A Pre-Christmas Punishment

 

Zechariah in the Temple/ Bing Public Domain

Zechariah Punished with Aphasia

In Luke’s version of the Christmas story, Zechariah is punished with the loss of speech (aphasia) for asking what would seem to be a reasonable question. I study the psychology of religion and have conducted many neuropsychological examinations as a psychologist so the description of the impairment struck me as looking like the results of a mini-stroke. Check out the features of stroke in the story from Luke 1.

Zechariah, a Jewish priest, and his wife Elizabeth had a reputation for being faithful to the law. As my friend Martin Mittelstadt, known for his scholarly study of Luke, points out, Luke presents his gospel in several contexts including recurrent biblical themes. We see a record of angelic announcements and divine intervention in cases of older barren women in the Hebrew Bible. Perhaps Luke is presenting the new Christian tradition emerging from the womb of an elderly and barren Elizabeth in a similar vein to that of Sarah.

We don’t know how old the couple was but Luke give us a context like that of Abraham and Sarah: “But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years (vs. 7, ESVUK).” So, it appears Elizabeth and Zechariah were not childless because of disobedience, which is an important context matter. Then as now, children are usually seen as a blessing. And religious people, including Christians, see children as blessings from God. Alternatively, the lack of children has been seen as a curse.

In the next section, verses 8-16, the angel Gabriel appears to Zechariah (note in the Bible that angels are male-like beings who walk or stand rather than female beings winging their way through the sky). Something about the visit caused Zechariah to be very afraid. Then he learns that his wife will become pregnant.

The punishment scene follows in verses 18-23. Zechariah asks for evidence: “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years (18).” Gabriel asserts his authority and answers Zechariah’s question with a divinely caused loss of speech because of Zechariah’s lack of belief. When junior eventually arrives, Zechariah regains his speech after writing the child’s name on a tablet.

I understand from Martin Mittelstadt that the event is known as one of the punishment miracles in the Bible. I won’t attempt to be either a religious scholar or theologian. I do know that, as in the past, religious people include supernatural causes in the aetiology of illnesses and diseases.

We’ll never know if Zechariah suffered from a stroke or not. But it sure looks like it. The temporary loss of speech is a common feature in elderly men who experience a stroke. The loss of speech (aphasia) can last for months as in the Bible story. And the loss occurred in the context of a man stressed by fear and the eustress of becoming a parent. The links between stress and stroke are reliable and strong. Also, the risk of stroke increases with age. Fear and anxiety are commonly linked to strokes as well. Even his extra time in the temple before coming out was noted by the crowd. The few seconds of the reported dialogue would hardly be noticed—someone or some experience caused a delay.

The Psychology of Punishment

I mentioned that some scholars view the Zechariah event as divine punishment or even a “punishment miracle.” Again, I won’t dispute that perspective. I would like to add a behavioural perspective though. Punishment is an important part of the way people shape behaviour. When punishment is effective, a targeted behaviour is reduced or eliminated. There are many forms of punishment and some are more effective than others.

In the story, Zechariah was punished for not believing God since the messenger was delivering God’s word to him. Placing this story at the beginning of the Gospel could function as a warning to Theophilus that he (or they) should not question this Gospel, or they too might suffer a fate like Zechariah did. So, I wonder, but do not know if Theophilus or the people in Luke’s community were having some doubts about some aspect of the Jesus story.

Punishment is effective when it produces fear that the punishment event will happen again if the person continues to perform the act for which they were punished. But vicarious punishment can work as well. Sensitive people can learn not to perform a certain act when they see someone like themselves suffer harm for a specific behaviour.

Reflections on Luke and Christmas

Luke’s narrative appears to be crafted to tell the story of Jesus in a way that makes sense to a man (Theophilus) or group (lovers of God) many decades after the birth events. It’s not just a history or a biography but a spiritual story with a purpose.

Some progressive Christians (see book list) have been trying to help intelligent Christians by encouraging them to appreciate the metaphors in the Bible rather than leaving the faith because some Christians present a magical or incredible interpretation of biblical narratives. Thinking about the metaphors and symbolic use of language may help understand old texts when literal interpretations make little sense to contemporary readers. However, metaphors can mask an appreciation of a culture where people looked at real events and tried to understand the causes and cures. The fact is, many people still consider problems of health and destructive storms to be the result of divine punishment or at least warnings to repent of sin.

In a different vein, an evangelical scholar like Craig Keener (e.g., see Christobiography) seeks to help intelligent conservatives recognize the characteristics of ancient biographies and histories. Keener does not claim the biblical histories contain verbatim dialogues or video-like reporting of events, but he does assert the writers report the truth about real events. I like that he’s mindful of the problems with human memory and helping some readers avoid the pitfalls of literalness.

 

I would add that thinking about human nature when reading the biblical stories can help us appreciate the cultural views of real people trying to make sense of unusual events. Perhaps a writer like Luke is intentionally using literary devices to tell his story. Symbolism and metaphors can enrich the understanding of an ancient text. But sometimes, we may be reading a story passed along by people who accepted supernatural events as part of the fabric of life.

I hope contemporary health care workers can appreciate the long tradition behind the beliefs some hold that the causes and cures of diseases and illnesses may have a divine origin.

Meanwhile, Christian leaders need to speak up to protect the unwary from harmful responses to unhinged pronouncements about the causes and cures of diseases, illnesses, storms, and so forth. Such prophets continue to make news (see notes for an example).

 

Notes

Theophilus may mean loving God, loved by God, or friend of God. Of course, some people are named Theophilus.

Many Christians believe in divine interventions or miracles. I review some of this research in Counselling and Psychotherapy with Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians.

Book reviews on Progressive Christianity

Christobiography by Craig Keener

Luke Acts by Martin Mittelstadt

USA TODAY Example of faith leaders dealing with questions about COVID-19 and God’s punishment

Psychology of aphasia APA link

A study about stress and stroke risk (verywellmind).