PREFACE, JESUS' BIRTH, AND BOYHOOD

Luke 1–2

DIMENSION ONE: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Answer these questions by reading Luke 1

1. Who is the writer who refers to himself as "I"? (1:3)

The writer never reveals his name. Traditionally, the writer of this Gospel has been identified as Luke, a Gentile physician and traveling companion of Paul (Colossians 4:14).

2. What is the purpose of Luke's Gospel? (1:4)

The purpose of Luke's Gospel is "that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught."

3. What does Luke say is his method of writing? (1:1-3)

Since many others have written narratives of the events of Jesus' life, "I too decided to write an orderly account."

4. What sources does Luke use in compiling his Gospel? (1:1-2)

Luke's sources are "those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word."

5. How does Luke describe Herod, Zechariah, and Elizabeth? (1:5-7)

Luke describes Herod as king of Judea, Zechariah as a priest, and his wife Elizabeth as a descendant of Aaron. Zechariah and Elizabeth "were righteous in the sight of God. ... Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old."

6. What is Zechariah doing in the temple? (1:8)

He is "serving as priest before God" when his division is on duty.

7. How does Zechariah respond to the angel's promise of a prophetic son? (1:18, 22)

Zechariah is skeptical of the promise, for "I am an old man and my wife is well along in years." When he comes out of the temple, he cannot speak.

8. What words does Gabriel use to greet Mary? (1:28)

"Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you!"

9. Over what people does Gabriel say Jesus will reign? (1:32-33)

God will give him the throne of his father David, and "he will reign over Jacob's descendants forever."

10. What unique, divine event does Gabriel tell Mary will happen in her life? (1:35)

"The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God."

11. What does Mary learn about her relative Elizabeth? (1:36) The angel tells Mary, "Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age."

12. What names does the angel tell Zechariah and Mary to give their sons? (1:13, 31) The angel tells Zechariah to name his son John and Mary to name her son Jesus.

13. In response to Elizabeth's warm greetings, how does Mary answer? (1:46-47)

Mary says, "My soul glorifies the Lord / and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."

14. After staying three months with Elizabeth, where does Mary go? (1:56)

Mary returns home.

15. How does Zechariah confirm the naming of his son? (1:63)

Zechariah, still unable to speak, writes on a tablet, "His name is John."

16. One of Luke's special interests is the Holy Spirit. What does he say about the Holy Spirit and Mary, Elizabeth, and Zechariah? (1:35, 41, 67)

Luke says that the Holy Spirit will come upon Mary, Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit, and Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesies.

17. About whom does Zechariah sing his praises? (1:68-79)

Zechariah blesses God, the child John, and Jesus.

Answer these questions by reading Luke 2

18. Why are Joseph and Mary going to Bethlehem? (2:1-5)

Caesar Augustus has ordered a census of the people, with each head of the house returning to his ancestral home. Since Joseph is of the house and lineage of David, he and Mary are going to Bethlehem, David's town.

19. What is the message of the heavenly host to the shepherds? (2:14)

"Glory to God in the highest heaven, / and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests."

20. What happens on the eighth day after Jesus' birth? (2:21)

At the end of eight days, the baby Jesus is circumcised and given his name.

21. What do Mary and Joseph offer as a sacrifice to make atonement for Mary? (2:22-24)

They offer, according to Jewish law, "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."

22. What do Joseph and Mary do after meeting the requirements of the law? (2:39)

They return "to their own town of Nazareth."

23. How often do Joseph and Mary visit Jerusalem? (2:41)

Joseph and Mary visit Jerusalem every year for the Festival of the Passover.

24. When Jesus is twelve, what is he doing at the temple, after the Festival of the Passover? (2:42-49)

His parents find him "in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions."

25. How does Luke describe Jesus' growth and development? (2:52)

"Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."

DIMENSION TWO: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN?

The Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles make up one-fourth of the New Testament. These two books represent slightly fewer verses than all the thirteen letters of Paul plus the Letter to the Hebrews. But Luke and Acts represent much more than sheer bulk in the New Testament. They bring much that is new, such as Luke 9:51–18:14. They also show the compiler's (Luke's) use of many sources of information, such as Mark's Gospel (which became the basic outline for the Gospels of Luke and Matthew); the writings that only the Gospels of Luke and Matthew hold in common (known by scholars as Q); and the special and unique source that only Luke has (designated by scholars as the L source). A comparison of the Gospel of Luke with the Gospel of Mark shows how the writer felt free to correct, change, and grammatically improve sections used in Mark. In similar reports, Luke smooths out Mark's involved sentence structure:

Mark 3:7-8. "Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. When they heard about all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon."

Luke 6:17-18a. "A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him."

