Messenger

 

    I sometimes wonder how much angels are like us.  They are heavenly creatures.  God created them.  However, they have different roles in the universe than we do.  It seems like they live somewhere between the heavenly realm and our realm.  We rarely see them, but they are here.

    Luke begins with his story to getting eye witness accounts to make the book as accurate as he could.  He was a doctor, so the facts meant a lot to him.  He took a lot of time to truly investigate the accuracy of people's stories.  It is sometimes the smallest detail that can change everything.  His facts began before Jesus' birth with an angel named Gabriel.

    Gabriel began with Zechariah was her husband and a priest.  He was married to Elizabeth.  She was barren which brought her a lot of pain.  They were both righteous in God's eyes.  Gabriel went to Zechariah when he was praying in the holy of holy places.  Zechariah was naturally terrified.  No one had seen an angel in hundreds of years.  

    Gabriel calmed Zechariah and promised him a son within the year.  The boy would be named John.  He was promised to be great in God's eyes.  He was to live a pure life because he was going to be filled with the holy spirit in the womb.  His path was to lead people to God because he would carry the spirit of Elijah.  He would understand things that he was never taught.  He would lay the foundation of faith living.  He would teach repentance.

    Zechariah struggled with accepting this because he and his wife were considered old.  Since Zechariah was not listening to the angel the angel struck him with a silent voice until John was born.  He would bare witness without being able to speak about it until it was complete.  

    When John came out his peers thought he had had a vision.   There is no way they could guess that Zechariah had met an angel.  Life continued on for them.  Elizabeth did get pregnant and when she was in her sixth month, Gabriel went to Nazareth to visit Mary.  She was engaged to Joseph, but still a virgin.  

    Gabriel called Mary favored woman.  She was deeply troubled because she didn't understand anything that was happening.  She had no clue that just half a year earlier he had visited her uncle.  He told her not to be afraid, but she would be a pregnant virgin.  Her son's reign would never end.  It is possible because the holy spirit put Jesus (the son of God) into her womb.  

    Both pregnancies required miracles.  Two miracles within the same family was very unique.  Nothing is impossible with God.  That is why they are miracles.   Mary went to her Aunt Elizabeth to try to understand what was happening to her and see the other miracle for herself.  When she arrived, John jumped with joy in Elizabeth's womb.   He seemed to understand it all.  He knew what a special baby that was still hidden in Mary.

    Mary was humbled and excited that God chose her, but going against the social standards is never easy.  She was realizing the judgment people would inflict upon her.  After all women don't just get pregnant.  Her heart was full for Jesus and he wasn't even big enough to flutter.  Mary stayed in the security of her aunt's home for three months, probably until John was born, then she had to go back to face her life.  

    Elizabeth had to face her new life as a mother on her own too.  Once John was circumcised, Zechariah was able to speak again.  He is the one that insisted that the baby be called John and not a family name.  This too went against the custom.  It would be suspect to some people.  This family was more concerned about what God thought than the community.  

     John grew up spiritually strong.  He and Jesus would have a spiritual bond for life, but John was the forerunner to get things heated up.   Since his parents were considered old when he was born, they probably died when he was still considered young.  That may be what had be grow up in the desert.

Luke 1