One Last Swing At Our Friend Zechariah

A word of preface... having lovingly crafted this little blog below, I discovered shortly thereafter (upon reading more from the first chapter of Luke) that it is highly likely that Zechariah was struck not merely dumb, but also deaf. Turns out that when Gabriel told him he'd be silent, that word (in the greek) can also mean deaf. ...Which explains the odd actions noted in verse 62. Well... if Zechariah was deaf too, that kind of shoots a hole in what I wrote below. Ah well... live and learn.

I had a bit of fun at Zechariah's expense in my last blog, but am not satisfied to leave well enough alone. Tongue firmly planted in cheek, I suggest that Zechariah's punishment did not solely consist in his being struck mute for the duration of his wife Elizabeth's pregnancy.

No, sir.

A close examination of the situation reveals a little nugget — proof that God does indeed have a great sense of humor. To see that this is so, we need merely consider where Zechariah went after he was struck dumb: home.

Imagine the situation. It's 1 BC or so, with no distracting technology in the house, and probably not even a thing to read beyond a few scrolls of various holy scriptures (if that!), and those known well enough indeed already.

Nothing to watch. Nothing to listen to. Nothing new to read.

And this home... it is the home of an old couple. They've been married for decades. Every conversation has already been had. Multiple times.

And they are childless.

This is a quiet house.

But now, something truly new and amazing has happened. Elizabeth discovers she is pregnant. She's post-menopausal, and yet the promise of Gabriel has come to fruition. A true miracle.

Stunned.... Elizabeth retreats into seclusion for five months. Where? Home. It has to be.

What home?

The home she shares with her husband.

The guy who, for the time being, cannot talk.

So it is my contention that Gabriel and God pulled a doozy of a practical joke on Zechariah. Elizabeth, I submit, surely had many things to say. Daily. Hourly? However often it was, she had an audience for her words. For five months, Zechariah couldn't interrupt her or ask her to stop. All he could do was listen.

Listen, listen, listen.

A worthy punishment for a man who was not ready to accept the exciting news on the first pass, delivered from the tongue of an angel: he is forced instead to listen to his wife's reflections on the matter. But Zechariah was given this one mercy. Judging by the few words we know Elizabeth spoke (as recorded in Luke), hers were reflections very well worth listening to.

And the coup de grâce? Just note, friends, when it is that God gives Zechariah his voice back. Yes. Right after the baby was born. Right around the time (as many new fathers can attest) when nobody cares much what dad has to say anyway.