The Advent Story Begins: When God Breaks His Silence
Uncover the overlooked beginning of the Advent story through Zechariah and Elizabeth’s journey of faith, renewal, and God’s unwavering grace.
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Dedication to Theophilus
1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,[a] of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
The Advent Story Begins
It’s a common belief that the Christmas story begins with Jesus, as well as Joseph and Mary. While that’s not untrue, it’s not the entire truth. Holistically, if we look at the truth as a whole, the story actually begins with Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist.
Their story begins with the odds stacked against them as they live under the oppressive ruler Herod. To demonstrate his cruelty, Herod had 10 wives, and history states that he killed one of them for no apparent reason. Additionally, when Herod heard the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth, he had every male child under two years of age murdered.
Also, an essential detail to the story is that God had been silent for 400 years at the time of our passage.
Now, looking at Zechariah and Elizabeth, they were a godly couple. However, they had one great sorrow in their life: They had no children. Elizabeth was barren and unable to conceive a child. In that day and culture, childlessness was viewed as a curse, and those who bore no children suffered great shame and disgrace in the community.
As a godly couple, we can be sure they brought their request for children before the Lord many times, but their prayers remained unanswered and their hopes unfulfilled. God remained silent.
And, as our story begins, they now have a double strike against them. Elizabeth is not only barren, but they're both well beyond their age for conceiving and childbearing. They no longer have any hope for a child and perhaps had released that hope long ago.
So that brings us to a truth that's important for us to validate: Don't ever think that living a godly life will exempt you from trouble or suffering. Godliness doesn’t exempt anyone from pain and sorrow. It will protect you from much of the pain that comes with the consequences associated with poor choices, but it doesn't guarantee a trouble-free life.
A Chosen Priest
Zechariah descended from the tribe of Aaron, the brother of Moses, which meant Zechariah served as a priest because only Aaron’s descendants could serve that role. Over the years, the number of priests multiplied, and there were said to be as many as 20,000 priests in the time of Jesus. They were made up of 24 divisions who rotated duties. They would use lots to determine which priests would serve in the temple.
According to the custom of the priesthood, we see the story unfold. Zechariah had been assigned to burn incense in the temple, something that might only happen once in a priest’s life, if at all. For a godly man like Zechariah, this was likely the biggest event in his life outside his marriage to Elizabeth. It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and a tremendous privilege.
Before going any further, let’s examine Zechariah’s role. Incense was offered to God on the golden altar every morning and every evening (Exodus 30:7-8). There were several lots cast to determine who did what at the morning sacrifice.
The first lot determined who would cleanse the altar and prepare its fire.
The second lot determined who would kill the morning sacrifice and sprinkle the altar, the golden candlestick, and the altar of incense.
The third lot determined who would come and offer incense.
The role assigned to Zechariah was the most privileged duty. Those who received the first and second lots would repeat their duty at the evening sacrifice but not with the third lot. Zechariah surely had wondered what it would be like to stand in the holy place and offer incense in the presence of God in the temple. The whole event was filled with enormous anticipation.
It’s vital to remember that these roles all foreshadowed what Jesus would do. There was a daily sacrifice to atone for the people's sins, but it foreshadowed the coming of Jesus, who would be the ultimate and final sacrifice for the glory of God.
Before dawn, hundreds of worshippers gathered at the temple. The morning sacrifice began when the incense priest walked toward the temple, through the outer courts, he struck a gong-like instrument known as the Magrephah. At this sound, the Levites assembled and got ready to lead the gathered people in songs of worship to God.
The other two priests chosen by lot that morning walked up to the temple on each side of the priest chosen to offer the incense. All three entered the holy place together. One priest set burning coals on the golden altar; the other priest arranged the incense so it was ready to go. Then those two priests left the temple, and the incense priest was left alone in the holy place.
Before the incense priest was the golden altar of incense; it was 18 inches square and 3 feet high. On that small table lay the burning coals, with little wisps of smoke rising up, ready for the incense. Behind the gold altar was a huge, thick curtain, and behind that curtain was the Holy of Holies, the Most Holy Place, where no man could enter except the high priest, and only on the Day of Atonement. As he faced the golden altar of incense, to his right would be the table of showbread, and to his left would be the golden lampstand, which provided the only light for the holy place.
At the hour of incense, when the multitude of people praying outside the temple saw the two men exit the temple, they knew that the time to offer incense had come. Bowed or kneeled before the Lord, they spread their hands in silent prayer. They knew that at that moment, the incense priest prayed in the holy place, in the very presence of God, for the entire nation.
Imagine what that moment would’ve been like. Imagine the synergy of God’s presence, the people on bended knees as they lived under the oppression of the dark and defiled government of Herod’s rule. These weren’t casual prayers but prayers of desperation and cries for a Messiah.
