Sunday, December 12, 2010
SCRIPTURE READING
Luke 1:59-66 (NIV); On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
This passage, which is generally overlooked within the context of the Christmas story, is an extraordinary display of the unity of the Spirit! The crowds were amazed that Zechariah and Elizabeth were unified in their desire to christen John, especially since Zechariah could not hear Elizabeth when she spoke! After nine months of absolute silence, Zechariah was released to speak, but it came upon his admittance of what the Lord had asked of him. The Lord was going to give him a child, but it was Zechariah’s job to give him the name John, violating Jewish custom and personal pride. And upon this confession, Zechariah’s mouth was opened and he praised the Lord. Again, anyone who would read of this priest’s punishment and say “Oh poor Zechariah” would be mistaken. He took the punishment as a test and the first words out of his mouth were acclamations! His punishment had prepared his heart!
PRAYER and MEDITATION
1. What do you think allowed Zechariah to speak praise after months of silence? How does God want to use this revelation in your life?
2. Ask the Holy Spirit to show you how you have been tested by the Lord. Did you pass or fail? What kind of tests are you going through right now? How can you ensure that praise will be on your lips now and when it is over?
3. Think about this event as a part of the whole plan of God coming to earth. How does it deepen the relevance of the Christmas story to you?
