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Toward the end of my life, I became sad and disillusioned. I am Elizabeth. (Bows) My husband Zacharias had been not only a righteous man but a priest in the temple in Jerusalem. He had had a fulfilling life. I had tried to be a righteous woman. I loved God and I loved my husband but pangs of jealousy bothered me. He was successful in his life and I was not. I had no children which was an element of sorrow for me. I felt it was not my fault, but I felt unfulfilled knowing that most women had already raised their families. There was nothing I wanted more than a family and I had none. Of course, my husband did not understand the complexity of the problem or of my feelings. He had his job and he did it well. He received self-esteem and satisfaction from the public, and also from God.

Zacharias was chosen to burn incense in the temple of the Lord. It was an important occasion, since it only happened once in the lifetime of a priest. While he was in the temple, Gabriel, an angel of the Lord, appeared to him and talked to him about me. The angel said we would have a son and we were to name him John. His purpose would be to go ahead of the coming Messiah, with the power and spirit of Elijah. Zacharias questioned the angel who then made him speechless to prove he was from God. After my husband was done with his religious duties, he returned to our home in the hill country in Judea. With sign language, he told me what had happened and shortly thereafter, I became pregnant.

I raised my boy, John, in a righteous manner. I did everything I could to see that his life was godly. Perhaps you can imagine the tremendous joy my only child brought into my life, especially when I thought all hope was lost. He grew strong spiritually and was very close to God. He lived an isolated life in the wilderness until he started his ministry. Then, all his strength and his entire life was dedicated to bringing people into a righteous relationship with God and preparing them for Jesus who would follow him.

John confronted people with their sins and what they should do about their lives. There was no middle ground with him. He demanded repentance. He let people know that God does not treat sin lightly and that people must change from their old patterns of sinful living. He knew Jesus Christ and he baptized him in the Jordan River. He deliberately confronted Herod about his sinful relationship with his wife who was his half-brother's former wife and his other half-brother's daughter. Herod was amused by John's blunt, brave tactics concerning his respect for God. But, of course, he didn't like to be criticized about anything, whether it was correct or not. Herod put him in prison. It was a convenient disciplinary measure, although he actually admired John for his honesty and for taking a stand for what he knew to be true no matter how dangerous it was. However, his wife was angry about John's accusations. She demanded that my son be murdered. Herod did not want to stand up to his wife, and so for her, my only son whom I had waited and longed for, my son whom I cherished and raised and dedicated to the Lord was senselessly murdered. He was only a little over 30 years old and had just begun his ministry. He had his entire life ahead of him. I wondered why this had happened. I wondered why someone didn't do something to Herod about it. I wondered how God expected me to react to this horrible and sudden tragedy. How was I to go on living after this, especially when Herod had no conscience about the murder and went on living day after day as though nothing had happened?

John was my only son. He died because he took a stand for our Messiah. My only consolation is that I realize that God knows our sorrows and suffering. I am positive that God has a special place in heaven for mothers because of what we must go through, because of what we do not understand, and because of all our private, unrelenting, and difficult struggles trying to raise our children in a godly manner. Someday I shall see my son John again. I know it. I know that eternity is a reality. I wish he hadn't died, but I know he is in heaven now and he is fine. I am proud that he died for what he believed in. He is in heaven with Christ and I shall see him when it is my turn to go home.