Announcing the Advent: Benedictus

Background

Zechariah’s Benedictus is the least well-known of the four canticles of Advent. It has come down to us in our hymnal as the primary canticle for Morning Prayer and an alternative for the Te Deum in Matins.

The Announcement

Read Luke 1:5-17.

⁵In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord. ⁷But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.

⁸Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, ⁹according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹²And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. ¹³But 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. ¹⁴And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵for 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. ¹⁶And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, ¹⁷and 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.”

1. Luke is unique as a Gospel writer in that not only does he relate the ministry of Jesus, but he also takes the time to tie in events occurring elsewhere in the world.
   1. How does he do this (verse 5)?

• Why is it important for us?

• What does the mention of Herod bring to mind?

• How do verses 5-7 describe Zechariah and his wife?

Because there were thousands of priests in the land, not all of them could serve in the Temple at the same time. King David divided the priests into twenty-four divisions (1 Chronicles 24). These divisions of priests oversaw the Temple services for a week, twice every year. Each week, one of the priests would be chosen by lot to burn incense at the Altar of Incense. Because of the number of priests, this privilege was granted to a man only once in his lifetime.

While the priest was performing his duties in the Temple, the congregation outside united in silent prayer. Undoubtedly, this was the most awesome and solemn experience of a priest’s life.

But Zechariah was soon to find that he was not alone in the Holy Place. At the right side of the Altar of Incense, the place of honor, he noticed an angel.

• What was Zechariah’s reaction (verse 12)?

Some would suggest that as Zechariah entered the Holy Place, he felt this was his greatest (and likely last) chance for God to hear his pleading for a son since he was already advanced in years. Others suggest that it was the prayer of all the faithful of Israel the angel was referring to, in that God would send the Redeemer.

• How could both be connected in the next part of the announcement (verses 14-15)?

• Gabriel tells Zechariah that the child will be a Nazarite from the womb (verse 15).
  • What restrictions tell us that he will be a Nazarite?

• Is there anyone else who was declared by an angel to be a Nazarite from birth?

• What will be the child’s main purpose in life?

• To whom is the child compared in verse 17?

• Why would this have been a welcome message not only for Zechariah but also to all the faithful?

The Reaction

Read Luke 1:18-25.

¹⁸And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” ¹⁹And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. ²⁰And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” ²¹And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. ²²And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. ²³And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

²⁴After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, ²⁵“Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

1. Why did Zechariah have some strong doubts about the news brought by the angel (verse 7)?

• Not only did Zechariah doubt the message, he also doubted the messenger. What reason does Gabriel give to show that Zechariah should have no doubts at all (verse 19)?

• What is the consequence of Zechariah’s doubts (verse 20)?

• Zechariah reappeared before the congregation unable to speak, making signs in an attempt to communicate. To what conclusion did the people arrive to explain Zechariah’s behavior? How might people today react to Zechariah?

• After Zechariah returned home, he and Elizabeth would soon see growing evidence that Gabriel’s message was true. How did Elizabeth respond to the message that she would be a mother at last (verse 25)?

The Response

Read Luke 1:57-80.

⁵⁷Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. ⁵⁸And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. ⁵⁹And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, ⁶⁰but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” ⁶¹And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” ⁶²And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. ⁶³And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. ⁶⁴And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. ⁶⁵And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, ⁶⁶and 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.

⁶⁷And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

⁶⁸“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people

⁶⁹and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,

⁷⁰as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,

⁷¹that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;

⁷²to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,

⁷³the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us

⁷⁴that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,

⁷⁵in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

⁷⁶And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

⁷⁷to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,

⁷⁸because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high

⁷⁹to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

⁸⁰And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

Zechariah has had at least nine months to meditate on the announcement given to him. The child is born, it is a son, and the day comes for the child to be circumcised and named. The neighbors and relatives gather, and suggest that the child be named Zechariah after his father. By now, however, there is no doubt in Zechariah’s mind. He names the child just as the angel had instructed: John. Zechariah then regains his ability to speak and his response is what we know as the Benedictus.

1. The primary tense of the verbs Zechariah uses in verses 68-75 is the past tense.
   1. What might be the significance of this?

• What one word might you use to describe Zechariah’s feelings at this point?

• What seems to be the most important thing to Zechariah and what words express this?

• From the words in verses 76-79, how does Zechariah understand the words of Malachi 3:1 and the words of Gabriel (verses 14-17)?

¹“Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.

My Response

Announcing the advent to Zechariah meant the beginning of the end of the Old Testament. John is called the last of the Old Testament prophets and the first of the New Testament preachers. It meant moving from prophecy to fulfillment, from promise to fruition.

Announcing the advent to Zechariah also meant God’s faithfulness, who would not only keep this greatest of all promises (Genesis 3:15) but also all other promises (Romans 8:31-32).

1. Are you able to speak of God’s promises in the past tense as though He has already fulfilled them for you?

• The announcement of the advent to Zechariah gave him the ability to rejoice in God’s promises. How can you rejoice in this promise?