Amy C Walters

Zechariah and the Angel – Luke 1:5-17

Zechariah was one of the priests who served at the temple. Now, there were a lot of priests at this time–some estimated as many as 18,000. And they took turns serving at the temple.

Each division would spend two weeks at the temple, a week here and a week there. And Zechariah was on his rounds, serving at the temple in this particular week.

Now, to divide up the different priestly duties that needed to happen, they would cast lots. The story tells us that the lot fell on Zechariah to go in and burn the incense. Casting lots is kind of like drawing straws today, a way of choosing at random who got to do something.

And for something like burning incense, this was a high honor for a priest. In fact, once a priest was chosen for this honor, he would never be able to be chosen for it again. His name was removed from having his lot drawn to burn the incense. So this was a once in a lifetime opportunity for Zechariah, the fact that he was chosen for this honor at this particular time.

Well, when the time came to burn the incense, we’re told that all of the worshipers were assembled outside praying. And Zechariah goes into the holy place to offer his incense, but he’s not alone. We’re told that an angel of the Lord appeared to him standing at the right side of the altar of incense.

What do you think that was like for Zechariah? We’re told that he was terrified–he was “startled and gripped with fear.”

So Zechariah is there in the holy place, and this angel is there and he tells him, “don’t be scared, Zechariah, your prayer has been heard.”

Now, what prayer does this refer to? We actually see in the immediate context as the angel continues his message, he says, “your wife Elizabeth will have a son.” 

Wow. This, after decades and decades, is the answer to the prayer that Zechariah and Elizabeth have been waiting for.

How would that have felt to Zechariah? Probably a little hard to believe, right? This would require a miracle. This could not happen without God’s direct intervention.

And yet that’s the message that the angel is delivering. “Hey, this thing that you thought was impossible? It’s not, because God’s gonna do something.” 

We see God’s supernatural hand all over this story. We see, first of all, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that Zechariah has to go in and burn incense. That didn’t happen just by chance. God orchestrated that. He made that happen. He made Zechariah’s name get passed over for all of those decades, to get that honor of offering incense now. He missed his chance earlier so that it could happen at this specific moment when God would send an angel to speak to him.

Well, and that’s a supernatural occurrence right there, an angel coming to speak to Zechariah to deliver this important message in person.

And then we see this foretelling of another miracle that’s going to happen, Elizabeth, past the age of childbearing, is actually going to have a child.

When we look at all of these supernatural events and how God orchestrates everything, we come to another key truth, that when God chooses to act, nothing can stand in his way.

Not physical abilities, not time, not space. God breaks all of these laws in order to make this miracle happen, because he has decided, now is the time. This is the way I’m going to do it.

Has there been a time in your life when you’ve prayed, “God, I need this to happen now, or it’s never going to be possible.” Or maybe “I need that person to respond to me, otherwise we’re going to miss our chance. Lord, if you don’t act in this way, there’s no other way this could possibly happen.”

But what does this story teach us about that? It tells us that when God chooses to move, nothing can stand in his way.