Holman New Testament Commentary - Luke

Trent C. Butler, Trent Butler

• Publisher: Holman Reference
• Year: 2000
• Print ISBN: 9780805402032
• eBook ISBN: 9781433674174
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

One in a series of twelve New Testament verse-by-verse commentary books edited by Max Anders. Includes discussion starters, teaching plan, and more. Great for lay teachers and pastors alike.

Luke 1

A Heavenly Savior in an
Earthly Womb

I. INTRODUCTION

Fear, Awe, and Joy

II. COMMENTARY

A verse-by-verse explanation of the chapter.

III. CONCLUSION

Two Special Babies

An overview of the principles and applications from the chapter.

IV. LIFE APPLICATION

A Promise Fulfilled

Melding the chapter to life.

V. PRAYER

Tying the chapter to life with God.

VI. DEEPER DISCOVERIES

Historical, geographical, and grammatical enrichment of the commentary.

VII. TEACHING OUTLINE

Suggested step-by-step group study of the chapter.

VIII. ISSUES FOR DISCUSSION

Zeroing the chapter in on daily life.

“The New Testament does not present the virgin birth of Jesus as some outlandish event but as simply the fulfillment of a promise by Almighty God made to a poor but devout Hebrew woman.”

Aida Besancon

In the clear, direct style of a historian, Luke tells the joyous story of the angels announcing the births of John the Baptist and Jesus, the remarkable reaction of John's father and mother, the glorious song of praise Mary sang, the awesome birth of John, and the powerful prophecy of Zechariah.

A Heavenly Savior in an
Earthly Womb

I. INTRODUCTION

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Fear, Awe, and Joy

Light and joy flashed from my son's eyes as he announced, “Dad, you're going to be a grandpa.” This led to months of waiting and planning. (Things became even more complicated in August when Mary Martin became my new bride and an immediate grandmother-in-waiting.) Everyone was excited about what was about to happen, but none of us had traveled this route before. A bit of fear and awe and wonder tinge the expectancy and excitement. When he was within a week of the big event, my son took me to lunch. Finally, he looked up and said: “Dad, I'm scared. I don't know that I can handle all of this.”

A similar bag of mixed feelings tied up the heroes of Luke 1. Two couples looked forward to the birth of their first child. Each couple had the normal feelings of fear, awe, inadequacy, and overwhelming joy that my son, daughter-in-law, wife, and I felt. These two Bible couples had even more reason for the great mixture of contradictory feelings. The sons they expected were the two most important children ever born on this planet. Their intertwined ministries would change the world forever. Through the life and death of these two babies, God would act to redeem a lost world. What a responsibility for the expectant parents! The way they responded gives good news to us, not only as expectant (grand) parents but as people who need redemption. Because these two couples proved true to God's commission and performed their role as parents in exemplary fashion, every person in the world can find salvation from sin, eternal life, and unequalled joy.

II. COMMENTARY

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A Heavenly Savior in an Earthly Womb

MAIN IDEA: Luke's trustworthy account of the gospel story begins by showing that in his mercy, God—who does the impossible—prepared the way for the miraculous birth of the Savior's forerunner and for the virgin birth of the world's redeemer…

Preface: The Tradition Is Certain and True (1:1-4)

SUPPORTING IDEA: You can know all you need to know about Jesus because the gospel accounts about him are accurate— based on personal research and knowledge by trustworthy writers.

1:1. Luke did not innovate. He compiled and clarified. He readily saluted the work of his predecessors but saw the need to tell Jesus' story one more time to help his Gentile friend(s) understand and accept it. He gladly used the work of Mark and other writers to show Theophilus how Jesus' life, death, resurrection, and ascension fulfilled and completed what the Holy Scriptures of Israel expected. The word fulfilled also means “convince fully,” something Luke also wanted to accomplish. Luke used a classic literary form that his Greek-speaking audience would recognize to introduce these educated people to Jesus.

1:2. Luke claimed to be a good historian. He knew the value of accurate sources. They came from the right time: the first, that is the very beginning of Jesus' ministry. They came from the right people: eyewitnesses, those who knew Jesus. They came through the right channels: those set up to hand down tradition, handed down being a technical term for passing on oral tradition. They came for the right reasons: service of the word. Luke's sources of information were not propagandists seeking to twist the facts for their purposes. They were servants of the word. The message was of prime importance. The messengers and their causes remained anonymous. The word was the tradition about Jesus. Luke used the same word that John used to speak of Jesus as “the Word” who “became flesh and made his dwelling among us” (John 1:14).

1:3. Luke's claim as a historian rested on more than just choosing the right sources. He did firsthand research. He researched carefully, that is, he paid close attention and made sure everything was accurate. He researched everything so his readers could trust each part, not just the sum of the whole. He researched from the beginning: he had the total story and not just the interesting parts or the climax. Where his sources such as Mark did not include Jesus' childhood years, Luke included everything, even tracing the family tree back to make Jesus not just “the son of David” or “son of Abraham” but “the son of Adam, the son of God” (3:38).

