The Boy that Zach Built

Despite the whirlwind grind of activity over the past couple of weeks, I have been able to manage some focused reading on the Christmas story. I began reading Luke's account from the first chapter and have stayed there up until this morning when I finally moved on to the second chapter.


The Christmas story is so wonderful to me because it is made up of minor characters, doing mundane things when God suddenly chooses to involve them in History.


One such character is Zacharias.


This year, I think Zacharias is my hero. In case his name doesn't ring a bell - he is the father of John the Baptist, Jesus' cousin.


Sadly, the thing that most of us remember about him is that he was struck dumb - literally - when he didn't believe the angel's message to him about his having a son in his old age.



Why do we focus so much on the unbelief of others - "doubting Thomas", "sinking Peter" and the rest - is it because it takes some of the pressure off of us?



But after Zacharias' faith came around, I think he performed quite admirably.


Did you know he was a prophet?


Here is what he prophesied that Messiah would do:

1. He would deliver us from our enemies and those that hate us
2. He would perform the promise of God's mercy
3. He would remember His holy covenant

Zacharias expanded on how those three precepts would look:

being delivered, we would be able to "serve Him without fear" in holiness and righteousness.

That tells me that because Jesus came, I can be delivered from the enemy of my soul; and God's mercy will be real as I enjoy a covenant relationship with Him. This relationship allows me to serve Him without being fearful of His judgement or condemnation. Because Jesus came, I can walk in righteousness and holiness - not my own, but His in me.

That's a good Word, Zach.

But this former mute-doubter did something else: He paved the way for his son to become what God had called him to become.

You see in that original conversation that Zach had with the angel, he heard a lot more than just - " you want a sign, I'll give you a sign... how about you can't speak!... how about that?"

The angel also told him that this boy was an answer to his prayers ... you see, Zacharias had already been praying for the very thing that God wanted to do in History.

The angel also described the lifestyle this boy would adopt - one like the Prophet Elijah. That chapter ends with the fact that John the Baptist was "in the desert" until he was revealed to Israel.

Whose idea do you think it was for him to live in the desert?

I figure it was ole dad's idea. I figure he was pretty familiar with the lifestyle of Elijah and probably helped to shape that boy's ideas around that destiny of being in the "spirit of Elijah".

So this minor character played a pretty big role in God's story. He reared the last Messianic Prophet. His praying was on the same page as God's - he desired the same things ("delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" - the Psalmist said), and having received God's answer and His direction... he firmly implanted that destiny into his child. He shaped his future.

What is God calling your children to?

I think He wants us to be something of a detective, noticing the details-the strengths and gifts-that He has placed in our children. Then we should lead them to develop those gifts.

Every year Christmas seems to remind me that the little regular things I do everyday may have eternal implications. It also reminds me that Heaven visits our mundane moments at times and makes the ordinary, extraordinary!

Zacharius' story can be found in the Gospel of Luke, chapter one.