LET ALL MORTAL FLESH KEEP SILENT

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And Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years." And the angel answered him, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time."
Luke 1:18‭-‬20 ESV

¶Zechariah is the perfect representation of his people, the Jews, and of us. When given the great good news of the Savior, we snag up on the age-old epistemological question: How can I know this? What justifies us in believing this hopeful message? Rather than receiving it with joyful celebration, we tend to compare it with our current situation, and lose out on the hope being offered right in front of us. This is not how personal/cultural transformation occurs, and it is not the way of redemption. Why is the presence of a mighty angel standing right in front of Zechariah not sufficient evidence of the truth of the message? What is the splendor around us that remains obscured? What is it in our current perspective that obscures for us the good news? Pride, bitterness, worldly idols, narcissistic self-protection? Like his people Israel, Zechariah was looking in the wrong direction for his redeemer. Even as he saw the pace of prophetic revelation quickening, now speechless, the preceding 400 years of prophetic silence enveloped him as well, until the glory of God was revealed as a tiny baby.

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