Luke 1:5-25 | Sir Stanley Spencer | The angel, Zechariah and Elizabeth

Luke 1:5-25   The angel, Zechariah and Elizabeth

Zechariah and Elizabeth, Painting by Sir Stanley Spencer (1891–1959), Painted in 1914,  Oil paint and graphite on canvas, © Tate Gallery, London In the days of King Herod of Judaea there lived a priest called Zechariah who belonged to the Abijah section of the priesthood, and he had a wife, Elizabeth by name, who was a descendant of Aaron. Both were worthy in the sight of God, and scrupulously observed all the commandments and observances of the Lord. But they were childless: Elizabeth was barren and they were both getting on in years. Now it was the turn of Zechariah’s section to serve, and he was exercising his priestly office before God when it fell to him by lot, as the ritual custom was, to enter the Lord’s sanctuary and burn incense there. And at the hour of incense the whole congregation was outside, praying. Then there appeared to him the angel of the Lord, standing on the right of the altar of incense. The sight disturbed Zechariah and he was overcome with fear. But the angel said to him, ‘Zechariah, do not be afraid, your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth is to bear you a son and you must name him John. He will be your joy and delight and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord; he must drink no wine, no strong drink. Even from his mother’s womb he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, and he will bring back many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah, he will go before him to turn the hearts of fathers towards their children and the disobedient back to the wisdom that the virtuous have, preparing for the Lord a people fit for him.’ Zechariah said to the angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is getting on in years.’ The angel replied, ‘I am Gabriel who stand in God’s presence, and I have been sent to speak to you and bring you this good news. Listen! Since you have not believed my words, which will come true at their appointed time, you will be silenced and have no power of speech until this has happened.’ Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and were surprised that he stayed in the sanctuary so long. When he came out he could not speak to them, and they realised that he had received a vision in the sanctuary. But he could only make signs to them, and remained dumb. When his time of service came to an end he returned home. Some time later his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept to herself. ‘The Lord has done this for me’ she said ‘now that it has pleased him to take away the humiliation I suffered among men.’   READ MORE     Reflection on the Painting Between today and Christmas Day, the readings at mass feature three Old Testament women who become pregnant against all the odds:  todays reading about Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist; then the unnamed mother of Samson; and Hannah, mother of Samuel. These readings  remind us that God is in control of the human story. Today, we read about Zechariah and Elizabeth not expecting any of these amazing things to happen to them; they were pious people, living according to the Law and getting on with their lives. And God looked favourably upon them, showing that our normal day to day lives, are as much part of God’s plan, as the highlight moments when we maybe might feel His presence more strongly. Zechariah and Elizabeth is a large painting by British artist Stanley Spencer made in 1914, at the start of the First World War. In the foreground of the composition we see Zechariah, an elderly male figure dressed in a white cloak, holding a pair of tongs over a flame. Another elderly male, the Archangel Gabriel, sneaks up to Zechariah from behind. Zechariah is depicted a second time in the background of the painting: behind a wood and metal fence, staring at his wife, Elizabeth, on the other side of the fence. We can see she is pregnant. In the background on the right, we see a gardener who resembles traditional representations of both Jesus and John the Baptist. He is seen pulling an ivy branch, symbol of everlasting life and Resurrection. In God’s relationship with us, there is great purpose, perfect timing, and He is writing a story with us. He does not make mistakes; He doesn’t surprise too early or too late; He is THE master author, to whom’s story we are willing participants…  just like Zacharias and Elizabeth. by Patrick van der Vorst