Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

• The importance of listening to God 8:11-9:1
  8:11 Isaiah now passed along instruction that Yahweh had powerfully given him warning him against following the popular reliance on human strength.8:12-13 The Lord told him not to fear the armies of Judah's enemies, but God H...
• The ministering servant, Messiah 41:21-42:9
  How is it clear that Yahweh and not the idols directs world history? Yahweh alone can predict the future and then bring it to pass (41:21-29). Since Yahweh is the God of Israel, does He have any regard for the Gentile nations...
• The Servant's calling 49:1-7
  "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...
• II. A promise of future glory for the temple 2:1-9
  2:1 The Lord revealed another message to Haggai almost one month later, on the twenty-first day of the seventh month (Tishri, modern October 17) of the same year, 520 B.C. This was the last day of the feast of Tabernacles (Bo...
• The smiting of the Shepherd and the scattering of the sheep 13:7-9
  13:7 Zechariah now returned in a poem to the subject of the Shepherd that he had mentioned in chapter 11. He also returned to the time when Israel would be scattered among the nations because of her rejection of the Good Shep...
• 1. The message of the Servant 1:14-15 (cf. Matt. 4:12, 17; Luke 4:14-15)
  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...
• Outline
  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...
• II. The birth and childhood of Jesus 1:5--2:52
  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...
• 2. The angel's announcement to Zechariah 1:8-23
  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 ...
• 2. The angel's announcement to Mary 1:28-38
  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...
• C. The birth and early life of John the Baptist 1:57-80
  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...
• 2. The announcement to the shepherds 2:8-20
  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...
• 4. Jesus' presentation in the temple 2:22-38
  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...
• 6. Jesus' visit to the temple as a boy 2:41-50
  This is the only inspired incident that God has given us of Jesus' experiences during His boyhood. Luke stressed Jesus' wisdom and His conscious awareness that He was the Son of God so his readers would have confidence in Jes...
• 7. Jesus' continuing growth 2:51-52
  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...
• 1. The beginning of John's ministry 3:1-6 (cf. Matt. 3:1-6; Mark 1:1-6)
  3:1-2 Luke made detailed reference to the time when John commenced his ministry to document the reliability of his Gospel.116Only the reference to Tiberius is necessary to date the beginning of John's ministry that shortly pr...
• C. The genealogy of Jesus 3:23-38 (cf. Matt. 1:1-17)
  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...
• The Beatitudes 6:20-23 (cf. Matt. 5:3-10)
  6:20 Clearly Jesus' disciples were the primary objects of His instruction in this sermon (cf. vv. 13-19)."Blessed"(Gr. makarios) in this context describes the happy condition of someone whom God has blessed with His special f...
• Jesus' prediction of His passion 9:21-22 (cf. Matt. 16:17-23; Mark 8:30-33)
  Luke omitted Jesus' prediction of the church (Matt. 16:17-19), Peter's rebuke of Jesus (Matt. 16:22; Mark 8:32), and Jesus' counter-rebuke of Peter (Matt. 16:23; Mark 8:33). These omissions enabled him to stress Jesus' predic...
• 4. Jesus' passion announcement and the disciples' lack of perception 18:31-34 (cf. Matt. 20:17-19; Mark 10:32-34)
  Jesus' passion announcements to His disciples constitute important structural markers in Mark's Gospel. Luke and Matthew did not use them this way. The incident before us was the third passion announcement that Jesus gave bes...
• 3. A synopsis of Jesus' teaching in the temple 19:47-48 (cf. Mark 11:18)
  Luke stressed the rejection and hostility of the Jewish leaders toward Jesus as He taught daily in the temple precincts. The common people, however, were very receptive to His instruction. This contrast between popular accept...
• G. The burial of Jesus 23:50-56 (cf. Matt. 27:57-66; Mark 15:42-47; John 19:31-42)
  This pericope is primarily transitional bridging the stories of Jesus' death and resurrection. It confirms the reality of Jesus' death. However, Luke included more information about Joseph of Arimathea (location unknown) than...
• H. The resurrection of Jesus 24:1-12 (cf. Matt. 28:1-8; Mark 16:1-8; John 20:1-10)
  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...
• 1. The appearance to the disciples walking to Emmaus 24:13-35
  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 ...
• J. The ascension of Jesus 24:50-53 (cf. Mark 16:19-20; Acts 1:9-12)
  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...
• Bibliography
  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...
• The consequences Paul's message 13:42-52
  13:42-43 Paul's message created great interest in the hearts of many people who listened to him. He and Barnabas continued clarifying the gospel for their inquirers during the following week.565Here "the grace of God"refers t...
• Paul's sermon to the Athenians 17:22-31
  Luke probably recorded Paul's address (vv. 22-31) as a sample of his preaching to intellectual pagans (cf. 13:16-41; 14:15-18; 20:18-35).712In this speech Paul began with God as Creator and brought his hearers to God as Judge...
• Paul's speech in his defense 22:1-21
  Paul needed to defend himself against the charge that he had been disloyal to his people, the Mosaic Law, and the temple (cf. 21:28). His devout Jewish audience was especially skeptical of Paul since he was a Hellenistic Jew ...
• Paul's speech to the dignitaries 26:1-23
  Paul was not on trial here. When he had appealed to Caesar (25:11), he had guaranteed that his next trial would be before the emperor. This was just a hearing designed to acquaint Agrippa with Paul's case so Agrippa could giv...
• A deadly attack 9:13-19
  9:13 Someone near the four horns (symbolic of power) of the golden altar in heaven, probably the angel identified with it in 8:3, gave a command after the sixth angel blew the sixth trumpet (cf. 8:2, 6). Instead of seeing som...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

• Simeon's Swan-Song
  Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy word: 30. For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation.'--Luke 2:29-30.THAT scene, when the old man took the Infant in his withered arms, is one of the most pictur...