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Texts -- Luke 1:1-39 (NET)

Context
Explanatory Preface
1:1 Now many have undertaken to compile an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us , 1:2 like the accounts passed on to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning . 1:3 So it seemed good to me as well, because I have followed all things carefully from the beginning , to write an orderly account for you , most excellent Theophilus , 1:4 so that you may know for certain the things you were taught .
Birth Announcement of John the Baptist
1:5 During the reign of Herod king of Judea , there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah , and he had a wife named Elizabeth , who was a descendant of Aaron . 1:6 They were both righteous in the sight of God , following all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly . 1:7 But they did not have a child , because Elizabeth was barren , and they were both very old . 1:8 Now while Zechariah was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty , 1:9 he was chosen by lot , according to the custom of the priesthood , to enter the holy place of the Lord and burn incense . 1:10 Now the whole crowd of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering . 1:11 An angel of the Lord , standing on the right side of the altar of incense , appeared to him . 1:12 And Zechariah , visibly shaken when he saw the angel , was seized with fear . 1:13 But the angel said to him , “Do not be afraid , Zechariah , for your prayer has been heard , and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son ; you will name him John . 1:14 Joy and gladness will come to you , and many will rejoice at his birth , 1:15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord . He must never drink wine or strong drink , and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit , even before his birth . 1:16 He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God . 1:17 And he will go as forerunner before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah , to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just , to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.” 1:18 Zechariah said to the angel , “How can I be sure of this ? For I am an old man , and my wife is old as well .” 1:19 The angel answered him , “I am Gabriel , who stands in the presence of God , and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news . 1:20 And now , because you did not believe my words , which will be fulfilled in their time , you will be silent , unable to speak , until the day these things take place .” 1:21 Now the people were waiting for Zechariah , and they began to wonder why he was delayed in the holy place . 1:22 When he came out , he was not able to speak to them . They realized that he had seen a vision in the holy place , because he was making signs to them and remained unable to speak . 1:23 When his time of service was over , he went to his home . 1:24 After some time his wife Elizabeth became pregnant , and for five months she kept herself in seclusion . She said , 1:25 “This is what the Lord has done for me at the time when he has been gracious to me, to take away my disgrace among people .”
Birth Announcement of Jesus the Messiah
1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth , 1:27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph , a descendant descendant of David , and the virgin’s name was Mary . 1:28 The angel came to her and said , “Greetings , favored one, the Lord is with you !” 1:29 But she was greatly troubled by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting . 1:30 So the angel said to her , “Do not be afraid , Mary , for you have found favor with God ! 1:31 Listen : You will become pregnant and give birth to a son , and you will name him Jesus . 1:32 He will be great , and will be called the Son of the Most High , and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David . 1:33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever , and his kingdom will never end .” 1:34 Mary said to the angel , “How will this be , since I have not had sexual relations with a man ?” 1:35 The angel replied , “The Holy Spirit will come upon you , and the power of the Most High will overshadow you . Therefore the child to be born will be holy ; he will be called the Son of God . 1:36 “And look , your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age – although she was called barren , she is now in her sixth month ! 1:37 For nothing will be impossible with God .” 1:38 So Mary said , “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord ; let this happen to me according to your word .” Then the angel departed from her .
