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)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

11. What does Mary learn about her relative Elizabeth? (1:36)

12. What names does the angel tell Zechariah and Mary to give their sons? (1:13, 31)

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

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

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

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)

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

Answer these questions by reading Luke 2

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

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

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

21. What do Mary and Joseph offer to make atonement for Mary? (2:2224)

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

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

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

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

DIMENSION TWO: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN?

As is true of the other Gospel writers, Luke wrote in Greek and clearly used the Septuagint (Greek) translation of the Old Testament (made about 250 BC). 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 for this first lesson 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. The writer does not identify himself by name in either the Gospel of Luke or in the Acts of the Apostles. He refers to himself as I in Acts 1:1 and in Luke 1:3. The early church fathers affirmed the writer as Luke, the beloved physician and companion of the apostle Paul. We accept that identification also. Greek writers usually dedicated their work to someone who had been of great significance or help to them. Theophilus seems to have been such a person for Luke. Luke wrote to this "most excellent Theophilus" in order to give him the result of his (Luke's) research into the life, teachings, and resurrection of Jesus. Some scholars suggest Luke wrote these two volumes (Luke and Acts) as legal briefs to be used by authorities (such as Theophilus?) to support Paul in his trials in Rome. Luke is cautious and sympathetic in his statements about the Roman Empire. He carefully ties Christian events to specific reigns of Roman emperors, governors, and procurators. Perhaps one of Luke's motives in writing was to make these connections. Thus his Gospel would be a strong witness to the Christian faith wherever it was read.

We are grateful that "our dear friend Luke, the doctor" (Colossians 4:14) describes his method of writing. Luke begins with certain "things that have been fulfilled among us" (concerning Jesus). He then refers to information he has from witnesses, from ministers of the word, and from the implied reading of other written documents (such as the Gospel of Mark). Then he decides to "write an orderly account" about Jesus.

Luke's description is the clearest statement by a writer in the Bible as to how he wrote his Gospel. Luke states that he primarily compiled, not composed, his book. He took his varied sources, ordered them, even corrected the grammar in some, and revised awkward sentence structures.

* Luke 1:5-25. Zechariah, a priest, was a member of the eighth of twenty-four divisions of priests. Each division was responsible for the conduct of worship in the temple two weeks a year. King David had created these divisions (1 Chronicles 23; 24:10). In Jesus' day about seven thousand "ordinary" priests (such as Zechariah), two hundred chief priests, and one high priest were serving in the temple. Zechariah was chosen by lot from his division to serve a week in the temple. He was responsible for placing fresh wine and bread on a small table and also for getting incense and lighting it. The incense was a symbol that God was listening to the Jews as they prayed.

While Zechariah is performing these tasks in the holy place, God speaks to him through "an angel of the Lord." The angel, Gabriel, says that Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, will be blessed by a son, whose name will be John. Because Zechariah does not believe the angel's words, he "will be silent and not able to speak" until John's birth. When John is born, Zechariah calls for a tablet (since he cannot speak) and writes, "His name is John" (1:63). John will herald the Christ.

* Luke 1:26-38. In the annunciation to Mary, the angel Gabriel says, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." Gabriel's words remind me of Moses, who asked God, "How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?" (Exodus 33:16). Mary experiences the true Mosaic covenant anew in her life. And yet, through her, a greater covenant will come in her son. God is visiting God's people in a new way, through a young maiden whose son will be the Messiah.

"The Holy Spirit will come on you," the angel says to Mary. "The power of the Most High will overshadow you" (Luke 1:35). Perhaps Mary thought of Genesis 1, which tells of God's hovering over the void and bringing order out of chaos. God created life where there had been none, fashioning human beings with the potential of living Godlike lives. The Holy Spirit (God's Spirit) would hover over her! A new kind of person would be brought into God's kingdom.

* Luke 1:39-56. Mary's visit to Elizabeth confirms that both women are carrying sons of great significance. Mary sings a lovely song. After Mary has been with Elizabeth for three months, the time comes for Elizabeth to be delivered of her son, John. We wonder how Mary, now six months pregnant, returns to Nazareth (over eighty miles north of Jerusalem).

* Luke 1:57-80. The statement "Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy" indicates the attitude of that day toward childlessness. Because of some "disgrace among the people" (1:25) Elizabeth had committed, God has refused to give her children, people assume; but now God shows mercy.

