Luke 1:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have" (Luke 24:39).

However, that body was already transformed to be suitable for a heavenly existence, impervious to death and unaffected by the passage of time. Just as that body matured from infancy to full stature without decline, so too will it not succumb to the aging process. He remains just as He ascended to heaven, preparing to share His message with those He intends to reach before His return. He will come in human likeness: this form will be witnessed by the wicked, by those on His right hand, and by those who are separated on His left (Matt. 25:34, 41). As prophesied, "They will look upon Him whom they pierced" (John 19:37; Zech. 12:10). To gaze upon the One they pierced signifies they will see the body that was wounded by the spear; indeed, the Word cannot be penetrated by any weapon.

Physical manifestations are perceived in a different manner, yet God reveals Himself at His discretion—not inherently visible, but made known through His will. If He decides not to show Himself, He remains unseen; if He chooses to reveal Himself, He becomes visible. God manifested to Abraham because it was His will to do so, whereas He chose not to reveal Himself to others. Similarly, as Stephen was being martyred, the heavens opened, allowing him to behold Jesus standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:55), while the onlookers saw nothing. Isaiah witnessed the Lord of hosts (Isaiah 6:1), yet others were unable to see Him, as God appears to whom He desires.

What can we infer about humanity when even the celestial beings and authorities are said to have never gazed upon God? It is emphasized that He surpasses these heavenly powers; “the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has manifested” (Jn. 1:18)! Thus, it is clear that as God the Father has never been seen, the Son must have made appearances in the Old Testament. Therefore, heretics must refrain from considering the virgin birth as His inception if He is known to have appeared prior to that event. Undoubtedly, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—when the Spirit makes Himself known—can reveal themselves in forms that align with their will, rather than purely through their nature, as evidenced by the Holy Spirit’s appearance in the likeness of a dove (Matt. 3:16, Mk. 1:10, Lk. 3:22, Jn. 1:32). Consequently, no one has ever truly seen God, as no one can comprehend the fullness of the divine essence dwelling within Him; it is beyond the capacity of both mind and sight to grasp (the term 'seen' applies to both). However, when it states, “the only begotten Son... He manifested,” it pertains to understanding through contemplation rather than physical sight. The outward visage may be observable, but the inner essence is articulated; the former is perceived by the eyes, while the latter is grasped by the intellect.

But what am I discussing concerning the Trinity? Even the seraphim manifested when desired, yet only Isaiah could perceive their voice (Isaiah 6:6). The angel remains present but is invisible to us; it is beyond our ability to visualize him, though it is within his power to reveal himself. While we lack the ability to see, grace has been granted to us to attain vision. Those deemed worthy of this grace will also merit the sight; our unworthiness for this vision stems from our lack of grace to behold God. It is no surprise that God remains unseen in this present age unless He chooses to reveal Himself. In the resurrection, perceiving God is not an easy endeavor, and it is accessible only to those with pure hearts. Hence, it is proclaimed, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). Jesus enumerated many blessed individuals, but He did not guarantee them the ability to see God! If it is solely the pure in heart who shall see God, then others will be excluded. The unworthy will not gaze upon Him, and those who do not yearn to see Him will find Him beyond their reach. God cannot be visualized in a particular location; only the pure in heart can truly perceive Him! You cannot seek Him with your physical eyes, nor can you comprehend Him through sight or sensation, nor can you hear His voice or the sound of His footsteps. There are moments when one may think He is absent, and at other times, when He is present, one fails to see Him. Not all the apostles recognized Christ, which led Him to exclaim, “So long have I been with you, and yet you still do not know Me” (John 14:9)! However, anyone who comprehends the breadth, length, height, depth, and the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge (Eph. 3:18-19) has encountered both Christ and the Father. Now, we no longer perceive Christ in a corporeal sense (2 Cor. 5:16), but exclusively through the Spirit. The Spirit manifest before us is our Lord Christ (Lamentations 4:20), who graciously fills us with the fullness of divine compassion (cf. Eph. 3:19), enabling us to perceive Him. Thus, the angel appeared to Zacharias at the right side of the altar of incense, presenting himself when he chose to reveal himself, and until then, he remained unseen.

Appeared... on the right side of the altar of incense, signifying divine grace, as it is written, “The Lord is at my right hand, I shall not be moved” (Psalms 15:8), and once more, “The Lord is thy keeper at thy right hand” (Psalms 120:5). May it be so that when we burn incense upon the altars and offer sacrifices, we, too, might have an angel before us, visibly present! Do not doubt the presence of an angel if Christ is present and offered, for our Passover, Christ, is indeed sacrificed (1 Cor. 5:7).

