ACC ~ Luke 1 v5 - 25

OVERVIEW:

The announcement of John’s birth is important for salvation history as he is prophet and martyr (MAXIMUS OF TURIN). Zechariah and Elizabeth are described in language that suggests they are a continuation of the faithful remnant of the Old Testament. Both are from priestly stock, Zechariah from the division of Abijah and Elizabeth a daughter of Aaron (AMBROSE). Elizabeth is barren, and they are too old to conceive, yet God uses Elizabeth’s barrenness to bring forth the miraculous birth of a holy person, just as he did for Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Hannah (ORIGEN).

Luke’s Gospel begins and ends in the temple, and so does the infancy narrative. The two altars of the temple signify two covenants, as the angel heralds the coming of the new covenant (BEDE). But John’s advent heralds the end of Old Testament worship, the law and the priesthood (EPHREM THE SYRIAN). By beginning his Gospel with an Old Testament saint like Zechariah performing cultic acts associated with the old covenant in the temple in Jerusalem, Luke immediately shows that his narrative must be understood in connection with Israel and the Old Testament.

The angel’s appearance signals a theophany in which the coming of the true priest will be announced (PSEUDO-DIONYSIUS). The angel’s announcement of the miraculous birth and the name of the child is preceded by a word of comfort—“Do not fear” (ATHANASIUS). The angel comes to Zechariah as the biological father of John, whereas with Jesus, the angel comes to Mary and not to Joseph. Zechariah’s prayers of supplication offered at the time of his priestly duty were for the Messiah to come (AUGUSTINE). As a priest in the temple Zechariah’s prayer was answered (CHRYSOSTOM).

The angel tells Zechariah to name the child John, which means “Yahweh/the Lord has been gracious” (BEDE). John’s greatness comes from the presence of the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb (AMBROSE). John baptized the One through whom all others would be baptized (CYPRIAN). John precedes the Messiah “in the Spirit and power of Elijah” (BEDE). The Spirit is never without power (AMBROSE). The parallels between the announcements of the births of John and Jesus highlight the relationship between John and Jesus in salvation history (AUGUSTINE). Elizabeth’s barrenness and Mary’s virginity stand in sharp contrast, but together they announce that God is acting in a miraculous way at this climactic moment in salvation history (MAXIMUS OF TURIN).

Zechariah’s silence is a sign of his doubts and that Israel has not listened to the voice of the prophets (ORIGEN). What Zechariah doubts is God’s word and promise (CHRYSOSTOM). Elizabeth kept herself hidden for five months; Mary will be the first to know of her blessed state and see in it a sign of God’s visitation (EPHREM THE SYRIAN). Elizabeth’s modesty gives way to the recognition that, in some mysterious way, God has removed her shame (AMBROSE).

1:5-7 | Time, Persons and Place

BORN FOR PROPHECY, MURDERED FOR TRUTH

MAXIMUS OF TURIN: I do not know what is the most important thing that we should preach—that he [John the Baptist] was wonderfully born or more wonderfully slain—for he was born as a prophecy and murdered for truth. By his birth he announced the coming of the Savior, and by his death he condemned the incest of Herod. [1] This holy and righteous man, who was born in an uncommon way as the result of a promise, merited from God that he should depart this world by an uncommon death—that he should by confessing the Lord lay aside his body, which he had received as a gift from the Lord. Therefore John did everything by the will of God, since he was born and died for the sake of God’s work. SERMON 5.1-2. [2]

[1] Mt 14:3-12.

[2] ACW 50:22-23**.

JOHN’S PRIESTLY BACKGROUND

AMBROSE: Holy Scripture tells us that not only the character of those who are praiseworthy but also their parents must be praised, so that the transmitted inheritance of immaculate purity, as it were, in those whom we wish to praise, may be exalted. What other intention is there in this passage of the holy Evangelist, except that St. John the Baptist be renowned for his parents, his wonders, his duty and his passion? Thus Hannah, the mother of St. Samuel, [1] is praised. Thus Isaac received from his parents nobility of piety, which he handed down to his descendants. Therefore the priest Zechariah is not only a priest but also of the course of Abijah, that is, a noble among his wife’s ancestors. “And his wife,” it says, “was of the daughters of Aaron.” So St. John’s nobility was handed down not only from his parents but also from his ancestors—not exalted through worldly power but venerable through the religious succession. For the forerunner of Christ ought to have such ancestors, that he be seen to preach a faith in his Lord’s advent that is not suddenly conceived but received from his ancestors and imparted by the very law of nature. EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 1.15-16. [2]

[1] 1 Sam 1:2.

[2] EHG 15*; CSEL 32 4:20.