Thus prepared, Luke carried out his writing task to produce an orderly account, that is, in a logical order a person could easily understand and in a chronological order a reader could easily follow. Luke's writing was directed to an honored friend who may or may not have held a high social or political position. The friend was Theophilus. His name means “friend of God.” He may have been Luke's financial backer for publication of the work. He may have been Luke's channel for getting into higher political and social circles with the gospel of Christ. He may have been no more than a respected friend whom Luke honored by dedicating his Gospel to him. As with so many important persons in Scripture, we have a name without a resume.

1:4. Theophilus knew the Christian story. Others, probably including Luke, had taught him. Still, doubts remained. He needed reinforcement to believe. Luke wrote his Gospel and then the Book of Acts to supply such reinforcement. Luke wanted certainty about Jesus so firm and secure that we can trust its truth absolutely. Reading Luke, Theophilus should have had no more reason to doubt who Jesus was and what Jesus had accomplished.

Preparing for the Forerunner (1:5-25)

SUPPORTING IDEA: God used unlikely people to prepare the way for the forerunner of the Savior.

1:5. God works in the middle of human history. Thus, the Old Testament is full of specific people doing specific things in specific places. Luke began his Gospel in similar fashion. He pointed to a specific person: Herod, the great temple builder who ruled Judea from 39 B.C. to 4 B.C. This means that a few miscalculations in establishing the zero hour of chronology cause us to set Jesus Christ's birth to at least 4 and probably 6 years B.C.

Luke did not focus on the power-hungry King Herod the Great. He focused on the temple Herod was building, to one order of priests in the temple—the order named for its founder, Abijah (see 1 Chr. 24:10), and then to one man among those priests. This humble priest was the aged Zechariah, whose wife Elizabeth also belonged to an honored priestly family.

1:6. Impeccable priestly and religious credentials marked Zechariah's family. They followed every part of God's law. God judged them upright. They, rather than Herod, qualified to be God's instruments as he prepared the Savior's way. God continually looks among his people not for the rich and famous but for the righteous and holy to join him in his work of salvation. He saves you with imputed righteousness and uses you through realized righteousness.

1:7. Impeccable priestly credentials and impeccable religious, spiritual credentials did not guarantee life's blessings. Zechariah and Elizabeth suffered personal and social disgrace because Elizabeth could not have children. Leviticus 20:20-21 shows that the Hebrews thought childlessness was a sign of divine punishment. Couples were expected to have children, thus fulfilling God's command at creation to multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 1:28). Since they were well along in years, they had no hope of removing the disgraceful situation. They had to resign themselves to enduring disgrace the rest of their lives.

1:8. Five times a year Zechariah left home for the temple. During the three major Jewish festivals (Passover, Weeks, and Tabernacles) all priestly divisions served at the temple as pilgrims swelled Jerusalem's population. Each priestly order or division had two other weeks a year when they carried out the daily temple sacrifices and rituals.

1:9. With approximately eighteen-thousand priests in Judea, special duties were assigned by lot. Lots were sacred objects of unknown shape and material that would give a yes or no answer to questions or select one person over another. They may have resembled dice (see Num. 26:52-56; 1 Sam. 10:20-24; 14:41-42; 1 Chr. 24:5-19; Prov. 16:33; Acts 1:26). Once in a lifetime a priest had opportunity to enter the temple and offer the incense offerings. After all these years, Zechariah's lot came up. He had the awesome responsibility of entering the holy place, just in front of the Holy of Holies where God was present with his people. There on the incense altar he burned the special spices. Their aroma symbolized the prayers of the people ascending to God. As the incense burned, Zechariah would fall to the floor in humble prayer.

1:10. The time was either the morning or evening offering, probably in this case the evening (cf. Dan. 9:21). Only Zechariah could enter the holy place. Outside, the pious Jewish worshipers and priests joined in prayer, the rising incense giving assurance that God was listening to them. Luke repeatedly emphasized the power of prayer and the need to learn to pray, and to pray together. A praying church finds God's power coming to work among them and accomplish the church's mission.

1:11. Zechariah was visited by an angel of the Lord. This represents the heavenly council bringing God's news to God's people, revealing what God is about to do (see Gen. 16:7-11; Exod. 3:2; Num. 22:21-35; Judg. 6:21; 13:20; 1 Sam. 3; Isa. 6). Zechariah expected to see God's messenger about as much as we do. The ange...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title
• Full Title
• Copyright
• Dedication
• Table of Contents
• Editorial Preface
• Holman Old Testament Contributors
• Holman New Testament Contributors
• Introduction to Luke
• Luke 1
• Luke 2
• Luke 3
• Luke 4
• Luke 5
• Luke 6
• Luke 7
• Luke 8
• Luke 9
• Luke 10
• Luke 11
• Luke 12
• Luke 13
• Luke 14
• Luke 15
• Luke 16
• Luke 17
• Luke 18
• Luke 19
• Luke 20
• Luke 21
• Luke 22
• Luke 23
• Luke 24
• Glossary
• Bibliography