Luke introduces his Gospel
1
📚Since many 📖 have undertaken to put together a narrative of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 📚just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses 📖 and ministers of the Word 📖 handed them down to us, 3 📚it seemed good to me also, having had a perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write for you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus,1:3 Luke did not write down unchecked stories, fables or old wives’ tales. He lived during the time the events took place and carefully investigated everything. We know nothing about Theophilus. His name means “one who loves God”.⚜
4 📚so that you might know the certainty 📖 of those things in which you have been instructed.
The parents of John the Baptist
5 📚In the days of Herod 📖, king of Judea, there was a certain priest named Zacharias, of the priestly division 📖 of Abijah. His wife also was of the descendants of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 📚And they were both righteous in the eyes of God, walking blamelessly 📖 in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. 7 📚And they had no child, because Elisabeth was barren, and by then they were both well advanced in years.
8 📚And it happened that while he was serving as priest in the presence of God in the order of his division, 9 📚according to the custom of the priesthood, the lot fell to him to burn incense 📖 when he went into the temple of the Lord.
1:8-9 Not all the priests were on duty at all times, but spent periods of time in their homes looking after their own affairs.⚜
10 📚And all the assembled people were praying outside at the time of incense.
11 📚And an angel of the Lord 📖 appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 📚And when Zacharias saw him, he became agitated and was seized by fear.
13 📚But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid 📖, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard and your wife Elisabeth will bear you a son. And you shall call his name John. 14 📚And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 📚For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and will drink neither wine nor strong drink. And he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
1:15 On John’s greatness see Matt 11:7-14. The fact that he was not to touch wine, etc suggests John may have been a lifelong Nazirite. See Num 6:1-4. John is the only man in the Bible of whom it is said that he was filled with God’s spirit from birth. God had a special work for John and was preparing him from birth to accomplish it. On the fullness of the Holy Spirit see notes at Acts 2:4; Eph 5:18.⚜
16 📚And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 📚And he will go on before him in the spirit and power of Elijah 📖, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord”.
18 📚And Zacharias said to the angel, “How can I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is well advanced in years”.
1:18 These words indicated unbelief (v 20). This is another example revealing the truth that even the best and most righteous of people sometimes struggle with doubts and unbelief. See Gen 17:17-18; 18:9-12; Num 20:12; 1 Sam 27:1; Matt 14:31; 17:17; John 20:25. When God says something, when He sends a message to men, it will be absolutely true and men have no business to doubt it.⚜
19 📚And the angel answering said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I am sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
20 📚And now you will be silent, unable to speak until the day that these things are accomplished, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time”.
1:20 This was both a punishment for unbelief and a sign that Gabriel had spoken the truth (which would encourage faith).⚜
21 📚And the people waited for Zacharias, and were surprised that he stayed so long in the temple.
1:21 The offering of incense usually took only a brief time. Afterwards the priest would come out and bless the people (Num 6:24-26).⚜
22 📚And when he came out, he could not speak to them. And they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he was making signs to them, and remained speechless.
23 📚And it happened that as soon as the days of his service were completed that he went to his own house, 24 and after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived. And she hid herself five months, saying, 25 📚“This is the way the Lord has dealt with me, in these days in which he has looked on me with favour, to take away my dishonour among men”.
An angel comes to Mary
26 📚And in the sixth month 📖 the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee, named Nazareth, 27 📚to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David 📖. And the virgin’s name was Mary.
1:27 The following verses set forth the fact that the Lord Jesus was born of a virgin. This was in fulfillment of Isa 7:14. See notes there and at Matt 1:18-23.⚜
28 📚And the angel came in to her, and said, “Be joyful 📖, you who are highly favoured, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women”.
29 📚And when she saw him, she was greatly troubled at his statement and wondered what kind of greeting this could be.
1:29 Mary could not understand what all this might mean and what God would require of her. God’s people are sometimes troubled when they should rejoice at God’s wonderful working.⚜
30 📚And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. 31 📚And, see, you will be with child, and bear a son, and shall call his name JESUS. 32 📚He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High 📖, 📖 and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David 📖, 33 📚and he will reign over the house of Jacob 📖 forever, and his kingdom will never end”.
34 📚Then said Mary to the angel, “How will this be, since I do not know 📖 a man?”
35 📚And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, also, that holy one who will be born will be called the Son of God.
1:35 Note at Matt 1:18. This was no “marriage” between a god and a mortal woman (a thing that is found in the myths and legends of many countries). The unseen Spirit of God created in her the body and human nature of her son.⚜
36 And now your cousin Elisabeth has also conceived a son in her old age. And this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 📚For with God nothing can be impossible”.
38 📚And Mary said, “See the maidservant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to your word”. And the angel departed from her.
1:38 Mary completely accepted God’s will for her, confident that it could be only good. In this she is an example to us – compare Rom 12:1-2.⚜
Mary visits Elizabeth
39 📚And Mary arose at that time, and hurried to a town of Judah in the hill country, 40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elisabeth.
