Luke1:21

The people wondered if Zechariah had forgotten about them.

They also wondered if he had done something wrong and God had killed him. There was a constant uneasiness among the Jewish people about being exposed to too much of God’s presence and power. They knew they could not see God without dying (although God let Moses see his back), that’s how much greater God is than humans. Every year, on the day of atonement, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies with a healthy dose of trepidation knowing that if he displeased God while there he would be killed instantly. He had to wear bells and a rope around his ankle so the other priests could tell if he had stopped moving and pull him out of there without going in themselves. Also, think about all the times that someone is reported in the Bible as seeing an angel; their natural response was fear, therefore, the angel usually started his communication with the words, “Do not fear.” Whenever we see a being that is far more powerful than us, is unpredictable, and is sent from a holy God to us flawed humans, the tendency is to wonder if that powerful being has been sent to punish us. One realizes in that moment that there is nothing one can do before such a powerful being. So Zachariah’s delay made the people wonder if some supernatural occurrence had taken place resulting in his death.