NATIVITY By Mike Herron

Chapter 6: THE ANNUNCIATION OF JOHN THE BAPTIST Luke 1:5-17 (December 19th)

echariah the prophet was the last of the Old Testament that had a conversation with angels, and Zechariah the priest was the first in the New Testament.’ 1 Zechariah’s name means “remembered by Yaweh.’ The birth of his son John is the transitional moment from the Old Covenant that had become barren, to the New Covenant that would give spiritual birth to multitudes. This section is the most Aramaic in Luke’s writings leading to the belief that Mary, Jesus’ mother who spoke the language, was the direct source of the information. 2 5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old. The Roman Emperors Octavius and Antony had appointed Herod ‘the Great’ King of all Judea in 40 B.C. He died shortly after Jesus’ birth in 4 A.D. Partly Jewish, he thought of himself as the new Solomon, building the expansive Temple in Jerusalemwith oppressive taxation of the people. He was deeply hated by the Jews and his reign was a time of extreme political unrest. God’s answer to his people’s cry was the birth of a new prophet at an inconvenient time. Zechariah was a priest, a direct descendant of Aaron, Moses’ brother. His ‘order of Abijah’ was a low distinction of priests. Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron having the same name as his wife ‘Elisheba.’ (Ex 6:23) Zechariah and Elizabeth were the noblest product of the Old Covenant and along with Mary and Joseph, Simeon and Anna, they were