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Zechariah
the priest

THE FATHER OF
JOHN THE BAPTIST
NEW TESTAMENT
 11th of 12 minor prophet,
Book of Zechariah in Old Testament

The Confusing Case of Zacharias

Lynne Hilton Wilson
 • Zechariah
son of Jehoiada

1) • In the ninth century BC, “Zechariah, son of Jehoiada,”

served in Jerusalem as a high priest in Solomon’s temple
until King Joash had him stoned to death in the courtyard

Zechariah
of the temple (see 2 Chronicles 24:620–22). The irony of
Zechariah’s martyrdom lies a generation earlier.
• Zechariah’s parents saved the then infant King Joash from political overthrow and
secretly raised him in the temple for six years. Then Zechariah’s father, the high priest
Jehoiada, led an uprising to return King Joash to the throne. But when Jehoiada died at 130

9th century BC of Old years old (v. 15), King Joash forgot his allegiance to God and the family of Jehoiada and
turned to idolatry. [4] The Lord called Zechariah, son of Jehoiada, as the new high priest to
preach repentance to the king. Zechariah denounced King Joash, “Why transgress ye the

Testament commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he
hath also forsaken you” (v. 20). King Joash did not appreciate Zechariah’s call to repentance,
nor did the king remember “the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but
slew his son [Zechariah] . . . in the court of the house of the Lord” (v. 22, 21).

-son of Jehoiada • The story of Joash slaying Zechariah in the temple courtyard remained well-known over
a thousand years later when the Jerusalem and Babylon Talmuds were written. [5] The
Talmud elaborates on the murder of Zechariah in the court of the priests by adding dramatic
retributions. As a consequence, the Talmud describes slaying eighty thousand priests to
atone for the high priest Zechariah’s blood. [6]
 • Zechariah
• his name, which means “The Lord (Yahweh) remembers.”

2) • Like Jeremiah and Ezekiel, Zechariah was not only a

prophet, but also a member of a priestly family.

Zechariah
• The book of Ezra names Zechariah as the son of Iddo (Ezra
5:1 and Ezra 6:14), but it is likely that Berechiah was
Zechariah's father, and Iddo was his grand father.

• the 11th of 12 Old Testament books that bear the names of

6th century BC of Old Testament the Minor Prophets, collected in the Jewish canon in one
book, The Twelve.

-a priest and 11th of minor • The chief purpose of Zechariah (and Haggai) was to rebuke
the people of Judah and to encourage and motivate them to
prophet complete the rebuilding of the temple.

• The book includes eight visions and multiple prophecies—

- Son of Berechiah including the famous foretelling of the promised Messiah

• n Matthew 23:35, Jesus says: "the blood of innocent Abel to the

blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered
between the sanctuary and the altar ."
3) Zechariah
(ZACHARIAS)
NEW TESTAMENT

- he is the father of John the Baptist,

- a priest of the sons of Aaron (brother of

Moses) in the Gospel of Luke (1:67-79),

-In Bible times, the Jews traced their ancestry

back to one of Jacob’s twelve sons. Zechariah is
from the tribe of Levi, the same tribes that
Moses, Aaron, Ezra, and Asaph hail from.

-and the husband of Elizabeth- was also of the

priestly family of Aaron who is a relative of
the Virgin Mary (Luke, 1:36).
Zechariah Story
- in Gospel of Luke,

-during the reign of king Herod,

-Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth were

both of the priestly line.

- both the Zechariah and Elizabeth were

righteous before God, since they were
"blameless" in observing the
commandments and ordinances of the
Lord.

their marriage was still childless,

because Elizabeth was "barren“and they
were both in their old age(Luke 1:5–7).
Zechariah followed the
law of Moses
Luke tells us that both Zechariah and his
wife Elizabeth were “blameless” when it
came to the Torah: they observed all the
Lord’s decrees and commands
(Lk 1:6).

Now, this doesn’t mean they were

sinless—we’ll see in just a minute that
Zechariah is not perfect. It means that
they followed the commands thoroughly:
especially the commands that involved
cleansing themselves of sin (making
sacrifices).
A whole multitude of people were
present as Zechariah went to burn
incense.

As Zechariah and the people

prayed, God sent a messenger to
answer their prayers

he duties at the temple in

Jerusalem alternated between
each of the family lines that had
descended from those appointed
by king David (1 Chronicles 24:1–
19).[5] Luke states that during the
week when it was the duty of
Zechariah's family line to serve at
"the temple of the Lord", the lot
for performing the incense offering
had fallen to Zechariah (Luke 1:8–
11).
Zechariah was afraid in
the presence of the
angel.
Luke 1:13 says,

“But the angel said to him, “Do not

be afraid, Zechariah, for your
prayer has been heard, and your
wife Elizabeth will bear you a son,
and you shall call his name John.”

