Bead Two Of Journeys and Visits
B2 - E1 Elizabeth and Zechariah
When Elizabeth married Zechariah, she moved to his home in a small town on the outskirts of Jerusalem but had always stayed in contact with Anne, Joachim and Mary. She and Zechariah had visited whenever they could and, during these years, she had watched her young cousin grow into the lovely girl she was now.
As Mary and Joseph were making their way to visit them, Elizabeth and Zechariah, utterly unaware of the fact, were preparing for the birth of their baby in a month’s time. They had gradually come to terms with the reality that, after all the long and childless years of their marriage, and despite their earnest but unanswered prayers, their deepest desire to have a child of their own was about to be fulfilled.
The events of the previous year which had brought about their dream were still fresh in their memories. Zechariah belonged to an order of priests and on one particular occasion when it was the turn of his order to perform the temple duties, he had been chosen by lot to offer incense in the sanctuary while the people were praying outside.
As he entered the sanctuary, he was shocked to see the vision of an angel standing by the altar but the angel spoke to him immediately, calming his fears, saying, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah. Your prayers have been answered. Your wife, Elizabeth, is going to have a baby, a son whom you are to name John. He will bring you great joy and everyone who knows you will share your joy when he is born.
“You must bring him up as befits his destiny because he will be filled with God's spirit and become a great prophet. He will turn many people back to God and bring reconciliation to families. He will teach all those who have gone astray to change their ways and prepare themselves for the coming of the Messiah.''
Zechariah's immediate response was to say to the angel, “How can I believe this? I'm too old now and so is my wife.” The reply came instantly! “I am Gabriel and I have come from the very presence of God, before whom I stand face to face, to bring you this message! What I have told you will come to pass in due time but because you have not believed God's promise to you, you will be unable to speak until it is fulfilled!”
Meanwhile, all the people who had been praying outside began to wonder what had happened because Zechariah had been in the Sanctuary for such a long time. When he finally appeared, he tried to explain what had occurred by making signs to them so they realised that he couldn't speak but understood that he had seen a vision. His only desire then was to return home as soon as his time of service came to an end.
On his arrival, the whole story had to be conveyed to Elizabeth by signs and writings on a tablet. She could hardly take the news in at first but when, sometime later, she found that she was indeed expecting a baby they were both overjoyed beyond measure. They decided to keep things to themselves for a while so, for five happy and contented months, they savoured the realisation that, after all these years, the disgrace that Elizabeth had felt so deeply had been taken away by this wonderful gift from God.
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