Lk. 1:20. And behold, you will be silent and will not be able to speak until the day these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.
So, because you do not believe, you will be deaf and unable to speak. Justly he is subjected to both—deafness and muteness—for as one who disobeyed he is punished with deafness, and as one who contradicted, with silence. Moreover, he also prefigured what happened with the Jews. For just as he, old and barren and unbelieving, begot a son greater than the prophets, so too the Jewish church and hierarchy, though it had grown old and was barren and faithless and disobedient, nevertheless gave birth in the flesh to the Word of God, the Master of the prophets, with Whose birth those who were formerly disobedient passed over to faith and confession.
Lk. 1:21. And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marveled at his tarrying in the temple.
Do you see how the Jews waited and remained until the high priest came out? But we Christians, as soon as we enter the temple, already think that something bad will happen to us if we do not leave.
Lk. 1:22. He, having come out, could not speak to them; and they understood that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he was making signs to them, and remained mute.
Zechariah made signs to the people, who were probably asking about the reason for his silence; but since he could not speak, he explained it through signs.
Lk. 1:23. When the days of his service were completed, he returned to his own home.
Note also that Zacharias did not go to his house until the days of his service were completed, but remained in the temple. For the hill country was indeed far from Jerusalem. And a priest, even if he had a house in Jerusalem itself, was not permitted to leave the temple court during the time of his rotation. But we, alas, how we neglect the divine services! That Zacharias could not speak but used signs points to the senseless life of the Jews. For having put to death the Word, they can give an account of neither their deeds nor their words. Even if you ask them about something prophetic, they do not open their mouths and cannot give you a single word or answer.
Lk. 1:24. After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying:
Lk. 1:25. Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when He looked upon me, to take away my reproach among people.
Elizabeth, being chaste, was ashamed and, having conceived in old age, "hid herself five months," until Mary also conceived. When she (Mary) also conceived, and the baby "leaped in her womb" (Elizabeth's), she no longer hid herself and even carried herself boldly, as the mother of such a son who even before his birth was honored with the dignity of a prophet.
Lk. 1:26. In the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee called Nazareth,
In the sixth month, counting from the time of the conception of John.
Lk. 1:27. To a Virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the Virgin's name was Mary.
The text says that the Virgin was betrothed to a man "of the house of David" in order to show that she too was descended from the same lineage of David, for there was a law that both parties (in a marriage) should be from one and the same lineage and from one and the same tribe (Num. 36:6–9).
Lk. 1:28. The Angel, coming in to Her, said: Rejoice, Full of Grace! The Lord is with You; blessed are You among women.
Since the Lord said to Eve, "In pain you shall bear children" (Gen. 3:16), now that pain is dissolved by the joy which the Angel brings to the Virgin, saying, "Rejoice, O Full of Grace!" Since Eve was cursed, Mary now hears, "Blessed are you."
Lk. 1:29. She, upon seeing him, was troubled by his words and pondered what kind of greeting this might be.
Mary was pondering about the greeting, what kind it was: whether it was vile and corrupt, as a man's address to a maiden, or divine, since God was also mentioned in the greeting: "The Lord is with you."
Lk. 1:30. And the Angel said to Her: Do not be afraid, Mary, for You have found grace with God;
The Angel, first of all, calms Her heart from fear, so that She might receive the divine response in an undisturbed state; for in a state of confusion she could not properly hear what was about to come to pass — then, as if in explanation of the aforementioned word "Full of grace," he says: "You have found favor with God." For to be graced means to receive grace from God, that is, to please God. But this happiness is common, for many others also found favor with God, whereas the greeting brought to Mary has not yet been addressed to anyone.
Lk. 1:31. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name: Jesus.
"And behold, you will conceive" — no other virgin has ever been deemed worthy of this privilege. He said "in your womb"; by this it is shown that the Lord was substantially incarnated from the very womb of the Virgin. He who came for the salvation of our race was rightly named "Jesus," for this name translated into the Greek language means "salvation from God." Jesus, by interpretation, means Savior, because salvation is also called "iao."
Lk. 1:32. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of David, His father;
Great was John too, but he was not yet a Son of the Most High, whereas the Savior was great in His teaching and "Son of the Most High" also by His teaching, for He taught as One having authority, and by the performance of wondrous miracles. The visible Man is called "Son of the Most High," for since the Person was one, the Man, the Son of the Virgin, was truly the Son of the Most High. The Word was the Son of the Most High even before the ages, but was not so called and was not known as such; but when He became incarnate and appeared in the flesh, then the Visible One who works miracles was also called the Son of the Most High. Hearing of "the throne of David," do not think of a sensible kingdom, but understand the Divine one, by which He reigned over all nations through the Divine preaching.