Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth bear the distinction of being among the very few people the Bible describes as righteous.
In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest of Abijah's division named Zacharias. His wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both were righteous in God's sight, living without blame according to all the commands and requirements of the Lord. But they had no children because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were well along in years. (Luke 1:5-7)
They respected and honored God by following His word, but despite their faithfulness, the couple had no children which brought with it sadness and stigma in their society. They were both from priestly families and Elizabeth's children would have been direct descendants of Aaron, the brother of Moses.
Zacharias was part of the priestly division of Abijah, which had been established by King David nearly 1,000 years earlier. The Levitical priests were divided into 24 groups which would take turns serving at the temple in Jerusalem, usually for 2 weeks at a time and the division of Abijah was the 8th group in the rotation. The priests would come to Jerusalem to serve when their group came up in the rotation and they might also come to help with certain festivals. The rest of the time, they lived with their families and ministered to the local communities.
Because of the extraordinary events that were about to be set in motion, people have tried to pinpoint just when Zacharias' division was on duty in order to determine when certain events occurred, such as the conception and subsequent births of John the Baptist and Jesus. This is difficult however, because the Hebrews used a lunar-solar calendar which was not based on a 365 day year like our modern calendar. Some years had 353, 354 or 355 days in them. Some years had 10 extra days and periodically they would observe a type of leap year which had an entire extra month and consisted of 385 days. Consequently, there is no way to simply look at a calendar and know with precision what month or weeks the division of Abijah would have been on duty serving in Jerusalem. But the text gives us a very strong hint as to when this event occurred.
When his division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, it happened that he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. At the hour of incense the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. An angle of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. When Zacharias saw him, he was terrified and overcome with fear. But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zacharias, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. There will be joy and delight for you and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother's womb. He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go before him in the Spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.
The description provided by the Bible strongly indicates that the angel appeared to Zacharias during the time of a festival when the multitude would be gathered at the temple and that this particular festival was Yom Kippur, the day of atonement, happening near the end of September, give or take a few weeks. Zacharias was a faithful priest, serving God by burning incense in the temple, in the Holy Place. On the left there was a lampstand with 7 lamps, representing the Holy Spirit of God. To the right, there was a table with the Bread of the Presence. On it were set out bread and wine, representing communion and fellowship with God. At the head of the room was the altar of incense. Behind this altar was the veil, a curtain that divided the room, beyond the veil, in the 1st temple, there had once been the Ark of the Covenant, representing the very presence of God, but in this rebuilt temple, it was no longer there.
Once a year, the high priest would have gone behind the curtain into the most Holy Place to meet with God, but the high priests at that time were Sadducees who did not believe in angels, miracles or an afterlife. They were purely political and used the priesthood for personal gain. They were not qualified or approved to enter God’s Presence. God did not send a messenger to one of them. He sent it to a humble and faithful priest. On Yom Kippur, a priest would tie a rope around the waist of the high priest as he entered the Holy of Holies so that he could pull the body out just in case God struck him dead. To prevent this from happening, the smoke of the incense would be allowed to pass through the curtain before him, providing a covering until the high priest could sprinkle blood over the Ark of the Covenant (or the area where it had been) as a covering for his sin.
Whether it was Yom Kippur, or just a normal evening sacrifice, as Zacharias was standing outside the curtain to the Holy of Holies burning the incense, the multitude of the people were gathered outside, praying. At this moment, after 400 years of silence, God answered their prayers--both those of the nation of Israel and those of the humble priest and his aging wife. The faithful believers among the Jews had been praying for a deliverer. Zacharias and Elizabeth had been praying for a child of their own. God sent His messenger, the angel Gabriel, to answer by delivering some good news. Suddenly, the Holy messenger appeared, standing in the smoke on the right side of the altar of incense to tell Zacharias, whose name means "remembered by God," that his wife Elizabeth would conceive a child. God had indeed remembered them. Their son would fulfill the prophecy that Elijah would return to prepare the people's hearts for the coming of the Messiah, Jesus. While he was still in the womb, his son John would have the spirit and power of Elijah, which is the Holy Spirit. The symbolism of Gabriel's appearance in the smoke is significant. The fragrant smoke rising from the altar represented the prayers of the people rising up before God. The angel delivered an answer to their prayers. God still hears our prayers today, and they are like a pleasing and good smelling aroma to Him.
In the same way that John was to go ahead of Jesus to prepare the people's hearts, those of us who are Christians know that Jesus is coming again and we have that same Spirit within us so that we can tell people about Jesus and encourage them to prepare their hearts for His return. The curtain, or veil, that separated the Holy of Holies was torn in two, from top to bottom, when Jesus died on the cross. There is no more separation between us and God. Jesus’ own blood provides a covering for us so that we can enter God’s Presence unafraid.
Zacharias and Elizabeth were righteous before God. This does not mean that they were perfect and sinless, but it does mean that they honored God, had faith in Him and carefully followed the law to atone for their sins. It is ironic to me that Zacharias immediately sinned by doubting the words of the angel.
"How can I know this? Zacharias asked the angel?" "For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years." The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news. Now listen. You will become silent and unable to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time."
God showed grace and continued with His plans despite the priests doubt, though Zacharias would remain silent throughout the pregnancy, opening his mouth only when he truly believed and prophesying over his newborn son. The birth of John would be a miraculous one, born to a barren and aging couple.
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zacharias, amazed that he stayed so long in the sanctuary. When he did come out, he could not speak to them. Then they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He was making signs to them and remained speechless. When the days of his ministry were completed, he went back home. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived and kept herself in seclusion for 5 months. She said, "The Lord has done this for me. He has looked with favor in these days to take away my disgrace among the people."
The crowd standing outside, waiting with bated breath to find out what happened lends credence to the idea that this was Yom Kippur. Elizabeth showed great faith and rejoiced that God had given her this child, she felt grateful that He had chosen her. After Zacharias returned home from his priestly duties, Elizabeth became pregnant, likely in October. She kept herself hidden for 5 months. In the 6th month, likely March, Gabriel was sent by God to deliver another message to a young woman who would conceive and give birth in December....
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