Luke Bible Study Chapter 1
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Luke Bible Study
Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us,
just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us,
it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
1. Only Gospel where the author refers to himself as I.
2. Three things to note:
· It is the best bit of Greek in the entire NT.
o Uses the very form of introduction that Great Greek Historians all used.
o Nothing but the best was good enough.
· He wasn’t satisfied with anyone else’s story of Christ. He must have his own.
· Sheds a flood light on doctrine of inspiration of Scripture.
o Does not come to man who sits with folded hands and lazy mind and only waits, but to the man who thinks and seeks and searches. True inspiration comes when the seeking mind of man joins with the revealing Spirit of God.
§ The Word of God is given, but it is given to the man who is seeking for it.
§ Seek and you shall find. ().
In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty,
according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.
And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him.
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth,
for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,
and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.”
And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”
And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in the temple.
And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he kept making signs to them and remained mute.
And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.
After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying,
“Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
Zachariah was a priest. Belonged to the section of Abia, direct descendants of Aaron, automatically priest. That means there were far too many priests. Divided into 24 sections.
They only ALL served at Passover, Pentecost, and Feast of Tabernacles.
The rest of the year, they each served two periods of one week each. It was the highlight of their lives.
Especially meritorious that he married of woman of heritage of Aaron as well, not just Jewish.
As many as 20,000 priests, so nearly 1000 for each section.
Within the sections, the duties were allocated by lot.
Every morning and evening sacrifice was made for the whole nation. A burnt offering of a male lamb, one year old, without spot or blemish was offered, together with a meat offering of flour and oil and drink offering of wine.
Before the morning sacrifice and after the evening sacrifice, incense burned on the altar of incense so that, as it were, the sacrifices might go up to God wrapped in an envelope of sweet-smelling incense.
It was quite possible that many priest would never have the privilege of burning incense, but if the lot did fall, it was the greatest day of their life.
But, for Zachariah there was a tragedy. He and Elizabeth were childless.
The Jewish Rabbis said that seven people were excommunicated from God and the list began, “A Jew who has no wife, or a Jew who has a wife and who has no child.”
Childlessness was a valid ground for divorce.
It must have occupied his thoughts and prayers.
Then, the wondrous vision with the message- Even when hope was dead, a son would be born to him.
The incense was burned and the offering made nu the inmost court of the temple, the Court of the Priests.
Congregation crowded into the next court., The Court of the Isralites.
The priest would come to the rail between the two courts after the incense had been burned to bless the people.
He was delayed. When he did arrive he could not speak. People knew he had seen a vision.
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Diagram of the Inner Courts
The Court of Israel is the wide space (labeled #5 in the diagram) just in front of the area reserved for priests; there would also be a congregation of praying worshipers.[1]
1. Holy of Holies
2. Holy Place
3. Altar of Incense
4. Court of Priests
5. Court of Israel (Men)
6. Altar of Burnt Offerings[2]
John will be a composite hero, combining aspects of several important figures from Israel’s past. Verse 15b quotes , where a person wanting to take a special Nazirite vow of devotion to God was required to abstain from anything alcoholic. Samuel’s mother Hannah vowed that if God would give her a son, she would never let him drink anything alcoholic, and Luke appears to have drawn v. 15a (estai gar megs enōpion tou kyriou, he shall be great before the Lord) from , which in the LXX reads “kai emegalynthē to paidarion Samouēl enōpion kyriou [the child Samuel became great (or grew up) before the Lord].” John, then, will be especially holy, dedicated to the Lord, and, like Samuel, will not stand for hypocrisy in the worship of God.
