Chapter 1

[Rabbi Eric]

ACCORDING TO LUKE

Dedication to Theophilus
   1.1. Since many set their hands to organize a narrative concerning the matters that have been accomplished among us, 2. just as the eye-witnesses with Him from the beginning gave over to us who were then becoming servants of the message, 3. and it seemed to me, after I carefully investigated everything successively from the beginning, that I should write to you, most excellent Theopholis, 4. so that you would understand the certainty about the things which you were instructed.

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
   1:5. In the days of King Herod of Judea there was a certain priest named Zechariah from the division Abijah,  and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron and her name was Elizabeth.   6. And they both were righteous before God, going blameless in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord.  7. But there was not a child for them because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in their days.  8. And he was in the office of the priest in the succession of his division before God, 9. according to the custom of the service, appointed to burn incense when he entered the sanctuary  of the Lord, 10. and all the multitude of people was outside, praying at the hour of the incense.   11. And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing by the right of the altar of incense.  12. And when Zechariah saw him he was disturbed and fear fell upon him.  13. And the angel said to him, “Do not fear, Zechariah, because your entreaty has been listened to and your wife Elizabeth will bear a son to you and you will call his name John.  14. And for you there will be joy and gladness and many will rejoice over his birth.  15. For he will be great before the Lord, and he should not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while he is still in his mother's womb, 16. and he will return many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.  17. And he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, he will cause the hearts of fathers to return to their children and the disobedient to an understanding of righteousness, to prepare a people being made ready by the Lord.” (Mal 4:5,6) 18. Then Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this?  For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in her days.”  19. And the angel said to him, “I am Gabriel, the one who stands before God, and I was sent to speak to you and to give you this good news: 20. now behold, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day these things happen because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”
   1:21. And the people were expecting Zechariah and they were wondering what was delaying him in the sanctuary.  22. But when he came out he was not able to speak to them, and they understood that he had seen a vision in the sanctuary: and he was beckoning to them and was remaining mute.  23. And it happened as the days of his service were completed he went to his house.  24. And after these days Elizabeth his wife conceived and she concealed herself five months saying, 25. “Thus the Lord has done for me, in the days in which He considered to take away my reproach among men.”

The Birth of Jesus Foretold
   1:26. And in the sixth month of her pregnancy the angel Gabriel was sent down from God to a city of Galilee by the name of Nazareth, 27. to a virgin betrothed to a man by the name of Joseph out of the house of David, and the name of the virgin was Mary.   28. And when he came to her he said, “Hail, highly favored one, the Lord is with you.” 29. But she was confused over the message and was wondering what sort of greeting this might be.  30. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.  31. And behold you will conceive in your womb and you will bear a Son and will call His name Jesus.   32. This One will be great and He will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of David His father, 33. and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will not end.”  34. And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not had intimacy with a husband?”  35. Then the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and power of the Most High will cover you: for this reason then the Holy One Who is birthed will be called the Son of God.  36. And behold your kin Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age and this is her sixth month from her being called barren: 37. because with God nothing is impossible.” (Gn 18:14 Jr 32:17, 27, Job 42:2) 38. And Mary said, “Behold the servant of the Lord: may it be according to your word.”  Then the angel left from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth
   1:39. And when Mary rose in those days she went with haste into the hill country to a city of Judea, 40. and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.  41. Then it happened as Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant in her womb leaped, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42. then she cried out in a great shout and said, “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb.  43. And why is this with me that the mother of my Lord would come to me?  44. For behold as the sound of your greeting came into my ears, the infant in my womb leaped in exultation.  45. And blessed is she who believed that there will be fulfillment for what has been spoken to her by the Lord.”

Mary’s Song of Praise
   1:46. Then Mary said,
47.   “My very being magnifies the Lord,
      and my spirit rejoiced on account of God my Savior,
48.   because He looked upon the humble station of His servant.
      For behold from now on all generations will bless me,
49.   because the Almighty did great things for me.
      And His name is Holy,
50.   and His mercy is for generation after generation
      with those who fear Him.
51.   He did mighty deeds with His arm,
      He scattered the proud with their understanding hearts:
52.   He pulled down rulers from thrones
      and He raised up the lowly,
53.   He filled those who hungered with goods
      and sent away empty those who were rich.
54.   He helped His child Israel,
      by remembering mercy,
55.   just as He spoke to our fathers,
      to Abraham and to his seed forever.”
56. And Mary remained with her about three months, then she returned to her house.

