As the meal was finished that evening and the night approached, the family quickly gathered again to hear more about that first Christmas. As they all found their place around Caleb, his daughter in law, Miriam, asked him a question about Mary. “Abba(Hebrew for father), I know you were going to tell us about the birth of John tonight, but could I first ask you a question about Mary?” On hearing Miriam, Caleb looked at her and smiled. “My daughter, you never hesitate to ask me anything! I would love to hear your question!” Miriam, smiled back at him and shyly asked, “Abba, how long did Mary stay with Elizabeth? Did she stay there just a day or two, or was she there for a longer period of time? I know Elizabeth, being up in age, probably could have used the help as the birth got close.”
On hearing her question, Caleb remembered back to all Luke had once told him. Things he had not thought of in years, suddenly came flooding back, as the Holy Spirit prepared him to answer her question. “Miriam, you ask such a great question, one I am not surprised to hear from you. How blessed we are to have you as a part of our family. How blessed my son, Asher, is to have you as his wife. How blessed Ayala and Hannah are to have you as their mother. And not a day goes by that I do not thank the Lord God to now be able to call you my precious daughter.” With each word, Caleb drew Miriam near, trying his best to speak each word directly to her, as he knew for her to ask a question with her shyness, showed how important this was to her. “Luke talked to me a few times about Mary, and I remember him telling me that she stayed with Elizabeth for about three months before returning home(Luke 1:56). She would have been there to help Elizabeth, and to give her support to Elizabeth, right up to the birth of John. And by the time Mary returned home, her own pregnancy would have also soon begun to show. I can only imagine the amount of times John jumped for joy in her womb during those three months!”
“I do not remember Luke telling me if Mary was still there as Elizabeth gave birth, or whether she had returned home shortly before. But Luke did tell me about all that surrounded the birth of John. Elizabeth gave birth to John, just as Gabriel told Zacharias would happen(Luke 1:57). We serve a God of promise(Isaiah 65:18) and a Lord of truth(John 17:17), and the birth of John points us directly to both. And just as the Lord had told would happen(Luke 1:14), all those around Zacharias and Elizabeth, the family, friends, and neighbors(Luke 1:58). No matter how miraculous His promise, we serve a Lord God who always keeps His promise(Psalm 111:7). All those around Elizabeth rejoiced as they watched the Lord make what all thought was impossible, possible. And rejoiced as the Lord took away her barrenness.”
Looking at all the faces of his family, Caleb then said. “As all of you know, on the eighth day a male child is taken by the father and mother to be circumcised(Genesis 17:12). Circumcision is a part of the covenant the Lord God made with Abraham, as it signifies the Jewish family’s obedience to the Lord, and their desire to set apart the ways of the flesh. At this time, the name of the child is given for all to hear, and it was tradition for a male child to carry the name of the family(Luke 1:59). Honoring a relative within the family. Look at me, I was named Caleb, after my grandfather, who also had the name. On the eighth day, John was also taken to be circumcised. And as the crowd gathered, they wanted his name to be called Zacharias, after his father. But on hearing this, Elizabeth does not hesitate in letting all know that his name was to be John(Luke 1:60-61), as she was obedient to the Lord, remembering the name that God had commanded them to call their son(Luke 1:13). But as relatives and family friends that were present heard the name, they greatly began to question her, and pressed for another name to be given, reminding her that there were no members of the family that carried that name.”
“Abba, I have a question on this, if you do not mind.” Uri continued to ask his father. “Why would the crowd do this? Why would they push back against the desire of the parents in naming the child?” On hearing his son, Caleb began to answer. “Uri, my son, this is a tradition that goes back for generations, for a child to be named after one who is honored in the family. Your dear mother and I did this with each of you, as you were named after my distant uncle, who fought with the Maccabees to win back the Temple and the land from the hands of the Assyrians. The family would have seen this as an act of disrespect, and would have greatly spoken up against what they saw Elizabeth doing. They did not understand, it was the Lord who had given their son this name.”
As Uri nodded in agreement, Caleb went back to what happened with the naming of John that day. “As all heard this, they wrote out a sign to Zacharias, asking him what name he wanted given to his son. Thinking he would surely override the desire of Elizabeth(Luke 1:62). Notice what this would mean about Zacharias, not only had the Lord removed from him the ability to speak, but also the ability to hear. That day in the Temple, the Lord had completely removed all language from him(Luke 1:22). But on seeing this, Zacharias asks for a tablet, and on it he writes the name John, confirming the name that Elizabeth had given(Luke 1:63). And in reading his words, the family was greatly shocked, as they knew for sure that Zacharias would follow the ancient tradition. Zacharias also remained faithful to the command of the Lord, and although he had failed him at the Temple on that past day, he would not fail the Lord on this day!”
With the greatest of excitement, Caleb continued. “At that very moment, sound suddenly returned to Zacharias(Luke 1:64), just as Gabriel had told him would take place(Luke 1:20). As the words returned to him, praise of the Lord could be heard pouring from him, as the joy of the Holy Spirit filled him! With each word he spoke the presence of the Lord caused them to tremble. And as they remembered all the Lord had done with Zacharias and Elizabeth, their story spread like wildfire throughout the whole land of Judea! All who heard their story, treasured each of the words they heard, and remembered each word as they kept them close to their heart(Luke 1:65). They knew that the hand of the Lord God was on this child named John(Psalm 89:21), and keep watch for all the ways the Lord would one day use him.”
As Caleb spoke these words, he hurriedly rushed back to the place where he kept all his books and records. Reaching again to the papers he had reached for once before, as he shared the words of Mary’s prayer. As he quickly returned to the family, he began to wave a paper he had in his hand. “Found it! Luke left this with me, as he once wrote the words Zacharias has spoken down for me! My cherished one, please listen closely to these words!”
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people, and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of David, His servant, as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from of old. Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us to show mercy toward our fathers, and to remember His holy covenant, the oath which He swore to Abraham our father, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before Him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; For you will go on before the Lord to prepare His way, to give to His people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God, with which the Sunrise from on high will visit us, to shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace(Luke 1:68-79).”
In speaking the words, Caleb laid down the paper and again looked into the eyes of his loved ones. “Think about the amazement these words speak to us, how the Lord spoke so powerfully through Zacharias. Proclaiming that Jesus would hold the power of salvation in His hands, and would save us all from our enemy, whose name is sin, as He would bring the mercy the Lord had promised through His covenant to our forefathers. Zacharias, a man who did not even personally know Jesus, already had a deep love for Him, and a passion to speak about Him. Then Zacharias would speak of John, his own son. Telling us how he would be a prophet led by the Holy Spirit, who would prepare the way for the Messiah. That his son would teach all about our need for salvation, as he would offer light to those who were found in darkness, and peace to those who sought His guidance.”
As Caleb fought back the tears from all the words he had just spoken, he heard his Miriam begin to speak again. “Abba, Zacharias did not even know Christ, but loved Him this much. I am so overcome with joy that I know Him, and can love Him even more!” As Caleb heard her words, the trinkle of tears turned to a steady flow, as his heart was so filled that his own loved one could speak these words. As they all set there in silence, volumes were spoken. And as they all turned in for the night, no one slept, as the words they had heard kept rushing through their mind. Leaving all of them longing and desiring to hear more!
Join Caleb’s family again, as next they will discuss all that took place with Joseph. And as they do, I hope your family will once again find its way to join Caleb's family.
Comments