Help Your Kids Learn about Zechariah and Elizabeth in this Free Bible Lesson for Kids
This Bible lesson from Luke chapter 1 provides a crucial link between God’s Old Testament promises of a coming Savior and the birth of Jesus Christ.
Through the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, your kids will discover two powerful truths:
- Nothing is impossible for God!
- God always keeps His promises.
This ready-to-teach free Bible lesson makes it easy to start meaningful conversations about what Zechariah’s doubts can teach us about our own faith, especially when it feels like God isn’t answering our prayers. It’s perfect for Sunday School, homeschool, children’s church, or family Bible time.
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This free lesson uses the NIV Bible version and is perfect for teachers and parents who want a solid, engaging Bible lesson that points kids to Jesus.
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- Printable class notes, small-group discussion questions, and take-home Bible reading pages
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Below you’ll find the full Zechariah, Elizabeth, and the Birth of John the Baptist read-aloud Bible lesson, ready for you to teach right from this page.
Zechariah, Elizabeth, and the Birth of John the Baptist Read-Aloud Bible Lesson:
Main Ideas for This Lesson:
- Nothing is impossible for God!
- God always keeps His promises.
Introduction: 400 Years of Silence (2-3 minutes)
Today we are going to read an exciting Bible story about a priest who saw an angel and a baby whose birth was a miracle.
But, first, we need to understand some Bible history.
In the beginning of the Bible, we read that God created the world. We read that Adam and Eve sinned against God. Since that time, every person who has been born is a sinner against God (except Jesus Christ, God’s promised Savior).
After Adam and Eve sinned, God promised to send a Savior Who would save His people from their sins. Adam and Eve died before this Savior came. People kept waiting. If you read the Old Testament, you will read many stories including the stories of Noah and the Ark, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, King David, Elijah, Daniel, and Jonah. Thousands of years went by.
But, in all of this time, God’s promised Savior still had not come. God kept telling prophets that the Savior was coming. But, the years kept going by.
In the last book of the Old Testament, God told Malachi that a prophet was coming who would be like Elijah. This prophet would come right before God’s promised Savior, to help people get ready for Him.
But, do you know what happened after God spoke to Malachi?
Nothing!
Nothing happened for 400 years!
The people kept waiting. But, God was silent. No great prophet came. God’s promised Savior didn’t come.
Everything was just… silent.
Does this mean that God wasn’t going to keep His promise? No!
God was at work even though His people couldn’t see it then. They needed to keep waiting and believing.
Part 1: A Priest Named Zechariah (6-8 Minutes)
During this time, people worshiped God by going to the temple in Jerusalem, offering sacrifices, and praying. Religious leaders called priests helped the people offer sacrifices, prayed with the people, and taught people about the Old Testament.
There was a priest named Zechariah. Let’s read what the Bible says about Zechariah. Pay attention as I read, because I’m going to ask you what you learned about Zechariah from these verses.
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. Luke 1:5-7 (NIV)
Based on these Bible verses, what do we know about Zechariah? (Write down appropriate answers on the board. Answers will vary.)
- He was a priest
- He was married to Elizabeth
- He was a righteous man.
- He obeyed God’s commandments.
- Elizabeth was “childless”. She couldn’t get pregnant and have children.
- Zechariah and Elizabeth were old.
Now, even though Zechariah was an old man, something exciting happened to him. Here’s what the Bible says:
Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
Luke 1:8-9 (NIV)
Here’s what you need to understand: Every morning and evening, priests would burn incense in the temple. Each priest would do this for one week, one time in his life. There were lots of priests and all of them wanted a turn to offer incense in the temple. So, how could they choose who would get to offer the incense? They “cast lots”.
Have you ever played a game where you threw the dice to see who would go first? Casting lots would be similar to throwing dice to decide something fairly. Unlike when you throw dice to decide who gets to start a game, though, the priests prayed and asked God to direct the lots so the right people were chosen.
Zechariah was chosen by lot to burn the incense in the temple. This was a special honor for him as a priest. Imagine how excited he must have been! But, something very unusual happened while Zechariah was alone in the temple burning incense.
And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. Luke 1:10-15a
Let’s stop and think about this for a minute. Zechariah was by himself in the temple offering incense. All the other priests and people who were there to worship were outside the temple praying.
What did Zechariah see while he was burning incense?
How did Zechariah feel when he saw the angel? How would you have felt?
What did the angel say Elizabeth and Zechariah’s baby would be named?
How would people feel about John’s birth?
After 400 years, God broke the silence. He had something important to tell Zechariah! God was sending His promised Savior very, very soon.
And, Zechariah was going to have a baby! This baby would be the great prophet that God had told Malachi about – the prophet who would be like Elijah and would prepare people’s hearts for God’s Savior.
Here’s what the angel said about Zechariah’s baby, John:
“He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:15b-17
Here’s what you need to understand: the angel was telling Zechariah, “God’s promised Savior is finally coming! And YOU, Zechariah, will have a baby boy named John. John will go before the Savior, to get people ready for Him!
“John will grow up to be a great prophet. He will be like the prophet Elijah. He will tell people the truth about their sin and about God’s coming Savior so that people will be ready when God’s Savior comes.”
But, Zechariah had a problem. Do you remember what it was? (Reference what you wrote about Zechariah on the board.)
