Luke 1:23 – 25

John the Baptist Conceived

23 So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.

24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,

25 “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

The priests served a certain term of duty. When his term was finished Zacharias went to his home and would live there until his next term came up. During these times away from the temple the priests were to teach the law to the individuals living in the area. They would usually teach in the local synagogue.

It was at this time which Zacharias and Elizabeth conceived John.

Elizabeth kept to herself because she was afraid something would go wrong with such a late term pregnancy and did not want to prematurely announce it to the world. She had a feeling it was just too good to be true. So she wanted to make sure the baby was healthy and it was a good pregnancy so she hid for 5 months.

This feeling which Elizabeth had was similar to feelings had by married women who could not produce children even up to the last half of the twentieth century. Elizabeth and other women who were barren felt a sense of shame and disgrace for not being able to produce a child.

She said God had taken that shame and disgrace away from her by giving her a child.