Daily Lesson for December 23, 2021

 Today’s Daily Lesson comes from Luke chapter 1 selected verses:

59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. 60But his mother said, ‘No; he is to be called John.’ 61They said to her, ‘None of your relatives has this name.’ 62Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. 63He asked for a writing-tablet and wrote, ‘His name is John.’ And all of them were amazed. . . 66All who heard them pondered them and said, ‘What then will this child become?’ 

The author Anne Rice just passed.  

Best known for her book “Interview with a Vampire” and other vampire novels, she also wrote a series of what I think are brilliant historical faction novels about the life of Jesus. 

In one, Rice imagines Jesus visiting the home of Elizabeth when Jesus and his cousin John are each about 12 years old. There is controversy over Elizabeth’s parenting, as she is allowing young John to go out into the wilderness as a nazirite rather than following in his father’s footsteps as a priest in the temple. 

Elizabeth faces scorn from her community, but she is firm. This child of hers will go his own way if he wants. Jesus then says Elizabeth spoke with an authority he had never before witnessed in a woman. 

No doubt, Elizabeth did speak with authority. I’m sure the people asked whatever the “Who wears the pants in their family?” was back then. But Elizabeth did not care. As Rice has her say, “When you talk to me you don’t talk to a woman. You talk to Sarah of old. To Hannah of old.”

Elizabeth talked. And the people talked too. 

But they also listened. 

You better believe they listened good. 

Ryon Price is Senior Pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Fort Worth, Texas.