Imagine witnessing an event that is so mind blowing that you find yourself struck dumb and then staying that way for the next nine months. It must be hard to have that kind of knowledge inside you and you cannot share it except in a very limited form.

This happened to the father of John the Baptist.

    While on duty in the temple in the inner sanctum he was visited by an angel who struck him dumb because he did not believe this special message. The unbelievable birth of a son at a very old age to his barren wife. The Angel told him to call the boy John and that he was to be very very special

and set aside for God’s purposes.

I think perhaps the other people in the temple must also have been somewhat struck dumb by the fact that Zechariah was unable to speak, when he eventually emerged.

9 months later

In those days a first born son was always named after the father. People argued when Elizabeth said no to this arrangement so they turned to the father who was dumb to ask what he should be called. Asking for a slate he wrote the name John and immediately he was able to speak again. This was a very clear sign that John the Baptist had been set apart for a very special purpose. Indeed Jesus confirmed this by saying that no other prophet was the equal of John the Baptist.

The moral is don’t mess with angels.