Luke 1:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.

NIV: When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.

NASB: Zechariah was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.

CSB: When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified and overcome with fear.

NLT: Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him.

KJV: And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

NKJV: And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

Western artwork often represents angels as serene people in white robes, or chubby-cheeked infants, typically with feathery wings and harps or trumpets. In truth, these are beings of incredible power and influence. Biblical encounters with angels almost always induce terror; angels are constantly telling those they meet not to be afraid (Luke 1:13; 30; 2:10; Matthew 28:4; Acts 10:3–4; Numbers 22:3; Judges 6:22–23). Not all angelic encounters are positive. In some cases, angels are sent to deliver terrible judgment from God (2 Kings 19:35; 2 Samuel 24:16).

It makes sense, then, that even a God-fearing priest like Zechariah (Luke 1:5–7) would be terror stricken when first seeing an angel. That Zechariah is in the Holy Place of the temple, offering a sacrifice of incense (Luke 1:8–11), means he is alone in this room. As it turns out, the angel is here to bring happy news. Though Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, are old, they will finally have the blessing of a child (Luke 1:13). This child will become known as John the Baptist, an important herald of Jesus Christ (Luke 1:17).

Luke 1:5–25 explains how Elizabeth, the childless wife of a priest, learns that she will give birth to a prophet. This child will eventually be known as John the Baptist. Her husband, Zechariah, learns this from an angel but doubts due to his advanced age. As a result, he is rendered temporarily mute, and likely deaf as well (Luke 1:62). As predicted, he and Elizabeth conceive and await the birth of their son. This occurs several months before Elizabeth's relative, Mary, receives even more amazing news from an angel.

The angel Gabriel predicts two miraculous births. The first is a son born to Zechariah and Elizabeth: an older, childless priest and his wife. Because Zechariah initially doubts this message, he is temporarily made unable to speak. Their child will be known as John the Baptist, a powerful herald of the Messiah. The Promised One whom John will proclaim is the second birth predicted by Gabriel. He tells an engaged virgin, Mary, that God will miraculously conceive His Son in her. The two women meet and rejoice over their blessings. John's arrival sets the stage for Luke's familiar account of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Luke was a travelling companion of the apostle Paul (Acts 16:10); his book of Acts is a direct "sequel" to the gospel of Luke (Acts 1:1–3). Those two books make up more than a quarter of the New Testament. Luke begins by explaining how his orderly approach is meant to inspire confidence in Christian faith. His work is based on eyewitness interviews and other evidence. The first chapter details the miraculous conceptions of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. Chapter 2 continues with Jesus' birth.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.