Zechariah, A Case Study in the Importance of Silence

Luke 1:5-25 – Part One

 

 

Luke, the evangelist and author of the third gospel, introduces John the Baptist in this story. He recalls the birth narrative of the future fiery and unrelenting itinerant preacher who proclaims the coming of Christ and emerging kingdom of God. John especially emphasizes the necessity of personal cleansing and repentance. John and his followers were believed to be members of the Essene community which embraces an ascetic lifestyle that honors God’s holiness. Moreover, this way of life prepared them to receive and apply the teachings of Christ. Nonetheless, John’s birth story parallels the miraculous promise of Isaac’s birth. An angel appears to announce God’s plan for the birth of John to his father, Zechariah, a descendant of the priestly division of Abijah. Destined for greatness in God’s plan for the salvation of humankind, John the Baptist would be born to elderly parents who both descended from priestly tribes. Like Abrahan and Sarah in Genesis, Zechariah and Elizabeth had advanced beyond childbearing age. Physically, it was an impossibility. However, God had other plans for them. He miraculously would satisfy their most treasured and wholehearted desire. God sends an angel to announce His intentions to utilize this priestly couple to rear this special child and prepare him to fulfill his role in the grand plan of human salvation. Theologians refer to this historical moment as soteriology, salvation history, wherein John the Baptist factors significantly as the precursor to Christ.

 

This birth narrative contains very interesting details that reflect God’s meticulous planning as He daily imparts grace to us. Both Zechariah and Elizabeth are descendants of Aaron and the priestly tribes. In current parlance, that makes John the Baptist the son of two “PKs,” preacher’s kids. His parents were prepared ideally to rear him in the priestly traditions and prepare him to become the forerunner who would announce the coming of Christ. Luke describes Zechariah and Elizabeth as being “righteous in the sight of the Lord, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.” They maintain a right relationship with Almighty God by adhering strictly to God’s holy requirements. Because of their unwavering devotion to Him, God expressly chooses them for the task of preparing John.

 

Implied in their preparation are the seminal contributions of their parents, grandparents and great grandparents. Interestingly, our nuclear families and homes are the primary locales for evangelism. It is important for parents to realize the evangelistic challenge and obligation that they have in rearing children, grandchildren and future generations. More specifically, parents accomplish this spiritual task by faithfully living with integrity. They align their lifestyle and principles to fit as neatly as a hand in a tailored glove. Arguably, most people who become Christians respond favorably to the Lord’s love, grace and teachings because they encounter disciples who apply these principles in daily living. Truth and integrity are most evident in personal choices and behavior instead of confessions and proclamations. John Wesley famously exhorted his followers to go into the world and preach the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ; “use words if necessary.” John the Baptist’s preparation for his mission develops over multiple generations. Deserving of the Lord’s endorsement, Zechariah and Elizabeth fulfill their role.

 

Advanced in age and childless, Zechariah and Elizabeth are God’s chosen servants. John’s birth is physically impossible. Their predicament parallels the plight of Abraham and Sarah who were also childless in old age. However, God made a promise and covenant with Abraham that he would have a son from his own loins. To fulfill this oath, God performs a miracle. Sarah bears Isaac who becomes the patriarch to the twelve tribes of Israel through whom the nations of world would receive divine blessings. Like Abraham and Sarah, Zechariah and Elizabeth are the gracious recipients of a divine miracle that prepares them to become vessels of His plan for humankind. The purpose of the miracle is fulfillment of God’s plan. It does not occur to satisfy self-seeking desires. Miracles occur to facilitate the “good, pleasing and perfect will” of Almighty God. This biblical truth and principle empower disciples’ prayers.  When we ask for miraculous intervention, do we ask for the fulfillment of God’s will? Are we requesting divine power to accomplish our self-centered desires? God answers Zechariah’s prayers to further His plan for human salvation. He utilizes two people who are faithful and worthy instruments. They faithfully adhere to God’s directives and resultingly seek His will in their prayers and actions.

