Luke Part 8: The Birth of Jesus

Text: Luke 2:1-20

This passage is probably one of the most familiar in all of Scripture. We must be careful not to allow ourselves to be made complacent by familiarity, because it is a truly remarkable and amazing passage.

In the first several verses, the facts surrounding the census are laid out. In Luke's typical systematic style, he establishes the historical setting: during the reign of Caesar Augustus, the first census taken during when Quirinius was governor in Syria. Thus, we see God working, moving in this world through the hands of sinful men. Caesar thought he was ordering the census of his own initiative, but in actuality he was performing God's bidding, ensuring that the prophecy of Micah 5:2 would be fulfilled and that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Note also that Joseph and Mary obeyed the civil authorities even though it was a great difficulty for them.

Verses 6 and 7 describe the birth of Jesus. What is truly remarkable about His birth is that He was born to such extreme poverty. Although the rulers of the world live in great luxury in order to please themselves, Jesus came in great poverty to serve others.

Next we read of how the message came to the shepherds. Shepherds were rough and tough, living out in the fields defending the flock. Yet when the angel appeared before them, they were "terribly frightened". Our conception of the appearance of angels, if accurate, should picture angels as fearful beings -- a single angel could make a group of tough men tremble.

Shepherds were also on the bottom rung of society. Yet God chose to send the good news of Christ's birth to them, again confirming the pattern of using the weak and foolish things of this world to confound the strong and wise in this world. Jesus did not exclude classes. If he had been born in a king's palace, these shepherds would have been denied access. But he was born in a lowly stable, where they were free to come and worship.

The message from the angels indicated that Jesus was "a Savior, who is Christ the Lord". Three names of Jesus, indicating:

1. He was the Savior, the One to save God's people from their sins.
2. He was Christ, meaning the Messiah, the Anointed One, the One God had designated.
3. He was "the Lord", the Greek title for "God". Jesus was God in the flesh.

After the shepherds found Jesus and worshiped Him, they returned to their flocks. But on their way, they became the first Christian missionaries, telling whomever they met about what God had shown them. The word from God had changed them: they went on their way rejoicing!

From this passage, we see that from the beginning, Jesus was outside the norm, outside the realm of the religious elites. The angels went to nobodies, not to people in positions of prestige. God was entrusting a revelation to men who, in the world's view, were totally unqualified. God trusted them to keep and spread the gospel He had given to them.

Will we, like the shepherds come "in a hurry" to Jesus? Will disregard the inadequacy of the messenger, taking the good news with rejoicing and spreading it to all we come in contact with in our daily living?

Luke Part 7: Zacharias' Prophecy, Continued

Text: Luke 2:76-80

This post discusses the second half -- the second sentence, actually -- of Zacharias' praise after his son was born and he became able to speak again. In the first sentence of his praise, Zacharias discussed the coming Redeemer and the deliverance He would bring. In the second sentence, he speaks more specifically about his son, John. He describes John's role as a forerunner and lays out some of the great things God would do through him.

First, in verse 76, John was to be a "prophet of the Most High". What was his mission? What was he going to do? He was to "go before" the Lord and "prepare His ways".

How was he going to "prepare His ways"? This is described for us in verse 77: He was to tell God's people about his plan of salvation. This plan of salvation was radically different from what the Jews of that time may have been expecting. It was not deliverance from Rome, or any thing else physical. It was a spiritual deliverance. Jesus was coming to free His people from their sins. That would be the role of the Messiah. John's mission was to spread that good news.

Verse 78 describes more completely what the salvation will be like. This forgiveness will not be by works; it will not be something earned. Rather, God will grant forgiveness because of his "tender mercy". The adjective "tender" tells us something about God -- He shows Himself to be kind and gentle towards His children. The "Sunrise from on high", the Sun of Righteousness, will come to us -- not coming to us to crush and overwhelm us, but to "visit us", to commune with us.

He is coming (v. 79) to bring light to those who sit in darkness and guide our feet on the path of peace. This is a comparison to two groups of people. There are those, on the one hand, who have no knowledge of Christ. They are in darkness, willful ignorance of Him. They "sit" in this darkness, indicating that they have accepted this condition. To some of these, Christ will shine his light and convert them into those who are on "the way of peace". Note that the Christian life is portrayed as a "way". The Christian life is elsewhere portrayed as a "walk". It is a progression, a growing into greater and greater knowledge and light. (See Prov. 4:18)

We are called to be like John the Baptist. What he was about is what we should be about: letting our light shine in all that we say or do to point others to Christ.

Finally, a quick note on verse 80: Notice that John the Baptist did a unique thing. Normally, a son of a priest would be expected to follow his father into the ministry, first serving him, then training and finally becoming a priest himself. But instead, John went out to the desert. He did not grow up within and was not trained by the religious power structure of the time. He was taught by God out in the desert. God was instituting a new thing -- the Old Covenant system was passing away.

Luke, Part 6: Zacharias’ Prophecy

Text: Luke 1:67-79

After Zacharias’ tongue was loosened, he burst forth with praise and prophecy.  We are told he was filled with the Holy Spirit, meaning he was under the Spirit’s control.  He was illuminated by the Spirit; he gained new insights into the Word of God that he was already familiar with.

