Luke 1:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

On the Day of Judgment, God will assess us using the commandments as a form of written justification: “If I had not come and spoken unto them, they would have no sin” (John 15:22), and likewise, “the word that I have spoken, it shall judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). Consider why the term “blamelessly” is included with the phrase “acting according to all the commandments.” Listen closely: many adhere to God’s law but do so merely to gain the approval of others (Matt. 23:5). Such individuals cannot be considered blameless. In contrast, Zacharias observed the commandments sincerely, not for the sake of human approval, but out of genuine devotion.

Or do they mean that a sinless person is one who has completely removed prior guilt and transformed his life to avoid sin? They may claim to refrain from sin, but I cannot share that view, as the scriptures reveal that “the Lord so loved the Church … that He might present it to Himself glorious, not having spot or blemish or any such thing, but that it should be holy and blameless” (Eph. 5:27). How is the Church, gathered from the Gentiles, essentially composed of sinners, considered blameless if it does not arise through divine grace? She first cleansed herself from sin and then refrained from transgressions, leading a sinless life. Thus, she is blameless, not from the beginning—since that is unattainable for human nature—but through divine grace and through the condition achieved in which she no longer sins, remaining unblemished.

When it is stated that they were righteous in God’s sight, obeying all the commands and statutes of the Lord, Luke refers both to the Almighty Father and to the Son. The Holy Evangelist also affirms that it was the Son who established the law and delivered the commandments (see Luke 6:46). It is appropriately noted that they were righteous before God because not every person regarded as righteous by mankind is justified in God’s eyes. Individuals may perceive one aspect, but God sees deeper: “Man looks on the face, but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Sam. 16:7). Someone appearing righteous may seem so to us, but in God’s regard, that person is only truly righteous if their virtue springs from a genuine heart rather than merely external appearances designed to please others; yet mere mortals cannot discern the inner reality behind these facades. Therefore, righteousness in God’s eyes deserves utmost commendation, as the apostle notes, “His praise is not from men, but from God” (Rom. 2:29). Truly blessed is the person who is righteous before God, fortunate is the one whom the Lord will acknowledge with, “Behold a true Israelite in whom there is no deceit” (John 1:47); a true Israelite is one who perceives God and understands that God observes him, revealing the secrets of his heart (1 Cor. 14:25). Only those who have received recognition from the all-knowing are equal in truth, for “the judgments of the Lord are truth” (Psalm 18:10). Yet human judgments often misjudge: the unrighteous may be viewed as righteous, while the righteous are maligned with hatred or defamation. But the Lord knows the paths of the pure (Psalm 36:18); He will not regard the honorable as sinful or the sinner as honorable, but will evaluate each based on true merit, as He is the Judge of both thoughts and actions. Divine judgments assess one’s worth based on the state of the soul, not the outcome of deeds, for frequently pure intentions may lead to actions deemed reproachable, and commendable acts may conceal unworthy motivations. Even a good deed cannot find favor in divine judgment if there lies an evil intention behind it, for it is declared, “You shall do the works of righteousness righteously” (Deuteronomy 16:20). If righteous works were consistently performed righteously, the directive to “Do the works of righteousness righteously” would not be necessary. The Savior Himself has illustrated that righteous deeds can be conducted unrighteously: “When you do alms, do not sound a trumpet before you” (Matthew 6:2). “When you pray, do not be like hypocrites” (Matt. 6:5). Almsgiving is a noble act, and prayer is a noble act (cf. Tob. 12:8), yet both can be performed with improper motives, such as giving to the needy merely for the sake of receiving recognition (cf. Mt. 6:5).

Consequently, the Holy Evangelist not only stated that they were righteous before God, adhering to all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord, but also emphasized that they were without fault. This aligns well with the prophetic wisdom of St. Solomon found in the Book of Proverbs: “Seek always what is good before God and before men” (Proverbs 3:4). It is deemed blameless where goodness in thought and action converge; excessively rigid righteousness often invites reproach from others. The correspondence between the expressions is precise and harmonious. The evangelist mentioned “acting according to all the commandments and justifications of the Lord,” prioritizing the commandment before the justification. By obeying the heavenly commandments, we align with the Lord’s ordinances; when we judge rightly, we thereby uphold the Lord’s justification. Such commendation is comprehensive, encompassing ancestry, way of life, service, works, and judgment: lineage is praised by forebears, manner of life through righteousness, service through priesthood, works through adherence to commandments, and judgment through justification.

A husband like him would have felt an even stronger longing to witness the Messiah, who was destined to transform all things, enabling humanity—as he expressed—to serve the Lord with dignity and truth throughout their lives. Elizabeth, his wife, descended from Aaron, was known for her exceptional piety. The fact that both were of priestly lineage granted them a particular honor among the Jewish people, and their family appears to have been held in high regard in their community. They resided in a town situated in the hilly region of the tribe of Judah. Zechariah, to fulfill his duties, needed to travel to Jerusalem, though this was not frequent—only twice a year and for no more than a week at a time. The couple had reached an advanced age and remained childless, which for a people who considered a fruitful marriage a significant blessing from God, and who treasured a lineage tracing back to Abraham over many generations, was particularly distressing. Eventually, both spouses prayed to the Lord for a child, feeling sorrowful that their noble lineage might come to an end with them; yet, as they grew older, their hope for offspring diminished further.

