God uses people in different ways, according to context and times to fulfill His purpose. Good examples are the priest Zachariah and the prophet John the Baptist. The father and son had vital ministries and God used them in two contrasting ways. It is wonderful to see that Zachariah did not impose upon his son the ministry he should be engaged in. Instead, he helped John the Baptist to fulfill his God-ordained mission.
Temple and Priest: Zachariah was serving as a priest in the Temple at Jerusalem. He also got an opportunity to offer the sacrifice of incense in the Holy Place. As there were many priests, such an opportunity may come only once in a lifetime. (Luke 1:8-9) He had the opportunity to pray inside the Holy Temple.
Wilderness and prophet: Zachariah’s son, John was entirely in contrast to his father. He chose Wilderness as his place of living and ministry. Perhaps, he never visited the Temple except as a child, taken there by his priestly father.
Blessing and Repentance: As a priest offering incense, he was given the privilege of pronouncing the Aaronic blessing on the people of God gathered outside the Temple. (Numbers 6:22-27) However, he could not do that as he became dumb as he did not believe the message given by Archangel Gabriel. John demanded repentance from the people.
Aspiration and preparation: Zachariah desired or longed like any other Jew for the Messiah to come. John had the privilege to prepare the Way of the Lord and introduce the Messiah to the world.
Traditions and New Traditions: Zachariah strictly followed the procedures, norms, and traditions of the Temple. However, John did not follow the traditions, for which his father was known. Instead, he created a new tradition of Baptism for the Jewish people. Baptism for Gentiles who wanted to adopt the Jewish faith was common. But John gave baptism to Jews to make them understand that all were sinners, and Jews were no better than Gentiles.
Ministry and Mission: Zachariah did ministry in the Temple; John did Mission in the public.
Am I faithful to my call?