As is true of the other Gospel writers, Luke wrote in Greek and clearly used the Septuagint (Greek) translation of the Old Testament. He was a fine Greek scholar who knew his language well. Some of Luke's poems and descriptions are unexcelled in verbal beauty. (See 1:46-55, 68-79.)

The Scripture in this session is divided into six themes:

1. Preface: Writer's Purpose in Writing (1:1-4)

2. The Promise to Zechariah of the Birth of John (1:5-25)

3. The Promise to Mary of the Birth of Jesus (1:26-38) and Her Visit to Elizabeth (1:39-56)

4. The Birth of John (1:57-80)

5. The Birth of Jesus (2:1-20)

6. Jesus' Infancy and Childhood (2:21-52)

Luke 1:1-4. In no place throughout the Gospel of Luke does the writer identify himself. In Acts 1:1 the writer states, "In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach." In Luke 1:3, we read, "I too decided to write." The early church fathers identified the I of Acts and the I of the Gospel with Luke the physician. If so, he is the physician named in Colossians 4:14.

In the Gospel and in Acts, Luke is writing to a person named Theophilus. The word Theophilus means "loved of God," so some have assumed that Luke wrote to anyone who loves God. But Luke seems to be writing to a friend, possibly a Roman or Greek benefactor, who is a person of considerable prestige — hence Luke's phrase "most excellent Theophilus."

Whoever it is, Luke writes for him "an orderly account." The purpose of the Gospel is "that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught."

Luke's description of his method of writing the Gospel is valuable to us. He describes his method as one of research for information from as many sources as he could find — all around Palestine, the Near East (as in Ephesus, Antioch, Troas), and Europe (as in Athens, Corinth, Berea). Luke would have known of, heard, and observed the lifestyles and faith claims of Christians such as Peter, James, Lydia, Priscilla, Timothy, and Mary. Luke heard hundreds of witnesses to the person and teachings of Jesus while Luke worshiped at Corinth, Athens, Antioch, Caesarea, Ephesus, Philippi, Jerusalem, and Rome. Luke prayed with them. He witnessed with them. He knew how they interpreted the Old Testament in terms of the life and teachings of Jesus. Luke experienced the Holy Spirit at work in each of these churches. Yes, and he must have taken many notes for later use in his two volumes about Jesus and the disciples.

From scores of notes, written documents (such as the teachings of Jesus [an undiscovered document identified by scholars as Q] and the Gospel of Mark), and his memories of many witnesses and ministers of the word, the writer compiled his orderly account that we know as the Gospel of Luke.

Point out to participants that the authenticity of the Gospel of Luke depends on the authenticity of Luke's sources — of witnesses; of ministers of the word; and of persons he talked to, such as Peter, James, Mary, and many others. These kinds of questions are pertinent to our sincere quest for what the Bible means. Interpretation, exegesis (scholarly investigation), and commentary depend on the value given each source. To put it another way, Is every passage in the Bible — and in Luke — equally valid? Or were some sources more valid than others? Would the social, political, and religious conditions of AD 50 cause Christian interpreters to change or omit some of Jesus' sayings? For example, in Mark's Gospel, Jesus notes that the temple is a house of prayer for people of all nations (Mark 11:17). But Luke omits the reference to people of all nations worshiping in the temple. (See Luke 19:46.) Might Luke (who wrote in AD 80–85) have omitted such a reference because the temple no longer existed, having been destroyed by the Romans in AD 70? Luke was a careful thinker, free of contradictions.

Luke 1:5-25. The author includes dates, rulers, and names of persons. In 1:5, Luke tells us that Herod was king of Judea. Theophilus would have known that Herod ruled Judea from 37 BC–4 BC and that the end of his reign (4 BC) was marked by the birth of two male infants, John and Jesus ("so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught"; 1:4). Luke then turns from a political event (the close of Herod's reign) to religious events (concerning an elderly priest and his wife and, in the next section, a carpenter and his young wife).

Zechariah was not the high priest or a chief priest; he was an "ordinary" priest of the division of Abijah. First Chronicles 24 describes the origin of the twenty-four-division system of priests. King David set the order of priests and Levites. Two groups of priests operated in the days of King David. They represented the sixteen priestly sons of Zadok and the eight priestly sons of Ithamar. Each of the twenty-four divisions was responsible, twice a year, for services in the temple.