Mary and Elizabeth
1:39 In those days Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill country , to a town of Judah ,

Pericope

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Hymns

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  • Dalam Rumah Yang Gembira [KJ.447]
  • Dari Terbitnya Surya T'rang [KJ.137]
  • Hatiku Bersukaria [KJ.77]
  • Jurus'lamat, Datanglah [KJ.82]
  • Lihat Bunda yang Berduka [KJ.172]
  • S'lamat, S'lamat Datang [KJ.123]
  • Sebelum Semua Jadi [KJ.136]
  • Siapakah Yang Menerima [KJ.124]
  • Waktu Herodes Raja di Yudea [KJ.78]
  • Ya Anak Kecil [KJ.105]
  • [Luk 1:13] Let Thine Example
  • [Luk 1:14] In Thee Is Gladness
  • [Luk 1:26] Angel Gabriel From Heaven Came, The
  • [Luk 1:26] Gabriel, From The Heaven Descending
  • [Luk 1:28] To A Maid Engaged To Joseph
  • [Luk 1:31] God Whom Earth, And Sea, And Sky, The
  • [Luk 1:31] Hail, O Star That Pointest
  • [Luk 1:35] Now Yield We Thanks And Praise
  • [Luk 1:38] From East West, From Shore To Shore

Questions

Sermon Illustrations

Parables; Fear Not; The Covenants of Scripture:; Outline; Who Is Jesus Christ?; Conclusion; The Trinity, Acting in Unity; A Title of Jesus; Prayer Involves…; How to Serve

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • "As the laws increase and the constraints grow, the people seem less willing or less capable of following them. At this point in the narrative we see that the whole order of the priesthood is thrown open to direct confrontati...
  • The Angel of the Lord again appeared (cf. 6:11). This time He announced to a barren Danite woman that she would bear a son (cf. Gen. 16:11; Luke 1:26-38). Samson's birth by a barren woman indicated God's supernatural provisio...
  • First and 2 Samuel are really one story. The translators divided them into two books for convenience, not because of subject matter.First Samuel records Israel's transition from amphictyony to monarchy.The key passage that ex...
  • The promises Yahweh made to David here are an important key to understanding God's program for the future.God rejected David's suggestion that he build a temple for the Lord and gave three reasons. First, there was no pressin...
  • "The first [biographical Servant] Song was a word from the Lord to the world about his Servant: Your plight is known, my Servant will deal with it' [42:1-4]; but the second [autobiographical] Song is the Servant's testimony h...
  • The prophet emphasized the gracious character of Yahweh as the source of restoration for His people. Returning to the metaphor of the Lord's people as the his wife (51:17-20), Isaiah presented the joyful prospect of reconcili...
  • The people would need to listen to and rely on God's unconditional promise, but their salvation would cost them nothing.55:1 "The introductory particle (hoi) is mainly an attention-getting device, but it expresses a slight to...
  • 1:4 The prophet now began speaking to his readers and telling them what the Lord had said to him. Throughout this book, an indication that the Lord had told Jeremiah something is often the sign of a new pericope, as here (cf....
  • The Lord's response to the prophet's prayer assured him that He would indeed restore Israel to her land. Jeremiah had not made a mistake buying the property.32:26-27 The Lord began His reply by affirming His universal deity a...
  • 8:15-16 As in the previous vision (7:16), Daniel needed help understanding what he had seen. He saw someone who looked like a man standing before him. Evidently this was an angel. Daniel also heard a voice that he could under...
  • 4:6 In "that day"the Lord also promised to assemble His people whom He had allowed the nations to abuse. This will occur when He turns the tide for Israel and begins to bless her, namely, at the beginning of the Millennium.Th...
  • The visions ended and Zechariah awoke from his dream-like state. What follows is a symbolic act that took place in Jerusalem at the Lord's command."The position of this actual ceremony after the eight visions is significant. ...
  • Like all the writing prophets, Malachi's chief revelation was the person and work of Yahweh. He presented Israel's God as sovereign over Israel and the whole world and as very patient with His wayward people.Malachi also used...
  • The final three verses of the book, which are also the final message in the Old Testament, are sufficiently different from what immediately precedes to indicate another message from Malachi. Essentially Malachi said, Be prepa...
  • The synoptic problem is intrinsic to all study of the Gospels, especially the first three. The word "synoptic"comes from two Greek words, synand opsesthai, meaning "to see together."Essentially the synoptic problem involves a...
  • Matthew concluded his selective account of the events in Jesus' childhood that demonstrated His messiahship and illustrated various reactions to Him with Jesus' return to Israel.2:19-20 God's sovereign initiative is again the...
