Luke 1:5-7

⁵ There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. ⁷ But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.

Writing as a historian, Luke dates his narrative by tying it to Herod, who ruled until 4 BC. Thus the when, now the who.

The first characters we meet are Zacharias, priest “of the division of Abijah”, and Elizabeth “of the daughters of Aaron.” These names would catch the attention of the Jewish reader. Aaron was the first High Priest and next to Moses in leading the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery to the promised land. Similarly, Abijah was among the first of the priests to return to Jerusalem from the 70 year Babylonian captivity and rebuild the temple (see Nehemiah 12).

Certainly, the family had a proud history. And Luke adds that they were “righteous before the Lord” evidenced by their “walking in all the commandments.” Good people with a proud heritage.

Hence the surprise that they are childless. Afterall, there is a natural desire for good things to happen to good people. But scripture reflects reality in recognizing this isn’t always the case. Indeed, Elizabeth had lived with the shame of barrenness and Zacharias without heir until they were ”well advanced in years.”

Yet, even if it takes seemingly forever to fully manifest, there is a greater reality: God is abundant in compassion, mercy, and pity. Zacharias and Elizabeth must have spent the years clinging to this hope, and now God was ready to substantiate it.