Zechariah's Response To God Essay

Jesus’ father was a carpenter (from the house of David) from a small village (Nazareth) and his mother was a young unwed woman. The only background that Luke tells us about Mary was that she was a virgin(v27). Joseph and Mary were engaged to be married (v27). They were poor and as is common in many third world settings, there assent into a higher social status would be difficult, if not impossible. As a result, the access to the privilege shared by Zechariah and Elizabeth would be a distant dream to Joseph and Mary. Discerning the voice of God: Luke points out that both couples received a visitation from God. Zechariah received his visit while doing his priestly duties. Zechariah’s response to the angel’s announcement reflects his inability to discern God beyond his own experience. The text says that Zechariah did not believe the angel and as a result, became mute(v27). He had lost his ability to communicate beyond the content of the symbols. When he come out from being with the angel, it was obvious to the people that he had seen a vision, but he was unable to speak and went home(v23). …show more content…
She was troubled because the angel said she was favored (v28). Favor, within their Hebrew theology, would have been associated by wealth. Mary responded to the angel’s announcement of her child’s birth with “I am the servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word” (v38). Mary’s response to the angel reflects her discernment to know and obey the voice of God. After Mary’s angelic visit, she went with haste to go visit Elizabeth. The result of their visit culminated in Mary’s prophetic song reflecting on God’s consideration for the weak and poor, and the way He humbles the proud. Mary did not have status or favor with those deemed righteous by their culture. Mary believed God and she was given the discernment to see how God will work in His people through