 

Zechariah receives further grace in the draw of the priestly custom of choosing lots to determine which priest receives the honor of serving before the Lord. This favorable outcome enables him to enter the temple, stand before God and light incense on behalf of the people. They stand outside and pray as he performs this important priestly ritual. Zechariah receives an angelic visit which frightens him. He announces the forthcoming birth of John the Baptist. The angel also gives Zechariah several instructions about the way Zechariah and Elizabeth are to rear their son. The angel first assures Zechariah that God hears and answers his prayers. This scene reminds disciples of the significance of praying fervently and faithfully regardless of their circumstances. Apparently, this elderly couple persisted in prayer for a child despite nature’s opposition. It seems their prayers were useless. William Barclay, author of the longstanding and helpful New Testament commentaries, The Daily Study Bible Series, offers that prayer is a time and period of personal transformation. He rebuffs the tendency of many petitioners who recite grocery lists of material wishes and financial needs or desperately want relief from penetrating anxiety. Self-seeking and self-centered prayers rarely if ever pursue the will of God. Furthermore, these times of introspection, reflection and discernment are means of imparting the mind, heart and character of Christ into any disciples who pray. Nevertheless, this elderly couple prays and provides an incalculable example of spiritual discipline and personal determination for twenty-first century disciples. Later in his gospel, Luke records the Parable of the Persistent Widow which begins, “Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.” (Luke 18:1-8)

 Zechariah, A Case Study in the Importance of Silence

Luke 1:5-25 – Part Two

 

The angel proceeds to tell Zechariah that a miracle will unfold in his life. His elderly wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to a son whom they are to name John. The angel’s next comments serve as a model for pastor’s when they perform infant dedications to the Lord. He prophesies that John will be a delight and joy to the priestly couple. Many people will rejoice when learning of his birth. He will be great in the sight of the Lord. The angel cautions that John is to abstain from wine and other fermented beverages. God will fill John with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. In addition, John will lead countless people through repentance and return to the God of their forebears. In the tradition of the prophet, Elijah, John will guide disobedient people toward divine wisdom and a new way of life. His call to collective repentance and return to a right relationship with God was necessary to prepare for the coming of Christ.

 

This exchange depicts John’s destiny and further shows that children are a gift of God to their parents and to the human family. God gives them to their parents as a delight and joy to them. Accordingly, there is never a case in which an “illegitimate” child is born. Each birth, whether within or without of marriage, gives a child who arrives with a unique character and destiny. The angel’s instructions represent divine guidance and provision in childrearing. God imparts grace, wisdom and resources to parents to enable them to rear their children to know and serve Him.

 

Reflecting the incomplete faith each disciple possesses despite faithful adherence to spiritual disciplines and religious rites, Zechariah questions the angel’s magnanimous and majestic declaration. He resorts to basic biology. He and his wife’s ages and physical bodies cannot accomplish this feat. Given the angelic visit, incredulous grace of officiating in the temple and incredible divine message, Zechariah should have been struck completely silent. He surmounts his fear and astonishment and questions everything the angel says. Zechariah questions God’s ability to perform this miracle. This priest, descendant of priests and husband to the daughter and descendant of priests challenges the trustworthiness and power of Almighty God to whom Zechariah perseveringly prays. I imagine he struggles mentally, emotionally and spiritually with the intermixture of the angel’s visit, God’s promise and his faith. This immeasurable tension yielded momentary doubt. Should Zechariah simply have been silent?

 

Gabriel, one of the four arch angels (Raphael, Michael and Sariel), who stands in God’s direct presence, was sent to relay this divine message. He introduces himself to Zechariah to relay the seriousness of his mission and God’s will. To defend God’s sovereign prerogative, Gabriel strikes Zechariah with silence. This action is not punitive but instructive. Discipline educates which practically means to lead out of the darkness of ignorance and lack of experience into the light of knowledge and favorable experience. Discipline allows its recipients to analyze choices, evaluate beliefs, dissect assumptions, question motives and consider alternatives. His period of silence allows this faithful priest to examine his reaction to Gabriel’s announcement. What led Zechariah to question anything Gabriel says? The questioning seems incongruent with everything else that the text reveals about Zechariah. What can he learn from this experience? Silence is a method of answering these questions.

