What a wonderful story with which to begin a gospel, the story of Zechariah in the temple, as found in Luke 1:8-23. Now Zechariah belonged to a priestly tribe and it was his task to enter the temple and offer incense to God on behalf of the people. As background to this story about what happened in the temple, Luke tells us that Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, now in their old age, are childless. One thing that it is important to note is that love between a man and a woman is founded and sustained not so much by fruitfulness but rather by faithfulness. Still, people misjudge such couples and can even claim that they have been punished by God. This is not only a grave misunderstanding of God but also an inability to recognize that witness to love arises from a couple’s deep respect for one another. A childless couple can bear witness to the power and the depth of love in ways that few others can. No doubt, being frail and elderly, Zechariah simply wanted to complete his task and get back home to enjoy the comfort and loving presence of his wife.
Then, he has a vision. I wouldn’t blame him for feeling overwhelmed. Visions can be quite frightening. Even after the angel tells him that his wife will bear a son, Zechariah finds it hard to believe. Disbelief can easily lead to one becoming dumbfounded. I mean: how can you tell people about something that is so unbelievable? No spoken words could explain what had happened. Eventually a few written words, on the occasion of the naming of his child, would finally give Zechariah the freedom to tell of the remarkable vision of the messenger sent to him in the temple. Let us allow ourselves to be a little dumfounded as we reflect upon this wonderful story and prepare ourselves for even more remarkable stories yet to come.