Two of the aspects of prophecy are present in what Zacharias said: an accurate understanding of the Word, and a view of the future.  The entire prophecy of Zacharias is composed of only two sentences.  The first is a praise to God, and the second is a prophecy of the ministry of Zacharias’ son John.  This post will discuss the first sentence (v. 68-75).

First, we see that Zacharias sees the end outworking of God’s promises to be completely certain at their beginning.  So he says God has “visited us and accomplished redemption for His people.”  The redemption was so certain to him that he declared it complete.

He mentions that God has raised up a “horn of salvation”.  The “horn” refers to power and glory made evident.  So this salvation was becoming visible as Jesus Christ was being revealed.

Then Zacharias describes how the coming of Christ is the fulfillment of all the prophets.  He specifically mentions Abraham, and how this is the fulfillment of the covenant made to Abraham, the covenant that God condescended to confirm to us with an oath.

Zacharias prophesied that the Redeemer would deliver them from their “enemies”.  Who are our enemies that Christ delivers us from?

1. Our sinful nature.  Man’s natural state is sinful.  In this state, you are the center of your life and you are driven to seek what is good for you.
2. The practice of sin.  The more we sin, the more it becomes a habit.  As we get in the habit of pleasing ourselves and we do it more and more, it has an ever-greater grip upon us.
3. The devil and his hosts.  Satan does all he can to hold men under his power.  He works by first bringing a temptation, then if we fall into sinning, and sin willfully, we are inviting him to take more and more power over us.
4. Fear.  Fear is our enemy and is specifically mentioned in this section (v. 74).  All men are gripped by some fear – fear of death, fear of other men, and other fears, some irrational.

Christ has come and delivered us from these enemies.  He has performed the mercy promise.

The ultimate end of what Christ has done is not to merely make us Christians to get us out of hell and continue to live our same lives.  He has created a people to serve Him.  That is the reason He has redeemed us, to serve Him in holiness and righteousness (v. 74, 75).  We are no longer sinful in nature, but we have been made holy to serve God in holiness.  Thus, we can now do what is right before God.

Finally, the prophecy declared that we would serve God without fear.  This must have been astounding to the Jews of that time, who were used to striving under the fear of God, always cognizant of their guilt before the Perfect and Holy One.  But this prophecy declared that we should serve Him, without fear, in His very presence – and that we should do so “all our days”.  What a wonderful promise: dwelling eternally in God’s presence without fear!

Luke Part 5: John is Born

Text: Luke 1:57-66

God is faithful to His Word. Exactly as the Lord had said, Elizabeth bore a son. Four points of observation about this birth are given below.

1). The reaction of their friends and family. First, their friends and family rejoiced. Christians have a unique bond among them, and we should be able to freely rejoice with others, regardless of our own circumstances.

Secondly, they got a little carried away in their exuberance. They couldn't believe that Zacharias and Elizabeth were going to name their newborn boy "John", which wasn't a family name at all. But after Zacharias set them straight with a written message -- and then began to speak again -- they realized that something extraordinary was happening, and they responded as we ought to also respond to the good news of salvation. They shared these events with others who weren't there (v. 65); they took these things to heart, remembering and considering them (v. 66), and they watched expectantly for what God would do through John's life.

2). The reaction of Zacharias and Elizabeth. First, they rejoiced and wanted to share this event with those around them. Likewise, we should be wanting to share an encouraging word with those around us, and be letting others know what God is doing in our lives.

Secondly, they did not allow their friends' alarm to change their course from what God had told them. "His name is John", Zacharias wrote decisively. Note that we should not assume that the way God is dealing with us is not the same as the way He is dealing with others.

Also, note that the new mother and father were in agreement, presenting a unified front.

Another remarkable fact is that Zacharias' first words were words of praise to God. He was not like a spoiled child, sullen after his punishment, but he saw that God was good in all things, including in His chastening.

3). Why was his name "John"? First, it was because that's what God said it was. When we read something plainly written in the Word of God, we must believe it. Secondly, the name "John" means "God is gracious". John was to be the one who would announce Christ's coming, and in that announcement there was great grace. We have this image of John the Baptist as being a rough character, eating locusts and wild honey, calling out the Pharisees as snakes. Yet in spite of the tough nature of his reproof, his message was one of great grace.

4). The hand of the Lord was upon him. What a thing this is to say! In the hand of God is a good place to be -- a place of security and safety for His children.

Luke, Part 4: Mary’s Song

Text: Luke 1:46-55 (opens in new window)

Previous to this passage, Mary had visited Elizabeth and was greeted with warm words of encouragement.  Mary responds to that greeting with a song of praise that is recorded in this text. 

Interestingly, this song is rather similar to the song of Hannah, recorded in 1 Samuel 2.  Also, the song shares similarity with many of the Psalms.  Mary was evidently familiar with the Psalms, and the same Spirit was working in her, in Hannah, and in the Psalm writers, so it’s not surprising that there are similarities.  Hannah’s song ended with the prophecy of a coming King, and Mary’s song ended with an acknowledgement that this prophecy had been fulfilled.

