Commentary on the Gospel of
Zechariah’s Barrenness
How could Zechariah not trust God’s words? After all, both he and his wife belonged to a long line of priests. Surely, he was well-educated in faith and the long history of God’s interventions in history. Besides, he was a married man with the possibility of natural conception of a child, even though it wasn’t probable at their age. Further, God speaks to him at the Sanctuary, where God’s presence is guaranteed. Look at Manoah, an ordinary man with no scholarly claims: yet he simply believes the vision his wife had! The truth is, if Elizabeth was barren in the womb, Zechariah was barren in the soul – his faith was possibly more routine noise than substance. It was in the fitness of things that he must remain silent, pondering in his heart, so that his faith would mature and be born: for the same length of time it took the baby to mature in Elizabeth’s womb.
