Metaphysical Meaning of Zechariah and Elizabeth
A Metaphysical Interpretation of Luke 1:1-7
The Story of Jesus' Soul Evolution
An unpublished manuscript written by Charles Fillmore in 1947
Pages 1-5
Text
Luke 1:1-7 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to draw up a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, even as they delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus; that thou mightest know the certainty concerning the things wherein thou wast instructed.
There was in the days of Herod, king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah; and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
Interpretation
This scripture is most profitable to the student by revealing its spiritual import, especially as it bears upon the growth of the soul in every individual.
The body of man is a vast kingdom in which many factors have place. In its natural estate this kingdom is ruled by the sense consciousness (Herod). There is a higher influence than sense at work in the body. This influence is the spiritual consciousness, whose office it is to transmute the finer essences of the body into spiritual substance. The name
Zachariah means “remembered of Jehovah,” and represents spiritual consciousness. He is wedded to Elisabeth, who may be compared with the soul in the exalted state that it attains through living an entirely blameless, devoted life. Such a soul is inevitably united in an indissoluble union with Spirit.
The literal meaning of the name Elisabeth is “my God is oath,” or “a worshipper of God.” The soul, in its adoration of God, is without consciousness of sin or condemnation. It is blameless, and its world is a world of innocence and peace.
It is through the higher self in man (represented by Zacharias) that the promise of his regeneration in mind, soul, and body is made to him. We read that Elisabeth and Zacharias were “stricken in years and had no child.” This means the falling into the belief in years, and failure to bring forth the fruits of mature spirituality, which is a certain consciousness of spiritual substance, life, and intelligence