ELIZABETH’S BARRENNESS

ORIGEN: Consider why many holy women in the Scriptures are said to have been barren, as Sarah herself, [1] and now Rebecca. [2] Also Rachel, Israel’s beloved, was barren. [3] Hannah also, the mother of Samuel, is recorded to have been barren. [4] Also in the Gospels, Elizabeth is said to have been barren. In all these instances this term is used, for after sterility they all gave birth to a holy person. HOMILIES ON GENESIS 12.1. [5]

[1] Gen 11:30.

[2] Gen 25:21.

[3] Gen 29:31.

[4] 1 Sam 1:2.

[5] FC 71:176**.

THE APPEARANCE IN THE TEMPLE

BEDE: We must note that the angel bore witness to the grace about which he had come to give the good news—not only by the power of the words which he brought forward but also by the point in time and the location of the place in which he appeared. He appeared at the time when the priest was making an offering to express the fact that he was proclaiming the coming of the true and eternal high priest, who would be the true sacrificial offering for the salvation of the world. He stood beside the altar of incense to teach that he had come as the herald of a new covenant. There were two altars in the temple, [1] which expressed the two covenants in the church. The first, the altar of burnt offerings, which was plated with bronze and was situated in front of the doors of the temple, [2] was for the offering up of victims and sacrifices. It signified the fleshly-minded worshipers of the old covenant. Then there was the altar of incense, which was covered with gold [3] and set near the entrance of the Holy of Holies, and was used to burn fragrant gums. This signified the interior and more perfect grace of the new covenant and its worshipers. HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 2.19. [4]

[1] Ex 27:1; 30:1.

[2] Ex 27:2; 1 Kings 8:64; 2 Chron 8:12.

[3] Ex 30:3.

[4] CS 111:195-96*.

JOHN HERALDS THE END OF OLD TESTAMENT WORSHIP

EPHREM THE SYRIAN: John, herald of the Lord of the right, was announced from the right of the altar. It was at the time of worship that he was announced to show he was the end of the former worship. It was in the middle of the sanctuary that Zechariah became dumb, to show that the mysteries of the sanctuary had become silent, for he who was to fulfill these mysteries had come. Because Zechariah did not believe that his wife’s barrenness had been healed, he was bound in his speech. COMMENTARY ON TATIAN’S DIATESSARON 1.10. [1]

[1] ECTD 45*.

1:8-17 | Gabriel Appears to Zechariah in the Temple

GABRIEL ANNOUNCES THE MYSTERY OF CHRIST’S COMING

PSEUDO-DIONYSIUS: I note that the mystery of Jesus’ love for humanity was first revealed to the angels and that the angels granted the gift of this knowledge to us. It was the most divine Gabriel who guided Zechariah, the chief priest, into the mystery that, contrary to all hope and by God’s favor, he would have a son. His son would be a prophet of the divine and human work of Jesus, who was beneficently about to appear for the salvation of the world. Gabriel revealed to Mary how in her would be born the divine mystery of the ineffable form of God. CELESTIAL HIERARCHY 4.4. [1]

[1] PDCW 158*.

GABRIEL DISPELS FEAR

ATHANASIUS: Whenever the soul continues to be fearful, it is the enemy who is present. The evil spirits do not dispel the fear of their presence, as the great archangel Gabriel did for Mary and Zechariah. LIFE OF ST. ANTHONY 37. [1]

[1] FC 15:169*; CWS 59.

THE ANGEL COMES TO ZECHARIAH

AUGUSTINE: The angel Gabriel came to Zechariah, not to Elizabeth. Why? Because it was through Zechariah that John was going to be in Elizabeth. The angel, in announcing that John was going to come by being born, went not to the receptacle of the womb but to the source of the seed. He announced they would both have a son, but he made the announcement to the father. John, after all, was going to come from the marriage of male and female. And once more the same Gabriel came to Mary—not to Joseph. The angel came to the one from whom that flesh was to begin, from whom it was to take its starting point. SERMON 291.3. [1]

[1] WSA 3 8:132-33*.

ZECHARIAH PRAYS FOR A MESSIAH

AUGUSTINE: The priest was offering sacrifice on behalf of the people. The people were expecting the Christ. John was the one who would announce the Christ. SERMON 291.3. [1]

[1] WSA 3 8:133*.

ZECHARIAH’S PRIESTLY PRAYER

CHRYSOSTOM: This man Zechariah came into the Holy of Holies, to the innermost sanctuary, upon which he alone of all men had the right to look. Consider how he was equal in importance to all the people. When he offered prayers for the whole people, when he was making the Master propitious to his servants, he was serving as a mediator between God and men. ON THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE NATURE OF GOD 2.9-10. [1]

[1] FC 72:74*.

