characters of CHRISTmas: zechariah

as promised, so begins my journey into the exploration of the characters of CHRISTmas, and going one step further and drawing parallels to character types we see today.

have you ever just sat and read the whole CHRISTmas story?  if not, then i encourage you to sit down and read it this year.  most people know the luke 2 story, and even the matthew 1-2 portion, but the story actually begins back in luke 1.  it begins when the angel gabriel appears to zechariah, who was an elderly priest serving in the temple of the Lord.  the angel informs him that his elderly wife elizabeth (we'll get to her later), is going to have a son who will pave the way for CHRIST, and that zechariah is to name him john.

now, i don't know about you, but if an angel ever just appeared to me, and then told me something, i think i might be inclined to believe him.  but what does zechariah do?  he questions gabriel, and says something along the lines of him and his wife being old (sound familiar?  read the story of abraham in case you have forgotten).  as his punishment, gabriel renders zechariah mute until the baby is born.

have you ever been asked to believe the unbelievable?  what was your response?  caedmon's call has a song called "there you go", and there is an excellent rephrasing of john 3:16 within the lyrics:  "for You so loved the unlovable, that You gave the ineffable, that who so believes the unbelievable, will attain the unattainable."  every year at CHRISTmas, we are called by God to believe and outrageous story of a young girl who miraculously becomes pregnant, yet claims to never have had sex, and that baby is born into poverty to become Immanuel, God with us on earth.  some religions deny this, and say that mary was a liar and a fornicator.  yet we are called to believe it based on some words that were written over 1900 years ago.  you say you believe that, but what do you do when God calls you to believe a promise He has made to you?

i can remember a time in my own life, when i, like zechariah, had my faith tested.  God has promised in His Word, that He will supply all my needs, yet when i was without a job, i began to do like zechariah and look around me at my circumstances and say, "but God. . ."  the Bible is filled with those who doubted God's promises.  so why should it be any easier for us today?  i mean, if zechariah actually saw an angel, and still didn't believe, then how much harder is it for us to believe without a personal visit from an angelic being?  it becomes that much harder when God actually asks something of us in the midst of our crisis of faith.  i can remember when God told me to move back to mississippi (even after i said i would never go back there).  i had no place to live there, no job, and a pregnant wife and son to move with me.  i remember praying, "God, if you want us to move there, you have to tell my wife that, too, because she is going to flip when i tell her that You want us to move to mississippi!"  the very next day, while talking to my wife on the phone, she asked me had i been praying about where we were to move, and i told her that i had, but that she was not going to believe me when i told her.  she said, "it's tupelo, mississippi, isn't it?"  keep in mind, i had not talked to her at all about this.  i was in rhode island at training and she was in texas at her mom's house at the time.  she said that God had told her that as well.  long story short, we obeyed God, took a huge leap of faith, and God was faithful to provide jobs for both of us while there.  now, before you start saying, "wow, chris, i wish i had that kind of faith!", let me confess.  after about a year and a half, God began telling us it was time to move on from tupelo to my ultimate calling as a navy chaplain.  however, i used my own logic again, like zechariah, and saw the super nice salary i was bringing in, no offers of active duty, and refused God's offer.  since i ignored God's gentle prodding, He decided to give me a violent shove in the right direction, which was not a fun time for my family or me.  i, like zechariah, was rendered powerless. 

but if you read the rest of the story of zechariah, you will find out that he was faithful in spite of his unbelief and silent punishment, and when the baby was born, he wrote that he was to be named john as gabriel had instructed.  after that, his voice returned, and he began to praise God and to prophecy about his son.  the prophecy came true, and his son john, would become the man known to the world as john the baptist, the forerunner of CHRIST.

perhaps this CHRISTmas, you find yourself like zechariah.  maybe God has called you to do something out of the ordinary such as provide a meal or CHRISTmas gifts for a needy family, serve in a soup kitchen on CHRISTmas day, step out of your comfort zone and do something that otherwise would seem outlandish.  or maybe it's the commands already revealed to you through Scripture:  attend church on sunday even if it is CHRISTmas (i know, novel idea, right?), actually spend this CHRISTmas focusing on CHRIST instead of presents and the rush, or be the voice of the angels proclaiming the good news of the birth, life, death, and resurrection of CHRIST to someone who desperately needs to hear it this year.  it could be that you have not believed God on something He has told you, and you are suffering in silence as a result.  as in the case of zechariah, God can still use you despite your unbelief, provided you obey Him despite your lack of faith.  and i know that there are some, that have found this whole CHRISTmas business nothing more than a fairy tale, a children's story in the same vein as santa claus.  my prayer for you this year is that God sends someone to reveal the truth to you.  who knows, somebody's obedience and belief may give the world its next billy graham or martin luther.