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Malankara World Journal
Theme: Advent, The Season of Hope
Volume 5 No. 313 November 13, 2015
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I. This Sunday in Church -
Annunciation to Zachariah |
Bible Readings for This Sunday
http://www.MalankaraWorld.com/Library/Lectionary/Lec_anunciation_zachariah.htm Lectionary Period: Koodosh Eetho to Kothne |
Malankara World Journals with the Theme: Annunciation to Zechariah
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by Fr. John Mckinnon Gospel: Luke 1:5-25 - John's Birth Foretold5 At the time that Herod was king of Judea,Luke situated the event during the reign of Herod the Great, king of Judea. In this first chapter the focus was exclusively on Israel. Luke underlined the righteousness of Zechariah and Elizabeth, as well as their explicit observance of the Torah. They were an embodiment of faithful Israel. Luke began his narrative differently from Mark, who began rather with the message of the adult John the Baptist. Luke went back in time. He still began the Gospel with a focus on the Baptist, but on his conception and birth rather than on his mission and message. Luke's Infancy Narratives Luke's Intentions. Was Luke's intention to give a summary of remembered incidents surrounding the births of John and Jesus? Or did he rather intend to compose something like an "overture" that would give hints of the themes that would be developed during the public life and death of Jesus? If that were his intention, was his construction the work of his own imagination, or did it have some, even if tenuous, connection with actual events? Dangers. To read the narrative in a literalistic way runs certain risks. It can be a lazy approach. It can leave readers focused on the "surface", interested in no more than the details of the story. The rich symbolism intended by the author remains largely unexplored and its meaning for the life of the reader untouched. A sense of magic that leads nowhere could replace openness to mystery. Whatever about the story's appeal to the child, it could leave the adult uncertain. In resisting a response of naive credulity, the temptation could arise for adult readers to lose faith in the Word of God. Luke was writing eighty to ninety years after the birth of Jesus. If memories still lingered, their details would have become indistinct. With a few exceptions Luke's account of the events surrounding Jesus' birth was quite different from that painted by Matthew. Agreements. Serious scholars consider that the Infancy Narratives are largely the creations of their authors. With all their differences, however, both Luke and Matthew share these basic points:
The action line of the Gospel began in the Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple and Jerusalem both loomed large in the symbolic mindset of Luke. They symbolized the heart of Judaism – the place of encounter for Jews and their God. At the time of Luke's writing the Gospel, both had been destroyed. 11 An angel of the Lord appeared to himWhen Luke introduced an angel into his narrative, he was effectively telling the reader that the information to be given was beyond human observation or knowledge. This was the realm of mystery. In essence, the child that Zechariah and his wife were to conceive would be conceived through the power of God. The child would be an ascetic, filled with the Spirit of God. He would fulfill the role cast for Elijah by the prophet Malachi five centuries earlier who had written: Lo, I will send you the prophet ElijahHis citation of Malachi made clear that God was about to intervene in human history in a new and definitive way. The expectation of a return of Elijah was based on the story in the Book of Kings that recounted how, rather than dying, Elijah had been taken up to heaven on a chariot of fire and whirlwind: As they (Elijah and Elisha) continued walking and talking,John would be the one to prepare Israel for the awaited coming of God. 18 Zechariah then said to the angel,Zechariah belonged to the Jewish priestly caste. It would be the Chief Priests (who were quite socially and financially distinct from the ordinary village-based priests) who would eventually secure the death of Jesus. By having Zechariah question the angel, Luke hinted at the instinctive caution of the priesthood, the official custodians of the religious structures and culture, towards newness. Gabriel had figured in the Book of Daniel where he fulfilled the role of a messenger explaining the meaning of history and God's ultimate interventions (Daniel 8:15ff; 9:21ff). His appearance to Zechariah underlined the significance of the events that were about to follow and the beginning of the new and last period of the history of human salvation. In the honour code of the era, the response of Gabriel would be expected. His honesty had been questioned by an inferior. The inferior deserved punishment. After Jesus came on stage, he would challenge that honour system and open the world to the graciousness of God. 21 Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah,In framing Elizabeth's response to her conceiving, Luke borrowed the reaction of Rachel, the formerly childless wife of Jacob: Then God remembered Rachel,Source: Luke Gospel Commentary by Fr. John Mckinnon Copyright © 2015 John McKinnon |
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
Gospel: Luke 1:5-25 This story happened about 2,000 years ago in Jerusalem, Israel. The Jewish people had a big building something like a church that was called the Temple. God had said that all the men who were descendants of Moses' brother, Aaron, were supposed to work at the Temple doing various jobs. They were called priests. One of their jobs was to burn incense, something that smelled very nice, in an inner room of the Temple, called "the holy place." There were so many descendants of Aaron at the time of this story that they took turns doing the various jobs. It just happened that Zechariah was chosen to be the one to burn incense inside the Temple, and it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him. He was probably really excited to go in the Temple into a special room that few people ever got to see! Imagine how shocked he was when an angel named Gabriel suddenly appeared before him! Have you ever been scared in your own house when you suddenly saw a family member whom you didn't know was in the same room with you? Think of how you'd feel if it was someone you didn't recognize. What if it was someone who looked like an angel? No wonder Zechariah was "overwhelmed with fear" (Luke 1:12). The angel told Zechariah some amazing news: In answer to his prayer, his elderly wife would have a special baby. Zechariah's son would be a great prophet and preacher, and by the Holy Spirit's power, he would persuade many people in Israel to quit sinning. That way, they would be prepared for another very special person who was about to come: God in the form of a man! Zechariah didn't believe what he heard because he thought he and his wife were too old to have a baby. They were as old or older than your grandparents! But nothing is too hard for God, and Zechariah should have believed what he heard. It was an angel who spoke to him, and that angel had just come from heaven to deliver the message from God. God was a little bit angry with Zechariah's unbelief, so He took away Zechariah's ability to talk for about nine months! God expects us to believe what He says because He never lies. A lesson we can learn from Zechariah is that it is better to say nothing at all than to say something that disagrees with what God has said. God is always right in what He says. Q. We learned today that many of the Israelite fathers weren't very good fathers, but when they heard John's preaching they repented and started to really show their kids that they loved them. What is the most important thing your father or mother could do to show you how much they love you? A. Teach you about God and the Bible! (So you must have good parents!) Q. When do you think Zechariah prayed to have a son? A. Probably many years before when he was a younger man, since he didn't believe it was possible for his wife to have a baby even after hearing the angel's message. Our prayers are not always answered as soon as we'd like. Application: God's Word is always true, so we should never say anything that contradicts what God has said. Source: Family Style Devotions |
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