What wonderful news this was! The angel Gabriel just promised the old man Zechariah that he would be the father of a baby boy named John who will be great before the Lord. He would be the only human to be filled with the Holy Spirit for one’s whole life (including before birth!). With the spirit and power of Elijah resting upon him, he would turn the hearts of many toward God. What a forerunner this little boy would be!
But how did Zechariah respond? He responded to God’s word spoken through Gabriel with doubt. “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years” (Luke 1:18). Gabriel rebukes him for his lack of faith, and closes his mouth and shuts his ears until the baby would be born (for evidence of him being deaf, look at Luke 1:62).
Is there any significance in Zechariah going mute and deaf? I think so. God has graciously endowed all humans with certain body parts so that they would be used properly, namely, to glorify him. God had given Zechariah ears to hear his word and a mouth to speak words of faith. Ironically, Zechariah used his ears to doubt God’s word and his mouth to speaks words of distrust and fear. In doing so, Zechariah was acting more like an animal than a human. Therefore, to be a permanent reminder to us all, God took away his senses to show how un-human he was acting. In fact, whenever we lack faith, we are not acting as a true human. To be fully human is to use the members of our body exactly as God designed them, that is, in faith.
So, act as a human today.
Use your mouth to proclaim the wonderful glories of Jesus.
Use your ears to hear words of truth and respond in faith.
Use your eyes as channels that take in God’s wonderful creation, and let what you behold be fuel on the fire of your faith.
Use your mind to humbly ponder the acts and promises of God, and may that propel you on a deeper dependence of God.
Learn from Zechariah, and act like you were meant to be and not like an animal.
