The Joy Of Being Ridiculous

Luke 1:6,8-9,11,13,18-20
"Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God's eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord's commandments and regulations. They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old...One day Zechariah was serving God in the temple, for his order was on duty that week. As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense...While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar...But the angel said, 'Don't be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John.'...Zechariah said to the angel, 'How can I be sure this will happen? I'm an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.'...Then the angel said, 'I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was He who sent me to bring you this good news! But now, since you didn't believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.'"

The "John" this angel was speaking about was none other than John the Baptist. Zechariah was soon to become the father of a very great man, a man who would introduce our Savior to the world. This was extraordinary news delivered in an extraordinary way. Why was Zechariah's response so cynical, so pessimistic?

We learn from scripture that Zechariah and his wife were religious, childless and elderly. Based on what the angel said in verse 13, we also know that having a son was something that Zechariah prayed for in the past. It's likely that he prayed for this often, since being childless was considered a disgrace. Infertility is such a tender spot for so many of us. It can dishearten us in ways that few other things can. Years of repeated disappointment can have a corrosive effect on our faith. What was once a "God can do ANYTHING" kind of confidence, reduces down to only believing in things that are "reasonably incredible". Ridiculous faith becomes flat out irresponsible. Humanism settles into our hearts, smothering the childlike faith we once had when we were young.

Zechariah had fallen prey to humanistic thinking. What the angel was proclaiming seemed illogical. How could his aged wife, her womb no longer viable, possibly conceive a child now? It defied reason. But wasn't Zechariah a priest? He of all people should be familiar with the stories of his ancestors and how God carved a path through the Red Sea so the Israelites could cross. Had he forgotten how God created the universe with the words of His mouth and humanity from the dust of the earth? What about the walls of Jericho? Was it an earthquake that caused them to crumble? No, it was merely Joshua and God's people marching around the city seven times and offering up a loud shout that brought them crashing down. This same God was the one who was promising him a son in his old age. God is not bound by human logic and limitations. He delights in doing the illogical, the ridiculous, the impossible.

It does my soul good to spend time with my children. They have an uncontaminated confidence in God. The serious disappointments of life have yet to befall them and they are continuously amazed by His creation. Youth is a blessing.

Further along in Luke 1, Gabriel visited Mary, a virgin teenage girl who was pledged to be married to Joseph. The angel informed her that she would soon be with child, impregnated by the Holy Spirit. (Lk1:35) Few would blame Mary if she responded with even an ounce of disbelief, but she didn't. Instead, she replied, "I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true." (Lk1:38)

What was the difference between Zechariah and Mary? Just a simple thing called faith. Elizabeth said to Mary in Luke 1:45, "You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what He said."

May we imitate the confidence of this adolescent girl and guard ourselves against pessimism and disbelief, regardless of what life hurls at us. Skeptics are not to be admired but pitied. Happy are those who are considered ridiculous because they believe that, with God, anything is possible.