Verses 15c–17a put John in the roles of Elijah and Elisha. (in the LXX, 3:22–23) predicts that God will send Elijah before the Day of Judgment, and that “he will turn the heart of a father to his son.[3]
The final part of v. 17 comes from David’s prayer in . David thanks God “for preparing your people Israel for yourself as your own people.” Gabriel’s message to Zechariah thus melds recollections of Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and David. What a marvelous thing for a future father to hear about his son, especially when the father is an elderly, childless priest. Finally, this righteous couple can be vindicated when God grants their prayer for a child, and they can know that their son will be part of something amazingly good for their people. Surely Zechariah can hardly believe his ears, can hardly wait to go home and tell his wife the good news![4]
1. Can you find 5 things that Zachariah and Elizabeth had in common?
· They were married to each other
· Both from the lineage of Aaron
· Both righteous before God, walking blameless in all the commandments and stautes of the Lord. (They knew they were sinners and offered the necessary sacrifices for their forgiveness.)
· They were both childless.
· Both were old.
2. The angel named 5 things that John the Baptist was to accomplish in v.15-17. Can you name them?
· Great before the Lord
· Must not drink wine or strong drink...;
And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying,
“Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When either a man or a woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the Lord,
he shall separate himself from wine and strong drink. He shall drink no vinegar made from wine or strong drink and shall not drink any juice of grapes or eat grapes, fresh or dried.
All the days of his separation he shall eat nothing that is produced by the grapevine, not even the seeds or the skins.
“All the days of his vow of separation, no razor shall touch his head. Until the time is completed for which he separates himself to the Lord, he shall be holy. He shall let the locks of hair of his head grow long.
“All the days that he separates himself to the Lord he shall not go near a dead body.
Not even for his father or for his mother, for brother or sister, if they die, shall he make himself unclean, because his separation to God is on his head.
All the days of his separation he is holy to the Lord.
“And if any man dies very suddenly beside him and he defiles his consecrated head, then he shall shave his head on the day of his cleansing; on the seventh day he shall shave it.
On the eighth day he shall bring two turtledoves or two pigeons to the priest to the entrance of the tent of meeting,
and the priest shall offer one for a sin offering and the other for a burnt offering, and make atonement for him, because he sinned by reason of the dead body. And he shall consecrate his head that same day
and separate himself to the Lord for the days of his separation and bring a male lamb a year old for a guilt offering. But the previous period shall be void, because his separation was defiled.
“And this is the law for the Nazirite, when the time of his separation has been completed: he shall be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting,
and he shall bring his gift to the Lord, one male lamb a year old without blemish for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb a year old without blemish as a sin offering, and one ram without blemish as a peace offering,
and a basket of unleavened bread, loaves of fine flour mixed with oil, and unleavened wafers smeared with oil, and their grain offering and their drink offerings.
And the priest shall bring them before the Lord and offer his sin offering and his burnt offering,
and he shall offer the ram as a sacrifice of peace offering to the Lord, with the basket of unleavened bread. The priest shall offer also its grain offering and its drink offering.
And the Nazirite shall shave his consecrated head at the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall take the hair from his consecrated head and put it on the fire that is under the sacrifice of the peace offering.
And the priest shall take the shoulder of the ram, when it is boiled, and one unleavened loaf out of the basket and one unleavened wafer, and shall put them on the hands of the Nazirite, after he has shaved the hair of his consecration,
and the priest shall wave them for a wave offering before the Lord. They are a holy portion for the priest, together with the breast that is waved and the thigh that is contributed. And after that the Nazirite may drink wine.
“This is the law of the Nazirite. But if he vows an offering to the Lord above his Nazirite vow, as he can afford, in exact accordance with the vow that he takes, then he shall do in addition to the law of the Nazirite.”
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
· Filled with the HS
· Turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
· Go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah ()
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
3. Why did Zachariah doubt the angels message?
4. Why did Zachariah lose his speech?
God’s Message to Mary
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.
And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”
But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name 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 father David,
and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
And the angel answered 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 called holy—the Son of God.
And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
For nothing will be impossible with God.”
And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
Betrothal: about a year, as binding as marriage, only separated by divorce. If the man died, the betrothed woman would be called a widow. In the Jewish law there is a strange saying: A virgin who is a widow. Explains
And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
6th month- this is referring to Eliz. Pregnancy. See
And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.
House of David: By this comment Luke was preparing his readers for what he would say in 1:32–33. The importance of the Davidic descent of Jesus is evident from ; (cf. ; ; )
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,
the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon,
the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,
the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,
and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,
and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,
and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,
and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah,
and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah,
and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor,
and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud,
and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.
concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh
Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel,
Why was Mary chosen?