The Birth of John the Baptist
   1:57. And the time for Elizabeth to bear was completed for her and she gave birth to a son.  58. And the neighbors and her kin heard that the Lord showed her great mercy, and they were rejoicing with her.  59. And it happened on the eighth day they came to circumcise the boy and they were calling him by the name of his father Zechariah.  60. Then his mother said, “No, but he will be called John.” 61. And they said to her “There is no one of your kin who is called by this name.”  62. But they were nodding to his father to see whatever he might want him to be called.  63. Then after he asked for a writing tablet he wrote saying, “His name is John.”  And all were amazed.  64. Then at once his mouth and his tongue were opened, and he was speaking, praising God.  65. And reverential fear came upon all those who lived around them, and in the whole hill country of Judea they were discussing all these reports, 66. and all those who heard kept saying in their hearts, “So what will this child be?”  For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.

The Prophecy of Zechariah
   1:67. Then Zechariah his father was filled with the Holy Spirit and he prophesied saying,
68.   “The Lord God of Israel be praised, (Ps 41:13, 72:12, 106:48)
      because He looked upon and made redemption for His people,       (Ps 111:9)
69.   and He raised a horn of salvation for us, (Ps 18:2)
      in the house of His child David,
70.   just as He spoke through the mouth of His holy prophets
      from the earliest times,
71.   salvation from our enemies and out of the hand
      of all those who hate us, (Ps 106:10)
72.   to show mercy with our fathers
      and His holy covenant is to be remembered, (Ps 106:45,46)
73.   the oath which He swore to our father Abraham, (Ps 105:8,9, Gn 17:7)
      to give to us 74. when without fear we were
         rescued out of the hand of enemies (Gn 22:16,17)
   to serve Him 75. in piety and righteousness
      before Him all our days.
76.   And also you, child, will be called ‘Prophet of the Most High:’
for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways,  (Is 40:3, Mal 3:1)
77.   to give knowledge of salvation to His people
      in forgiveness of their sins,
78.   because of the inner kindness of mercies of our God,
      with which mercies the rising sun looks down upon us
         from on high, (Mal 4:2)         
79.   to bring light to those in darkness and sitting in the shadow of death,
to direct our feet into the way of peace.” (Is 9:2, 58:8, and 60:1,2)
   1:80. And the child grew and was becoming strong in spirit, and he was in the desert places until the day of his commissioning to Israel.
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  (Title) Written about 59-63 AD, the book of Luke uses many medical terms. There are more healings, not just more technical terms in Luke than in any other Gospel. Luke also includes more allusions and more incidents or events, but there is less detail in any one incident than in Matthew. Compare the Beatitudes and the Lord’s Prayer in Luke and in Matthew to see this. His style of writing concentrates on facts. See Book Order in Glossary.
  (Caption) Theopholis means ‘loves God’ in Greek. Whether this letter is to a person named Theopholis or to believers is not clear, but the prevailing view is that it is to a person.
  (v.5) Abijah was one of twenty-four divisions of the Aaronic priesthood. See Division of Abijah in Glossary.
  (v.5) Elizabeth is taken from the Greek spelling of the Hebrew name Elisheva, which was also the name of Aaron’s wife. Elizabeth was a Levite, per Leviticus 231:14.
  (v.9) The Greek word naos, meaning sanctuary, is often translated temple, but sanctuary is correct. See Sanctuary in Glossary.
  (v.10) The hour of incense refers to one of the two times each day that incense was burned in the Holy Place. Ex 30:7, 8 order the burning of the incense in the morning when the priest dresses the lamps and afternoon when he lights the lamps.
  (v.27) Mary is the English spelling of the Latin Maria. The Greek spelling is Mariam. See Section II in Glossary for more on names.
  (v.31) See Jesus in Glossary.
  (v.56) It was a custom in the Middle East to have complete rest during the first three months of pregnancy.
  (v.76) To get us ready for His manner of thinking, course of conduct