As is common throughout
scripture, it is a fearful thing to be
in the presence of any kind of holy
being.
 Zechariah is the first
person in the NT to
speak with an angel
(chronologically)
.
Zechariah is ministering in the temple
when an angel appears. The angel tells
Zechariah that his wife will bear a son:
one who will go before the Lord (Jesus).
This conversation would have taken place
before Mary’s or Joseph’s visit from
angels announcing the coming birth of
Christ.
Zechariah prayed
for a child

The Gospel of Luke states

that while Zechariah
ministered at the altar of
incense, an angel of the Lord
appeared and announced to
him that his wife would give
birth to a son, whom he was
to name John, and that this
son would be the forerunner
of the Lord (Luke 1:12–17).
Zechariah’s son John would have a
great destiny and be blessed by God
Luke 1:14-15 says,
“And you will have joy and gladness, and many
will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great
before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or
strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy
Spirit, even from his mother's womb.”
Zechariah’s son John had a special calling to
prepare the way for the Lord.

Zechariah’s son John had a special

calling to prepare the way for the
Lord.
Luke 1:16-17 says,
“And he will turn many of the children of Israel
to the Lord their God, and he will go before him
in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the
hearts of the fathers to the children, and the
disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make
ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
 Their son John the Baptist normally would
have fit a priestly role and in a way he did.

He was an intercessor between God and man

unlike any priest had been before. He prepared
the way for the savior.- the Messiah

A priest would normally observe purification

rites, make sure people were clean as the
entered the temple, and prepare them as
sacrifice was made for their sins

What we know from John the Baptist’s

ministry, is he did the same thing a priest did
but in a different sense.

Performing the baptism of repentance, he

helped to prepare people’s hearts for the
sacrifice of Jesus Christ to cleanse them from
their sins.

So what do you think Zechariah’s response

was to the incredible news that he would have
a son with a great destiny and special calling?
 Zechariah doubted the
good news.

Zechariah was silenced

Citing their advanced age,

Zechariah asked with disbelief
for a sign whereby he would
know the truth of this
prophecy. In reply, the angel
identified himself as Gabriel,
sent especially by God to make
this announcement, and added
that because of Zechariah's
doubt he would be struck dumb
and "not able to speak, until
the day that these things shall
be performed".
Zechariah became mute in
the presence of many
witnesses.

Consequently, when he
went out to the waiting
worshippers in the
temple's outer courts, he
was unable to speak the
customary blessing (Luke
1:18–22).
Zechariah’s wife rejoiced
in receiving a child.
(MIRACULOUS PREGNANCIES
OF ELIZABETH AND MARY)
Luke 1:24-25 says,

After these days his wife Elizabeth

conceived, and for five months she
kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus
the Lord has done for me in the days
when he looked on me, to take away
my reproach among people.”
Luke 1:26-45 says,
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of
Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name
was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28
And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with
you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern
what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not
be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you
will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name
Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.
And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and
he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there
will be no end.”

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and
the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to
be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative
Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth
month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible
with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it
be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to
a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted
Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby
leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and
she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that
the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the
sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped
for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a
fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Zechariah and Elizabeth
ministered to Mary
Mary was afraid and perplexed by the news
Gabriel brought to her, but to comfort her,
he told her how Elizabeth also had a
miraculous pregnancy.

Mary was a young girl, some guess about

14 years old, and while she trusted the
Lord, it makes sense that she would go to
her respected, godly, and older relatives
Zechariah and Elizabeth for comfort.
 Luke 1:57-63 describes the
birth of John the Baptist saying,
Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth,
and she bore a son. 58 And her neighbors and
relatives heard that the Lord had shown great
mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And
on the eighth day they came to circumcise the
child. And they would have called him Zechariah
after his father, 60 but his mother answered,
“No; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to
her, “None of your relatives is called by this
name.” 62 And they made signs to his father,
inquiring what he wanted him to be called.

(Baby dedication)
Zechariah named his son
John, just as he was
commanded to.
Luke 1:63

63 And he asked for a writing tablet

and wrote, “His name is John.” And
they all wondered.

Despite Zechariah’s failure to have faith at first,

he did the right thing in the end.

The neighbors and relatives questioned

Elizabeth’s desire to name the child “John”, but
with a tablet in hand, Zechariah put his foot
down and declared the name of the child would
be “John” just as the angel said it would be.
Zechariah was able to speak
again after he named his son.
Luke 1:64-66 says,

And immediately his mouth was opened and his

tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And
fear came on all their neighbors. And all these
things were talked about through all the hill
country of Judea, and all who heard them laid
them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will
this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with
him.

Zechariah didn’t get his speech back after the

birth of his Son.

No, it was 8 days later when the message of

Gabriel was fulfilled and Zechariah named his
son John.

