“…Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard...”
Those few words in Luke 1:13, spoken by an angel to Zechariah, a priest. Nice words. Encouraging words. Hopeful words.
But the remainder of the sentence was jaw dropping. Your wife, Elizabeth, will bear a son, and you are to call him John.
Meet Zechariah and Elizabeth, relatively small players in the larger Christmas drama. They are described in a way that is enviable in verse 6 - Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly.
Blameless. Righteous. Obedient. A powerful couple in their community with enviable heritage and a faithful relationship with God.
But. Always a but.
But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
Very old.
So how many years has it been since Zechariah stopped praying for a baby? How many suns have risen and set since that request, that pleading, left his lips? Ten years? Twenty years? Thirty? More?
Very old. Clearly well past childbearing years. Monthly cycles ended. All hope ended with them.
“Your prayer has been heard.”