On the eighth day Zechariah and his relatives and friends participate in the ceremony of circumcision — the baby is given a physical mark of being a true son of Abraham — after which the baby is given a name. The guests want to name him after his father, Zechariah; but Elizabeth refuses: "No! He is to be called John." The guests reply that Elizabeth and Zechariah do not have a single relative named John. Zechariah, speechless since the day he questioned the angel about his and Elizabeth's having a son, motions for a tablet. On it he writes, "His name is John."

Zechariah ends his nine months of speechlessness by singing two songs, one to John (1:76-77), who will be a prophet, and the other to the unborn Jesus (1:68-75, 78-79); for God has redeemed his people and "has raised up a horn of salvation for us / in the house of his servant David."

* Luke 2:1-20. Luke shows his love for order, specific names, dates, and places here. In these verses he gives the name of the emperor of Rome (Caesar Augustus) and of the governor of Syria (Quirinius). He also makes a statement about Caesar's order for all persons in the Empire to go to their native cities to enroll in the new tax structure. Joseph and Mary go to Bethlehem. And while they are there, Mary gives birth to her first son and wraps him in cloths. She then places the newborn baby in a manger.

Soon some shepherds come to witness the good news that they have heard in the silence of their work. Perhaps these sensitive shepherds had been talking about the hoped-for coming of the Messiah. Suddenly, a "great company of the heavenly host" told them of his birth (verses 1314). Mary never forgot that night.

* Luke 2:21-52. As with John three months earlier, Jesus is circumcised and given a name, Jesus. The rites of purification and presentation came on the fortieth day after a baby boy's birth. The presentation of the baby to God involves the father's holding the baby in his hands, arms raised to God, and dedicating him, the firstborn male, to God. It is interesting to note that whereas Hannah and Elkanah presented the baby Samuel to God and left him to be trained as a helper in the house of the Lord (1 Samuel 1:22-28), Joseph and Mary redeem their son by sacrificing "a pair of doves or two young pigeons."

As a Jewish boy enters his thirteenth year, he may become a son of the covenant. The rite of his bar mitzvah shows this. At the Festival of the Passover, one of the three major festivals of Judaism, Jesus presents himself before the priests to be tested.

It is interesting to read that Joseph and Mary leave for Nazareth and are gone a whole day before discovering the absence of their son. Returning to the temple, they find Jesus talking with a number of priests. When Joseph and Mary ask him where he has been and what he has been doing for the past several days, Jesus responds by saying, "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?" The Greek New Testament has no noun after the word Father's, so the reader can add an appropriate word: my Father's house, my Father's business, purposes, concerns, or another noun.

DIMENSION THREE: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN TO ME?

An Orderly Account

The Prologue of Luke's Gospel presents many theologically significant ideas. I find three that are compelling in my life: (1) Luke's description of how his Gospel came into being, (2) the fact of the Incarnation, and (3) the movement of the Holy Spirit in the Nativity.

First, I feel all Christians are deeply indebted to Luke for sharing with us how his Gospel came into being, especially since his two writings (the Gospel and Acts) represent one-fourth of the New Testament. Luke's emphasis on his compiling many sources together, arranging them in order, and choosing some items and excluding others for his story of the good news is exciting and helpful information.

Second, I am moved by the inevitability of the Incarnation. Luke, writing about AD 80 to 85, believes God became incarnate in Jesus by way of Jesus' birth. John's Gospel suggests that the Incarnation was prior to conception, by way of the eternal Logos (the Word, the ideas, the purposes of God). Mark assumes that God became incarnate in Jesus at the time of his baptism by John. Paul, writing about AD 50, declares that Jesus is the Messiah, since he is the "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). Matthew agrees with Luke. What a fascinating series of answers to the question of the uniqueness of Jesus' incarnation. God entered into human history by way of a man, Jesus, for the welfare of us all.

Third, I value Luke's emphasis on the movement of the Holy Spirit throughout the Nativity. Zechariah; Elizabeth; Mary and Joseph; the aged Simeon and Anna; and, of course, the writer, Luke, all testify to the new emphasis of God's Spirit moving, as in Creation, to form a new person and a new humankind.

