And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.Such an attitude of fear and apprehension was altogether natural in the presence of an archangel, such an attitude being invariably manifested by all who ever saw such a being, the lone exception being that of Mary Magdalene who, through her overwhelming grief at the grave of Jesus, seems to have talked with an angel without even realizing it (John 20:11-18). read more
But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias; because thy supplication is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.Fear not ... This was the word of Jesus to his storm-tossed apostles, and the word of the angels to the shepherds when Jesus was born, and it was the last message of the enthroned Christ for all who believe in him (Revelation 1:17).Thy supplication is heard ... The most natural way to understand this is as a reference to the prayers... read more
And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.Rejoice at his birth ... has reference to the rejoicing that would ultimately follow the great message from God which the promised son was destined to deliver, and not merely to the gladness of the relatively few neighbors who would joyfully hail the event itself. read more
For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.Great in the sight of the Lord ... is a far different thing from being great in the sight of men, the vicious and unprincipled Herod the Great, just mentioned, being a classical example of the latter type of "greatness."No wine nor strong drink ... This prohibited, not merely wine, but all intoxicants, and supports the view that... read more
And many of the children of Israel shall he turn unto the Lord thy God.This, to be sure, was literally fulfilled, as detailed in Matthew 3:1-12. read more
And he shall go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to walk in the wisdom of the just; to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.And he shall go before his face ... This is obviously an error in the English Revised Version (1885), this being a clause in which the KJV, the NEB, and the RSV concur in the reading, "And he shall go before him ... etc." A good deal of importance attaches to this,... read more
And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.There was an element of unbelief in this question which, in effect, denied the possibility of what the angel had promised, contrasting sharply with the submissive belief of the virgin Mary in this narrative. read more
And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak unto thee, and to bring thee these good tidings.I am Gabriel ... Only two angels are named in the canonical Scriptures, the other being Michael (Daniel 10:21; Jude 1:1:9). There are seven such archangels who stand before God's throne (Revelation 8:2). "There seems to be a remarkable gradation in the words (of this verse) enhancing the guilt of Zacharias' unbelief."[18] The thought... read more
And behold, thou shalt be silent and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall come to pass, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.Thou shalt be silent ... This punishing rebuke was appropriate. Since Zacharias had not believed God's word as delivered by Gabriel, his own words were cut off until the time appointed. From Luke 1:62, it is certain that Zacharias also lost his hearing at the same time. Implicit in this episode is the injunction... read more
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Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Luke 1:11
And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right hand side of the altar of incense.An angel of the Lord ... appeared ... Note that the angel did not approach; he just appeared, visibly manifested in an instant of time. The reality of the angelic creation is everywhere assumed and taught in the New Testament. Jesus himself frequently mentioned the angels of God; and those who believe in Jesus find in his holy words full authority for receiving all that the New Testament... read more