The altar of incense, crafted from gold, was situated near the entrance to the holy of holies for the purpose of burning incense. This altar symbolizes the deeper and more perfect grace found within the New Covenant and its worshipers.

Indeed, incense offering is esteemed above all other duties. This opportunity came together with the angel's visitation, gathering those present as if to comfort his long-suffering wife. Conversely, it also revealed that despite being righteous before God, Zacharias possessed little faith; faith is essential, as it brings forth all things and serves as a vital requirement from humanity. Certainly, the word of the Lord will not return empty, yet disbelief acts as an obstacle to its fulfillment; thus, it was crucial to awaken Zacharias from this lethargy, and this moment was most fitting for such a transformation. Reading the Gospel accounts regarding the circumstances of the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. The Conception of John the Baptist.

Reflecting on the creation of humanity, endowed with a spark of divine intellect, one may ponder whether God's creative work ceased with mankind—an entity above which nothing else can exist. Regardless of how profound the intellect of an authentic human is, there exists a vast and immeasurable chasm between a brilliant individual and God Himself. Could there be other entities that bridge the gap between humanity and the divine? Logic and intuition suggest that there must indeed be beings who are more god-like than humans, positioned closer to God, and who possess a deeper understanding of the divine essence than is granted to us. Humanity, along with reasoning, has been endowed with free will and the divine whisper of conscience, allowing for a pursuit of a certain divine-like nature. However, regardless of the heights of moral development one achieves, even at the pinnacle, humanity remains an entity bound by its physical being and tethered to earthly conditions. Should there not exist higher beings, transcending the confines of gravitational laws and spatial dimensions—laws that also govern humans, animals, and inanimate things alike? The exploration of the natural world leads us to the conclusion that the orderly progression in the creation of living entities, starting from the plant cell and culminating in mankind, must have extended further, ultimately resulting in the existence of the spiritual realm. Moreover, beyond these observations, the words of our Lord Jesus Christ affirm the reality of angels as disembodied spirits. It has been noted that one can either accept Jesus Christ entirely or reject Him; there is no middle ground. Acknowledging the unassailable truth of Christ's sinlessness, omnipotence, resurrection, and ascension, we are compelled to believe without reservation, even in those aspects that are beyond the finite understanding of the human mind. Since Jesus Christ referenced angels as existing disembodied spirits, we ought to accept His word, just as we recognize that humanity possesses an immortal soul, which, when liberated from its physical form, transforms into a disembodied spirit. The entirety of Jesus Christ's teachings directs us toward this elevated realm of angels and encourages us to aspire to a likeness to them. To deny the existence of angels would inadvertently lead to a rejection of the soul's immortality, eternal life, and the fundamental teachings of Christ regarding humanity's purpose. Thus, given our belief in Jesus Christ, we must also affirm the existence of angels. However, acknowledging the reality of angels does not immediately resolve the question of whether Zechariah experienced a vision or an authentic angelic encounter. In addressing this matter, it's important to remember that the Evangelist Luke, recounting the angel's appearance to Zechariah, relayed the details as communicated by those close to him, necessarily relying on Zechariah's own words, since there were no external witnesses to this angelic manifestation. Zechariah was righteous before God (Lk. 1:6), and in sharing the details of this experience with those nearest to him, he undoubtedly conveyed truthfully everything he witnessed and heard. Given his high moral standing, the witness of this event would certainly lack any inclination to distort the facts, providing reason to trust his account. Furthermore, upon seeing the angel, he experienced initial confusion, uncertain if he was having a vision or perceiving a real being; only after realizing the encounter was indeed true did he choose to recount the details. Nevertheless, the righteousness of the witness alone may not suffice to justify unconditional trust in his testimony; thus, we must also consider the outcomes of this event. Subsequent narratives from the Evangelist illustrate that the angel's predictions came to pass with remarkable accuracy, lending credence to the assertion that the message was genuinely delivered and not merely a figment of Zechariah's imagination. If it was indeed communicated by the angel, this confirms that the appearance was authentic and not an illusion.

