Luke

2 volume set

Philip Graham Ryken

• Publisher: P Publishing
• Year: 2009
• Print ISBN: 9781596381520
• eBook ISBN: 9781596384613
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

Luke provides an orderly account of the life of Jesus that helps people understand that his death and resurrection are good news. This redemptive-historical commentary enlarges on that theme.

Luke
VOLUME 1

Luke

PHILIP GRAHAM RYKEN

VOLUME 1

LUKE 1-12

© 2009 by Philip Graham Ryken

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—except for brief quotations for the purpose of review or comment, without the prior permission of the publisher, P&R Publishing Company, P.O. Box 817, Phillipsburg, New Jersey 08865–0817.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NIV) are from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Italics within Scripture quotations indicate emphasis added.

Page design by Lakeside Design Plus

Printed in the United States of America

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Ryken, Philip Graham, 1966–
Luke / Philip Graham Ryken.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-59638-070-7 (cloth vol. 1) — ISBN 978-1-59638-133-9 (cloth vol. 2)
1. Bible. N.T. Luke—Commentaries. I. Title.
BS2595.53.R95 2009
226.4'077—dc22

2008051651

To

Kathryn Elaine Ryken

who was still little when I was working on this commentary

and

to everyone who still needs to know Jesus for sure

It seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, . . . that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
Luke 1:3–4

CONTENTS

Series Introduction

Preface

1. Knowing for Sure (1:1–4)

2. Getting Ready for Jesus (1:5–25)

3. The Annunciation (1:26–38)

4. Magnificat (1:39–55)

5. Benedictus (1:56–80)

6. Away in a Manger (2:1–7)

7. Gloria in Excelsis Deo (2:8–20)

8. Nunc Dimittis (2:21–38)

9. The Boy Jesus (2:39–52)

10. Be Prepared (3:1–14)

11. The Baptism of the Son (3:15–22)

12. Son of God, Son of Man (3:23–38)

13. Paradise Regained (4:1–13)

14. The Gospel according to Jesus (4:14–21)

15. A Prophet without Honor (4:22–30)

16. All Authority and Power (4:31–44)

17. No Turning Back (5:1–11)

18. Faith Healer (5:12–26)

19. Feast or Famine? (5:27–39)

20. Lord of the Sabbath (6:1–11)

21. The Calling of the Twelve (6:12–26)

22. The Hardest Commandment (6:27–36)

23. Your Log, My Splinter (6:37–42)

24. Of Rocks and Trees (6:43–49)

25. Just Say the Word (7:1–10)

26. Dead Man Talking (7:11–17)

27. The Friend of Sinners (7:18–35)

28. The Debt of Love I Owe (7:36–50)

29. The Parable of Parables (8:1–15)

30. Just Do It (8:16–21)

31. Who Is This Guy? (8:22–25)

32. What Has He Done for You? (8:26–39)

33. Only Believe (8:40–56)

34. An Internship for the Apostles (9:1–9)

35. Five Loaves, Two Fish, Twelve Baskets (9:10–17)

36. Confessing Christ Crucified (9:18–22)

37. The Cross of Discipleship (9:23–27)

38. The Glory of God the Son (9:28–36)

39. Four Mistakes That Most Christians Make (9:37–50)

40. Don’t Look Back (9:51–62)

41. The King’s Messengers (10:1–16)

42. Joy, Joy, Joy! (10:17–24)

43. Whose Neighbor Am I? (10:25–37)

44. Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World (10:38–42)

45. When You Pray (11:1–4)

46. Boldly Persevering in Prayer (11:5–13)

47. Jesus or the Devil (11:14–26)

48. A Sign for All Times (11:27–36)

49. When Your Soul Is an Unmarked Grave (11:37–44)

50. The Blood of the Prophets (11:45–54)

51. Unafraid and Unashamed (12:1–12)

52. A Fool and His Money (12:13–21)

53. Anxious for Nothing (12:22–34)

54. Ready, or Not? (12:35–48)

55. Before the Fire Falls (12:49–59)

SERIES INTRODUCTION

In every generation there is a fresh need for the faithful exposition of God’s Word in the church. At the same time, the church must constantly do the work of theology: reflecting on the teaching of Scripture, confessing its doctrines of the Christian faith, and applying them to contemporary culture. We believe that these two tasks—the expositional and the theological—are interdependent. Our doctrine must derive from the biblical text, and our understanding of any particular passage of Scripture must arise from the doctrine taught in Scripture as a whole.

