Luke 1:5-7 5It came about in the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah of the division of Abijah, and he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. 7But there was not to them a child because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both were advanced in days.
The story of the gospel actually began with the events that took place before the birth of Jesus. By introducing the story of the birth of John, Luke connects the story of Jesus with God’s plan described in the Old Testament. The connection of John and Jesus also could bring unity and draw in any remaining followers of John (such as Acts 19:1-7). These first two chapters of Luke’s Gospel introduce the key themes that will be developed throughout the book. These include the superiority of Jesus over John, the fulfillment of God’s promises made in the past, and God’s promises are now fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth.
The first chapter focuses on two people: Zechariah and Mary. Their stories are similar, but they give two different reactions to God’s promises. Luke begins the account of John with the time and location of the events. King Herod the Great was appointed to rule over Judea by the Romans and reigned from 37–4 B.C. The time reference could include anything during the latter part of Herod’s reign. Judea was the area inhabited by the Jews in what is sometimes called Palestine or Israel. The Roman province was known as Judah.
Luke begins the account of John’s birth by describing his parents. Zechariah was a popular among Jews, as the Old Testament indicates. This Zechariah served as a priest in the temple in Jerusalem. By the turn of the era, there were many priests, so they took turns in their duties. Zechariah has good family heritage as did his wife, Elizabeth. The note that they were both righteous before God shows that there Jews who remained faithful during the Roman period. They were sincere in their faith and followed the ways of God the best they knew how. Luke indicates that their righteousness was evident in their blameless walk according to God’s laws. They were obedient and faithful to what they knew of God’s laws. They were model Jews who looked to God for their hope.
Verse 7 introduces the problem that they had no children. They were getting old, past child bearing years. There was no hope for them anymore. In that culture, being childless was a huge shame factor. At this time, they were disgraced but the birth of John would reverse this and bring them honor (verse 25). Later in this chapter, Mary would experience the opposite. She was an honored and pure virgin who seemingly gave birth out of wedlock, which would have brought great shame to her. John’s birth was not unusual from a biblical perspective. Zechariah and Elizabeth are portrayals of Abraham and Sarah. Jesus’ birth is something new and unheard of Scripture because his birth came by the Holy Spirit. God’s plan of reversal and surprise was about to begin.
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