The beginning of the Christmas story is the story of an old couple.  There is no age limit to being part of God’s story.  Only after the old couple is introduced does Mary, the mother of the Messiah, come onto the scene.  There is a striking juxtaposition of an obedient old couple and an obedient young couple.  The old and the young alike have important parts in God’s plan. An interesting aside is that both women played major roles in this most magnificent of God’s stories, the fulfillment of promises God had made since the first couple walked the earth.  The promise to send us a Savior.  This short blog is focusing on the older woman in the beginning of the Christmas story.  (There is another older woman at the end of the Christmas story.  I like that!  I can identify.)

“. . . there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron.  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.”

Elizabeth had remained faithful in spite of a lifetime of disappointment and disgrace.
“. . . my disgrace of having no children.”

Elizabeth had a husband whose faith faltered at a crucial moment.  Yet there is no record that she reproached him.  Zechariah had a religious title and position.  He was godly, obedient, and served at the temple.  He had asked and asked God for a child, but when the answer to his prayers was promised, his faith wavered.  I love the honesty of Scripture.  No one is painted as perfect, even the good ones- with the one exception of Jesus.   “While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar.  Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.  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.  You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.  And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.  He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”  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.”

Being unable to speak wasn’t as much a punishment as it was a confirmation.  He had solid evidence every day that an angel had visited him and had told him that his son would be the precursor to the Messiah.
“He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord.”

Elizabeth believed the promise that they would have a son in their old age on the word of her husband and embraced the promise.
”How kind the Lord is! she exclaimed.”

Elizabeth offered hospitality and a safe haven for the unwed mother-to-be of Jesus.  She hosted Mary for three months in spite of that being the last trimester of her geriatric pregnancy.  The two women must have had a special camaraderie.  They both had conceived in spite of the physical impossibility.  One a virgin and one long past menopause.  They both were carrying babies that would shake their world.  One baby would grow to be a man who powerfully changed people’s minds so they would be ready for the Messiah.  One baby would grow to be the Messiah promised since the dawn of history who would take down the barrier between God and men.
“A few days later [after the angel had announced that she would give birth to the promised One] Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town where Zechariah lived. . . . Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.”

Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
“At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”

Elizabeth was emotionally connected.
“Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed, …”  

Elizabeth affirmed Mary. She affirmed what was invisible to the physical eye.  Mary was newly pregnant- a few days- and no one else knew. Yet God revealed to Elizabeth that he was using Mary to fulfill his ancient promise of a Messiah.
“God has blessed you above all women. . . Why am I so honored that the mother of my Lord should visit me?. . .”

Elizabeth encouraged Mary.  She was humble enough to complement and honor the younger woman.
“You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”  

Elizabeth gave Mary room to express her inmost thoughts without interrupting. Mary waxed eloquent,
“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.  How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior! . . . for he made his promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”

Elizabeth modeled faith and courage.  It wouldn’t have been easy to be pregnant in old age.  Yet she modeled obedience, trust, and pluck for her younger relative.  While still recovering from delivery, she was pressured by relatives and friends to name the newborn after his father.   But she stayed true to her husband’s wishes to obey the angel and name the baby John.
“When the baby was eight days old . . .they wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father.  But Elizabeth said, “No!  His name is John!”

I want to be that kind of older woman!  I want to be like Elizabeth:
Faithful and obedient in spite of disappointments
Didn’t reproach her husband when he stumbled
Believed God’s promise in spite of the impossibility
Offered hospitality
Was filled with the Holy Spirit
Was emotionally connected
Affirmed the younger woman
Encouraged the younger woman
Gave the younger woman space to express her thoughts
Modeled faithfulness and courage

This account of the beginning of the Christmas story is found in Luke 1.

P.S.  Those who claim the Bible is misogynous most likely haven’t read it in its entirety.  The Christmas story includes the men’s failings and the women’s faith.  Zechariah’s and Joseph’s failings aren’t ignored and the faith of Elizabeth and Mary is honored.  Not being weighted to favor either males or females, the account is clear that the two men recovered from their stumbles and went on to be even more godly husbands.

Photo credit:  I used a photo of a man in the Gabriel image from Maksym Tymchyk 🇺🇦 on Unsplash