Lk. 1:11. An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
The angel appears not to all, but to the pure in heart, such as Zacharias was. The altar is called the altar of incense because there was also another altar—that of burnt offerings.
Lk. 1:12. Zacharias, seeing him, was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
Lk. 1:13. But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
Lk. 1:14. And you shall have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth,
Zechariah is troubled, for an extraordinary vision disturbs even the saints. But the Angel puts a stop to the disturbance. For everywhere divine and demonic visions are recognized by this: if the mind is troubled at first, but then, as the fear dissipates, soon becomes completely calm, then the vision is truly from God; but if the fear and disturbance only intensify, then the vision is from demons. Why did the Angel say, "Your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son," since Zechariah was praying not for a son, but for the sins of the people? Some say: since Zechariah was praying for the sins of the people, and was to beget a son who would cry out, "Behold the Lamb of God, who takes upon Himself the sin of the world" (Jn. 1:29), the Angel fittingly says to him: your prayer for the remission of the sins of the people has been heard, for you will beget a son through whom there will be remission of sins. Others understand it thus: Zechariah! Your prayer has been heard, and God has forgiven the people their sins. Then, as if he said: how is this evident? The Angel says: behold, I give you a sign: "Elizabeth will bear you a son"; and from the fact that Elizabeth will give birth, you should be assured of the remission of sins for the people as well.
Lk. 1:15. for he will be great before the Lord;
The angel announces that John will be "great," but "before the Lord," for many are called great before men but are not such before God, for example hypocrites. But John is great in soul, just as everyone who is scandalized is small in soul. For no one who is great is scandalized, but rather the small and fainthearted, as the Lord also says: "whoever causes one of these little ones to stumble" (Mt. 18:6). Just as John's parents were righteous "before God," so also their son is great "before the Lord."
Lk. 1:15. He will drink neither wine nor strong drink,
"Sikera" is the name for everything that, not being from grapes, can produce intoxication.
Lk. 1:15. And he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb;
He was filled with the "Holy Spirit" while he was still in his mother's womb. When the Mother of the Lord came to Elizabeth, the infant, rejoicing at the coming of the Lord, "leaped" (Luke 1:41).
Lk. 1:16. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God;
Lk. 1:17. And he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,
"To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children," that is, to turn the Jews to the apostles, for the Jews were the fathers, and the apostles were their children. He turned the hearts of the Jews to the apostles by his teaching and testimony about Christ; and he who testifies about Christ makes His disciples fully credible as well. John did not convert all, but "many"; whereas the Lord enlightened all. He came "in the spirit... of Elijah," because just as grace was at work in Elijah, so also in John, and just as Elijah is the forerunner of the second coming, so John is of the first. And in "the power of Elijah," because the coming of both, Elijah and John, has one and the same power, namely: to lead people to Christ. And in another sense John came in the power and spirit of Elijah, because he too was a desert-dweller, an ascetic, and a reprover, like Elijah.
Lk. 1:17. and to the disobedient the mindset of the righteous,
that is, the teaching of the apostles; and the wisdom of the apostles is the grace of the Spirit in them, by which they were guided.
Lk. 1:17. To present to the Lord
That is, Christ,
Lk. 1:17. A people prepared.
That is, people capable of receiving the preaching. I will offer a certain likeness. When some prophet came with preaching, not all believed, but those who were capable, that is, those who had prepared themselves for it, for just as if someone comes to a house at night, not all receive him, but those who are awake and expecting him and have prepared themselves for his reception, so also John prepared a people for the Lord, but not the disobedient, rather the capable, that is, those who had prepared themselves for the reception of Christ.
Lk. 1:18. And Zacharias said to the Angel: by what shall I know this? For I am old, and my wife is advanced in years.
Though Zacharias was righteous and holy, nevertheless, considering the extraordinary nature of the birth of a son, he did not easily believe.
Lk. 1:19. The angel answered and said to him: I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and I was sent to speak with you and to bring you this good news;
This is why the Angel also tells him of his rank: "I am Gabriel," standing before God, not a deceiving demon, but an Angel of God.