I have been visiting Zechariah and Elizabeth (yeah, the parents of John the Baptist) during lockdown and it has helped me cope. Why? When Elizabeth and Zechariah were waiting for John to be born, they both went into a kind of lockdown.

When the Angel Gabriel came to tell Zechariah he would have a son, Zechariah expressed his doubt and was struck dumb; unable to speak until John was born. At the same time Elizabeth chose to keep to herself for the first five months of her pregnancy, saying “The Lord has done this for me, now that it has pleased him to take away the humiliation I suffered in public” (Luke 1:25). We don’t exactly know why Elizabeth chose to stay at home, but we do know that she was thinking about the great favour God had done for her. As Elizabeth self-isolated I can imagine her nesting; thinking about and setting up their home for the arrival of their baby – perhaps even giving Zechariah a list of jobs to do that didn’t require speech. Her isolation was a time of focussing on her growing family and of gratefully pondering what God had done for her. How about Zechariah?

Zechariah was isolated too. He was unable to speak. I can imagine that it was hard, even exhausting, to listen to others talk but be unable to join the conversation. I suspect it might have driven Zechariah to choose solitude or the familiar and understanding company of his wife. After all, she knew what was going on with him and why.

Often people who lose one of their capacities find that their other capacities grow stronger. Zechariah couldn’t talk but there was nothing wrong with his ears, eyes, mind, and heart. I can imagine him noticing all that Elizabeth did around their house like never before. I can see him delighting in the beauty of the natural world and the signals of the passing day from the quiet dawn to the starlit night. I can see his priestly mind pondering the Scriptures. I bet he reviewed all the promises of God and the prophecies that led to this point in time – when his son was going to prepare the way for the Messiah. I can see his gratitude and wonder growing with each moment of enforced silence. 

After a while, Mary came to help Elizabeth in the final trimester of her pregnancy (a little like the first step in the easing of restrictions) and more amazing things happened as Elizabeth welcomed Mary. The Holy Spirit was incredibly active in these simple domestic moments. Finally, this lockdown ends at the beginning when their newborn is named John. Zechariah’s speech returns and his first words are a burst of praise so inspired and profound that they become a part of Scripture. “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, he has visited his people and redeemed them…” (Luke 1:68-79). During a time when he could have been tempted to feel so useless, Zechariah’s lockdown leads him to gratitude and into his new vocation as a dad.

I know that Zechariah and Elizabeth’s lockdown is very different to ours – I am busier than ever and fighting off anxiety – but their patience, gratitude, and attention to the little things in their domestic life are helping me to find meaning in it all. God’s love hasn’t stopped. My opportunities to love and serve others haven’t stopped. They are just different.

Zechariah and Elizabeth please pray for us, that we notice the beauty, see God with us, and find gratitude amid the challenges of lockdown.

Let’s pray that this time will help us come to a deeper understanding of who God has called us to be – long past the end of lockdown.