LUKE 1 – A

1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years. Version: New International Version

COMMENTS

General:

• Luke, a physician and companion of the apostle Paul (Colossians 4:14), is the only Gentile writer of the New Testament. Luke-Acts, as it is called, is a two-volume work, comprising 25% of the N.T.
• As Luke tells Theophilus (v.3), he has composed his gospel using the sources available to him (1-4).
  • He relied on the testimony of the apostles (v.2). Remember that Luke was not one of the Twelve.
  • His purpose was to compose an accurate account of Jesus' life.
• Luke's gospel has several unique emphases:
  • Medicine. Luke notes several medical details not related by other N.T. writers, for example, 22:44,51; etc.
  • The plight of women. Luke takes pains to show Jesus' (and Paul's) concern for women, and how the gospel elevates them in dignity. See, for example, Luke 4:26; 8:1-3; 10:38-42; 18:1-7; 21:1-4; 23:27-31; 24:1,10; Acts 16.
  • Children (e.g. chapters 7, 8, 9, 18; Acts 9, etc).
  • Wealth, possessions and the poor -- a major theme of Luke-Acts. In fact, there are more verses in the Bible on this topic than there are on faith, repentance, and baptism combined!
  • The Spirit, who is ever behind the scenes -- over 50x in Luke-Acts
  • Repentance -- its vital role in conversion (some two dozen times in Luke-Acts). This is the message of John the Baptist (3:8), Jesus (13:3), and the apostles and the early church (Acts 2:38; 3:19; etc).
  • The Resurrection of Christ (esp. in Acts).
  • Prayer (over 50x in Luke-Acts).
• The main characters of chapter 1 are Zechariah and Elizabeth, the parents of John the Baptist, and Mary, the mother of Jesus. In verse 5 we are introduced to Zechariah and Elizabeth.
  • Elizabeth also is from the tribe of Levi, descended from Aaron. Jews were required to marry within the tribal clan of their father.
  • This couple were conscientious observers of the law (v.6).
  • As with so many biblical couples, from Abram and Sarai onward, they were advanced in age and childless.
  • Their special child is John the Baptist:
    • He will be a herald of the coming Messiah.
    • John is a bridging character between the O.T. and the N.T.

Advanced:

• The "order" of verse 3 may be taken two ways:
  • Luke was arranging the material chronologically.
  • Luke was not necessarily arranging it in chronological order, but he was "ordering" it all the same.
  • Given that he was a meticulous historian in his own right, either interpretation works. Yet I believe the translation "orderly" (from kathexes) is best. That is, it was ordered in relation to the message as a whole, not ordered chronologically.
• Who is Theophilus (v.3)?
  • He may be the patron of Luke-Acts, the person who financed / published this work.
  • He may be a non-Christian whom Luke is trying to win to Christ. This seems likely. Perhaps Theophilus is a godfearer.
  • He may be the general reader, since his name means "friend/lover of God," or "loved by God." Theophilus was a common name among both Jews and Greeks from the 3rd century BC.
  • He might be Theophilus ben Ananus, high priest 37-41 AD.
  • He could be a Roman official, in which case Luke-Acts is either a legal brief prepared for Paul's trial in Rome or a work dedicated in gratitude to a man who treated Paul kindly during his Roman imprisonment.
  • In the end, we do not have enough information to decide the case.
• Luke 1 is the longest chapter of the N.T. (rivaling Psalm 119 in the O.T.).
• Given the dominance of the Passion in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, the canonical gospels are really "Passion narratives with extended introductions," as one theologian put it.
• The prologue of Luke's gospel is written in fine literary Greek, and then quickly it changes to a more or less LXX (Septuagintal) Greek. He's creating a special effect -- as though the movie started out in black and white and then changed to color as the film flashes forward to the modern day.
• The name Zechariah is used for a priest or Levite 7 times in 1-2 Chronicles. The name Elizabeth is the same as Aaron's wife Elisheba (Exodus 6:23). Both names are therefore highly appropriate for this priestly couple.
• Though this may be coincidence, it is interesting to note that the levitical division of Abijah (1 Chronicles 24:10), the tenth division, is immediately followed by the division of Yeshua (Jesus)!
• John the Baptist was, like Samson and Samuel, a Nazirite. See Numbers 6:1ff. For more, please see chapter 7 of Principle-Centered Parenting.

Thought questions:

• Given that Luke composed his gospel carefully, do I read the books of the Bible carefully? Do I weigh every word, look for the point, extract the principle, and apply the passage (without going beyond what is written)?
• Do I know any older couples, like Zechariah and Elizabeth, who have never had children? How might I feel if I were in their situation?