Friday, September 16, 2016

Zacharius: Not Just Dumb


And it came to pass on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child,
and they were calling it by the name of his father Zacharias.
But his mother answered and said, ‘No!  He will be called John.’
And they said to her, ‘There is no one among your relatives
who is called by this name.’ And they motioned to his father,
to see what he wanted him to be called.
Luke 1:59–62

We are told that John the Baptist’s father, Zacharius, was made dumb by God’s angel when the old priest did not believe the angel’s message (Lk. 1:19–20).  But apparently, the angel made Zacharius both deaf and dumb, for there would have been no need for Zacharius’ friends and relatives to make signs to him if he could still hear.