Jan 5 - Luke 1

You will find my personal reflections inserted below the verse in bold purple print.

Luke 1

New Living Translation (NLT)

Introduction

1 Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. 2 They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples.[a] 3 Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write a careful account for you, most honorable Theophilus, 4 so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.

Dr. Luke is writing this gospel (good news about Jesus Christ) to Theophilus, a name stemming from two Greek words which mean Friend of God.  "Theos" is Greek for God, and "philus" is a form of "phileo".  There are three words for love in the Greek, each having a different connotation.  Phileo is the love of a friend, versus Agape love, which is Godly love, and Eros, which is an erotic kind of love.  There are those who believe that Theophilus is not a particular person, but a code name for anyone who is a friend of God.  Therefore Dr. Luke is writing to all of us who want to know more about the life of Jesus Christ, Son of God.  He was a doctor who was particular about details and clarity, thus he is writing "a careful account".

As I start my 2014 Bible reading and reflecting program, I am going to insert what I can recall from my Seminary and Greek Biblical Studies, which may not be much, and may not be perfect.  It's just a method of stretching my mind in this new year, as well as interacting with the scripture.  I am grateful to my cousin, Rev. Lois Barnum Phelps, for inviting me to this method of Bible reading for 2014.  

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying.

11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.[b] 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God. 17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children,[c] and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”

18 Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news! 20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”

Sounds like a tough punishment to make Zechariah mute for the months leading up to the birth of John simply because he questioned Gabriel's announcement.  I will choose to believe it was more of a sign than a punishment.  However, how many times do I doubt God?  What are the consequences of my lack of faith?  I excuse myself by saying, "I'm human...God understands that about me because He created me."  But Zechariah paid the price for his lack of faith.  Is God more lenient with us now?  Or am I also paying the price in other ways?  This should be a lesson for me to NOT doubt God!!

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. 22 When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.

23 When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home. 24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. 25 “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed. “He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you![d]”

29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. 30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel[e] forever; his Kingdom will never end!”

34 Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.”

Okay, so here is Mary questioning Gabriel about the birth of Jesus.  She was not muted.  Is it a gender thing, an age difference?  Was it the attitude behind the questions?  Some things in scripture are hard to understand, for they don't always seem consistent.  This was unbelievable news Mary has received, and her reaction was only normal.  But seems to me that Zechariah's reaction was only normal also.  Perhaps because he was a priest and had served the Lord for so many years, he should have been more accepting of Gabriel's announcement.  Something is going on here in these two announcements that I do not understand.

35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has conceived a son and is now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God.[f]”

38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel left her.

This is a powerful response from Mary.  It has been estimated that she was only 14 years of age.  Is this the faith of a child that pleases God so much?  What was it about Mary that caused God to choose her to be the mother of His son?  Certainly she remained humble, and trusted what the angel had said to her.  She did not doubt God once she had an explanation of her becoming pregnant, yet being a virgin.  Who would conceive such a plan except the Creator?

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

I've had it explained to me by a Pentecostal friend that no one was ever filled with the Holy Spirit until Pentecost, after Jesus had gone back to heaven.  But here we have Elizabeth being filled with the Holy Spirit even before Jesus was born.  Wonder what was the "evidence" of her being filled with the Spirit?  There are those that insist that one must speak in tongues to prove they have been filled with the Holy Spirit.  My personal belief is that a person filled with the Spirit is also filled with Agape love...a Godly love that is evidenced in one's behavior and one's attitude.  It is a love that just overflows with the joy of the Lord.  I believe Elizabeth was surely overflowing with such joy and love.

42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

The Magnificat: Mary’s Song of Praise

46 Mary responded,

“Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.
47     How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl,
    and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
49 For the Mighty One is holy,
    and he has done great things for me.
50 He shows mercy from generation to generation
    to all who fear him.
51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things!
    He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
52 He has brought down princes from their thrones
    and exalted the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good things
    and sent the rich away with empty hands.
54 He has helped his servant Israel
    and remembered to be merciful.
55 For he made this promise to our ancestors,
    to Abraham and his children forever.”

Out of the mouth of a 14 year old?  Or out of the mouth of one also anointed by the Holy Spirit?  Divine wisdom.

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.

The Birth of John the Baptist

57 When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. 58 And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.

59 When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. 60 But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”

61 “What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” 62 So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. 63 He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.

65 Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. 66 Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.

Funny how people thought Zechariah couldn't hear because he couldn't speak.  I'm sure there were many times when he was frustrated, not being able to explain to others what had happened to him.  I also believe because of his muteness, he was often rejected, left out of things...people considered him handicapped and didn't know how to include him in their conversations.  He probably remained secluded with Elizabeth just to avoid the cruelty of people.  When he could speak again, his first response was not to rebuke the people, but to praise God.  At that moment people began to realize a God-thing was going on here.  I wonder how many of those people were around when John began to baptize and prophesy out in the Jordan River.  Were any of them baptized by him?

Zechariah’s Prophecy

67 Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:

68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
    because he has visited and redeemed his people.
69 He has sent us a mighty Savior[g]
    from the royal line of his servant David,
70 just as he promised
    through his holy prophets long ago.
71 Now we will be saved from our enemies
    and from all who hate us.
72 He has been merciful to our ancestors
    by remembering his sacred covenant—
73 the covenant he swore with an oath
    to our ancestor Abraham.
74 We have been rescued from our enemies
    so we can serve God without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness
    for as long as we live.

76 “And you, my little son,
    will be called the prophet of the Most High,
    because you will prepare the way for the Lord.
77 You will tell his people how to find salvation
    through forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of God’s tender mercy,
    the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,[h]
79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    and to guide us to the path of peace.”

Zechariah is now filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke under that anointing...words of prophecy.  He didn't have to wait until Pentecost.

80 John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.

Footnotes:

1. 1:2 Greek from those who from the beginning were servants of the word.
2. 1:15 Or even from birth.
3. 1:17 See Mal 4:5-6.
4. 1:28 Some manuscripts add Blessed are you among women.
5. 1:33 Greek over the house of Jacob.
6. 1:37 Some manuscripts read For the word of God will never fail.
7. 1:69 Greek has raised up a horn of salvation for us.
8. 1:78 Or the Morning Light from Heaven is about to visit us.