A Couple's Struggle....

In the weeks leading up to Christmas at the church where I serve, we are spending our time together in a sermon series entitled “Announcing the Arrival”. During this series, we are going to spend our time together looking at an account of Jesus life in the Bible called the gospel of Luke. And as we go through this series, we are going to discover several timeless truths when it comes to how we can respond to announcement of the arrival of Jesus as the Messiah that marks the Christmas season. So this week, I would like us to begin where the gospel of Luke begins, which is in Luke 1:1:

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

To understand what is happening here, we need to first understand how the gospel of Luke fits into the overall flow of the Bible. The gospel of Luke is the first volume of a two volume set, with the book of Acts being the second volume. The gospel of Luke was dedicated to chronicling the life and claims of Jesus Christ, from His birth to His resurrection from the dead and His initial appearances to His disciples.

The second volume, the book of Acts, was dedicated to chronicling the life of Jesus early followers after the resurrection of Jesus and traces the birth and the spread of Christianity and the church from Jerusalem to Rome, which was the dominant political and military power in the world during the life of Jesus and His early followers.

We know that the gospel of Luke must have been written before the early A.D. 60’s, or within 30 years of Jesus life, because Luke does not mention the monumental events of the fall of Jerusalem or the deaths of James, Paul, and Peter, that occurred after 60 A.D.  The writer of the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts was a doctor named Luke, who many scholars believe was from Antioch, which was a city that is located in the southeastern corner of what is now modern day Turkey.

Luke was hired by a man named Theophilus, who was a wealthy Roman official who hired Luke to research and to provide an accurate and orderly account about the origins of Christianity. As a doctor, Luke was a very educated man and was thus well qualified for the task that he was given. And as a result of the generosity of Theophilus, Luke, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, spent several years involved in intensive research and investigation that produced this two volume set that we now have as a part of our Bibles today.

Luke traveled throughout the regions where Jesus lived and ministered, investigating and interviewing individuals who were witnesses to the events that occurred during Jesus life. Luke interviewed Mary, the mother of Jesus, along with the disciples and other close followers of Jesus. Luke is universally recognized, by skeptics and followers of Jesus alike, as being a scrupulously accurate historian.

One archaeologist carefully studied Luke’s references to thirty two countries, fifty four cities, and nine islands, without finding a single error.  As a matter of fact, many have credited the gospel of Luke as being one of the most beautiful and historically accurate pieces of literature ever written. So let’s jump into this historical account that announces the arrival of Jesus together, beginning in verse 5:

In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah; and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. They were both righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.

Luke brings us into this account of Jesus life by introducing us to those who will be involved in the event from history that we are going to look at this morning. King Herod was ruler of the Jewish nation from 37 B.C. to 4 B.C.  In reality, however, Herod only represented the Roman Empire to the Jewish people, as the Roman Empire had conquered and ruled over the Jewish people at this time in history.

Zacharias was a priest who was a direct descendant of the very first priest of the Jewish people who was a man named Aaron. And as a result of being a direct descendant of Aaron, Zacharias had the position, privilege and responsibility to help lead the Jewish people in following the Jewish sacrificial system.  Zacharias was married to a woman named Elizabeth, who was also a direct descendant of Aaron.

So both Zacharias and Elizabeth were pastor’s kids who were very familiar with the message and teachings of the Lord. But not only were Zacharias and Elizabeth familiar with the ways of the Lord. Luke tells us that Zacharias and Elizabeth were righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 

In other words, Zacharias and Elizabeth were model citizens who did what was right in the sight of the Lord. Zacharias and Elizabeth lived out their day to day lives in such a way that no one could find fault with how they followed the message and teachings of the Lord and how they worshipped the Lord.

However, Luke tells us that Zacharias and Elizabeth were childless, because Elizabeth was barren and they were both advanced in years. You see, Elizabeth was incapable of bearing children. And not only was Elizabeth barren, both Zacharias and Elizabeth were at a place in their lives where children were beyond a possibility. Elizabeth was on the other side of menopause and Viagra was not an option for Zacharias.

Now in the culture of the day, being childless was viewed as a sign of God’s judgment and punishment for one’s selfishness and rebellion. Being childless was a source of shame and resulted in a couple being ostracized by others.

Now imagine yourself as Zacharias and Elizabeth. Place yourself in their shoes. You have strived to follow the Lord in a way that honored and pleased the Lord. You grew up in a home that served the Lord and you have continued to serve the Lord.

Yet, even though you wanted to have children, you are childless. Even though you served the Lord and prayed to the Lord for children, you are still childless. And you hear the whispers. You hear the accusations of hidden selfishness and rebellion. You feel the shame. And you are at a place in your life where there is no hope of ever having a child.

You are Zacharias and Elizabeth. How would you feel? How would you respond?

Tomorrow, we will see Luke reveal for us what happens next…