We further believe that these interdependent tasks of biblical exposition and theological reflection are best undertaken in the church, and most specifically in the pulpits of the church. This is all the more true since the study of Scripture properly results in doxology and praxis—that is, in praise to God and practical application in the lives of believers. In pursuit of these ends, we are pleased to present the Reformed Expository Commentary as a fresh exposition of Scripture for our generation in the church. We hope and pray that pastors, teachers, Bible study leaders, and many others will find this series to be a faithful, inspiring, and useful resource for the study of God’s infallible, inerrant Word.

The Reformed Expository Commentary has four fundamental commitments. First, these commentaries aim to be biblical, presenting a comprehensive exposition characterized by careful attention to the details of the text. They are not exegetical commentaries—commenting word by word or even verse by verse—but integrated expositions of whole passages of Scripture. Each commentary will thus present a sequential, systematic treatment of an entire book of the Bible, passage by passage. Second, these commentaries are unashamedly doctrinal. We are committed to the Westminster Confession of Faith and Catechisms as containing the system of doctrine taught in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. Each volume will teach, promote, and defend the doctrines of the Reformed faith as they are found in the Bible. Third, these commentaries are redemptive-historical in their orientation. We believe in the unity of the Bible and its central message of salvation in Christ. We are thus committed to a Christ-centered view of the Old Testament, in which its characters, events, regulations, and institutions are properly understood as pointing us to Christ and his gospel, as well as giving us examples to follow in living by faith. Fourth, these commentaries are practical, applying the text of Scripture to contemporary challenges of life—both public and private—with appropriate illustrations.

The contributors to the Reformed Expository Commentary are all pastor-scholars. As pastor, each author will first present his expositions in the pulpit ministry of his church. This means that these commentaries are rooted in the teaching of Scripture to real people in the church. While aiming to be scholarly, these expositions are not academic. Our intent is to be faithful, clear, and helpful to Christians who possess various levels of biblical and theological training—as should be true in any effective pulpit ministry. Inevitably this means that some issues of academic interest will not be covered. Nevertheless, we aim to achieve a responsible level of scholarship, seeking to promote and model this for pastors and other teachers in the church. Significant exegetical and theological difficulties, along with such historical and cultural background as is relevant to the text, will be treated with care.

We strive for a high standard of enduring excellence. This begins with the selection of the authors, all of whom have proven to be outstanding communicators of God’s Word. But this pursuit of excellence is also reflected in a disciplined editorial process. Each volume is edited by both a series editor and a testament editor. The testament editors, Iain Duguid for the Old Testament and Daniel Doriani for the New Testament, are accomplished pastors and respected scholars who have taught at the seminary level. Their job is to ensure that each volume is sufficiently conversant with up-to-date scholarship and is faithful and accurate in its exposition of the text. As series editors, we oversee each volume to ensure its overall quality—including excellence of writing, soundness of teaching, and usefulness in application. Working together as an editorial team, along with the publisher, we are devoted to ensuring that these are the best commentaries our gifted authors can provide, so that the church will be served with trustworthy and exemplary expositions of God’s Word.

It is our goal and prayer that the Reformed Expository Commentary will serve the church by renewing confidence in the clarity and power of Scripture and by upholding the great doctrinal heritage of the Reformed faith. We hope that pastors who read these commentaries will be encouraged in their own expository preaching ministry, which we believe to be the best and most biblical pattern for teaching God’s Word in the church. We hope that lay teachers will find these commentaries among the most useful resources they rely upon for understanding and presenting the text of the Bible. And we hope that the devotional quality of these studies of Scripture will instruct and inspire each Christian who reads them in joyful, obedient discipleship to Jesus Christ.