Two major themes of this song are: God’s accomplishment of His promises at their beginning are as sure as they are at the end.  And, God does not work through the civil and religious power structure; instead, He works through humble individuals.

This song can be looked at as being composed of four sections: (1) What God has done for Mary, (2) What God has done for His people, (3) Mercy and Judgment, and (4) God is faithful to His Word.

Looking at the song verse by verse, in verse 46, Mary says that her soul “exalts the Lord”.  God is already highly exalted – how can she, or we, exalt Him?  By speaking of who God is and the works He is performing.

In verse 47, Mary refers to “God my Savior”.  How is God her Savior?  Because God has done great things for her and through her.  In verses 48 and 49, Mary continues to exalt God and proclaim what He has done for her.

In verse 50, we are reminded that God’s blessings are ongoing,  from generation to generation.  God is holy, all-powerful, and mighty.  He is the Savior of mankind; this blessing is only for those who fear Him.

The next section of the song, from verses 51-53, is a comparison of two peoples: the the humble and weak, whom God uses, and the self-satisfied, the rich, and the powerful, whom God will tear down and destroy.  Humility is a prime component of Christianity – God is opposed to the proud, but exalts the humble.  Christ, our example, humbled Himself beyond measure by taking upon Himself the form of a man.

We must come to God in humility.  If we embrace Jesus in humility and brokenness, we will be received, but if we trust in our own self-sufficiency and self-righteousness, we will be rejected.

The last two verses of this song, verses 54 and 55, are a proclamation of God’s mercy.  Throughout all of God’s judgments, He still remembered, and will remember mercy.  His mercy is (v.55) forever – there is hope for yet more people who will seek Him today; and His mercy is “to the seed of Abraham”, the father of the faithful.

God’s Gracious Dealings with Remnants

Throughout the Bible, we see that God deals frequently with remnants.  What is a remnant?  The dictionary definition is “that which is left over”, “residue”, or “remainder”.

We see God dealing with a small portion and rejecting another portion throughout Old Testament history.  God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and rejected Cain, dividing humanity in half.  In the Flood, God saved only eight people out of the mass of humanity at that time.  In the case of Abraham, God chose one man out of Ur of the Chaldees to be the patriarch of His particular people.  He continued to reveal Himself exclusively through that small nation.  Or take the example of Gideon.  God whittled down his strong army to just 300 men, and used them in winning a great victory.

Sometimes we might see the corruption and lack of reality in mainstream denominations and feel as though we are all alone, the only ones truly following God.  Elijah, after killing the prophets of Baal at Mt. Carmel, fled to a cave and twice came before God claiming that “he alone” was left.  God responded that there were 7,000 in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal.  Romans 11:5 reminds us that there is a similar remnant today.  Whenever we follow God completely, we are not alone – we are part of His remnant in the world.

Although we may seem like a part of a tiny group of believers today, at the end of the world (Rev 7:9), God’s people through the ages will amass as a great multitude, too vast for any man to count.  Therefore, “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32).

Luke, Part 3: Mary Visits Elizabeth

Text: Luke 1:39-45

In the previous section of Luke, the angel came to Mary and told her she would bear the Messiah.  Although she did ask, “How can (literally “shall”) this be?” she – unlike Zacharias – had faith in the word that God had sent her and believed the angel, understanding that “nothing is impossible with God.”

In this section, Mary came to visit Elizabeth.  Mary wanted to get together with someone else who had experienced God.  This is natural – people who have experienced God want to be together.

In verse 40, we see that Mary entered the house and “greeted” Elizabeth.  What was this greeting?  It was probably more than just a “hello”.  Mary must have been telling Elizabeth about the news the angel had given her because, in verse 41, we see that the baby leaped in Elizabeth’s womb.

When the baby leaped, Elizabeth was “filled with the Holy Spirit”.  Much could be said about the filling of the Holy Spirit.  We remember that Elizabeth had “kept herself in seclusion” for five months.  She was thinking of the Lord and walking circumspectly.  Walking with the Lord allows us to be filled with the Spirit.  Ephesians 5:15-20 describes how we are to walk carefully and use our time wisely, and to give ourselves over to the Holy Spirit, in comparison to how one who is ruled by drink gives himself over to wine.

It is interesting to note that Elizabeth was already regenerate, what we today would call “a Christian” before this filling of the ?Holy Spirit occurred.

The filling of the Holy Spirit caused Elizabeth to “cry out”.  She is excited, emotionally engaged.  She had been told that her baby would grow up to be the forerunner of the Messiah, but she did not know when the Messiah would come, until this point.

In the following verses, Elizabeth encouraged Mary, showing great humility (v.43) even though she was older than Mary.  She encouraged Mary by telling her what God had done.

She proclaimed Mary to be blessed in v. 44.  Mary was blessed in the same way as we are – she was saved through the work of Christ.  She also had a special blessing, in the service she performed in carrying Jesus.  For her, as well as us, blessedness is obtained through service.