Faithful. Fearful. Faithless. Favored. Which of these qualities describe us? #Reflectonthis #DailyReflection https://youtu.be/7XRdOMRi7Zo

Scripture Reading: Luke 1:5-25
In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years. [Please read the intervening passage from your Bible.] After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, “This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.”

Reflection
The characters in the Bible are fascinating. They so often resemble us, especially in how they react to situations or circumstances that arise in their lives. The man in the passage we are reflecting upon today — Zechariah — does not get too much Bible time as others, but he still offers a great study in human behavior. Zechariah, which means "the Lord has remembered," was a priest. We are told that he was "righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord." This doesn't mean he was sinless; it just means he was a little more than a self-righteous legalist. And despite his disappointment that he didn't have children, he remained FAITHFUL to God.

But if he was a faithful priest, he was also a FEARFUL priest. When Zechariah saw the angel, "he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him." But perhaps he had reason to be terrified. According to Jewish tradition, angels always stood on the altar's left side; only God used the right side, so he believes he is seeing God. And he knows that looking upon the face of God meant death, because as God declares, "No one shall see me and live" (Exodus 33:20). Peter would experience the same emotion thirty years later (see Luke 5:8).

Of course, the angel hastens to reassure Zechariah with words that should be very familiar to us. "Do not be afraid," he says. But despite this reassurance, we now see evidence of a FAITHLESS priest. The angel tells him that his wife Elizabeth will bear him a son, whom he should name John, but instead of rejoicing as the angel suggested, Zechariah doubts the words he is hearing. "How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years." And for his doubt, he is struck dumb.

But God didn't rescind his FAVOR upon Zechariah because of his doubt; the dumbness was temporary. His wife Elizabeth conceived and remained in seclusion for five months. When the baby was born, the neighbors and relatives wanted to name him after his father, but Elizabeth said he should be called John. When they protested, saying nobody was called John, Zechariah signaled for a writing tablet and wrote: "His name is John." And with that, his tongue was loosened, and he began to praise God.

So here you have a character sketch of Zechariah: Faithful; fearful; faithless; favored. Let's try to give the middle two a miss, shall we?

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Today's devotional — Character Sketch — is based on Luke 1:5-25, the gospel reading for the day. The reflection is by Aneel Aranha, founder of Holy Spirit Interactive (HSI). Follow him on Facebook: fb.com/aneelaranha

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