The Apostle
Luke Series, Installment One
[Luke chapter
1, verses 1-25]
Today I
will begin a new series of Bible studies, the gospel according to
Luke, an apostle of Christ Jesus, who is the Son of God, hallelujah!
Chapter one of Luke's gospel is 80 verses long, so I'm breaking this
first chapter up into three parts. As we begin chapter one at verse
one, we find this gospel being addressed to one “Theophilus” in
the form of a very long letter. So who was this guy Theophilus?
According to 'gotquestions.org', “The fact
is that we really do not know who Theophilus was, which is why there
are several different theories as to who he might be. No matter how
much evidence there may or may not be for each theory, the simple
fact is we do not who Theophilus was because the Bible does not
identify who he was. However, from the context of Luke and Acts, it
seems clear that Luke is writing to a specific individual, even
though his message is also intended for all Christians in all
centuries. While both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts have
applications for all Christians, they were probably written to a
specific individual whom Luke addresses as “most excellent
Theophilus”. Since it seems clear that Theophilus was an actual
person, …it is important to note that Luke addresses him as “most
excellent,” a title often used when referring to someone of honor
or rank, such as a Roman official.... Therefore, one of the most
common theories is that Theophilus was possibly a Roman officer or
high-ranking official in the Roman government.”
So now that we have determined that Theophilus' true identity has
been lost in the mists of time, let's begin exploring Luke's gospel.
“Many
have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been
fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who
from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the Word. Therefore,
since I myself have investigated everything from the beginning, it
seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most
excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the
things you have been taught. In the time of Herod King of Judea there
was a man named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of
Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of
them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's
regulations and commandments blamelessly. But they had no children,
because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in
years.” (Luke 1, verses 1-7)
King
Herod of Judea was an appointed dictator and king sent from Rome. The
Roman Empire was at its peak during the time this was written, which
will become increasingly clear as we continue to read this gospel.
The “priestly division” Luke refers to here alludes to the Tribe
of Levi. These were the Levitical priests who performed the animal
sacrifice rituals that were required in the Old Testament, which was
still in force historically speaking, but was about to come to an end
with the impending birth of Christ, which had not yet occurred. So
Hezekiah was a Levitical priest from the division of “Abijah”,
which presumably is a division of the Tribe of Levi (for a more
detailed explanation check out Exodus chapters 28 and 29 as well as
Leviticus chapter 21 and the first half of chapter 22). Despite their
unfruitful marriage, both Zechariah and Elizabeth had remained
faultless and faithful to the Lord in everything they did. I find
this quite noteworthy in a world where many people change spouses as
if they were putting on a new set of clothes.
“Once
when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest
before God, he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the
priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And
when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled
worshipers were praying outside. Then an angel of the Lord appeared
to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When
Zechariah saw him, he was startled and gripped with fear. But the
angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been
heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give
him the name John. He will be a joy and a delight to you, and many
will rejoice because of his birth, and he will be great in the sight
of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and
he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the
people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he
will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and the power of Elijah, to
turn the hearts of their fathers to their children and the
disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous – to make ready a people
prepared for the Lord.' Zechariah asked the angel, 'How can I be sure
of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.' The
angel answered, 'I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I
have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And
now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this
happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true
at their proper time.'” (Luke 1: verses 8-20)
What
is actually occurring here is the fulfillment of Zechariah's
responsibilities, which is that only one of the priests is allowed
inside the inner sanctuary, one who is designated by what amounted to
the pulling of straws. So that day was Zechariah's 'short straw' day
to burn incense in the Temple. Only the designated high priest was
allowed to enter the Temple to burn incense or make any kind of
offering under penalty of death, according to the Old Testament (see
the Books of Leviticus, Numbers, or Deuteronomy in no particular
order). But, after Zechariah enters the “Holy of Holys”, as the
Bible calls the inner sanctuary, something most unexpected happens.
“Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the
right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was
startled and gripped with fear. But the angel said to him, 'Do not be
afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth
will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. He will
be a joy and a delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his
birth, and he will be great in the sight of the Lord.” So the
prayers of Zechariah and Elizabeth, we find out, have been answered
by God. Immediately afterwards, the angel who appeared to Zechariah
tells him what his son's name will be, and that his about-to-be
conceived son will be a servant of the Lord's. If you were about to
become a parent, what would you think or say if an angel appeared to
you? Needless to say, this is not exactly a commonplace occurrence,
which is why Zechariah was so terrified. It probably would have
unnerved me too.
“...he
will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. Many of the
people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. And he
will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and the power of Elijah, to
turn the hearts of their fathers to their children and the
disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous – to make ready a people
prepared for the Lord.” This is one of the earliest mentions of
the Holy Spirit in the Bible, particularly for the New Testament. The
naming of Elijah, an Old Testament prophet (see 1st Kings
17: 1 and 2nd Kings chapter 2), is noteworthy here.
Zechariah is being told that his unborn son would take up where the
prophet Elijah left off centuries earlier. Zechariah's unborn son, as
it turns out, fills Elijah's shoes very well indeed. “Zechariah
asked the angel, 'How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my
wife is well along in years.' The angel answered, 'I am Gabriel. I
stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you
and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not
able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe
my words, which will come true at their proper time.'” This, my
dear readers, is what can happen to anyone who doubts God's word.
“You don't think you can accomplish the Lord's will for your life”,
said the archangel Gabriel? “Fine, because you won't be
accomplishing much else until God allows it, because I am going to
make you mute until the day of your son's birth”. Never, ever doubt
the word of the Lord! If He says something is going to come true, it
will with 100% certainty! And now let's finish this week's lesson
starting where we left off at verse 21.
“Meanwhile,
the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so
long in the Temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them.
They realized he had seen a vision in the Temple, for he kept making
signs to them but remained unable to speak. When his time of service
was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became
pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 'The Lord has
done this for me', she said. 'In these days he has shown His favor
and taken away my disgrace among the people.'” (Luke 1, verses
21-25)
So
Zechariah comes out of the Temple, unable to tell anyone why he had
been in there so long. He then goes home, and can't tell his wife
either. This must have made Elizabeth at least somewhat perplexed,
and I only imagine the one-sided conversation that took place between
Zechariah and Elizabeth (“Why can't you tell me what happened? Are
you sure you're not hiding something from me? I can tell if you are,
you know!”) But by the mercy and grace of God, he and his wife
conceive! Moreover, they both know the gender of the child before he
was born, something that was unheard of back in those times. But in
the end, Elizabeth says a prayer that basically says, “Thank you,
Lord, that I have finally conceived a son. You have made people
respect me just by letting me get pregnant, for they used to show
contempt for me because I was barren”. This goes to show you how
much times have changed over the centuries. Back then, women were
scorned if they couldn't have children. These days, it's quite the
opposite. Single women with children are oftentimes singled out as
being 'immoral' or as having insatiable libidos, but I never have
agreed with the stereotyping of single women with kids. The majority
of them have escaped from abusive or violent relationships, and I
will decline to judge them for that. In closing, we'll leave off
right here for now, and we'll be starting up at verse 26 next week,
where the births of Jesus is announced. So until then, have a blessed
and safe week!
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