 

Silence is a form of prayer. Among other personal and existential benefits, it yields four Christlike attributes. First, silence fosters discernment which is acquisition of God’s will. In solitude and silence, disciples listen attentively to the Holy Spirit who reveals God’s will within their circumstances. He reminds them of relevant spiritual and biblical principles and reiterates Christ’s teachings. Discernment imparts spiritual guidance and furthers a main objective of prayer which is aligning a disciple’s will with God’s purposes. In his version of the Lord’s Passion Narrative, Luke specifies the ultimate objective of Christian prayer, principles and practice. These components of discipleship seek the Lord’s honor, expansion of His kingdom on Earth and fulfillment of the Heavenly Father’s will.

 

Second, meditation and silence summon necessary periods of withdrawal to seek self-mastery. Howard Thurman, premiere Black Baptist mystic theologian of the twentieth century, writes eloquently and enduringly about the necessity of retreating into silence to listen to God as He speaks through individual intuition.

 

Third, silence permits consideration of latent ideas, concepts and creativity. The noise, pace and force of normal routines often do not allow introspection and reflection. Daily functioning absorbs every second of time and ounce of energy. It is rare that you can gain any perspective on the purpose of daily activities. What do you accomplish on any given day? Does any of your activities contribute to the cause of Christ? Are you merely subsisting or are you living a meaningful and fulfilling life that fosters self-realization and greater progress toward your destiny? Do you need to change anything? Are you utilizing your time, treasure, talent and temperament in the best possible ways? Silence affords you the necessary time and space to ask these questions.

 

Finally, silence creates conditions for character transformation, personal empowerment, inner and holistic healing and developing self-acceptance. Meditation and silence open the door to an internal tool shed. There, you can discard any dross within your character that impedes your spiritual growth and personal development. The prophet, Isaiah, uses the images of the refiner’s furnace. The goldsmith puts silver, gold and other precious metals into ovens with volcanic temperatures that burn away impurities that lessen the worth of the metals. When he opens the oven and sees his reflection in the gold, he knows the impurities have been burned sufficiently. Likewise, as disciples reflect Christ’s character, they relinquish behavioral patterns that undermine their potential. In this spiritual workshop, silence endows disciples with desire and tools to clarify and achieve their destiny.  Fear is one of the main contaminants of any disciple’s character. It viciously and severely undermines a disciple’s pursuit of goals and aspirations. Furthermore, fear impedes growth in ministry and spiritual maturity. Paralysis seems preferable to failure. You recall the third servant in “The Parable of the Talents” whose paralyzing fear compels him to bury his talent and return it to his master rather than risk an investment and loss. He misguidedly reasons it is better to do nothing than to try and fail. In times of silence, meditation and prayer, disciples can ask humbly for empowerment of the Holy Spirit to surmount deep-seated fears and internal impediments to self-realization.

 Zechariah, A Case Study in the Importance of Silence

Luke 1:5-25 – Part Three

 

Have you ever had the experience of a friend calling to ask your advice but as the conversation ensues you are unable speak? Your friend’s nervous energy and penetrating anxiety overwhelms you and the conversation. It forces you to simply listen. You hope your friend will calm down, take a deep breath and become silent. That pause will enable your friend to listen to you and consider creative solutions to his problem. I suspect God has that experience billions of times each day. Anxious disciples under the guise of prayer flee to Him for relief from their fears and adverse circumstances. Like frightened children who cannot sleep because they fear a monster lurks in the closet, these disciples seek miracles to eliminate their tiniest dissatisfaction. They find discomfort intolerable. The “Gospel of Wealth and Health” tells them that a slight seasonal cold or sneezing resulting from exposure to pollen and inflamed allergies require angelic intervention. A glance at a neighbor’s new car, learning of a relative’s move to a bigger house or observing a coworker’s promotion motivates them to storm the gates of heaven. They demand God’s direct, immediate and favorable intervention to increase their social position, material acquisition and financial standing. Silence would resolve these childlike challenges.

