Trinity and Humanity

There’s something I find interesting about the story of Zechariah, the father of John the Baptizer. When Gabriel tells him that he will have a child in his old age he doesn’t believe it – but it still happens anyway. In fact, Gabriel says “oh, it’s going to happen, whether you believe it or not, but just for being so doubtful, why don’t we make you mute for a while.”

We might have thought that Zechariah’s lack of faith would derail the whole plan. We might have thought that Gabriel would say, “forget it then, I’ll go find some other old priest that does have faith.” But that’s not how it plays out. That’s not how God works.

The Father, Son, and Spirit, aren’t counting on our faithfulness to bring Divine plans to fruition. God knows we won’t always be like Mary and that we’ll often be like Zechariah. The plan moves forward anyway, because it’s God’s plan and not ours.

Of course, our lack of faith can make our participation in God’s work more difficult (I’m sure Zechariah’s muteness became quite a burden over the ensuing months) but it is the faith of Jesus that is working out the Father’s plan for us, and Jesus’ faithfulness never fails.

~ Jonathan Stepp