May the Lord bless all who read the Reformed Expository Commentary. We commit these volumes to the Lord Jesus Christ, praying that the Holy Spirit will use them for the instruction and edification of the church, with thanksgiving to God the Father for his unceasing faithfulness in building his church through the ministry of his Word.

Richard D. Phillips
Philip Graham Ryken
Series Editors

PREFACE

After nearly a decade of preaching at Tenth Presbyterian Church, I decided it was time for me to satisfy a growing hunger to preach all the way through one of the biblical Gospels. Although I take deep satisfaction in preaching Christ from all the Scriptures, I also agree with Robert Murray M’Cheyne, who once observed “how sweet and precious it is to preach directly about Christ, compared with all other subjects of preaching.”

For me the choice of which Gospel to preach was obvious. My predecessor—the late Dr. James Montgomery Boice—had already preached masterful series through the Gospels of Matthew and John. Mark was still a possibility, of course, but I was drawn to the broader scope of Luke, which is the longest book in the New Testament. Luke also has the most urban feel of any of the Gospels, and thus it seemed especially appropriate to preach to a city congregation like the one I pastor in Philadelphia. Luke had a special concern for people on the margins—people broken by the troubles of life, including the many women we meet in the pages of his Gospel. So I decided to preach through Luke, which has proved to be one of the best experiences of my Christian life.

It is no exaggeration to say that a commentary this size is a monumental undertaking. These two volumes on Luke would never have been possible without the prayers and assistance of many people. Every week, the work I do in God’s Word is helped immeasurably by the prayers of God’s people at Tenth Church. As editorial work on these Bible expositions began, my friend Jonathan Rockey and my colleagues (who are also still my friends) Dan Doriani and Rick Phillips made the generous commitment to read and comment on the entire manuscript. Their suggestions led to countless improvements and corrections, which were helpfully and cheerfully entered into the manuscript by my assistants Anne Davies and Dora McFarland. As always, Lisa helped me know how to honor God as we integrated this project into the rest of family life.

In a 2007 interview for Newsweek, the well-known atheist and bestselling author Sam Harris said, “I don’t want to pretend to be certain about anything I’m not certain about.” I think Luke would agree with Mr. Harris, which is why he wrote his famous Gospel. We should never pretend, especially when it comes to what we believe about God. This does not mean that we can never be certain, however. On the contrary, Luke’s Gospel was written to give greater certainty about the person and work of Jesus Christ (see Luke 1:1–4). My prayer is that this commentary will help you understand the gospel and come to full assurance of your salvation, as Luke intended.

Philip Graham Ryken
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Luke

KNOWING FOR SURE

1

Knowing for Sure

Luke 1:1–4

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.
(Luke 1:1–4)

Doubt. Little by little, it gnaws away at the soul. To be sure, there are times when Christianity makes all the sense in the world. The mysteries of the birth, death, and resurrection of God the Son appear so certain that it would seem foolish even to call them into question. Yet there are also times when, as the poet Roger White so aptly put it, “A mosquito buzzes round my faith”—the mosquito of doubt.¹ In solitary moments the nagging questions whine in our ears: Is the Bible really true? Does God actually hear my prayers? Can my sins truly be forgiven? Will I definitely go to heaven when I die?

Sometimes the doubting questions can lead to unbelief. In the opening chapter of his novel In the Beauty of the Lilies, John Updike describes the moment when a Presbyterian minister abandons the Christian faith. Doubt had been buzzing away at the man’s soul, and then one day his faith vanished altogether. As Updike tells it,

The Reverend Clarence Arthur Wilmot...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Luke: Volume 1
• Luke: Volume 2
• Index of Scripture
• Index of Subjects and Names