41 📚And it happened that when Elisabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,
1:41 See how God’s Holy Spirit was so closely involved in all these events (vs 15,35,67). The events and the words spoken about them were signs that God was about to do something mysterious, wonderful and blessed in the earth.⚜
42 📚and spoke with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
1:42 Verse 28. Only one woman in history could be chosen to be the mother of Christ, and Mary was that one. See also Luke 11:27-28 and notes on “blessed” at Gen 12:3; Num 6:22-27; Ps 1:1. God would now bring to Abraham’s descendants, and to all the world, that which He had promised through Abraham.⚜
43 📚And why is this given to me, that the mother 📖 of my Lord 📖 would come to me? 44 For, now, as soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. 45 📚And blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfilment of those things which were told her from the Lord”.
1:45 Verses 38,42.⚜
46 📚 📖And Mary said,
“My soul exalts the Lord,
47 📚And my spirit has rejoiced
in God my Saviour.
1:47 Observe that Mary calls God her “Savior”. Although she had the special honor of being the mother of the Messiah, she realized that she needed a Saviour just as all other human beings do. This is the first use of the word “Saviour” in the New Testament. The word means “deliverer and preserver” – one who delivers people from their sins and keeps them safe.⚜
48 📚For he has had regard for the
lowly state of his maidservant.
For, see, from now on all generations
will call me blessed.
1:48 Verses 28,30,42.⚜
49 📚For the Mighty One has done
great things for me,
and his name is holy.
50 📚And generation after generation
his mercy is on those who fear him.
51 📚He has shown strength with his arm.
He has scattered the proud in the imagination
of their hearts.
52 📚He has put down the mighty
from their seats,
and exalted the lowly.
53 📚He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
54 📚He has helped his servant Israel,
remembering his mercy,
55 📚as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham,
1:46-55 Mary’s words, in beautiful poetic language, reveal a knowledge and love of God and a grasp of spiritual truth that made her a proper mother for the Messiah. Compare her words with Hannah’s words in 1 Sam 2:1-10.⚜
The birth of John the Baptist
and to his descendants forever”.
56 And Mary stayed with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
1:56 What fellowship in conversation, prayer, and study of God’s Word they must have had together!⚜
57 📚Now the time had come for Elisabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son. 58 📚And her neighbours and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 📚And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they would have named him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
1:59 Notes on circumcision at Gen 17:9-14.⚜
60 📚And his mother responded and said, “No, he shall be called John”.
1:60 Verse 13.⚜
61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name”.
62 📚And they made signs to his father to know what he would have him called. 63 📚And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote this: His name is John. And they were all amazed. 64 📚And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed, and he spoke and praised God.
1:64 Faith and obedience opened the mouth that unbelief had sealed (v 20).⚜
65 📚And awe came on everyone who lived around them. And all these things that had been said were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. 66 📚And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be!” And the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 📚And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,
68 📚“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,
for he has visited and redeemed 📖 his people,
69 📚and has raised up a horn of salvation 📖
for us in the house of his servant David,
70 📚just as he said by the mouth
of his holy prophets,
who prophesied through the ages,
71 📚that we would be saved
from our enemies and from the hands
of all who hate us,
1:71 This is similar to Old Testament language. See notes on enemies at Ps 3:7. God’s people have far greater enemies than other human beings could ever be. See Eph 6:10-12; 1 Pet 5:8. From all such the Lord Jesus saves His people.⚜
72 📚to perform the acts of mercy
promised to our fathers,
and to remember his holy covenant,
73 📚the oath which he swore
to our father Abraham,
74 📚that he would grant us that we,
being delivered out of the hands
of our enemies, might serve him
without fear,
75 📚in holiness and righteousness
before him, all the days of our life.
1:74-75 This is always God’s purpose in redemption. He wants a holy people who willingly, lovingly serve Him all their days. And He has provided in Christ all that we need to do so. Compare 2 Pet 1:3-4.⚜
76 📚“And you, child, will be called the prophet
of the Most High,
for you will go before the face
of the Lord to prepare his ways,
1:76 Compare the word “prophet” with what is spoken of Christ in v 32. See what John’s ministry was – vs 14-17; Matt 3:1-6.⚜
77 📚to give the knowledge of salvation
to his people through the forgiveness
of their sins,
78 📚because of the tender mercy of our God,
by which the sunrise
from on high has visited us,
1:78 Forgiveness of sins can never be deserved, or earned by men. It comes only by God’s grace, because of His mercy. Here the Lord Jesus is compared to a sun from heaven. Elsewhere He is compared to a star or a light – Num 24:17; Isa 9:2; 60:1-3; Mal 4:2; John 8:12; 2 Pet 1:19; Rev 22:16. The Lord Jesus came from heaven to save men (John 3:13; 6:38; 8:23).⚜
79 📚to give light to those who sit in darkness
and the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace”.
1:79 Isa 9:2; 59:9-10; Matt 4:16. When men had no light, no hope, no escape from darkness and death, Jesus came and brought light and peace. Peace is one of the sweet notes of the music of the Gospel – Luke 2:14; John 14:27; 16:33; Acts 10:36; Rom 5:1; 14:17; 15:13, 33; Eph 2:14. By the inspiration of God’s Spirit Zecharias sets forth two wonderful results of the life and work of Christ – spiritual light and peace.⚜
80 📚And the child grew, and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his appearance to Israel.
1:80 Until about the age of 30 John was a solitary man who did not live as ordinary men do (Matt 3:4). None was ever greater than he (Matt 11:11). But just as he was strong in spirit so can all believers be (Eph 3:16).⚜