70 Weeks – Who Knew?!


Luke 1:18-25
18And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 20And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. 22And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. 23And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. 24After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, 25“Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”



I find today’s verses rather poignant. It is not difficult to imagine two elderly people who have given up hope of ever having a child and have born instead the ridicule of their neighbors since their long childless marriage began. When Zechariah is serving (possibly for the only time in his entire life as a priest) as the one who get to burn incense before the Lord he is greeted by the angel Gabriel. The angel’s message to him is startling for so many reasons. First of all, he is seeing an angel! Secondly, the angel delivers an unbelievable message. And third, the angel removes his ability to speak because of his doubt. It was an eventful day.



Tucked into the passage is something that captured my attention as I researched and studied this verse. I share a lengthy quote from Just’s Luke Commentary because it does the best job of shining some light on something I would have never noticed.



“The parallels between Gabriel’s appearance in Daniel and Luke leave no doubt that an allusion to Daniel is being made by Gabriel’s appearance. For example, J. McHugh notes that Gabriel appears in Daniel and Luke at the moment of sacrifice, both Daniel and Zechariah are afraid, Gabriel introduces himself in similar fashion, and his greeting is almost the same. Both Daniel and Zechariah are unable to speak and the restoration of their speech creates a similar reaction. McHugh even notes a possible parallel with Gabriel’s prophecy that in seventy weeks there will be deliverance for Israel. With some careful maneuvering, seventy weeks may be counted between the announcement of John’s birth to Jesus’ presentation in the temple. From the announcement to Zechariah to the announcement to Mary is one hundred eighty days; from the conception of Jesus to his birth, two hundred seventy days; from the birth of Jesus to his presentation, forty days. Thus 180 + 270 + 40 = 490. In both Daniel and Luke, seventy weeks bring an eschatological climax of deliverance by the Messiah, who will enter the temple to rebuild it.”

Just, A. A., Jr. ©1996. Luke 1:1–9:50 (pp. 57–58). St. Louis, MO: CPH.



Daniel 9:24–25a

24“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. 25Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks.”



There is always just so much more the Scriptures than we could possibly unearth in a lifetime of study. I share the above with you only because it is a fascinating new thought and I just love those moments. Back to the poignancy of this passage: Elizabeth’s response is heart-breaking. She sees herself as finally vindicated for the years of disgrace she has suffered over being barren. It begs the question of who I might be holding in a dishonorable position because of my ridiculous and erroneous understandings of life.

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