  • 27:51a The inner veil of the temple is undoubtedly in view here, the one separating the holy place from the holy of holies (cf. Heb. 4:16; 6:19-20; 9:11-28; 10:19-22). The tearing happened at 3:00 p.m., the time of the evenin...
  • The writer pointed out that the ministry of Jesus' forerunner fulfilled prophecy. It made a significant impact on those whom John contacted. Then Mark recorded the essence of John's message.1:2-3 Mark began with a quotation f...
  • This topic sentence summarizes Jesus' whole ministry in Galilee. It identifies when it started, where it happened, and the essence of what Jesus' proclaimed that was the basis of His ministry.1:14 Jesus began His Galilean min...
  • Several factors indicate that the writer of this Gospel was the same person who wrote the Book of Acts. First, a man named Theophilus was the recipient of both books (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1). Second, Acts refers to a previous wor...
  • The Gospel of Luke is one of the books of the Bible that states the purpose of the writer. Luke said that he wrote to inform Theophilus about the truthfulness of the gospel that he had heard (1:4). In Acts, Luke said he had w...
  • I. Introduction 1:1-4II. The birth and childhood of Jesus 1:5-2:52A. The announcement of John the Baptist's birth 1:5-251. The introduction of John's parents 1:5-72. The angel's announcement to Zechariah 1:8-233. The pregnanc...
  • Luke introduced his Gospel in a classical literary fashion."It was customary among the great Greek and Hellenistic historians, including the first-century Jewish writer Josephus, to explain and justify their work in a preface...
  • This section contains material unique in Luke. The only repeated statement occurs in Luke 2:39 and Matthew 2:23. Other unique features are Luke's alternating the reader's attention between John and Jesus, and the joy that sev...
  • 1:5 Herod the Great ruled over Judea, the large Roman province that included all of Israel, from 37 B.C. to 4 A.D.Luke pointed out that both of John's parents had a priestly heritage. The priests in Israel had the great privi...
  • 1:8-9 Zechariah was serving God faithfully by discharging some temple function as a member of his priestly division. There were so many priests then that the great privilege of offering incense on the golden incense altar in ...
  • The angel's announcement of John's birth occurred even before Elizabeth conceived him (cf. Matt. 1:18-25). This is further evidence of his being a special provision from the Lord. Elizabeth's self-imposed five-month period of...
  • This section parallels the one immediately preceding (vv. 5-25). Their forms are so similar that Luke must have arranged them to bring out the similarities between them. Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus as he had John's b...
  • The time reference and the same angel connect this incident directly with what precedes (v. 24). Luke presented God as taking direct action not only here but throughout his Gospel and Acts. He may have generously called Nazar...
  • 1:28 The fact that Gabriel greeted Mary as he did and did not greet Zechariah the same way shows Mary's favored position. Gabriel's greeting was customary: Hail! or Greetings! (Gr. chaire). Mary was highly "favored"(Gr. kecha...
  • This section brings the parallel stories of John's birth and Jesus' birth together. The two sons had their own identities and individual greatness, but Jesus was superior. John began his ministry of exalting Jesus in his moth...
  • As in the first part of this major section of the Gospel (1:5-56), Luke arranged his material in this one to compare and contrast John the Baptist and Jesus (1:57-2:52). In that section there was prediction, but in this one t...
  • This is the second major song of praise in Luke, the "Benedictus."This title also comes from the first word in the Latin version translated "blessed"(Gr. eulogetos). The first part of the song praises God for messianic delive...
  • In narrating John's birth, Luke stressed his naming, but in his account of Jesus' birth, he concentrated on its setting.Luke's brief account of Jesus' birth emphasizes three things. He described the political situation to exp...
  • There is great theological significance in this familiar passage. It comes through mainly in the angel's words and in the symbolism of what happened."In 2:8-14 we have a third annunciation scene, which follows the same patter...
  • The emphasis in this section is Simeon's prediction of Jesus' ministry (cf. 1:67-79). He pointed out the universal extent of the salvation that Jesus would bring and the rejection that He would experience.2:22-24 Under Mosaic...
