Luke
By Joyce Webb 2019
Introduction:
The book of Luke was written about 30 years after Jesus went back into heaven.
Luke was a doctor. He often traveled with Paul. Paul wrote many of the books in the New Testament.
Luke wrote this “book” as a very long letter to a man named
Theophilus. He told Theophilus that what he is writing is a true record of the things that Luke has seen and heard about Jesus.
Chapter 1
Vs. 1 Herod was the Roman ruler over the area of Judea.
The Jewish people lived in the area of Judea, but they were ruled over by the Romans.
The Jewish priest—-serving at the temple— at that time was Zacharias. Different priests took turns serving as a priest to work in the temple. There was a High Priest who was there all the time, but other men came to help by turns.
Zacharias’ wife’s name was Elizabeth.
They were both very good people and loved God.
They had no child because Elizabeth was not able to have children. (In that time, and in that country, this was thought to be very sad and shameful. It was embarrassing for Elizabeth to say she had no children.)
Zacharias and Elizabeth were now very old.
It was Zacharias’ job to burn incense at the altar in the temple.
As Zacharias was doing this, an angel appeared to him. Zacharias was afraid and bowed down. The angel told him not to be afraid. The Lord had heard his prayers. Elizabeth would have a son, and they were to call him, John.
You will have much joy and be glad. Your son will be great in the eyes of the Lord, (God had a special work for him to do.)
Their son was not to drink strong drink, not wine or any other kind. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the time his is born.
He will teach and preach—- and many of the Jewish people will turn to the Lord God.
He will prepare people for the coming of the Lord.
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Think about this. This baby would be filled with the Holy Spirit from the time he is born.
As humans we have trouble obeying God. We have trouble with sin and temptation to do wrong. We have trouble listening to God’s voice and obeying him. This baby would have God’s Spirit in him from the time he is born.
Zacharis was shocked to hear he and his wife would have a baby now in their old age. He had a hard time believing it would be true.
He asked the angel How will I know this? My wife and I are old.
The angel told him, I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God. I have been sent to tell you this.
Because you have not believed me, you will not be able to speak until the baby is born.
Vs. 21 The people were waiting for the priest to come away from the altar. Zacharis has been in there a long time.
When Zacharis came out, he could not talk to the people.
The people could see that something had happened to Zacharis—-they thought maybe he had seen a vision, because he could not talk to them.
When Zacharis’ time for serving in the temple was over—he went back to his home.
Elizabeth became pregnant. When she was six months pregnant—-Gabriel came to talk to another woman.
This other woman was a cousin of Elizabeth. She lived in Nazareth. Her name was Mary.
She was a virgin. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph.
Gabriel came to Mary one day. He said to her, You are favored by God. He is giving you a great honor.
Mary did not know what he meant.
Gabriel said, You will have a baby in your womb, he will be a boy, and you will call his name, Jesus.
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest.
The Lord will give to him, the throne of his father (ancestor) David.
He will reign as King forever. His kingdom will never end.
Mary said, How can this be? I have never been with a man.
Meaning she was a virgin, she’d never had sex with a man.
The angel said, The Holy Spirit will come over you, and the Holy Spirit will begin this baby in you. God the Father will be the father through the Holy Spirit. The baby will be the Son of God.
Then Gabriel told her that her cousin Elizabeth was going to have a baby and she was in her 6th month.
Vs. 37 Yes, she had never been able to have children, but with God all things are possible.
Vs. 38 Mary said, I am the handmaid of the Lord, let it happen to me according to what you have said.
Then the angel left.
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Think about that. Mary has just been told that the Holy Spirit would make a baby in her, he would be God’s Son.
She was not married. She would be pregnant with a child. She had always done what was right and obeyed the laws of God.
What would people say?
What would they say about her? What would Joseph say when he found out?
And yet, For hundreds and hundreds of years—-the Jewish people believed that God would send them a saviour, a Messiah, who would save their people.
And she, Mary, was to be the mother of this person.
Mary accepted what the angel told her and agreed to be the mother.
She did not argue, she did not doubt, she did not say no, she accepted it and believed it. Wow! That took faith!
In the future, she will have many heartaches.