AND YOU SHALL CALL HIM JOHN

BEDE: Whenever in the Scriptures a name is imposed or changed … by God, it is indicative of great praise and virtue. It was good that our Redeemer’s precursor was ordered to be called John. The name John means “the grace of the Lord” or “in whom there is grace.” He received a special grace beyond other saints, that of being Christ’s precursor. He came to proclaim a previously unheard of grace to the world, that of entry into heaven. Therefore he who was full of grace himself and who brought the good news of God’s grace to the rest of humankind expressed even by his name a proclamation of grace. It was rightly foretold that there was to be cause for exultation for many persons at his birth, since it was through him that the Author of their regeneration was manifested to the world. HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 2.19. [1]

[1] CS 111:197*.

JOHN’S GREATNESS IS IN SPIRIT

AMBROSE: He here announced greatness, not of body but of soul. Greatness of soul before the Lord is greatness of virtue, and smallness of soul is childhood of virtue. … Thus John would be great—not through bodily virtue but through magnanimity. [1] He did not enlarge the boundaries of an empire. He did not prefer triumphs of military contest to honors. Rather, what is more, he disparaged human pleasures and lewdness of body, preaching in the desert with great virtue of spirit. He was a child in worldliness, but great in spirit. He was not captivated by the allurements of life, nor did he change his steadfastness of purpose through a desire to live. …

There is no doubt that this promise of the angel came true. Before he was born—still in his mother’s womb—St. John depicted the grace of the receipt of the Spirit. Although neither his father nor his mother had performed any miracles previously, he, leaping in his mother’s womb, proclaimed the coming of the Lord. When the mother of the Lord came to Elizabeth, the latter said, “For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy.” [2] She did not yet have the spirit of life, [3] but the Spirit of grace. We find in another place that the grace of sanctification precedes that of the substance of living, where the Lord says, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.” [4] For the spirit of this life is one, and the Spirit of grace is another. EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 1.31-33. [5]

[1] Lk 7:28.

[2] Lk 1:44.

[3] See Rom 8:2; Rev 2:11.

[4] Jer 1:5.

[5] EHG 23-24;** CSEL 32 4:29-32.

THOSE BAPTIZED BY JOHN

CYPRIAN: John did not merely announce the Lord in words before his coming but pointed him out for people to see. John baptized the Christ himself through whom all others are baptized. THE BAPTISMAL CONTROVERSY 73.25. [1]

[1] LCC 5:171*.

HOW JOHN IS LIKE ELIJAH

BEDE: Both Elijah and John were celibate. Both wore rough dress. Both spent their lives in the wilderness. Both were heralds of the truth. Both underwent persecution for justice’s sake at the hands of a king and queen—the former at the hands of Ahab and Jezebel, [1] the latter at the hands of Herod and Herodias. [2] The former, lest he be killed by the wicked, was carried up to heaven in a fiery chariot. [3] The latter, lest he be overcome by the wicked, sought the heavenly kingdom by his martyrdom, which was accomplished in spiritual combat. HOMILIES ON THE GOSPELS 2.23. [4]

[1] 1 Kings 19:1-3.

[2] Mt 14:3.

[3] :1–24:53 PRELIMINARY REMARKS | ON THE GOSPEL

[4] CS 111:230*.

IN THE SPIRIT AND POWER OF ELIJAH

AMBROSE: These words are well added because the spirit is never without power, nor power without the spirit. “In the spirit and power of Elijah,” it says, perhaps because holy Elijah had great power and grace. Power so that he turned the spirits of the people back from unbelief to faith, the power of abstinence and patience, and the Spirit of prophecy. … Elijah divided the Jordan, [1] John made it the font of salvation. John walks with the Lord on earth, Elijah appears with the Lord in glory. [2] Elijah is a herald of the first coming of the Lord, and John of the second. Elijah after three years watered the earth with rain, [3] John after three years sprinkled the arid soil of our body with the stream of faith. EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 1.36. [4]

[1] 2 Kings 2:8.

[2] Mt 17:3.

[3] 1 Kings 18:1, 45.

[4] EHG 25*; CSEL 32 4:32-33.

1:18-20 | Zechariah’s Response and the Angel’s Proclamation

BARRENNESS AND VIRGINITY

AUGUSTINE: The church observes the birth of John as in some way sacred. … When we celebrate John’s, we also celebrate Christ’s. …

John is born of an old woman who is barren. Christ is born of a young woman who is a virgin. Barrenness gives birth to John, virginity to Christ. The normal and proper age of parents was lacking with the birth of John. No marital embrace occurred for the birth of Christ. The former is announced in the declaration of the angel. With the angel’s annunciation the latter is conceived. That John will be born is not believed, and his father is silenced. That Christ will be born is believed, and he is conceived by faith. First of all faith makes its entry into the heart of the virgin, and there follows fruitfulness in the mother’s womb.