  • Jesus' obedience to His heavenly Father included obedience to His earthly parents (Exod. 20:12; cf. Col. 3:20). Luke balanced the former revelation of Jesus' deity with this indication of His humanity. His second reference to...
  • Luke's account of this significant event is shorter than the parallel passages. At His baptism, Jesus received the anointing of the Holy Spirit for His ministry. It was also the occasion for the Father to authenticate Jesus a...
  • Why did Luke place his genealogy of Jesus at this point in his Gospel? Probably he did so because this was the beginning of Jesus' public ministry. Matthew recorded Jesus' genealogy to show that He had a legitimate right by b...
  • Luke again drew his readers' attention to the fact that Jesus was under the control of the Holy Spirit as He began His public ministry (cf. 1:35; 3:22; 4:1). The Spirit empowered and enabled Jesus in His words and deeds. Luke...
  • In contrast to most people, the inhabitants of Jesus' hometown did not praise Him. When Jesus began to speak of God extending salvation to the Gentiles, a particular interest of Luke's, the Jews there opposed Him violently. P...
  • 4:31-32 Jesus had to go down topographically from Nazareth, that stood approximately 1,200 feet above sea level, to Capernaum, that lay almost 700 feet below sea level. This notation, and the mention that Capernaum was a city...
  • This miracle raised the popular appreciation of Jesus' authority to new heights. Luke also continued to stress Jesus' compassion for people, in this case a widow whose son had died, by including this incident in his Gospel. T...
  • The raging of this demoniac was even worse than the raging of the waters of Galilee (cf. Ps. 65:7). Demonic power was evident in the Hellenistic world of Luke's original readers. The fact that this incident happened in predom...
  • Luke stressed the joy that the Seventy experienced because they participated in God's program. As we have noted before, Luke often referred to the joy that Jesus brought to people (cf. 1:14, 46; 24:52; et al.). In view of Jes...
  • This is another incident involving women who became disciples of Jesus (cf. 8:1-3; et al.). Like the parable of the good Samaritan it shows Jesus overcoming prejudice. As the former parable illustrated the meaning of the seco...
  • Jesus continued talking with His disciples about the preceding conversation. However, Luke did not identify the disciples as those to whom Jesus spoke. This gives the impression that what Jesus said has relevance to all peopl...
  • Luke's primary purpose for including this incident in his narrative seems to have been to show that God, through Jesus, can give insight to those who humbly call on Him for mercy. Here was another humble outcast similar to th...
  • Luke's account of the events following Jesus' resurrection stresses the reality of that event and the reactions of the witnesses to it. All these people felt depressed because of Jesus' death, but when they learned of His res...
  • This is another of Luke's exquisite and unique stories. Various students of it have noted its similarity to the stories of the feeding of the 5,000 (9:10-17), the appearance in Jerusalem (vv. 36-49), and the Ethiopian eunuch ...
  • The emphasis here is on the physical reality of Jesus' body after His resurrection whereas in the previous pericope the stress was on His supernatural nature. The incident clarifies that the One who rose from the dead was ind...
  • All the Gospels contain instances of Jesus giving the Great Commission to His disciples, but evidently He did not just give it once. The contexts are different suggesting that He repeated these instructions on at least four s...
  • Jesus' ascension was already in view in 9:51. There Luke presented it as the ultimate goal of Jesus' first advent ministry. Jesus' ascension would have happened even if the Jews had accepted Him as their Messiah. Prophecies o...
  • Alford, Henry. The Greek Testament. New ed. 4 vols. London: Rivingtons, 1880.Bailey, Kenneth E. Poet and Peasant: A Literary-Cultural Approach to the Parables in Luke. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977.Bishop...
  • John the Apostle introduced John the Baptist because John the Baptist bore witness to the light, namely Jesus. John the Baptist was both a model evangelist pointing those in darkness to the light and a model witness providing...
