In the first chapter of Luke’s Gospel we are introduced to three important people. They each have a great story, but their names tell an even better story. The three people are John the Baptist, and his parents Zechariah and Elizabeth. All three of their names appear together in one verse: “But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John (v.13).”
Zechariah (or Zacharias in some translations) means “Yahweh has remembered;” Elizabeth means “God has promised;” John, or Yochanan in their language, means “Yahweh is gracious.”
Their names tell a great story because they come on the scene at the end of the Silent Era, the 400 year span where God did not speak through angels or prophets. The last time an angel was sent with a message from God was to a minor prophet named Zechariah, and now, 500 years later, God sent Gabriel to speak to another Zechariah. During this silent era the people would wonder if the Lord had forgotten them, but God bookended this period by speaking to two men named “Yahweh has remembered.” Had God forgotten them? No, He remembered them, even if He wasn’t speaking.
The verse above is important because Gabriel said God heard their prayers to have a baby, but because they were advanced in age, I imagine they had stopped praying for a child years ago. Sometimes we might pray and feel like the Lord doesn’t hear us, but He does, even if the answer doesn’t come when we would like it.
Not only would this elderly couple have a child, the baby would be the prophesied forerunner of the Christ, Jesus, the Son of God.
When we take their three names together we see that God has made a promise, He remembers His people, and because He is gracious, He will carry it out. What a great picture at Christmas of how the Lord works for His children!
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