While our focus at Christmastime is naturally on the birth of Jesus Christ, it might surprise you to learn that Jesus’ was not the only miraculous birth associated with Christmas!

Jesus was preceded by John the Baptist, whose life and ministry would be defined by his role as a messenger announcing the promised Messiah. John’s birth wasn’t quite as remarkable as that of Jesus; John was conceived normally by his parents rather than by the Holy Spirit. Nonetheless, John’s birth was an unusal and unexpected event, for his parents were beyond the normal age of childbearing. His parents Zechariah and Elizabeth got the good news from an angel, much as Mary would:

Now while [Zechariah] was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”

And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple. And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute. And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying, “Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

Elizabeth was a comfort and encouragement to Jesus’ mother Mary throughout the latter’s pregnancy. In fact, the angel who announced Jesus’ birth pointed to Elizabeth’s surprise pregnancy as a reassuring example that God could accomplish the impossible:

…Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy— the Son of God. And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” And Mary said,

“My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant.
For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
And his mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
he has brought down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers,
to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.

John’s birth is not the only other instance in the Bible that God engineered an unexpected and seemingly impossible pregnancy. The events surrounding John’s birth are very reminiscent of those surrounding the birth of Isaac in Genesis. As He did with Elizabeth and Zechariah, God sent a messenger to announce the unexpected birth to skeptical would-be parents. Compare this story from Genesis 18 to the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth:

Then one of [the messengers of God] said [to Abraham], “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

And for another story of an unexpected birth in the Bible, see the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel. While Jesus’ birth stands out as the most directly miraculous, it is clear that God often used unexpected (or even “impossible”) pregnancy as a way to both bless His people and to demonstrate His power and glory to doubting people.

Tomorrow, our attention will rightly be on the birth of Jesus Christ. But Elizabeth’s miraculous pregnancy—foreshadowing Mary’s pregnancy, just as Elizabeth’s son would point to Mary’s later in life—is an important part of the Christmas narrative. Praise be to God, who does the impossible!