  • John the Baptist continued his witness to Jesus' identity by identifying Him publicly as the Lamb of God. This witness is a crucial part of the writer's purpose of promoting faith in Jesus.1:29 The very next day John saw Jesu...
  • As the other evangelists, John alternated his account of the events surrounding Jesus' religious trial. He described what was happening in the courtyard (vv. 15-18), then what was happening inside (vv. 19-24), then what happe...
  • Luke wrote these introductory statements to connect the Book of Acts with his Gospel.17In the former book Luke had recorded what Jesus had begun to do and to teach during His earthly ministry. In this second book he wrote wha...
  • This pericope is another of Luke's summaries of conditions in the church that introduces what follows (cf. 2:42-47; 4:32-35). It also explains why the Sadducees became so jealous that they arrested not only Peter and John but...
  • Luke recorded this incident to show the method and direction of the church's expansion to God-fearing Gentiles who were attracted to Judaism at this time. This man had visited Jerusalem to worship, was studying the Old Testam...
  • 1:2 Paul next began to exalt the gospel that God had called him to proclaim. It was a message that God had promised, not just prophesied, in the Old Testament Scriptures. The words "his"and "holy"stress the unique origin of t...
  • Paul turned next to show that the resurrection of Christ makes the resurrection of believers both necessary and inevitable. The consequences of this fact are as glorious as the effects of His not being raised are dismal. Thos...
  • Paul began this section with a basic admonition (vv. 15-21). Then he applied this instruction to various groups of Christians (5:22-6:9).5:15 The word order and usage in the Greek text suggest that "careful"modifies "walk"rat...
  • First, Paul thanked his brethren for their recent gift that Epaphroditus had delivered to him (vv. 10-14).4:10 The "But"(Gr. de) that opens this section in the NASB is a bit misleading. It does not imply a contrast with what ...
  • The writer proceeded to explain the exaltation of Jesus Christ to help his readers appreciate the fact that He fulfilled Old Testament prophecy concerning the Son of David. He did this so they would appreciate Him properly an...
  • This section on the superior high priestly ministry of Christ (7:1-10:18) concludes with this pericope in which the writer emphasized the perfecting effect of Jesus Christ's sacrifice on New Covenant believers. He wrote this ...
  • Peter proceeded to emphasize that the witness of the apostles, as well as the witness of Scripture, came from God. He did this to help his readers see that their choice boiled down to accepting God's Word or the word of men w...
  • "This writing begins without any of the formal features characteristic of a letter, such as we found in 2 John and 3 John. Since the conclusion also lacks any typical features of a letter, we must conclude that the writing is...
  • The Apostle John wrote these opening verses to introduce to his readers the main subject dealt with in this book and his purpose for writing it.1:1 "The revelation of Jesus Christ"is the subject of this book. "Revelation"mean...
  • Philadelphia (lit. brotherly love; cf. Rom. 12:10; 1 Thess. 4:9; Heb. 13:1; et al.) lay about 30 miles southeast of Sardis. A Pergamenian king, Attalus II (159-138 B.C.), founded it. The town received its name from his nickna...
  • 5:6 As with our dreams, John's vision contained some unusual features. John saw the Messiah as a Lamb.229The Lamb is a symbol of Jesus Christ at His first advent, meek and submissive to a sacrificial death as our substitute (...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • The final exhortation and promise point backwards and forwards, summing up duty in obedience to the law, and fixing hope on a future reappearance of the leader of the prophets. Moses and Elijah are the two giant figures which...
  • There was, in the days of Herod the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6. And they were both righteous before God, w...
  • The devoutest heart is conscious of shrinking dread when brought face to face with celestial brightness that has overflowed into our darkness. So Fear not' is the first word on the messenger's lips, and one can fancy the acce...
  • He shall be groat in the sight of the Lord.'--Luke 1:15.So spake the angel who foretold the birth of John the Baptist. In the sight of the Lord '--then men are not on a dead level in His eyes. Though He is so high and we are ...
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