And yet, Zechariah used nearly the same words, when the angel announced John: “By what shall I know this? For I myself am an old man, and my wife is already advanced in her days,” and by holy Mary when the angel announced that she was going to give birth: “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” [1] These are practically the same words. …

Finally, John is born when the daylight begins to diminish and the night begins to grow longer. Christ is born when the night begins to be curtailed and the day begins to increase. SERMON 293. [2]

[1] Lk 1:34.

[2] WSA 3 8:148-49*.

ELIZABETH AND MARY

MAXIMUS OF TURIN: Yet … we ought not to be so astonished that John merited such grace in his birth. For the precursor and forerunner of Christ ought to have had something similar to the birth of the Lord, the Savior. Indeed, the Lord was begotten of a virgin and John of a sterile woman, the one of an unstained girl and the other of an already exhausted old woman. John’s birth, then, also has something of the glorious and the wondrous. Although it would seem to be less noble for a matron to give birth than for a virgin to give birth, yet as we look up to Mary for having given birth as a virgin we also wonder at Elizabeth for having done so as an old woman. Indeed, I think that this fact contains a certain mystery. John, who was a figure of the Old Testament, should have been born of the already cold blood of an old woman, while the Lord, who would preach the gospel of the kingdom of heaven, came forth from a woman in the flower of glowing youth. Mary, conscious of her virginity, marvels at the fruit hidden in her belly, while Elizabeth, conscious of her old age, blushes that her womb is heavy with the one she has conceived. Thus the Evangelist says, “She hid herself for five months.” How wonderful it is, though, that the same archangel Gabriel performs an office with respect to each birth! He comforts the unbelieving Zechariah and encourages the believing Mary. He lost his voice because he doubted. But she, because she believed immediately, conceived the saving Word. SERMON 5.3-4. [1]

[1] ACW 50:23-24*.

1:21-23 | The People Realize Zechariah Has Seen a Vision

ZECHARIAH’S SILENCE A SIGN

ORIGEN: When the priest Zechariah offers incense in the temple, he is condemned to silence and cannot speak. Or better, he speaks only with gestures. He remains unable to speak until the birth of his son, John. What does this mean? Zechariah’s silence is the silence of prophets in the people of Israel. God no longer speaks to them. His “Word, which was with the Father from the beginning, and was God,” [1] has passed over to us. For us Christ is not silent. …

Christ ceased to be in them. The Word deserted them. What Isaiah wrote was fulfilled: “The daughter of Zion will be deserted like a tent in the vineyard or like a hut in the cucumber patch. She is as desolate as a plundered city.” [2] The Jews were left behind, and salvation passed to the Gentiles. HOMILY ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 5.1, 4. [3]

[1] Jn 1:1-2.

[2] Is 1:8.

[3] FC 94:20-21*.

ZECHARIAH DOUBTS

CHRYSOSTOM: Zechariah looked at his age, his gray hair, his body that had lost its strength. He looked at his wife’s sterility, and he refused to accept on faith what the angel revealed would come to pass. ON THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE NATURE OF GOD 2.11. [1]

[1] FC 72:75*.

1:24-25 | Elizabeth Rejoices in Her New Status

WHY ELIZABETH HID HERSELF

EPHREM THE SYRIAN: Elizabeth hid herself because of Zechariah’s grief. Or alternatively, she hid herself because she was ashamed on account of the fact that she had resumed intercourse. So it was because of her old age that Elizabeth hid herself. But see, Moses did not write in relation to Sarah that she hid herself, when at the age of ninety she carried Isaac, nor with regard to Rebecca, who was pregnant with twins. Elizabeth hid herself for five months, until her infant would be sufficiently formed in his members to exult before his Lord, [1] and because Mary was about to receive the annunciation. COMMENTARY ON TATIAN’S DIATESSARON 1.24. [2]

[1] Lk 1:41.

[2] ECTD 52*.

ELIZABETH’S MODESTY

AMBROSE: Elizabeth, who undoubtedly desired sons, hid herself for five months. What was the reason for this concealment if not modesty? For there is a prescribed age for each duty, and what is fitting at one time is unseemly at another, and a change of age often changes the nature of every act. … She, who once hid because she had conceived a son, began to carry herself with confidence because she bore a prophet—she who blushed before was blessed, she who doubted before was strengthened. “For, behold,” she said, “as soon as the voice of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” [1] Therefore she cried out with a loud voice when she perceived the coming of the Lord, because she believed in the divine birth. There was no cause for shame when she accepted the birth of the prophet as a given, not a desired, generation. EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 1.43, 46. [2]

[1] Lk 1:44.

[2] EHG 29-31*; CSEL 32 4:38, 40.