(Post by: Lilly Hobbs)
John the Baptist has always been an inspiration to me, of boldness, of clarity of mission, and of course, of conviction.
Just a couple weeks ago, I was teaching the story about the angel appearing to Zechariah (John the Baptist’s father) to my elementary students. If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the last couple of years it’s that as a teacher, you get to learn your curriculum really, really well when you have to teach multiple lessons back-to-back.
Sometimes these lessons cause new questions and contemplations to arise, and I have to admit, I’ve always been somewhat confused as to the reasoning for why the angel silences Zechariah after he doubts that he and Elizabeth will have a son in their old age.
I mean, it just seems a little harsh, doesn’t it?
Surely the faithful priest should be allowed to ask a few questions (especially considering the circumstances) without being immediately reprimanded, let alone silenced!
Nonetheless, Zechariah is silenced for Elizabeth’s entire pregnancy with John. I don’t think we often give much thought to just how difficult and challenging this would have made life for Zechariah and Elizabeth.
Their whole lives changed when he was made mute. Every last detail.
Their daily communication was disrupted, it was a daily embarrassment, and what’s worse, a daily reminder of his failing to wholeheartedly believe and obey the Lord.
I can only imagine the many days Zechariah sat alone with his thoughts, wrestling through all of the odd emotions this particular situation brought about. Think of the awe and shock he must have felt each and every time Elizabeth “complained” of not sleeping well. Or when she placed his hand on her pregnant belly to feel the baby kick. Or when she talked to him about how the baby leaped within her womb once Mary arrived to visit.
But Zechariah could never fully express these emotions. Not in words, anyway.
Although Scripture doesn’t state that Zechariah felt an overwhelming amount of conviction and was changed by this experience, we are able to observe the truth of this fact when we examine who he raised.
I’ve always wondered, how did John become so outspoken? Where did he learn to preach so unapologetically?
Maybe, just maybe, it was mostly due to Zechariah.
Matthew 3:1-3 says, “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.’”
You see, this is the exact moment a father’s silence turns into a nation’s salvation.
Allow your mind to wander with me to the conversations Zechariah may have had with John, even from a very young age. I can hear his steady, firm voice now…
“John, never allow yourself to be silent about the Messiah that has been promised to us. He is coming, and He is coming soon. Speak boldly, speak with passion, even if it appears to be impossible or as if no one is listening. I thought your mere existence was impossible, son! But the Lord has called you to prepare the way for the Messiah. You, John, will play a role in bringing about our long-awaited salvation! Speak with fervor and with clarity as long as you are able.”
Zechariah’s silence produced something. It produced a great sense of conviction within him to never be silent again. How interesting and non-coincidental that he raises John the Baptist, the forerunner to the Messiah.
You see, a father was silenced, but a nation was saved. A priest doubted, but a prophet was raised.
Perhaps God’s discipline was never about punishment, but rather formation. Perhaps Zechariah’s silence was not the end of his voice, but the ultimate refining of it.
Dear reader, the seasons where we feel silenced, whether by doubt, by suffering, or by our own fear are the very seasons the Lord uses to shape the words we will one day speak.
The Lord turned one man’s doubt into a declaration that still echoes throughout history: “Prepare the way of the Lord.”
The Few 
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