The subsequent accounts provided by the Evangelist reveal that the angel's prophecy was fulfilled with extraordinary accuracy. This leads us to confidently assert that the prophecy was genuinely received and not merely a figment of Zacharias' imagination. Consequently, if the message originated from the angel, it indeed signifies a genuine appearance rather than a mere vision.

30:1, 2, 22; 1 Sam. 1:11). The arrival of a child was deemed a special gift from God, affirming that a father's name would endure in Israel and not vanish among his brethren (Deut. 25:6, Ruth 4:10). The longing for children was deep-rooted in ancient cultures, and among the chosen people, there was an even greater yearning to bear a child who would lead to the anticipated Messiah. Considering all of this, we can comprehend the profound sorrow experienced by the devout Zechariah and Elizabeth. With each passing year, their heartfelt pleas for children went unanswered. Yet, when advancing age had led the righteous couple to relinquish all hope for the fulfillment of their earnest desire, it was then that God's divine plan came to fruition in remarkable circumstances.

The righteousness of Zacharias and Elizabeth seems to stem from authentic piety, with their outward actions merely reflecting their inner dedication to the commandments and decrees of the Lord; it was ‘true righteousness’ (Eph. Zigab.), discernible not by men, but in the eyes of God (cf. Gen. 7:1; Acts 8:21).

The Savior's entrance into the world was veiled from worldly grandeur; it did not overwhelm the frail eyes of humanity, untrained to behold the brilliance of midday, but gradually emerged against the backdrop of pervasive moral darkness (John 1:5). The mystery of the Savior’s arrival became manifest to those whose reverent faith was attuned to God’s providence, allowing it to act as the leaven (Matt. 13:33) of a new life (Col. 3:10-11).

Long ago, the voice of the prophets proclaiming the coming Messiah had been quieted; the days of Daniel were drawing to a close, and the time afforded to the Jewish people to comprehend and internalize the prophetic announcements regarding the Messiah had elapsed. Yet, despite the 400 years of divine silence, an intrinsic connection linked the messages of the prophets to the writings of the Evangelists. The prophet Malachi concluded the series of Old Testament prophecies with a message about the Forerunner of the Lord, and St. Luke opened his Gospel by proclaiming the joyful tidings of the Forerunner’s birth. “Behold, I send My angel, and he shall prepare the way before My face,” declared God through the prophet (Malachi 3:1); “Behold, I will send you Elijah the Tishbite before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes” (4:5). This Elijah, who was to prepare the way for the Messiah, is identified as John the Forerunner by the Lord Himself (Matt. 11:14). The same messenger of God's significant plans—the Archangel Gabriel—who revealed to Daniel the seven weeks ordained before the Savior's coming, was sent to announce the fulfillment of these days and the birth of the Lord’s Forerunner.

In the southern region of Palestine, in the hill country of Judah, there lived a devout couple: the priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth. Descendants of Aaron, they were both righteous before God, adhering faithfully to all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord (Luke 1:6). Their righteousness was not merely an external observance of the Old Testament law but was animated by love for God, as commanded by Moses (Deut. 6:5), and founded on genuine piety and neighborly love extolled by the prophets (Isaiah 1:11-18). Their faith culminated, as recognized by the Holy Church, in belief in the coming Messiah. The Holy Church praises the parents of the Forerunner, saying, “As the moon reflects the radiance of the sun, you, O Elizabeth, were filled with the light of righteousness, and in all the commandments of the Lord you walked with your husband Zacharias.” In sacred hymns, they are described as being justified “now by the grace of God” through “the Messiah.”

In God's wise Providence, this righteous couple was deprived of the visible blessings of abundance, which the Jews often associated with having many offspring (Deut. 28:4; Psalms 126:3; 127:3-4). God had repeatedly assured the patriarchs of the Jewish nation of the promise of multiplied descendants (Gen. 15:5; 22:17; 35:11; Ex. 32:13; Deut. 10:22; Rom. 4:18; Heb. 11:12), a promise that was passed down and never forgotten among the people, causing every true Israelite to live in hope of encountering the promised “Seed of the woman” (Gen. 3:15), the great “Prophet” and “Reconciler” (Deut. 18:18; Gen. 49:10; Heb.). Parenthood was viewed as an honor bestowed upon women (Gen. 24:60; 30:1-13; Ps. 112:9), while barrenness was seen as a deep misfortune (Isaiah 47:9; 49:21; Hosea 9:14). The childlessness of this pious couple continued into their old age when, according to natural expectations, having children would be improbable and was resolved by a miraculous event foretold to Zechariah.