Luke 1:18-20 18And Zechariah said to the angel, “According to what will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her days.” 19And answering the angel said to him, “I am Gabriel, the one who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you good news of these things. 20And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things happen, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
When an angel speaks, one should listen carefully. Zechariah let his fear and doubt overcome his good sense. Or, he let reasoning overshadow faith. He saw the reality of he and his wife’s old age, and it was biologically impossible for them to bear a son. It should have been enough for an angel to appear at the right hand of what symbolically was God’s presence. But Zechariah wanted more. He was like many Jews of his time who wanted a sign. Well, the angel would give him just that. The angel spoke with great authority by pronouncing his name as Gabriel.
Angel Gabriel is mentioned in Daniel 9:21; 10:8-12, 15. The Hebrew name Gabriel means “God is powerful” or “God is my strength.” Gabriel is called an “archangel”in Intertestamental Jewish literature, though he is not called this in the Bible. Gabriel brought special messages to key people in the story of the coming Messiah, including Daniel, Zechariah, and later in this chapter, Mary. He came with the full authority of God. Only a holy being can stand in the presence of the one and only Holy God. Zechariah should have recognized the angel’s name from his study of the book of Daniel. The Bible does not record very much about his response, but we can imagine the blood draining from his face as it became pale in shock and dismay at what he had just said to this angel.
Gabriel’s good news is mixed with a rebuke. Because of Zechariah’s hesitating doubt about the announcement of John’s birth, he would be silenced until John was born. The long period of silence would be an opportunity to think deeply about what would the angel said and what would soon take place. Everyone struggles to understand and believe God’s promises. Zechariah’s problem was that God deserves to be believed on the basis of his word alone, not with signs. Zechariah’s question is one of doubt. How can I know this? Zechariah was a righteous man who pleased God. He and Elizabeth were special people whom God chose for this very special privilege. Yet, Zechariah hesitated to accept logically what seemed impossible to him–even with the holy angel Gabriel in from of him. Zechariah had a hard lesson to learn, but he moved forward a changed man.
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