(Luke 1)
It is said that for Jews the first commandment is not: “Thou shalt have no strange gods before me,” or even: “Love God with all your heart…” No, their first commandment comes from the initial words God speaks to humans. He tells them in Genesis 1:22, “Be fruitful and multiply.” We can thus appreciate Zechariah and Elizabeth’s – two people recognized as “righteous” -- disappointment in never having given birth. No doubt there were less edifying reasons for their feeling “disgrace.” People may have considered one or the other or both as somehow inadequate in sexual relations. Perhaps they too were thinking a bit selfishly as they wanted to a child just to bear their name, to take up their work, and to comfort them during their last years.
We can speculate about how the couple felt when they saw John grow up. He evidently did not take up his father’s profession of priesthood. But more peculiar, surely, was his taking to the desert with his weird diet of locusts and honey. He was not going to be very available to take them to doctors. Is it just another example of kids failing to live up to parents’ expectations? But all this goes way beyond Luke’s purpose in narrating the story of the holy pair.
Luke actually punctuates the fact that Zechariah sought a sign from the angel who bore the news of his son’s impossible conception. Here Zechariah reminds us of the people in the gospel seeking a sign from Jesus. They were not sure that they could trust him even after he demonstrated his divine authority time and again. What God calls forth from Zechariah -- and from us as well -- is trust. He gives his word to Zechariah that Elizabeth is going to bear him a child. Enough – believe it, Zechariah, and give praise to God. Jesus speaks similarly to us, “prepare for my return.” And so we are to practice his virtues without questioning. We care for the other, pray for our enemies, and continuously thank God for the life we have.