The Lord is with you. Compare ; . This is not a wish (“may the Lord be with you”) but a statement and refers to God’s mighty power being present and upon Mary.
And the angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor.”
And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem. And he said to the reapers, “The Lord be with you!” And they answered, “The Lord bless you.”
You have found favor with God. Here as in ; (cf. ) the issue is God’s gracious choice, not Mary’s particular piety (cf. ); for unlike , nothing is made of Mary’s personal piety either before or after this verse. The emphasis is on God’s sovereign choice, not on human acceptability.
And he said to him, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, then show me a sign that it is you who speak with me.
Then the king said to Zadok, “Carry the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the eyes of the Lord, he will bring me back and let me see both it and his dwelling place.
And she said, “Let your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad.
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
And they were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.
Jesus. Although heaven-given names usually have etymological significance, nothing is made of this by Luke. Contrast, however, .
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
1:32 Here Luke began a fivefold description about “who” Jesus is.[8]
He will be great. This greatness contrasts with the rest of humanity, which is not great, and also with the greatness of John the Baptist, whose greatness was not “absolute” but qualified with “in the sight of the Lord” (). Thus Jesus and John were both alike (“great”) and different (Jesus’ greatness is an unqualified greatness).
for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
He … will be called the Son of the Most High.[10] Once again Jesus is shown to be greater than John the Baptist, for John is described as a “prophet” of the Most High () whereas Jesus is described as “Son” of the Most High. The mention of Jesus’ divine sonship before mention of his Davidic messiahship in the next part of the verse indicates that the latter is grounded in the former and that Jesus’ messiahship should be interpreted in terms of his sonship.[11]
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. Clearly , and Jesus’ role as Israel’s Messiah are in view here. Compare ; , ; for this same emphasis. Jesus’ Davidic descent already has been alluded to in , where Joseph is described as “a descendant of David.”[12]
When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne,
to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.
1:33 He will reign over the house of Jacob. Like the previous description, this description depicts Jesus as the awaited Messiah. Thus, like David, he is the King of Israel. The “house of Jacob” was a traditional term to describe Israel (; ; ; ).
while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel:
O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.
For you have rejected your people, the house of Jacob, because they are full of things from the east and of fortune-tellers like the Philistines, and they strike hands with the children of foreigners.
I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope in him.
Hear this, O house of Jacob, who are called by the name of Israel, and who came from the waters of Judah, who swear by the name of the Lord and confess the God of Israel, but not in truth or right.
Forever. The eternal rule of the Davidic kingship is taught in , ; , ; ; , but in this verse it is the final Davidic King, the Messiah, who will reign forever. Compare also , where one “like a son of man” is given an everlasting kingdom.
He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”
‘I will establish your offspring forever, and build your throne for all generations.’ ” Selah
I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens.
If your sons keep my covenant and my testimonies that I shall teach them, their sons also forever shall sit on your throne.”
Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
“I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.
Virgin birth:
and she asked, “How?” That this was to be a virgin birth is also confirmed by the fact that, since Jesus is greater than John the Baptist, his birth must also be greater. If John’s birth was miraculous but Jesus’ birth was the result of a normal sexual relationship, then the whole parallel between 1:5–25 and 1:26–38 breaks down at this point. Jesus’ birth had to be greater than that of John the Baptist, and this requires us to understand his birth as a virgin birth.
1:35 The Holy Spirit will come upon you. For similar wording see . Whereas John the Baptist was filled with the Spirit from his mother’s womb (), Jesus was conceived by the Spirit, and this witnesses to his being greater than John.[16]
One should not read into this verse the thought that since Jesus was not conceived through sexual intercourse he was as a result “uncontaminated” by such a natural birth. Rather, Luke sought to teach that since Jesus’ birth was entirely due to the “overshadowing” of the Holy Spirit, Jesus would be uniquely set aside for God’s service, i.e., he would be “holy.”[17]
Questions:
1. How do the descriptions of Jesus compare with those of John the Baptist?
2. What are the risks to Mary by submitting to God’s will?
Physical
Social
Economic
Religious
In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah,
and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”
Notes from Barclay (Luke)
The paradox of blessedness
Chosen to be the mother of the Son of God. Blessedness but comes with a price. She will one day see her son hanging on a cross.