 

As disciples become still and silent in solitude, the Holy Spirit speaks, empowers and transforms. Paul instructs his protégé, Timothy, that God is not the source of any fear. Instead, God grants necessary emotional stability, reason and strength to overcome any fear that plagues us. “God has not given us a spirit of fear but love, power and a sound mind.” (2 Timothy 1:7) During times of disciplined prayer, meditation and silence, the Holy Spirit reminds disciples of God’s unfailing love. Regardless of any errors, crimes or sins of commission and omission, God’s faithful love does not change. His love empowers us to transcend any mistakes, guilt, regret, pain or toxic emotion. The Holy Spirit imparts divine strength and perseverance to enable disciples to eradicate fear and defeat any internal opposition or external threat.

 

“A sound mind” equates with reason, creativity, ingenuity and willingness to resolve any problems. Conceivably, the answer to prayers for financial blessing is an earnest desire to grow in stewardship of your finances. Absolving debt indirectly raises your income as you have more funds to access and utilize rather than servicing debt at high interest rates. Paying bills on time avoids late fees. Multiple failed relationships indicate a personal pattern that requires self-reflection.  If you are the least common denominator in each of these situations, perhaps you are the primary catalyst for any chaos and dissolution of the relationship. The spiritual disciplines of prayer and meditation aid you in detecting the behavioral patterns borne of past experiences that unconsciously propel you towards sabotaging your professional and personal relationships. Practically, the Holy Spirit enlightens you in discovering the problem and its root causes. He then equips you with reasonable strategies to resolve your dilemma.

 

Self-mastery is a process of taking a comprehensive inventory. You explore assets and liabilities, strengths and weaknesses, talents and deficiencies and successes and failures. Humorously, you examine “the good, bad and ugly.” You embrace a ruthlessly honest appraisal of your heart, mind and character. Carl Jung, famed Swiss analytical psychologist, discourses upon “the shadow” which is the dark side of a person’s character. There, the propensity towards self-centered motives and self-seeking choices lies. Indulgence of physical instincts that possibly results in myriad addictions also lay there. Potential to betray people, infidelity, theft, organized crime, refusal to forgive, toxic emotions and willingness to seize opportunities to indulge in crime and other adverse behavior. Traditional religious practices tend to ignore these aspects of a person’s character. People focus on “the good” with fallacious hope that it erases bad behavior and choices. However, self-mastery compels disciples to look intently at all dimensions of their character.

 

As the recovery community has taught for nearly a century, a primary step in resolving any internal difficulty is wholesale acceptance of it. Denial of any problems further suppresses it within a person’s mind and psyche. Most regrettably, suppression often leads to perversion. This inverse relationship often manifests in sexual scandals. Demands for unrealistic sexual practices usually  leads to promiscuity, infidelity and unwanted pregnancies. Self-mastery propels disciples towards holistic self-acceptance. You unconditionally and unequivocally recognize your total character and self. Rather than playing games of sinning and making mistakes and then performing formulaic rituals of forgiveness, you acknowledge these traits. In so doing, you empower yourself to neutralize them and resist the temptation to satisfy them. Ironically, admission of addiction empowers its sufferers to surmount it. “Sunlight is the best disinfectant.”  Pulling a negative characteristic from the shadow and examining it in the openness of communion with God yields power and strength to overcome it. Acceptance of a bent toward theft can motivate you to eradicate that trait as you refuse to imprison yourself to any detrimental attribute. The process of self-mastery allows you to find a “strange freedom” wherein you fully acknowledge all of who you are but equally realize that you do not have to slavishly indulge negative characteristics. You have liberty to resist.

 

Self-mastery is more than recognizing and purging pathology. Interestingly, it is an internal treasure hunt. Taking time to be still and reflect yields incalculable benefits. Employing the adage, “Listen to learn and learn to listen,” you stumble upon previously unknown  components of your character. You discover latent interests, talents and abilities that daily busyness obscures. You can check the dream file in your heart. There may be dusty items that hold the keys to unlocking the door for your next adventure. Admittedly, there are new joys, mysteries and experiences that await you. Has the pilot light of a particular dream remain lit throughout your life? Regardless of jobs, opportunities and challenges, you continually feel an inner compulsion to pursue a different career.  Your active imagination places you in a courtroom, classroom or boardroom. You may also choose to open your own business, enter the arena of athletics, pick up a paint brush, join a band, compose lyrics or decide to finally retire and pursue your passions with reckless abandon. In the process of self-mastery, you acquire the internal strength and resilience to rebuff emotional and circumstantial hurdles (age, finances, familial opposition, stereotypes, societal uneasiness, fear, tiredness, etc.). You simply learn to listen to your inner voice. It empowers you to strive toward a new future that includes all of who you are.

