Who was Zechariah and Elizabeth?
Zecharia, the husband of Elizabeth was a priest in what was called the division of Abijah. Yes, this division has historical proof of its existence. I just love historical evidence for the Bible— it keeps the crows at bay who want to disprove these stories.
It is important to note he was in the division of Abijah. A Jewish Priest may never actually get to enter the Temple for a lifetime— according to the story in Luke 1:5, this happened to be the day Zechariah was to enter the temple (another fun timing narrative!).
This day, his once in a lifetime event, the Angel Gabriel appeared (this is some time before Gabriel appeared to Mary). Zecharia questions the Angel’s message that Elizabeth would bear a child, so Mr. Z is struck mute, at least until the kid is born.
That Kid will be John the Baptist, but I leave him for another time— one of the most interesting and epic characters of the bible! Stay tuned— subscribe and share too— you don’t gotta read all these but might as well spread the word. 😜
Anyway, back to this story— the priest, highly trained and highly educated on the Torah; wants certainty, according to Luke 1:18, “How can I be sure of this?” Contrast that by Mary’s request, instead, for understanding.
Elizabeth was described as righteous and has been childless long into her old age. In those days, being childless was a stain on your character as it was considered a divine disfavor. yet again, the contrast from “law” and divine reality nods its head.
I like the contrast between Mary and Joseph, the new generation, and Elizabeth and Zecharia, the old generation. You get it, right? Old vs. New?
