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The Gospel of Luke
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BIBLE STUDY LUKE 1:1-80 CHAPTER 1:1-4 “Prologue” “Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.” This introduction is unique because it is the only place in all of the gospels where the author steps out and uses the pronoun “I”. It is also the very best passage of Greek in the entire New Testament. Most of the New Testament was written in Koine (common) Greek, but this passage is written in the most formal classical Greek in the pattern used by the best literary writers. As William Barclay states in his Daily Study Bible commentary, it is as if Luke said to himself; “I am writing the greatest story in the world and nothing but the best is good enough for it.” This introduction is actually for both Luke and Acts. The “orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us” includes not just the life and ministry of Jesus, but also the growth of the Church after Jesus’ ascension and the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost. It should also be noted that Luke, perhaps more than any other gospel writer, is especially concerned with dating all of these events historically – so that his (mostly Gentile) readers could “know the truth” (literally – have full assurance) of how and when the events took place. “Theophilus” literally means “lover of God”. Perhaps the name is a literary pseudonym – but on the other hand, it may well refer to an actual person. It was a common practice of the time for a wealthy patron to commission a literary work – and for the author to acknowledge that support in the style that Luke uses in his prologue. CHAPTER 1:5-25 “The Prophecy of the birth of John the Baptist” “In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly order of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. Both of them were righteous before God, living blamelessly according to all the commandments and regulations of the Lord. But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years. Once when he was serving as priest before God and his section was on duty, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense. Now at the time of the incense offering, the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. Then there appeared to him an angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was terrified; and fear overwhelmed him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink; even before his birth he will be filled with the Holy Spirit. He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.” The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will become mute, unable to speak, until the day these things occur.” Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah, and wondered at his delay in the sanctuary. When he did come out, he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary. He kept motioning to them and remained unable to speak. When his time of service was ended, he went to his home. After those days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she remained in seclusion. She said, “This is what the Lord has done for me when he looked favorably on me and took away the disgrace I have endured among my people.” Herod the Great reigned from 37 – 4 B.C. – this probably took place around 7-6 B.C. Every male who was directly descended from Aaron was automatically a priest. William Barclay in his Daily Study Bible commentary writes that there were almost twenty thousand priests at that time – far too many for ordinary purposes. Only at the festivals of Passover, Pentecost, and the feast of Tabernacles did all of the priests serve at the same time. Otherwise, they were divided into twenty-four “orders” according to the listing in 1 Chronicles 24:7-19. Each of those orders then served at the Temple two times a year for a period of one week each. Most priests still never actually performed priestly duties in the Temple, since there were almost a thousand priests within each order. The fortunate few who did were chosen by lot for this honor. As Luke writes, Zechariah was one of those so chosen to burn incense in the sanctuary. A priest could only marry a woman of absolutely pure Jewish lineage. Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth certainly met that criterion, being a direct descendant of Aaron just as he was. They also were both noted for faithfully observing all of the commandments and regulations of the Lord. The rest of this passage seems to deliberately recall imagery from the Old Testament. Some examples:
Through all these Old Testament allusions, Luke is helping his readers to understand that John the Baptist stands in a succession of prophetic figures through whom God “visits his people” (Lk. 1:68). Finally, nothing is known of any ancient custom that required an expectant mother to seclude herself. Most likely, this is a “literary device” used by Luke to prepare the reader for the next section – of the angel Gabriel appearing to Mary in the “sixth month” (Lk. 1:26). Be that as it may, in Jewish society a woman’s barrenness was viewed as a curse – and now Elizabeth has been blessed. CHAPTER 1:26-38 “The Prophecy of the Birth of Jesus” “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. For nothing will be impossible with God.” Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.” Although the NRSV translation says that Mary was a virgin who was “engaged” to Joseph, the literal word is “betrothed” – which refers to something quite different than a modern-day engagement of a couple. In first century Jewish society, most marriages were arranged by the parents. After the marriage contract was agreed to by the families involved, the couple was said to be betrothed to each other. The betrothal period lasted for a year. During that period, the man and woman did not live together and were not to have sexual relations, but were still known as being “husband” and “wife”. Since the betrothal (unlike a modern day engagement) was the result of a formal marriage contract, it could only be dissolved through divorce. The angel’s message to Mary is similar in some aspects to what he had told Zechariah earlier about the birth of his son John, but it also shows that Jesus’ birth and destiny are even more miraculous in the following ways:
This passage and Mt. 1:18-25 are the only references to Jesus’ virgin conception (not “virgin birth”) in the New Testament. The apostle Paul, for example, never mentions it in all of his writings. Yet this understanding has become a central doctrine in both Roman Catholicism and in “Fundamentalist” churches (it is one of the “Fundamentals” of the Christian faith that they subscribe to). In Roman Catholicism, it is further believed that Mary had taken a vow of perpetual virginity. The angel Gabriel’s emphasis, however, is not so much upon Mary’s virginity but rather that the Holy Spirit would come upon her. In other words, the main point is to affirm the uniqueness of who Jesus will be – that in a special way he will be the “Son of God” because of the Holy Spirit. Although Gabriel refers to Elizabeth as Mary’s “relative”, we do not know how they were related. Since Elizabeth was earlier described as being a descendant of Aaron (vs. 5), perhaps Mary herself was also of that lineage. It is through Joseph (vs. 27) that Jesus will be known as a descendant of David. Finally, we note Mary’s obedience and trust. As William Barclay writes in his Daily Study Bible commentary: “Mary had learned to forget the world’s commonest prayer – “Thy will be changed” – and to pray the world’s greatest prayer – “Thy will be done”. May it be so with us in OUR lives! CHAPTER 1:39-56 “Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth” “In those days Mary set out and went with haste to a Judean town in the hill country, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And why has this happened to me, that the mother of my Lord comes to me? For as soon as I heard the sound of your greeting, the child in my womb leaped for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed; for the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name. His mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty. He has helped his servant Israel, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” And Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.” Praise – inspired by the Holy Spirit – is the theme of this section! After Mary greets Elizabeth, the yet-to-be-born child John (already filled with the Holy Spirit – vs. 15) leaps in his mother’s womb in recognition of whom Mary is – the mother of God’s promised one. Then Elizabeth herself is filled with the Holy Spirit and recognizes Mary’s significance and praises her belief in God’s message (perhaps in contrast to the doubt that had been expressed by her husband Zechariah). Some ancient texts ascribe the “Magnificat” (so called from the first word of the Latin translation) to Elizabeth rather than Mary – “and Elizabeth said…” This would certainly make more sense with the overall flow of the passage – that Elizabeth, “filled with the Holy Spirit”, then began to praise God. The “Magnificat” itself is modeled on Hannah’s prayer in 1 Sam. 2:1-10 – which she prayed after God had granted her the gift of a child in her old age after years of barrenness (the same situation that Elizabeth had). Be that as it may, however, the “Magnificat” has two parts: vs. 46b-49express a sense of personal thankfulness to God for his blessings; while vs. 50-55 praise God for delivering his people Israel “from generation to generation”. The phrases about God “scattering the proud in their hearts, bringing down the powerful from their thrones, sending the rich away empty” while “showing strength with his arm, lifting up the lowly, and filling the hungry with good things” echo what God has done for Israel during the Exodus and then again and again throughout its history – showing mercy and deliverance to those who are poor and oppressed. This “Hymn of Praise” directs the reader’s attention to how God is now going to accomplish his salvation through the coming births of John the Baptist and then especially through Jesus Christ. CHAPTER 1:57-80 “The Birth of John” “Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him Zechariah after his father. But his mother said, “No; he is to be called John.” They said to her, “None of your relatives has this name.” Then they began motioning to his father to find out what name he wanted to give him. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And all of them were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue freed, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came over all their neighbors, and all these things were talked about throughout the entire hill country of Judea. All who heard them pondered them and said, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him. Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke this prophecy: “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we would be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us. Thus he has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors, and has remembered his holy covenant, the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham, to grant us that we, being rescued from the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the forgiveness of their sins. By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.” It was Jewish custom to formally name a child when he was circumcised – as Jesus later would be in Lk. 2:21. The name “John” literally means “Jehovah (Yahweh) is gracious” – and this name certainly described the child in a double sense – both in terms of being a blessing to his mother and father in their old age, and also for how God will bless his people through his later ministry as a prophet. Why the neighbors and relatives were amazed at Elizabeth’s and Zechariah’s decision to call their son “John” is not explained. But be that as it may, as soon as Zechariah confirms the choice of that name, he is then freed from his handicap of muteness and apparent deafness – a visible demonstration of what John’s name means! That is why their neighbors understood that this child would indeed become someone special. Zechariah – like Elizabeth earlier – is then “filled with the Holy Spirit” and gives a hymn of praise like she (or Mary) did. Zechariah’s hymn is commonly called the “Benedictus” – so called from the first word in the Latin translation – and it has many of the same themes as the Magnificat. God is working to deliver his people from oppression – and Zechariah’s prophecy is that he will do in a special way through the ministry of his child, John. The themes for most of the hymn are traditional Jewish hopes, but Luke also subtly expands them to be for all people as well. The last phrase – “By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” is obviously taken from Is. 9:1-2 – “…but in the latter time he will make glorious the way of the sea, then land beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations – The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of deep darkness – on them light has shined.” Through the birth of this child, God is beginning to fulfill all of his promises – that we will be rescued from our enemies, and that we will receive forgiveness of sins and peace. -------------------- George R. Karres, Pella Lutheran Church 418 W. Main Street Sidney, MT 59270
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