In Jesus' time one high priest (an appointee of Rome), two hundred chief priests who represented the elite of Jerusalem, and about seven thousand ordinary priests who lived outside Jerusalem served in the temple. These ordinary priests were separated into twenty-four divisions. Their responsibility was to choose by lot several of their group who would serve at separate priestly tasks. Zechariah's task was attending to the offerings of incense and unleavened bread. Another priest would kill the sacrificial animals. Others were to light the sacred altar fires. The burning of incense was a symbolic act of offering prayer in behalf of all Israel. The placing of fresh goblets of wine and unleavened bread (the bread of the Presence) was symbolic of the communion between the believers and their Lord God. The priest's concluding action each day was to offer the ancient benediction found in Numbers 6:24-26, "The LORD bless you and keep you...."

Zechariah was chosen by lot from the eighth of twenty-four divisions; his division was named Abijah. He served the Lord for a week, serving in the wonderful Holy Place. As a priest, he had to be a fully accredited descendant of Aaron.

Zechariah's wife had been barren throughout their long marriage. Perhaps at Elizabeth's urging, Zechariah, while renewing the bread of the Presence and offering the symbolic prayers for all Israel via incense, dares to pray for his wife. Somewhat like Moses, who saw the "angel of the LORD" in the bush (Exodus 3:2), so Zechariah experiences "the angel" while he serves at the altar that day. Fear is an idiom for awe or religious experience. The angel tells the sincere priest that his wife will bear a son whom Zechariah is to name John.

Zechariah doubts that he and Elizabeth can have a child, since they are old. Because of Zechariah's doubts, the angel (Gabriel) says he will becomes speechless and remains so until eight days after John's birth.

Zechariah's inability to pronounce the benediction on all the worshipers must have disappointed him and them too. But by signs he indicates that he has experienced the living God in his life. The crowd understands that he has had a vision of God. Then Zechariah goes home to Elizabeth. She conceives and bears John.

Luke 1:26-56. When Elizabeth is six months pregnant, Mary receives an announcement from God, by way of Gabriel, that she too will bear a male child, whose name will be Jesus. In Jesus, God has been and is with us, always. "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14). God became incarnate in Jesus. Note that Mary also asked Gabriel, "How will this be?" While we can't know, perhaps her youth and inexperience were the reasons for a detailed response, which was denied the older, more experienced priest Zechariah. While John's birth carries great significance, we might also speculate that Gabriel's elaboration ensured that the even greater good news of Jesus would be clearly known, anticipated, and heralded.

Luke 1:35 calls to mind Genesis 1:2, where the Spirit of God hovers over the waters, bringing life into being. A child is being born of Mary, who is set apart by God.

Mary leaves Nazareth to visit Elizabeth, her relative. On meeting, both know that each is bearing a son of great significance. Both Mary and Elizabeth know the experience of being "filled with the Holy Spirit." Mary and Elizabeth mark the beginning of God's new action in humanity's behalf.

Mary praises God. She breaks into song: "My soul glorifies the Lord." The song is known as the Magnificat, which comes from the first word in the Latin translation of this song. Mary, who is three months pregnant, stays three months with Elizabeth, probably until the baby John is born.

Luke 1:57-80. Eight days after a Jewish boy is born, the parents mark their son as a son of Abraham by circumcision. At this time a Jewish boy also receives his name. This ritual was performed for John and later for his cousin Jesus.

Many of Luke's sources probably go back to oral traditions that were perhaps written down later by loving persons for memorization by others. One could easily mix two independent and significant poems, especially eighty years after the event. Such seems to be the case with the words Zechariah quotes as prophecy: "He has raised up a horn of salvation for us / in the house of his servant David" (1:69). Zechariah clearly is singing about the birth of Mary's son Jesus. (Jesus is descended from David; John is descended from Aaron.)

On the other hand, 1:76-77, 80 clearly refers to John, who will baptize thousands unto repentance and forgiveness of their sins. Luke 1:68-75, 78-79 refers to Jesus, who will bring light into the darkness of this world.

Luke 2:1-20. Luke likes order; so he gives dates, as well as names of significant persons and events. He states that Augustus Caesar (Roman emperor, 27 BC–4 BC) has given orders for a general enrollment of all persons in his empire. This enrollment took place, notes Luke, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Against the background of royalty, Luke focuses on a simple carpenter and his wife — Joseph and Mary — the birth of whose baby is imminent. Finding no room in the inn, they go to a stable, where their son is born.

Read Exodus 33:14 aloud; then discuss how the shepherds fulfilled this experience that night. God has come very near; indeed they could say they had felt God's presence. God had been with them. Emmanuel! Had they not heard the angels proclaim, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, / and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests"?

Not long after, they kneel at the manger where the baby Jesus, the one to be Lord Jesus Christ, lies. The heartstrings of the shepherds vibrate with the frequencies of the harp strings of the heavenly host. "The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God." And Mary treasures all these things, knowing that what she teaches Jesus will be spiritual muscle and sustenance as her little boy grows to manhood.