THE KEY TO JESUS' PUBLIC MINISTRY

Luke 3:1–4:30 DIMENSION ONE: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

Answer these questions by reading Luke 3

1. What two sets of dates does Luke give us for dating the ministry of John (and therefore Jesus' ministry)? (3:1-2)

2. Where is John, the son of Zechariah, when the word of God comes to him? (3:2)

3. Where does John go to preach? (3:3)

4. What does John preach? (3:3)

5. What does John say to the crowds who come to him? (3:7-9)

6. What responses does John make to three different groups that come to him? (3:10-14)

7. How does John respond to those who think he is the Messiah, the Christ? (3:15-18)

8. Why does Herod the tetrarch imprison John? (3:19-20)

9. When John baptizes Jesus, at what point (before, during, or after) does Jesus experience heaven opening before him? (3:21)

10. To whom does the voice from heaven declare that Jesus is God's Son, "whom I love"? (3:22)

11. How old is Jesus as he begins his ministry? (3:23)

Answer these questions by reading Luke 4:1-30

12. What leads Jesus in the wilderness? (4:1-2)

13. After fasting forty days, Jesus is hungry and experiences three temptations. What are these temptations? (4:3-12)

14. How does Jesus deal with these temptations? (4:4, 8, 12)

15. After the forty days in the wilderness, where does Jesus go? (4:14)

16. Before going to Nazareth, where does Jesus teach? (4:15)

17. Where would Jesus normally be on the Sabbath? (4:16)

18. What is the scroll from which Jesus reads? (4:17)

19. To what passage of Scripture does Jesus turn? (4:18-19)

20. What does Jesus say that makes all speak well of him? (4:21)

21. What is the congregation expecting Jesus to do? (4:23)

22. How does Jesus deal with his friends' prejudices? (4:25-27)

23. What do the worshipers do to Jesus? (4:28-29)

24. How does Jesus escape? (4:30)

DIMENSION TWO: WHAT DOES THE BIBLE MEAN?

The Scripture for this lesson is divided into four themes:

1. The Message of John the Baptist (3:1-20)

2. Jesus' Baptism and His Genealogy (3:21-38)

3. The Temptation of Jesus (4:1-13)

4. Jesus' Declaration of His Messiahship (4:14-30)

* Luke 3:1-20. Luke gives us data from two sets of dates for determining the year both John and Jesus began their ministries. The year is AD 28–29. The first set of dates comes from the secular world: Tiberius Caesar is emperor of the Roman Empire. Tiberius was elected to that position by the Roman Senate in August, AD 14. His first year was August, AD 14 to August, AD 15. Adding Luke's fifteenth year to fourteen gives us the period of time AD 28–29.

Besides the above date, Luke says Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea during this time. He held office from AD 26 to 36. Three tetrarchs, half-brothers from the house of Herod, were ruling in various places in Palestine and Lebanon during the time of Jesus and John.

The religious dates Luke gives refer to the house of Annas, who was a powerful and rich high priest who purchased his priesthood from Rome and dominated priestly activities and politics. Annas saw to it that his son-in-law Caiaphas was high priest from AD 16 to 36.

The crowds in verse 10 probably include religious teachers — the rabbis and priests who are responsible for religious teaching in the law. John scorns them because they assume their lineage in Abraham will save them. John declares (in our language), Not roots, but fruits!

The tax collectors (verse 12) are those who greedily purchase the financial privilege of sitting at various customs centers to collect revenue from caravans and persons transporting goods from one province to another. Matthew represents such a tax collector. The soldiers (verse 14) are non-Jewish men in the Roman army of occupation. Rome excused Jews from military service.

John tells these groups to share what they have with those who have not, to use their powers of authority with justice and kindness, and not to extort or take by violence what is not theirs.

John's message is founded on the apocalyptic idea of the coming kingdom; that is, humankind is so evil and religiously corrupt that believers can do nothing to change the world. Only God can and will do so, by sending the long-awaited Messiah who will bring the judgment of God. The metaphors John uses in verse 17 are those of the autumnal harvest festival — scenes of the separation of grain and chaff, of good and no-good (evil), of burning the chaff. Jesus considers John the greatest man "born of women," but also less than the "least in the kingdom of God" (7:26-28). John's message is apocalyptic (looking to the end time of judgment) and he calls for repentance so people can be saved from those fires of judgment. Jesus calls people to learn of the loving God who wants human beings to seek the fullness of life now through living lives of justice, kindness, mercy, unselfishness, and good will. The two views (apocalypse and prophecy) both use the term kingdom of God; but the intention, purpose, and means of ushering in the Kingdom in each view are "miles apart."