 Zechariah, A Case Study in the Importance of Silence

Luke 1:5-25 – Part Four

 

Disciples seek to emulate Christ, spread His Gospel, apply His teachings and principles to daily affairs and expand His kingdom within the global village. Church traditions that relate dramatic, unparalleled and transformative conversion experiences posit “coming to Christ” instantaneously changes a person’s desires and character. He immediately relinquishes an inclination to sin and abandons all vices. He lets go of worldly interests and activities. He discards secular music collections in exchange solely for sacred, church and worship genres. He throws away playing cards, ends magazine subscriptions, cease going to movies, stops consuming alcohol or otherwise disengages any activity that does not honor the Lord. These concepts of discipleship and church membership oddly prevent some seekers from “coming to Christ” because they realize their inability to be a perfect Christian overnight. In contrast, conversion to Christ is a more glacial process.

 

As disciples learn and internalize Christ’s teachings and principles, they increasingly acquire the Lord’s heart, mind and character. Being a disciple is more than adhering to rituals, rites, rules and regulations. The Lord condemns the Pharisees and Sadducees for substituting their adherence to the Law and its concomitant self-justification for growing in a right relationship with a holy and loving God. That relationship in time yields desire within a disciple’s mind and heart to emulate God’s character, love and attributes. Sharing God’s love within the human family is the surest way to emulate Him. This process of transformation occurs in consistent and sustained practice of Christian spiritual disciplines. Prayer, meditation and silence are specific workshops where the Holy Spirit leads and guides disciples into truth and reminds them of Christ’s teachings.

 

Self-mastery includes preparation for the next phases of your journey. It is helpful to withdraw from daily routines particularly following a difficult experience such as bereavement, termination, divorce, major illness, surviving a natural disaster or a “failure” or “defeat” of any type. Biblical illustrations include Elijah’s retreat to a cave as Jezebel’s bloodthirstiness seeks his life. Joseph and Mary flee with Jesus to the wilderness of another country in response to Herod’s brutal genocidal decree. Following his Damascus Road experience, Paul enthusiastically proclaims the kingdom of Christ and declares to Israel that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah. When his neophyte fever evaporates, Paul retreats to the shadows for years. During these times of separation, “the wilderness years,” undoubtedly, these biblical characters embraced prayer, meditation and silence as they listened to the Lord. In those times of introspection, reflection  and discernment, they find character, principles, purpose and inner power to fulfill their destiny. Practically speaking, they discover their unique “Self,” their distinct identity and personality that separates them from everyone else (Psalm 139). This self-knowledge combined with discernment of God’s will specifically for them prepares and empower them to progress toward self-realization and to accomplish their destiny. After these periods of withdrawal to attain self-mastery, these biblical characters contribute uniquely and significantly to the betterment of humankind as they obey and serve Almighty God.

 

Contemporarily, historians and biographers label years of inactivity, isolation and dismissal in the lives of prominent people as their wilderness years. Churchill experienced middle years in which he was out of power and public notice between the First and Second World War. Former President Clinton was originally the Governor of Arkansas. After a term, he lost re-election and his political career hung in the balance. Former President Nixon after losing the California’s governor’s race in 1962 spent the next four years wondering whether reporters who had written his political obituary had been correct. South Carolina broadcast and print media essentially returned Representative James Clyburn to the rock quarry of political ambition following his defeat in the Secretary of State election in the late 1970s. These interim years proved to be the most fertile for these historical and contemporary political figures. While separated from their purpose and passion, they looked intently and deeply within themselves to achieve self-determination. They had to recalibrate their dreams and goals. Mostly, they had to surmount depression, doubt and defeat to doggedly pursue their dreams. They garnered resilience and resumed their professional pursuits.