When we are chosen by God, there is a joy of blessedness but always comes with a cross of sorrow.
Question for discussion:
1. In what ways have you experienced the joy of being a Christian?
2. In what ways has being a Christian brought a level of sorrow?
And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.
And 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 mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate;
he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy,
as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”
And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
The Magnificat — one of the great hymns of the church.
Saturated with OT
Akin to Hannah’s song of praise in
[2] Richard B. Vinson, Luke, ed. Leslie Andres and R. Alan Culpepper, Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary (Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Incorporated, 2008), 30.
And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.
“There is none holy like the Lord: for there is none besides you; there is no rock like our God.
Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.
The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength.
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry have ceased to hunger. The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn.
The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts.
He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world.
“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail.
The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
[3] Richard B. Vinson, Luke, ed. Leslie Andres and R. Alan Culpepper, Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary (Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Incorporated, 2008), 32.
Stanley Jones said, “The Magnificat is the most revolutionary document in the world.”
The three revolutions of God:
[4] Richard B. Vinson, Luke, ed. Leslie Andres and R. Alan Culpepper, Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary (Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Incorporated, 2008), 33.
Moral revolution: He Scatters the proud in the plans of their heart.
Christianity is the death of pride.
[5] Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 82.
When you set your life beside the life of Christ, it tears the last vestigaes of pride from him.
Something happens within a person when light shames him.
O Henry has this short story- lad sat next to girl and they were fond of each other in school. He moved to the city and fell in to evil ways. Became a pick pocket and a purse snatcher. One day, he snatched an old ladies purse and as he was moving away from the scene he looked up and saw that old sweet heart, innocent and beautiful, but she saw him for who he was. And for the first time, he saw himself. He leaned against the cool iron of a nearby lamp and said, God, I wish I could die.
[6] Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 83.
Christ enable a man to see himself, it is the deathblow to pride.
Social Revolution: He casts down the mighty — he exalts the humble
[7] Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 83.
X’nity puts in an end to the worlds labels and prestige.
[8] Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 83.
Call no man worthless for whom Christ died.
Economic Revolution: He has filled those who are hungry…those who are rich he has sent away empty.
Non-Christian society is one where each person amasses as much as he or she can get.
[9] Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 83.
A Christian society is one where no man dares have too much while others have too little, where every man must get to give away.
[10] Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 83.
The Magnificat begins a revolution in the world and each individual.
Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son.
And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her.
And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father,
but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.”
And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.”
And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called.
And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered.
And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God.
And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea,
and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people
and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old,
that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;
to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant,
the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us
that we, being delivered from the hand 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 in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
Name means : JOhn is shorter for Jehohanan which mean Jehovah’s gift or God is Gracious.
What will this child turn out to be.
[11] Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 83–84.
Zacharias saw John as the forerunner of Messiah (See )
“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes.
Verse 75-77 give a great picture of the steps fo the Christian way:
[13] Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 84.
Preparation: All life is prep to lead us to Christ.
Knowledge: Men really did not know what God was like until Jesus came.
[14] Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 84.
Greeks thought of a passionless God
Jews thought of a demanding God whose name was law and function was judgement
[15] Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 84.
Jesus came to tell God was love
Forgiveness:
[16] Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 85.
Not so much the remission of penalty, but of restoration of relationship
Nothing can deliver us from all the consequences of our sin, the clock cannot be turned back.
But estrangement from God is turned into friendship
[17] Robert H. Stein, Luke, vol. 24, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992), 86.
The God we feared becomes the lover of the souls of men.
Walking in the ways of Peace
Peace in Hebrew does not mean merely freedom from trouble.
it means all that makes for a man’s highest good
Through Christ a person is able to walk in all things that lead to life.