Zechariah’s son John and his

miraculous birth were well
known.
 Zechariah’s death and martyrdom
Zechariah's death is not recorded in the New Testament, although an apocryphal tradition in the Infancy
Gospel of James reports that he was murdered by agents of Herod the Great in the temple courtyard.

The second century apocryphal Infancy Gospel of James apparently identifies this man with Zechariah
the father of John, elaborating on the reference by relating a story of Zechariah's death at the hands of
agents of Herod the Great, who feared that John, a possible Messiah, might threaten his throne:

“When Herod fails to find the infant, after the visit of the wise men from the east, he tries to lay hands on
the child John (later the Baptist), but when he too is not to be found (having been hidden with his
mother Elisabeth in a hollow mountain) Herod has his father Zechariah put to death in the temple court.”

King Herod was searching for John the Baptist and sent guards to Zechariah to find out where he was.
Zechariah replied that he is always in the temple area serving God and had no idea where John could
be. When threatened with death, Zechariah is said to reply: “I am God’s martyr, if you shed my blood; for
the Lord will receive my spirit, because you shed innocent blood at the vestibule of the temple of the Lord.

Then, by command of Herod, they murdered this holy prophet, having stabbed him between the temple
and the altar (MT 23: 35).
Zechariah’s death and martyrdom
If Zechariah was a martyr in the temple area,
it does provide us with something to ponder.
Remember, it was in the temple that Zechariah encountered the angel Gabriel,
who gave the good news about John.
Zechariah’s response was less than stellar;
he didn’t believe and was struck dumb.
Zechariah’s death, according to these sources, shows us a complete reversal.
Zechariah showed forth his belief in the temple area by attesting to the truth
and through his martyrdom spoke out loudly about his faith.
 When God decided to tell the story of his son Jesus Christ in
the gospel of Luke, he decided to start the story with an old

Zechariah’s story,
priest,

A godly priest,

A sorrowful priest,

is the beginning of the A priest who desired a son,

Christmas story.
A priest who questioned the messenger of God and was
punished.

Yes, God used this priest to announce the beginning of a new

age,

Zechariah is not just

The age of forgiveness and grace,

The age of Jesus Christ.

some side character in That is the story of Zechariah and the beginning of the Gospel
of Luke

the Christmas story. So when you tell the Christmas story this year, don’t
forget to mention Zechariah.

Because God loves to use the most unlikely of people

to announce the coming of His Son.
Zechariah-the father of John the Baptist
• Accomplishments of Zechariah
• Zechariah served God devoutly in the temple. He obeyed •
God as the angel had instructed him. As John the Baptist's
father, he raised his son as a Nazarite, a holy man pledged •
to the Lord. Zechariah contributed, in his way, to God's plan
to save the world from sin.
• Strengths
• Zechariah was a holy and upright man. He kept
God's commandments.
• Weaknesses
• When Zechariah's prayer for a son was finally answered,
announced in a personal visit by an angel, Zechariah still
doubted God's word.
• Life Lessons
• God can work in our lives in spite of any circumstance.
Things may look hopeless, but God is always in control. "All
things are possible with God." (Mark 10:27, NIV)
• Faith is a quality God values highly. If we want
our prayers to be answered, faith makes the difference. God
does reward those who depend on him.
Key Insights From the Life of Zechariah
John the Baptist's story echoes that of Samuel, the Old
Testament judge and prophet. Like Samuel's mother
Hannah, John's mother Elizabeth was barren. Both women
prayed to God for a son, and their prayers were granted.
Both women unselfishly dedicated their sons to God.
• John was about six months older than his kinsman Jesus.
Because of his old age when John was born, Zechariah likely
did not live to see his son prepare the way for Jesus, which
happened when John was about 30 years old. God
graciously revealed to Zechariah and Elizabeth what their
miracle son would do, even though they never lived to see
it come to pass.
• Zechariah's story tells much about persevering in prayer. He
was an old man when his prayer for a son was granted. God
waited so long because he wanted everyone to know that
the impossible birth was a miracle. Sometimes God delays
for years before answering our own prayers.
Zechariah-the father of John the Baptist
CONCLUSION AND LESSONS THAT CHRISTIANS LEARN
FROM THE LIVES OF ZECHARIAH AND ELIZABETH
1. Christians should be upright /righteous /blameless.
2. They should obey God`s commandments /instructions.
3. They should persevere/be patient.
4. They should serve God faithfully /commitment.
5. They should depend on God/ask God for their needs.
6. They should thank God for blessings.
7. They should praise/worship the lord.
8. They should desire to be lead by the Holy Spirit.
9. Christians should rejoice at the blessings of others.
 CELL GROUP
Zechariah
1st & last meeting
year 2020

THANK YOU &

GOD BLESS