Several minutes of dead silence followed in all the temple precincts as Zechariah lingered in prayer in the holy place during this, the most solemn experience of his life. While we don’t know the specifics of what Zechariah prayed, we know he prayed. He may have prayed for God to send the Messiah. He must’ve prayed for the needs of the nation of Israel, which was occupied and oppressed by the hated Romans.
Zechariah’s Personal Revival
As Zechariah experiences intimacy with God, an angel, speaking on behalf of God, speaks to him and says, “Zechariah, your prayers have been heard” (Luke 1:13).
Remember, Zechariah is an old man. He may or may not have prayed for a child at this time. It could’ve been decades since the last time he made that prayer; we really don’t know. But through the angel, the Lord informs Zechariah that his prayer has been heard.
Let’s clarify something before going any further. For some, the connection between the burning of incense and prayer might seem strange, but in the Bible, the burning of incense is a strong picture of prayer. Psalm 141:2 tells us: “Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!”
I don’t mean this in a trite way, but the incense burned was a pleasing aroma. God declares that when we pray, it’s like a pleasing incense before His throne. This is reinforced in Revelation 5:8, where it reads, “And when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.” Your prayers are so precious to God that He stores them in a golden bowl!
In the temple, the priests would pray with their hands lifted before God, and through the prayers and praises of God’s people, the priest would enter God's supernatural presence, passing through the veil. When you worship and magnify God as the Body of Christ, how often have you sensed God’s revelation and impression come alive within you? Suddenly, the Word comes alive, and you feel the Holy Spirit nudge through worship and prayer.
That’s what was unfolding for Zechariah; he was experiencing personal revival before the Lord. God also blessed his life in a way that would affect not only the nation of Israel but all of humanity.
The Role of John the Baptist
“…your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord.” Luke 1:13-15
If God is willing to fill a child with the Holy Spirit, consider that God is also willing to fill you with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said, “If you then being evil, know how to give good gifts to your own children, how much more will the Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him (Luke 11:13)?”
In Ephesians, there are many fillings of the Holy Spirit, but it’s not a one-time experience. When Paul expresses that the church at Ephesus be filled with the Holy Spirit, he’s instructing the most mature church in the New Testament that there are opportunities for us to be filled repeatedly.
This passage also tells us that if God is working in a child in the womb, He works in children. He’s at work in your children and grandchildren. The prayers we offer aren’t in vain, and we should be mindful that while God encapsulated in flesh through Jesus, He shared, “Let the children come to me” (Luke 18:16).
Thus, the most underrated person in the New Testament, John the Baptist, is born and prepares the way for the Lord. Above all, he was not underrated by the Lord Jesus Himself, who said that none greater had ever appeared above John the Baptist (Luke 7:28). Moses, Abraham, David, Elijah, the list goes on and on, yet, Jesus makes that astounding statement about John the Baptist, who was birthed of Elizabeth and Zechariah. John the Baptist brought a message of repentance of sin in preparation for the coming of the Messiah.
This is difficult to imagine in our day of GPS and navigation systems, but prior to that technology, getting lost wasn’t an uncommon experience. Once, I was invited to pastor a service at a church several hours away. After exiting the interstate and following the handwritten instructions, I made a left when I should’ve gone right. After realizing I was lost, I reexamined the instructions to realize my error.
John the Baptist had a ministry of calling us back to the instructions, which prepared the way for Jesus's coming. When we turn back to the instructions, this prepares the way of Jesus and a revived heart in our hearts and lives. Be reminded of the gift of God’s love through His gospel. It is by grace, not by works. It’s not a matter of your good outweighing your bad. It’s by grace that God offers His son to you.
In the Old Testament temple, blood was sprinkled as an atonement for sin; however, that was completed for everyone through Christ’s sacrifice. Because of what Jesus did, it’s through turning to Him in faith and trust that our hearts are revived.
John the Baptist prepared the way for that. He did it so our hearts could be cleansed and reconciled to a loving God. Through that reconciliation, we get to know a renewed heart that enjoys crying out to God in desperation because He’s an accessible God, not a God of condemnation (Romans 8:1).
In the Advent season, we’re reminded that God makes all things new—not only in our hearts through Jesus Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection but also knowing that Jesus will come again, and all things in Heaven and Earth will be made anew.
Let us be a part of the newness coming for His glory, step into renewal, and be revealed in the Lord through the beauty and gift of His Son.
TL;DR
The Advent story doesn’t begin with Mary and Joseph but with Zechariah and Elizabeth, parents of John the Baptist.
Despite years of unanswered prayers and societal shame, God chose them to prepare the way for Jesus.
This story reminds us that godly lives aren’t exempt from suffering but are marked by grace and purpose.
In Advent, we’re encouraged to embrace renewal and celebrate God’s gift of His Son.