 

Scholars conclude that Churchill’s wilderness years prepared him to lead the United Kingdom through the Second World War which necessitated inner gravitas to withstand internal opposition amongst high level British governmental officials. Clinton gained sufficient self-mastery to cultivate requisite humility and focus that culminated in his election as the forty-second President of the United States. The personified archetype of resilience, Nixon singlehandedly rebuilt a Republican Party that had been devastated by Lyndon B. Johnson’s landslide victory in the 1964 presidential election. Within four years, Nixon’s party rewarded him with their nomination and undivided support in the November 1968 election that yielded his ascendancy to the presidency the succeeding year. Despite residual and penetrating racial discrimination that would deny any possibility of his election statewide election, Congressman Clyburn redirected his focus and strategy. He decided to seek a congressional seat instead of a state position. He won a congressional seat in the fall of 1992. His service in the United States House of Representatives spans the subsequent thirty-three years. Interestingly, his seniority and ascension to leadership in his caucus enables him to direct federal funding for social and infrastructure programs to all citizens in that state. Choices and circumstances forced these men into a personal wilderness where they redefined themselves and refocused their purpose and destiny. When they came out of the wilderness, they were prepared and empowered internally to achieve their unique mission and contribute to the betterment of the global village. Within an existential period and space of self-mastery, they acquire the necessary resources of intuition, intelligence, imagination and integrity.

 Zechariah, A Case Study in the Importance of Silence

Luke 1:5-25 – Part Five

 

Achieving wholesale forgiveness of anyone who ever harmed you verbally, situationally or relationally is a very significant blessing of self-mastery. The failure to forgive people of their incapacities, deficits and defects of character imprisons anyone who harbors anger, resentment, bitterness, vengeance and other toxic emotions. These feelings are a type of contaminated sewage that poisons the mind, heart and psyche. Each recollection of past injury reinjures the person who pauses and plays that vivid video. The sewage seeps deep into the soil of your personality and memory. It destroys creativity and consideration of any strategies and methods of achieving your dreams and goals. Negative emotions like imaginary mercenaries in a video game fire immediately and kill any miniscule concepts or visions of a better life. Cynicism eventually emerges. The inability to transcend the past and push toward a brighter future is lost. Holistic forgiveness is the antidote to serving a life sentence of anger and resentment.

 

When disciples forgive, they liberate themselves from perpetuating any hurt and danger they experienced.  In the process of self-mastery, take time to consider all facts, factors and circumstances that contributed to your injury. Does the person who harmed you suffer with any mental illness? Are they victims of addiction? Were they equally and deeply wounded? Are they people who live with an arrested development? Was fear, greed, pathological lying and other self-centered motives the causes of your perpetrator’s actions? Do you allow that your victimizers are fully human and prone to self-seeking behavior? Hastily, I add that I do not minimize your pain and suffering. I realize people are victims of heinous crime including sexual assault, paralyzing and life altering violence, financial misdeeds, stolen identity and even murder. Still, forgiveness is always central to experiencing holistic healing. Admittedly, the process of extending unconditional forgiveness may consume decades. Yet, it is necessary to free disciples and enable them to progress toward self-realization and destiny.

 

Zechariah’s haste to speak and doubt the angel catapults him into a period of extensive silence. He is struck dumb to compel him to consider his incomplete faith. For several months, Zechariah lives in an existential space of silence and withdrawal. As he is unable to speak casually, hastily and aimlessly, he has time to thoroughly  reflect upon his spiritual, intellectual and emotional architecture. He can examine his worldview. He can evaluate his character. What does he believe? Are his beliefs authentically his own? Has he uncritically accepted the beliefs of other people whom he loves and respects? What causes Zechariah to doubt the angel’s message? More specifically, what causes him to doubt God’s ability to perform this miracle? What is his process of determining his position on faith, spirituality and world events? Who is he? Who does he desire to become? It is in silence during times devoted precisely to the process of self-mastery that Zechariah receives answers to these questions.

 

Zechariah’s encounter with the angel, Gabriel, amid daily routines provides a case study in the importance of silence in a disciple’s life.