Childless
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. (Luke 1:5-7, NIV)
Luke begins the story of the birth of Jesus by telling us about a godly married couple who were childless. Zechariah was a priest. His wife, Elizabeth, was the daughter of a priest. Luke describes both as righteous and blameless. But because of their advanced age, the prospect of having a child was impossible.
It was a widespread belief among the Jews of that day that childlessness was a sign of God’s disfavor. It brought disgrace, especially to the woman, and childlessness was grounds for a man to divorce his wife. To truly understand what is about to happen, we need to realize that Zechariah and Elizabeth weren’t exactly outcasts, but they were outsiders looked down upon by others.
Immediately, we see a major theme of all the gospels, but especially Luke’s gospel - God delights in choosing and using the least likely people to accomplish his purposes. There are no outsiders, no outcasts in God’s kingdom. In fact, those who are considered the least often become the greatest and are used by God in ways they never dreamed possible.
Whatever your social status, upbringing, education, or reputation, God can use you! And that’s the Gospel, that’s Good News!
In Christ,
Dan
Tis the season to remember the goods news of God’s kingdom for ALL PEOPLE.
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