Luke 1:21-25 21And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. 24After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25“Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
Time must have stood still for Zechariah during his encounter with Gabriel. It should not have taken him long to light the incense. The surprise of the people in his delay emphasizes the significance of the divine encounter. Time stands still in the presence of God. His inability to speak to the people proved to him that this was real and not just a dream. There was something about his demeanor that convinced the people that something had happened to him in the temple. When someone has a genuine encounter with God, the evidence is clear in some visible way. Transformation always occurs in the presence of God. Zechariah had a quick lesson on sign language. His gestures must have been creative to show to the gathered crowd that he could not speak.
Zechariah continued to serve his time as priest at the temple, though the text does not indicate for how long this was. Luke also does not record where he and Elizabeth lived but notes later in verse 39 that Mary went to visit them “in the hill country, to a town in Judah.” The story pauses for a long interlude as Elizabeth sheltered for five months. There is no explicit reason for her hiding but verse 25 hints at the cultural shame she would have experienced. When she felt ready to go public, she did. Perhaps she had her own struggles. Zechariah could not tell her what he heard. He could have written out a message, assuming both he and she could read. It may have taken five months for her to realize that she was pregnant and it was time to show the world.
All of these ideas are only implications from the little evidence we have of her experience. Luke and the tradition he cites put more emphasis on her statement after five months. She recognized the Lord’s work in her pregnancy. Her shame before others was removed. People would have marveled at an older woman becoming pregnant. Little did anyone know except Zechariah what the child in her womb would do in preparing the way for the Messiah. The remaining four months would be a time of preparation and growth of her and Zechariah’s faith. Although they were righteous, God was not finished with them. God works despite our lack of faith. Things go smoother when we go with God and not our own way. Do we have to wait for a sign to act in faith in response to God’s word?
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