And they had no child, because that Elizabeth was barren, and they both were now well-stricken in years.

Hello, listeners, this is Nick from Scripture Central, and today's podcast addresses the question.

Why are childless women prominent in the Christmas story?

Just as the Gospel of Luke begins with the account of the angel Gabriel's appearance

to the temple priest Zacharias, assuring him that his wife would yet bear him a son, many

stories of prominent women in the Old Testament,

including the three great matriarchs, Sarah, Rebecca, and Rachel, begin with a similar problem.

Although each of them was barren, God's promises and covenants would be kept through divine and

joyous means. These stories of childlessness and miracle children were certainly not lost on Luke,

a medical physician, who begins his account of Christ's birth with another barren couple.

Like Sarah and Abraham, Elizabeth and Zacharias were well stricken in years.

In spite of seeming impossibility,

none of these faithful wives and husbands gave up hope that God would some way give them a child

who would be a special servant of the Lord. In each of these cases, sacred promises and the

temple were central to their faith and hope.

Speaking of Sarah, Paul says,

Through faith, also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed,

and was delivered of a child when she was past age,

because she judged him faithful who had promised.

Joseph Smith explained,

Zachariah, having no children, knew that the promise of God must fail.

Consequently, he went into the temple to wrestle with God,

...