Getting Ready: Advent Reflections, Luke 1:18-22

‘Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

‘The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

‘Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realised he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.’

Luke 1:18-22


Have you ever wanted to make a phone call to share important news, only to find that your phone has run out of batteries and you don’t have your charger with you?

I imagine Zechariah must have felt like that, except to a far greater degree, after coming out of the temple and discovering that he couldn’t speak, that he couldn’t tell anyone about the amazing, unbelievable vision he had. There’s only so much that flapping your arms and hands can express!

While it seems that his muteness was a punishment for his disbelief, it also could have served as a kind of gift: whenever he doubted Gabriel’s news, his muteness renewed his faith.

Every time he tried to say ‘Good morning’ to his wife but no sound came out, he remembered the promise he had heard: his child is coming.

Every time he banged his head on a door frame but couldn’t grunt, he remembered what the angel had told him: his prayer has been heard, and his wife Elizabeth will give birth to someone great in God’s sight.

I wonder if we experience a similar muteness. Have we ever failed to share the gospel with others because we doubted some part of it? Has God ever answered our prayer or spoken clearly to us, yet we kept quiet, afraid of looking foolish for believing something that may not be true? What if we understood that silence as an instrument to expose our doubts, and to remind us of God’s promises?

If we ever find ourselves in Zechariah’s shoes, unable to share God’s truth because we have difficulty believing it, may our silence point to the day when our own tongues will be released and we will proclaim with boldness the wonderful things God has done.