A Tiny Little Detail

 

I noticed a tiny little detail during yesterday‘s gospel reading. 

It had very little to do with the point of the story and yet it fascinated me.

 

When asked what the child’s name would be,

Zechariah asked for a scroll and pen and wrote,

“His name is John.”

Afterward, his tongue was released, and he was able to speak again.

The story usually focuses on the miracle of Zechariah speaking again,

Praising God,

Being grateful for the miracle of a baby late in life.

But the part that stuck out to me was the fact that he asked for a scroll and wrote down the words.

 

According to a quick Internet search, 

The literacy rate of the times was between three and 15%.

Not many people could read and write,

So I imagine that not many people kept handy a scroll and pen.

 

Now, Zechariah was a priest,

and if anyone had reason to read and write, then it was a priest. 

But the people around Zechariah were not necessarily priests.

They wouldn’t necessarily have known how to read or write. 

Elizabeth may not have known how to read or write,

We don’t know,

So we don’t know how much communication Zechariah actually had with people during Elizabeth’s pregnancy. 

Did he continue working so that he was with priests who could understand his writing?

Or did he have to take a leave of absence because his voice had been taken away?

If he had to take a leave of absence,

Was he stuck at home with people who could not communicate with him,

Or was John the Baptist’s family a wealthy, educated family

In a time when most families were not?

 

Either way,

Communication was difficult for Zechariah.

He had a lot of forced reflection time

And I imagine that the time changed him.

The first words out of his mouth were words of praise to God,

So we know that the time did not crush his spirit.

And we know that he was obedient to God in naming his son a name that wasn’t in his family line,

So we know that his faith remain strong.

But we don’t know any other details.

Except that he was quiet for nine months,

Possibly stuck in his own head because those around him could not read his thoughts,

Possibly providing moments of peace and respite to Elizabeth, if he was a grumpy, old man,

Possibly providing moments of sadness to her if she missed talking to her husband.

 

I imagine he became a better listener.

And maybe those listening skills helped in raising John the Baptist,

Who seemed to be an eccentric character

Who was possibly a difficult child. 

Again, we don’t know.

We just know that he picked up a tablet and a pen and wrote John‘s name 

And somebody around him could read it 

So maybe he ran in educated circles

Which wasn’t the norm of the time, 

And maybe as Jesus’s kin, 

He taught Jesus to read and write,

And maybe Jesus himself was not the norm,

Not just in his divinity,

But also in his humanity.

 

As you read this today,

Do not take for granted your ability to read and write.

It is a gift

And it is a privilege

And it allows us to read and communicate the words of God

In such a way that our tongues can be unloosed 

And God’s name can be praised.

 

Amen.