Thoughts for the Day

Luke 1:11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.  When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.

One can find numerous models and simulated tours of Herod’s temple online.  All I’ve seen show an imposing building with large doors but just a few windows set high up in the side walls.  Luke tells us the people outside didn’t know what was going on, so I imagine Zechariah alone behind closed doors in this large but relatively poorly lit space, focused on his prayers and the ritual sprinkling of incense on the coals.  Then suddenly an angel appears standing right beside him.   No wonder he was startled!  But to be gripped with fear?  Later we discover that the angel in question is Gabriel.  The bible records Gabriel appearing to three people: Daniel, who is terrified, Zechariah who is gripped with fear, and Mary who is “greatly troubled” (or “thoroughly shaken” as The Message puts it).  Gabriel tells Zechariah and Mary not to be afraid.  But why should they have been afraid?  In Hebrews we read that some have entertained angels without knowing it – Abraham for example – so this is not an essential feature of all angelic encounters!  From this side of the Cross, the question seems valid; Gabriel is a messenger bringing good news from his loving heavenly Father to a person Luke describes as “upright, devout and blameless”.  What was there to be afraid of?  But I suspect Zechariah would have found my question absurdly foolish.  He might well have pointed to Isaiah’s cry “Woe is me, I am ruined” on seeing a vision of God enthroned in the temple.  And it wasn’t the vision of holiness that undid him, but rather the awareness of his own sin and guilt that it exposed.  “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you” declares Gabriel.  And it seems simply this echo of the God’s presence, without the mediation of Jesus, is enough to strike fear into this upright and blameless man.  To appreciate the “Amazing Grace” we have in Jesus, perhaps we could do with appreciating more that “Our God is an awesome God”, and I suspect Zechariah could have taught us a thing or two about that.