“And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments                              and ordinances of the Lord blameless.” LK 1:6

We make a grave mistake when we compare ourselves with superstars. In a very practical sense, not everyone can be LeBron James. You can practice 20 hours a day, have the best coach money can buy, watch every film of all the greats of the game, but if you are not physically endowed like LeBron, you are never going to get there.

When we read through the annals of Biblical history, if we try to be a Moses or an Apostle Paul, we are also not likely to get there since these men stand out over thousands of years of history as exceptions. While we should emulate them, and be inspired by their accomplishments, none of us were raised as a son of Pharaoh or discipled by Gamaliel (one of the most highly respected Rabbi’s of Jewish history). And I am not likely to all of a sudden be able to preach with the passion and flare of Reinhard Bonnke. We are each unique, but there is something which each one of us can do to qualify us for service in God’s house: we can obey Him.

I find myself gravitating to the more “common” men and women of scripture. I see myself in them. Did you know that Acts used to be called the Acts of the Holy Spirit rather than the Acts of the Apostles? If the great things of God were only intended to be done by a few apostles, then the majority of Christians could just relax and let the professionals take care of all problems out there in the world. In fact, that is the way many think about the Christian faith. “Let the Pastor do it!” But that is not the way God works! That is why Acts may chronicle the first century church largely through the exploits of Peter and Paul, yet there is also a splattering of others whose stories remind us that uncommon things are often done through common people. Philip and Stephen were appointed to “serve tables” (6:2) at the church’s first soup kitchen. Ananias, whom God used to propel Paul into ministry, was only “a certain disciple” (9:10). Tabitha just made clothes for widows, yet was instrumental in the town of Joppa’s revival (9:36). While the Apostles stayed in Jerusalem when intense persecution hit the church, “those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word” (8:4).

That is one of the reasons I like the story of Christ’s birth. God chose common people, whose primary trait was that they were faithful. I did not say perfect. Which brings me to the main person in this article: John the Baptist’s father, Zacharias. I love Zacharias. I love the fact that he was not contaminated by the politics and snobbery of the Jewish leaders of his day. I love that he was upright, walking before the Lord blamelessly. I love that he never gave us praying about having a son even though he and Elizabeth were much too old (LK 1:13). I love that “he lingered so long” (1:21) in the temple after the angel appeared to him.

I also love the fact that he had issues. Aren’t you glad that the angel didn’t tell Zacharias when he did not express the fullness of faith in his announcement: “Well, Zacharias, I can see that you are not really qualified for this. The Forerunner for the Messiah was going to come from your loins, but I can’t allow history to record that he was born the son of someone who dared question God!”

Instead, he was made mute. This is where it really gets interesting. We know that Zacharias had not blamed God for the shame of he and his wife bearing the stigma of being childless into their old age. Now, publicly bearing the brunt of sneers and criticisms for being a mute man due to his disobedience to God, yet Zacharias amazingly did not swallow the pill of bitterness. Risking further disdain, at the christening of his first-born son, against tradition, in the face of the astonishment of the crowd, he named his son John even though “no one among your relatives is called by this name” (1:61). Did Zacharias know at that moment his tongue would be loosed? No! He simply knew that it was always right to obey God. And then, opening his mouth, what would he say? He who had suffered punishment, scorn, and shame did the one thing that was in his heart to do, and it was not complain or be angry. He praised God. What integrity! What a testimony! How many have become bitter by lesser things? How many have given themselves over to self-pity or self-justification? Not Zacharias. He praised God.

I like Zacharias because he doesn’t have a big “S” on his T-Shirt. I love him because he was real, touchable, common. We can see ourselves in his story, for not many of us were born with a silver spoon, and not many of us have always had things go exactly the way that we would have liked. Life happens. We fail. We suffer disappointments, injustices, and rejection. In all these things, we have a choice just like Zacharias. I will choose to walk blamelessly before the Lord. I will choose to trust even when it’s hard. I will choose to continue in prayer, to lay my petitions before the Lord when it seems so much easier just to give up. I will choose to guard my heart from anger and resentment, so that if I am ever made mute for a season, the first thing that will come out of my mouth will be high praise for the One who has saved me and Who is ever true, even when I am not.

Beloved, you don’t need to be a superstar. You just need to be faithful.