On the north side of this altar appeared the Archangel Gabriel to Zechariah (Luke 1:11). To the south of the sanctuary stood the lampstand, and on the north side was the table for the showbread (Ex. 26:35). The entrance to the Tabernacle faced east, with its most sacred section oriented toward the west, contrasting with the orientation of contemporary churches. The Tabernacle was enclosed by a courtyard formed by curtains stretched upon poles, with the entrance also from the east, directly opposite the Tabernacle (Ex. 27:13). In the courtyard before the entrance of the Tabernacle was an altar for various animal and grain offerings, excluding incense (Ex. 27:1), and between this altar and the courtyard entrance stood a basin for the priests to wash their hands and feet before entering the Tabernacle (Ex. 30:18-21). Solomon's temple featured a substantial annex before the sanctuary, spanning its entire width, known as Solomon's vestibule (see John 10:23). This was the sole area for public gathering for prayer and sacrifice, as access to the subsequent sanctuary was restricted to priests, while entry to the Holy of Holies was limited to the high priest, permitted only once each year on the Day of Atonement. The visits of Christ to the temple noted in the New Testament pertained to this very vestibule. It was from this area that He expelled the merchants, who were enabled by the avarice of the chief priests to sell sacrificial animals; within the vestibule, just before the veil separating it from the sanctuary, stood the burnt offering altar. The sanctity of this vestibule paralleled that of the sanctuary and the Holy of Holies, making it a prayer house. Consequently, its conversion into a marketplace was perceived as a defilement of the sacred space, justly provoking the Lord’s anger towards those complicit in this sacrilege. In addition to the vestibule, Solomon constructed a three-story annex surrounding the temple, standing 15 cubits high, accessible via spiral stairs (3 Kings 6:5-8). This annex housed storage for sacred items and vestments, as well as quarters for priests and Levites. Rooms for teaching scripture and conducting religious discussions were also established here. It is likely that this is where the parents discovered the twelve-year-old Jesus during His time in Jerusalem (Luke 2:46). Furthermore, a wooden gallery, possibly positioned above these rooms, encompassed the temple structure, serving as the location where the adversary led Jesus during the desert temptation (Matt. 4:5; Luke 4:9), urging Him to leap off. The temple and its adjacent buildings occupied the entire mountain, and the gallery, elevated from the valley below, soared to heights exceeding 120 cubits, more than 36 sazhen. The front wall of the vestibule matched this height, rising from the valley floor to the temple roof (compare: 3 Samuel 6:2,3 = 2 Chronicles 3:4). Eventually, this gallery became the site from which the high priest Annas (also known as Ananus, who judged Jesus) commanded the righteous Apostle James, the Lord’s brother, to be cast down for confessing Jesus as the promised Messiah, a fact supported by ancient tradition and documented by the Jewish historian Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews, 20:9,1).

This altar, small and square, was covered in gold (Ex. 30:1, et al.), where incense powder was placed and ignited, a practice referred to as censing before the Lord. The incense was composed of various spices: stacti, onychus, halvanum, and pure frankincense, all in equal proportions (Ex. 30:35-36). No other incense was permitted on this altar, nor were burnt offerings, grain offerings, or drink offerings allowed. Furthermore, the incense designed according to God's statutes was forbidden for common use under the penalty of death (Ex. 30:9, 37-38). Thus, the Angel of the Lord manifested to Zacharias "on the right side" of this altar of incense, positioned between him and the table of showbread.

The process of determining the order of succession by lot occurred for the first time during David's reign, arranged by the generations or clans of the priests, and this order has since remained unchanged. The term Ἱερατεία refers not to a specific caste or class, but rather to the act of service. Therefore, κατὰ τὸ ἔθος τῆς ἱερατείας should be understood as according to the rank of priestly service or duty.

Your longings for the arrival of the Messiah's Kingdom have been acknowledged, and soon you will witness the birth of the one you've eagerly awaited. Furthermore, your son will be his herald, coming from a wife past childbearing age. Joy and gladness shall be yours, and many will rejoice at his birth; your joy will be intensified as your son's significance grows and the anticipation for the Messiah expands. He will be held in high esteem before the Lord — truly impactful in his ministry, proclaiming the salvation destined for him. He will abstain from wine and strong drink, living the life of a Nazarite (Num. 6:3), and will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the moment he is in the womb, destined to fulfill his divine mission. Even before his birth, he will embrace the rich endowment of God’s grace, turning many within Israel back to their God, urging them to leave behind their sinful ways. Like the Forerunner before the Lord, he will exhibit the spirit and power of Elijah, reconciling the hearts of the fathers to their children and guiding them in the path of righteousness, striving for completeness among the people. In the same way, he will embody the revered prophet Elijah through his devotion, passion for the truth, and the authority of his words; as he prepares the children of Israel for a kingdom rooted in peace and love, he will mend divisions and unify the hearts of all, making the unholy embrace holiness.