing palaces and monuments, and harbours, and amphitheatres and breathtaking places of worship including the temple in Jerusalem.

If you go Jerusalem today, nearly all of Herod’s temple is gone. Only the Wailing Wall remains. Jesus said it would be destroyed. Jesus was right. Jesus is always right. But we don’t need the temple anymore as a meeting place between God and man. We have Jesus and we can encounter God through faith in him. 

But Herod, besides being a great visionary, was paranoid and obsessive and controlling. He murdered his own wife and two of his own sons when he suspected they had secret ambitions for his throne.

He killed lots of people. Anyone who stepped out of line was suppressed, anyone who threatened his position was ruthlessly eliminated. He tried to kill Jesus when he was a baby, as we know. He was a megalomaniac.

So when Luke says in v5 that this happened in the time of Herod, king of Judea, he’s talking about desperate days ruled by terror.

But the story is not about Herod. The world calls him “Great” because the world is impressed by power and status and wealth and achievement. But the Bible never calls him “Great” because according to God he wasn’t.

Instead, in v15 it says John the Baptist “will be great” – this hermit who came from a nothing family, ate locusts, lived rough, wore unfashionable clothes, was abrasive in public, and died young. But he was great because his whole life pointed to Jesus. That’s true greatness in God’s eyes.

Does your life point to Jesus? That’s how you achieve greatness for God, and the clearer you point, the greater you are. Herod never pointed to Jesus; he pointed to himself and in God’s eyes he is utterly insignificant.

Zechariah

This story is not about Herod though. It’s about an old priest called Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth.

What do we know about Zechariah? First, he’s a nobody, married to Mrs. nobody, from nowhere important. His provincial village might have a population of about 100, maybe less. He’s nothing special.

But one day (v8-9) his number comes up. He gets a sacred, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Out of the blue, his name is drawn by lot, out of 20,000 priests, and if your name is chosen, you get to go in to the inner sanctuary of Herod’s temple, empty a brazier of ash from yesterday’s incense offering and light the censer for a new one.

And then, after that, that’s it. Your name is removed forever from the list of available priests. So it’s probably the highlight of his career. It’s a great privilege. It’s like getting a chance to meet the Queen or appear on TV. This is a big day. But Zechariah is a nobody who gets lucky one day.

Secondly, v7 says that he and his wife Elizabeth are childless. All they ever wanted was to be able to be parents. But years go by. All the friendly talk about the patter of tiny feet dries up. Years, and then decades, pass. The clock ticks ever faster and eventually it becomes obvious. They can’t have any children. Elizabeth slowly advances beyond childbearing age. They’re devastated. They’re heartbroken.

But look, it also says in v6 that they are righteous in the sight of God. How do you deal with pain and disappointment and sorrow when you’re right in the sight of God?

However painful this is for them, notice that it does not drive them apart. They don’t end their marriage over it even though the Law of Moses gave Zechariah legal grounds to divorce Elizabeth and remarry. Does he ditch her and try his luck with a younger woman? No, they stay faithful to their marriage covenant and love one another and console one another in their shared pain.

And notice that they don’t become resentful towards God either. I’ve known people drift from their faith when tragedy strikes. “Oh, you won’t give me what I want, well I’m not going to worship you anymore then. I’m going to go my own way. I’m leaving church.” But Zechariah and Elizabeth don’t say any of that. They just quietly and humbly accept God’s will for their life.

The Lord gives, the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord. We are going to stay faithful. We’re going to close our tearful eyes, and bow our aching heads, and lift our weary hands and worship him – whatever befalls us.

Thirdly, Zechariah is poor. He’s not a high-ranking or prominent priest with a cushy job in the temple. He’s not a megachurch pastor with a TV show, he’s a vicar with a tiny country parish. This is a simple rural guy, probably in his 60’s, from nowhere important, quietly serving an unknown half-full synagogue, possibly with a day job to make up a salary he can live on.  

But, look, after years of being anonymous, he gets to be king for a day in the temple! He gets dressed in his best robes. He turns up early, anxious to do it right. And the big cheeses tell him what to do. Honestly, it’s not all that hard.

All he has to do is go in, sweep up some ash, light a censer, say a quick prayer, and come out again. It’s not rocket science. Thousands of priests have done it before, all without incident. It’s a once-a-day ritual that should take maybe half a minute.

Imagine you’re one of the worshippers waiting outside in the outer court of the temple. 30 seconds pass. Then a minute. You’re kneeling on a hard marble floor and it’s getting uncomfortable. Then two minutes, then five… Where is he? The worship leader goes through all the optional choruses. The service leader tries to fill time by asking if anyone’s got a testimony. Someone rolls his eyes and says “Why do we get these country cousins in to do these important jobs?”

We know why he’s late. He’s swept his ash, he’s burned his incense, he’s closed his eyes and said a short, heartfelt prayer. “Lord save our nation, send the Saviour that the prophet Malachi said would come. Deliver us from this evil tyrant Herod. And… *sigh* no, it’s too late. My wife is too old.”

He opens his eyes – and is startled to find he’s not alone. You know how it is when you think you’re alone in a room and look round and someone makes you jump because you didn’t know they were there? That’s what happens here, but the intensity of the experience is magnified.

“Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard (v13). Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call him John” (it means God is gracious). He will be great.” Greater than Herod, who is not great at all in the sight of God.

