“Your prayer has been heard …” so an angel of the Lord states to Zechariah in v. 13 of our passage.  Yet, in spite of those welcome words, just as they would be to us, we must first ask an important question.  What prayer does the angel mean?

Is it the prayer you might imagine this couple to be asking?  After all, Zechariah and Elizabeth had been married a long time and had no children (v. 7), which was a real source of embarrassment in ancient times.  But there were other prayers uttered on that occasion as Zechariah was taking his turn at his priestly functions.  These were the prayers of those assembled outside as they prepared for worship … prayers that they had been praying for years, that the Hebrew nation would finally “step up” and assume their calling, not simply as a “most favoured nation” but as a mission nation.  And, as a priest, this would have been Zechariah’s fervent prayer as well …

As we know from reading this passage, the message of the angel would address both these prayers.  Zechariah and Elizabeth would indeed begin family life and the son to be born would bring the Hebrew people closer to their calling than ever … and would incorporate a “new Israel” as well. 

As we see from our passage this baby would have unique qualifications for the role he was called to assume.  First, he would be a “joy and delight” to his parents, as well as to the “many” (v.14) and attain greatness “in the sight of the Lord.”  Second, he would never partake of wine or any strong drink, proving once again that depriving ourselves for a good cause (see masks today) is not a bad thing.  Finally, we read that, unlike the rest of us whose relationship with the Spirit begins at conversion, “he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth (v. 15).” 

Indeed, God would equip him (John as he was to be called) for his task, and that is a good thing …for his task would not be an easy one.  It would be one of “turning” or “turning the attention” back to Yahweh, to the spiritual truth of life (v. 16-17) … and when we think about it, that may be our role as well, and the role of the church.  It is so easy to focus on the wrong things in life … things like power, prestige, pleasure and profit.  But our role, like John’s, might be to encourage folks to live a more balanced life and to bring God into the picture, so to speak.  I sometimes think it’s like the breakfast cereal commercials we used to see on T.V. … “part of a complete breakfast” so they say.  That’s what we’re suggesting about a life of faith.  “Part of a complete life” (maybe the most important part) involves faith in a higher power, whom we know as the Father of our Lord Jesus.

There are three groups whom John, in the power of the Spirit, will be trying to “turn.”  First of all, will be what we might call “the estranged” (“many of the people of Israel”, v. 16).  These folks would know the truth about Yahweh/God but had let their faith lapse, perhaps primarily due to the condition of inaccessibility that had developed within the faith system of the Hebrews.  The system had become so complex that the average person could not participate fully.  Jesus himself addressed this condition during his earthly ministry when he charged the religious leadership with placing burdens on the peoples’ shoulders and “not willing to lift a finger to move them (Matt. 23:4).”  Many of the folks we run into have had a faith of some sort through the years, but have let it lapse for one reason or another.  These folks need a “turning” as well.

The second group whose turning John will witness and facilitate will be fathers, whose hearts will be turned “to their children (v. 17).”  The life of children in the ancient world was often undervalued, with fathers being a major part of the problem.  Somewhat the opposite may be the case in our time, when children are pushed hard to succeed.  

A poignant story told by Prof. David Elkind in his book The Hurried Child brings this point home … a man was complaining to his child’s preschool teacher who had given a “satisfactory” grade at the end of the year, suggesting that such a mark, even at this early stage, may prevent his child from getting into MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)!  The normal role of a loving and patient father cannot be over-estimated in a child’s life.

The final group whose hearts will be turned are the disobedient (v. 17b).  We must try to resist any assumption that a life of sin and rebellion holds no attraction.  The writer of Hebrews reminds us that Moses opted for a harder life associating with his Hebrew brothers and sisters instead of “the pleasures of sin for a season (Hebrews 11:25).”  One of the early theologians of the church, St. Augustine, reflecting on his early rebellious life recalled a prayer he admitted praying during this time of his development … “O God make me good; but not yet.”  We all have folks like this in our various relational networks, many of whom we love dearly.  We must be reminded that the Father of Lights loves them too … and that they are some of the ones He had in mind when he sent His Son.  Through the work of the Spirit, and our modest help, our hope is that these beloved of God will have their hearts turned and that they will see “the wisdom of righteousness.”

The last phrase of v. 17 sums up the role the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth will play … and I believe it is our role as well.  “To make ready a people prepared for the Lord” says the angel.  Ours is not to convince … that remains to be the job of the Holy Spirit.  

The German Christian mystic Meister Echart wrote, “God lies in wait for us.”  Our job may be to help these folks along the road of faith, whatever place they may find themselves.  May God find us faithful …