Tommy Mann

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 Zechari...