This is meant to be published Tuesday, 2/26/2019 at 4am and be distributed via MailChimp to Rick at 5am, showing the complete post in the email.
I’m fascinated by this passage. At least a bit, I admit, because it is second-level scripture that makes me feel like a church insider. If you get most of your Bible exposure from A Charlie Brown Christmas, you’d think the Christmas story begins in Luke 2, but here we are with this gem concerning the elderly Zechariah, about to be a first-time father to son John the Baptist.
When Zechariah finally returns from his post of burning incense, and can’t speak, his fellow priests know that something miraculous has happened inside. But when he was among the rest of the population in the next nine months, with only hand gestures and facial expressions to register his joy, his fears, how did he convey these emotions? Furthermore, how was he able to give his wife the emotional support she would have needed so desperately as she dealt much more heavily with this surprising pregnancy?
We look today at the loss of vision or hearing as incredible challenges to be surmounted. When a common cold takes our voice for even a day or two we have to make broad scale adaptations to our lives in order to accommodate. The fear of a potential loss of strength or ability either as we age or due to accident or illness is enough to paralyze any of us to inaction. It must’ve been an incredible hurdle for Zechariah and I can’t help but wonder whether his wife’s departure for more than half her pregnancy might have been caused by the ways in which he was behaving.
Then again, we know for certain that in nine months, Zechariah never said something hurtful, sarcastic, or unfeeling. He never put his foot in his mouth. Just imagine, a nine month pass from saying something that ends up hurting your wife’s feelings!
I think about other times when people say something out of turn, or simply stupid. I always am drawn to our Everyman, Peter, at the Transfiguration. He’s made it to the most cinematographic part of the synoptic gospels, Jesus floats, gleaming white beside Elijah and Moses and what does Peter say? “This is really cool, we should make some tents or something, so we can hang out even longer!” I can just see James and John covering their faces, “Why’d you have to say anything at all, Peter!”
One of my favorite Beach Boys lyrics says:
I can hear so much in your sighs
And I can see so much in your eyes
There are words we both could say
But don’t talk, put your head on my shoulder
Come close, close your eyes and be still
This is the Beach Boys quoting scripture, Psalm 46:10, in which we’re charged to “Be still, and know that I am God.” I think of this verse any time I am faced with my own scattered mind. So often I’d be better off if I took the advice from the experiences of the Psalmist, Zechariah, and Brian Wilson. Don’t talk, be still.