"I'm here, aren't I?"

Luke 1:1-25

The author is careful to start out with the fact that Zechariah and Elizabeth were both faithful and obedient servants of God. He does this because their community likely believed the opposite about them. In Jewish society it was believed barrenness was a sign that God was upset - a result of divine disfavor.

But here in this story, the story of two faithful followers, God comes with literal redemption. In the eyes of their community Zechariah and Elizabeth will now 'save face'. That is, the dignity and respect that they deserve because of their righteousness and blamelessness before God (v.6) will finally see its day. This is the news the angel Gabrielle is sent to announce to Zechariah.

Notice that Zechariah's first response to Gabrielle is fear (vs.12). I relate to this personally. Often when I seek God I fear that he is going to ask something impossibly difficult of me (sidenote, this has never happened). This fear often comes from a misunderstanding of God's goodness. I tend to doubt that he really has my best interest in mind. When I do hear from him I still don't put my faith in what is being said, but instead require some proof that solidifies that the word is from God. This is exactly where we find Zechariah. The angel Gabrielle comes to him with this great news that he and his wife will have a son after years of trying. Not just any son, but one set aside to point the way and prepare the people for the coming Messiah. This is incredible news, a message of redemption for Zechariah and Elizabeth personally, but also for the Israelites (and later the world) as a whole - but Zechariah's fear keeps him from believing it.

So, he asks Gabrielle "How will I know?" Gabrielle's answer? Basically he says, "I'm here aren't I?" The proof that it will happen is in the the fact that God said it. Gabrielle came straight from the very presence of God. This should have been the only proof Zechariah needed.

Thankfully, God's word and plan is not contingent upon whether or not Zechariah believes it (and surely the moment he becomes mute is proof enough) and nine months later his promised son arrives, just as God said he would.

The Book of Judges

• Judges mainly gives us a picture of a period in the life of Israel when they were disobedient. God still intervenes in their situation, but we see a pattern of Israel being disobedient, God getting angry, Israel asking for forgiveness and God having mercy on them.
  
• Israel seems to be wavering a bit in this book because they have just lost their last great leader - Joshua. The book starts out this way "After the death of Joshua...". They have some leadership from the judges, but they are mediocre leaders who don't always trust in God.
  
• There are consequences to Israel's disobedience found here, the most notable is that they do not take the whole land of Canaan as God had originally intended for them to do.
  
• This book plays an important role in the recording of Israel's history because it shows that their success later on can only be contributed to God's faithfulness to them.
  

*Information for this post came from The New Oxford Annotated Bible: New Revised Standard Version, Oxford University Press: New York, 1989. AND Childs, Introduction to the Old Testament as Scripture. Fortress Press: Philadelphia, 1979.

Things to Know About the Gospel of Mark

• Mark is most likely the first of the four gospels to be written.
• Mark aims to give a divine perspective on the life of Jesus. This divine perspective includes seeing Jesus as part of the story of Israel and as fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah.
• Mark's two main focuses are Jesus' identity and what it means to be a his disciple.
• The overall picture we get from the book about Jesus is that he was both a powerful teacher and a rejected Messiah. These two seemingly contradictory traits are integral to Jesus' identity.
• The image of rejected Messiah comes throughout the book in Mark's emphasis on Jesus' crucifixion as well as on the conflict that he faces, even at times from his own disciples. In fact, one third of Mark's gospel is focused on Jesus' last days on earth.
• Mark often tells us that people were in awe of Jesus' teachings, his healings or his miracles - giving us a picture of Jesus as powerful and awe-inspiring to the people of his day.
  

*information for this post came from Achtemeier, Green & Thompson. Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology, Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001. p.123-147.