That’s right! Zechariah and Elizabeth were old! Here’s what Zechariah said:
Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” Luke 1:18
Remember, Elizabeth was “childless”. She couldn’t have a baby, even when she was young. Now, she and Zechariah were too old to have a baby. Zechariah thought it was too late for them to have a baby – and he was right! Without a miracle, it would have been impossible for Elizabeth to have a baby. But, is anything impossible for God?
Here’s what the angel said to Zechariah:
The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” Luke 1:19-20
The angel said, “My name is Gabriel and I stand before God.” This message didn’t come from Gabriel, it came from God. Zechariah needed to believe God’s promises.
What would happen to Zechariah because he didn’t believe?
Zechariah would be “mute” or unable to speak until after John was born. Here’s what happened after that:
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” Luke 1:21-25
Everything happened to Zechariah and Elizabeth exactly the way God had promised it would.
Something to Think About: (If you have older kids, use these “Something to Think About” sections to encourage them to think a little deeper.)
- Gabriel told Zechariah, “Your prayers have been heard.” Zechariah and Elizabeth had prayed a long time for a baby. Do you think they felt like God hadn’t heard their prayers? Do you ever feel like God doesn’t hear YOUR prayers?
- It is hard to believe that God hears prayers when He doesn’t answer them the way we want Him to answer. What does this Bible passage teach us about God hearing prayers?
Part 2: Mary and Elizabeth (2 Minutes)
While Elizabeth was pregnant, God sent Gabriel to speak to a young woman named Mary. Gabriel told Mary that she would give birth to a son and that His name would be Jesus. Jesus was God’s promised Savior! Then, Gabriel told Mary that her relative, Elizabeth, was also pregnant. Gabriel said:
Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.” Luke 1:36-37 (NIV)
When Mary heard about this, she left her house and went to see Elizabeth.
At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. Luke 1:39-40 (NIV)
When Mary entered Elizabeth’s house, something amazing happened!
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” Luke 1:41-45 (NIV)
When Mary walked in to Elizabeth’s house, John joyfully jumped in Elizabeth’s womb because Jesus, God’s promsed Savior, was near! Elizabeth called Mary, “the mother of my Lord” because she believed that Mary’s baby, Jesus, was the Savior.
Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months, then went back to her home.
Part 3: The Birth of John (3-4 Minutes)
Finally, it was time for John to be born.
When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. Luke 1:57-58 (NIV)
Everybody was so happy when Elizabeth had her baby boy. But, what about Zechariah? He still couldn’t speak!
Here’s what happened:
On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” 61 They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” Luke 1:59-61 (NIV)
If you have ever had a baby sister or brother or even gotten a new pet, you know that naming can be hard. Sometimes people disagree about names.
In this time period, it was normal to name a baby boy after his father or, at the very least, someone else in the family such as an uncle or grandfather.
What did Elizabeth want to name the baby? Why?
Why did the people disagree?
Well, the people finally decided to ask Zechariah. They made signs to him, which is kind of funny because Zechariah could still hear just fine. He just couldn’t speak.
Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63 He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. 65 All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66 Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him. Luke 1:62-66 (NIV)
What name did Zechariah say that the baby should be called?
What happened when Zechariah wrote, “His name is John.”?
How did people feel when they saw this miracle?
Zechariah could finally speak again! He was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied about his son John and the coming Messiah, God’s promised Savior! Here’s what Zechariah said:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come to his people and redeemed them. 69 He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, Luke1:68-69, 74-77 (NIV)
Zechariah and Elizabeth’s baby was named John. We often call him John the Baptist today, because he baptized many people in the Jordan River.
The Bible tells us lots more about John the Baptist, but here’s the last bit we’ll learn today:
And the child [John the Baptist] grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel. Luke 1:80 (NIV)
Something to Think About:
- If Zechariah couldn’t speak, how did Elizabeth know about the angel, Zechariah’s vision, and what to name the baby?
Conclusion: God Keeps His Promises! (1 Minute)
Here’s what you need to remember from today’s lesson:
- Zechariah was a priest, married to Elizabeth.
- Both Zechariah and Elizabeth were old.
- The Angel Gabriel came to Zechariah and told him that he and Elizabeth would have a baby boy named John. This was a miracle.
- Zechariah didn’t believe at first. Because of this, he was unable to speak until after John was born.
- God fulfilled all His promises to Zechariah and Elizabeth.
- John the Baptist went before Jesus, God’s promised Savior, preparing people’s hearts and encouraging people to repent of their sins.
God promised to send a Savior. Even though God’s people had to wait a very long time, God fulfilled His promise.
Zechariah, Elizabeth, and the Birth of John the Baptist Bible Lesson Wrap-Up
Isn’t it amazing to see how God worked over thousands of years to fulfill His promise of sending a Savior into the world? After hundreds of years of silence, the Angel Gabriel suddenly appeared to an elderly, childless priest promising him and his wife a miraculous birth that would herald the soon arriving Messiah.
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- The full read-aloud lesson in six Bible versions
- Engaging activity pages at multiple levels
- A fun “Zechariah and Elizabeth” craft
- Memory verse game and “Build the Castle” Lesson Review Game
- Printable class notes, small group discussion prompts, and a take-home Bible reading page
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