In fact, Jesus said that John the Baptist was the greatest man who ever lived. “I tell you, among those born of women” he said, “there is no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” Why’s that? I think it’s because John never saw the cross. John could only see the need to repent. You and I can marvel at what repentance leads to; the wonders of the cross, the beauty of forgiveness, the triumphs of grace. Not only does God cleanse you from past sin, he crowns you with blessing and adorns you in his flawless righteousness.

“He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.” Did you hear that? That’s why Christians are pro-life, there it is right there in v15.

The Bible is clear that God knows us through and through, even while our bodies were being formed in your mother’s womb. Every one of us is made in his unique image and likeness. God chooses and appoints before the foundation of the world. You can be called by God and filled with the Holy Spirit even as a foetus.

Mother Teresa: once said, “If we accept that a mother can even kill her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill each other? … Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what they want.”

She offered a solution for any pregnant women who didn’t want their children: “Give that child to me. I want it. I will care for it. I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted and to give that child to a married couple who will love the child and be loved by the child.” She placed over 3,000 children in adoptive homes in Calcutta.

But your own mother’s womb is the most perilous place to be alive in Britain today. 200,000 precious souls, handcrafted by God, are exterminated every year in the UK. People say “It’s a choice.” Fair enough, it’s a choice, but it’s a sinful choice according to God’s word. But if you’ve ever had an abortion or urged someone to have one, it’s not the unforgiveable sin. You can leave this place today forgiven and new.

So anyway, this angelic figure appears from nowhere, he knows your name, he knows your wife’s name, he knows what you’ve been praying about, and he tells you how God is going to answer your private longing in every detail.

The fourth thing we get to know Zechariah is that he’s a simple soul because after this once-in-a-lifetime spiritual experience, with an angelic visitation and a personalised prophetic word Zechariah basically says “Yeah, but are you sure? How do I know you’re telling the truth? I’m no spring chicken, you know. And have you seen my wife?”

I love what Gabriel says. It looks like he takes it personally. I’m not just your bog standard angel you know. “I am Gabriel.” Seriously! “I stand in the presence of God.” And if you’re too stubborn to believe that God can do the impossible, you are going to be silent for nine months and think about it.

Finally, Zechariah emerges - very late - from the Holy of Holies and he has to explain to everyone present without the benefit of speech why he has taken so long.

I wonder if he was good at charades! It says in v22 “they realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.” It must have been quite comical. How do you think he mimed what happened to him? 

Elizabeth

It’s great news for Elizabeth. Although, the timing seems strange, let’s be honest. It might have been easier for her to have the child when she was younger and healthier. As it is, they are already old so they probably died before John reached adulthood.

Sometimes the Lord’s timing seems way off to us. It’s only when we pan back and see the bigger picture, often with a lot of hindsight, that we understand more clearly. God works to his timing, not ours.

But all her life, she’s been waiting for this moment and now she has two for the price of one. She has a baby on the way and, for nine full months, she has a mute husband. How good is that! For the best part of a year she doesn’t have to listen to him moaning about the football and as a bonus she wins every argument.

Waiting

Advent is a season of waiting. The congregation in the temple had been watching and waiting for minutes for Zechariah to emerge from the Holy of Holies and were becoming impatient.

And Zechariah and Elizabeth had been watching and waiting for years for a child and had now all but given up hope.

But Israel had been watching and waiting for centuries for their Messiah. Many were wondering if he would ever come.

·         He never came when the Babylonians marched them off into exile.

·         He never came when the Greeks overran them

·         He never came when the Romans occupied Jerusalem and desecrated the temple.

In fact, since God had said through the prophet Malachi “I will send my messenger who will prepare the way before me” no prophet had spoken for 400 years in Israel. People were saying, “God has forgotten us.”

Do you ever say that? God has forgotten me. God has let disaster befall me. God has forsaken me.

No, God will never leave you. In Isaiah, it says he carves your name on the palm of his hand as a reminder; even if a mother forgets her baby he will not forget you. When Jesus came they gave him the title Immanuel, which means God is with us. Jesus gave the Holy Spirit saying he is with you and will be in you. God is for you, and nothing, the Bible says, can separate you from his love.

God made a promise to send an Elijah figure to Israel to prepare the way for the Saviour, and he did that in the form of John the Baptist, the child born to Zechariah and Elizabeth.

God promised to send a Messiah to earth to save the world from sin, and he did that with the birth of Jesus. In both cases, God announced what he was going to do and then he delivered on his promise. God’s track record on promise fulfilment is perfect, 100%.

So this morning, we continue to watch and wait for Jesus Christ

·         that he will come again as he said he will,

·         that he will judge evil as he said he will,

·         that he will bring the reward of a crown of glory to all who remain faithful as he said he will,

·         and that he will save completely all who come to him and trust in him according to his word that is trustworthy and true.

Ending

And as I end, let me finish with a word for those, like Elizabeth and Zechariah, are weary and burdened today.

There was a psychologist who was teaching stress management to students. She raised a glass of water, and asked: "How heavy is this glass of water?"

Answers called out ranged from 8 oz. to 20 oz.

She said, "The absolute weight doesn't matter. It depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a few seconds, it’s fine. If I hold it for a few minutes it starts to be a problem. If I hold it for an hour, I'll have an ache in my arm. If I hold it for a day, my arm will feel numb and paralyzed. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn't change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it becomes."

The stresses and worries and unanswered prayers in your life are like that glass of water. Think about them for a little while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and they begin to weigh you down. And if you think about them all day long, you will feel paralyzed – incapable of doing anything." Lay your burdens on Christ today.

Let’s pray…

Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 1 December 2016