Christmas: When the Silence Ends
“On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”
They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.” (Luke 1: 59-66, NIV)
Could you imagine being Zecharias? He encountered an angel in the temple that told him he was going to be a father in his old age. His first reaction was doubt and he lost his voice as a result. This rendered him a mute for the entirety of his wife’s pregnancy; and as he watched the evidence of this miracle grow within his wife– the very proof he asked the angel for when he found out about his son– he was unable to rejoice in it with his words.
During Elizabeth’s delivery, Zecharias could not offer her words of comfort or encouragement. In the first days of John’s life, Zecharias watched God’s marvelous plan unfolding in real time, in the midst of it and yet somehow sidelined at the same time.
Zecharias knew the purpose of this miracle baby. He knew his son would grow up set apart. He knew John would turn many back to God and that he would prepare the world for the coming Christ.
All that wrapped into the name God gave this child: John. But back then, naming a child– especially a firstborn son– wasn’t like it is now. Most people didn’t just pick a name out of thin air. Most named their son after their father or another familial name. So on the 8th day of John’s life, when it came time to name and circumcise him, when the nursemaids tending to the baby asked Elizabeth what the baby’s name would be, assuming it would be Zecharias.
When Elizabeth says the baby’s name would be John, the nursemaids are taken aback. They gesture to Zecharias– who is mute, not deaf– to see what his answer would be, Zecharias writes down, “His name is John.”
This moment is so pivotal. It reveals what has been in Zecharias’ heart this whole time, ever since that day in the temple. Instead of letting the silence make him bitter, Zecharias allows this punishment to strengthen his faith and increase his trust in the Lord. By confirming his son’s name as John, Zecharias reveals he’s in agreement with everything else the angel said.
And this statement of faith is the thing that gives him a voice again.
For us, when we feel we are being taught a lesson by the Lord, do we harden ourselves in offense, or do we allow that lesson to humble us and draw us near to God? When we find ourselves in moments of suffering, what is our response? When we find ourselves in times of inconvenience or find ourselves lacking, do we get angry with God, or do we allow our insufficiency to push us towards the all-sufficiency of the Father?
That’s not to say that Zecharias never had moments of frustration. I’m sure he did. I’m sure there were moments he wanted to celebrate with Elizabeth. There were probably moments where his inability to speak irritated him. Nine months is a long, long time and made even longer when you can’t easily communicate.
But ultimately, Zecharias’ silence increased his faith and his zeal for God. His first words after getting his voice back is not to talk to his wife, address the questioning nursemaids, or coo at his newborn son. Instead, he praises God. He is filled with the Holy Spirit and prophecies about the unborn, coming Christ, calling him “a horn of salvation,” “salvation from our enemies,” and “the mercy promised to our fathers” (Luke 1: 68-72)
At this moment, Zecharias joins the chorus of people that have all been speaking about the impending birth of Christ in Luke chapter 1: Gabriel, Mary, Elizabeth, and himself, all filled with the Holy Spirit to do so. And I find it interesting how each one that does, builds up the faith of someone else around them. Gabriel to Zecharias and Mary, Mary to Elizabeth, Elizabeth to Mary and Zecharias, and Zecharias to his neighbors present in the moment he receives his voice back. Those neighbors go out and tell the story throughout the hill country of Judea, all hearing the gospel as it’s unfolding, and all seeing the evident hand of God over Zecharias’ son, John.
When you walk through your trial, who is watching? Who is witnessing God at work in your life? Who can see your reaction to God’s lessons working in you? You may think you are silent in your struggle, but in reality, there are witnesses around you who will notice whether you shrink back in bitterness or allow God to bolster your faith and praise Him. There are those who will be able to point to God’s obvious hand over your life.
And that’s not to say we suffer so we can be on display. Not even a little. We suffer so God’s excellency and power can be displayed, because even in our weakness– even in our moments of doubt– He is glorious. He is worthy. He is sovereign.
God uses our struggles to stretch our faith and to teach us to better trust in Him. He reveals His Lordship in our weakness, and He uses our weaknesses as an opportunity to show other people who He is.
No matter what’s happened this year, or what might be happening to you now, take these last few days and weeks in the year and use them to meditate on the fact that God can– and will– use everything for good. Even your doubt and your moments of small faith.
