Luke 4

The temptation of Christ. 40 days in the wilderness. It was brought to my attention last weekend an interesting contrast: the Jews wandered in the dessert (wilderness...same area) for 40 years. The Jews did nothing except mess up. Christ faced his temptations without sin.

From the Internet: The number “40” is another recurring quantity. The Flood of Noah lasted for forty days. Moses ran away to Midian at the age of forty and stayed in Midian for forty years. He spent forty days on Mount Sinai, getting the Commandments. After escaping Egypt, the Israelites spent forty years wandering in the desert. The spies from that Exodus spent forty days in Canaan. Ninevah was allowed forty days to repent (Jonah 3). Elijah and Jesus both fasted for forty days. Jesus spent forty days on earth after the resurrection. Israel’s Judges judged for forty-year terms. Kings Saul, David and Solomon each reigned for forty years. Forty must have been symbolic for a generation or a lifetime.


Chapter 4 starts Jesus' healing ministry. This is kind of a fun side note. Luke records the same miracle of healing Peter's mother-in-law as the other Gospels, but being a physician, he is the only one to tell it was a high fever and in what way she was healed - Jesus stood over her and rebuked the fever.

Luke 3

I am going to skip Luke 2 because I already commented during Christmas week. So on to Luke 3.


John is baptizing people in the Jordon...asking them to repent and accept salvation. The people were asking what they should do next. John gives very practical advice here that is good for all of us. Remember the book, "What Would Jesus Do?". Well, here is Luke's summation of that book:


And the crowds were questioning him, saying, 'Then what shall we do?' And he would answer and say to them, 'The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.' And some tax collectors (publicans) also came to be baptized, and they said to him, 'Teacher, what shall we do?' And he said to them, 'Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.' Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, 'And what about us, what shall we do/' And he said to them, 'Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.' "v.10-14


In other words, before you act, ask yourself, what would Jesus do, and do that. I don't know why this can be so hard sometimes. I heard someone say that the flesh isn't weak, the flesh is very strong, in that sometimes it is overwhelming and seemingly impossible to overcome, even when we want to or know what is best. Even the easiest thing, like returning the wrong change. What is up with that? =)

After Jesus is baptized, Luke gives a very detailed genealogy of Christ. This one is different than the one in Matthew because it is Mary's line. Very cool: ...the son of Abraham...the son of Noah...the son of Adam, the son of God. Wouldn't it be neat if we could trace our genealogy all the way back!

Luke 1, con't

The same angel, Gabriel, came to Mary to let her know she was also going to conceive. Mary questioned the angel - out of awe - for she was a virgin. Her question was not a question of disbelief so Gabriel did not rebuke her like he did Zacharias.

An unwed mother, back in the day, would be accused of adultery, a sin that could be punished with stoning. So her response to the angel is extraordinary! "And Mary said, 'Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.'" v. 38

An interesting think I learned in this chapter. Mary went to see Elizabeth while Elizabeth was in her 6th month. Mary stayed 3 months, which means Mary was there for the birth of John! Very cool.

Of course, when Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, her baby leaped in her womb, a verse I never get tired of hearing. But what I had missed before, was that Elizabeth was also filled with the Holy Spirit and knew Mary's condition before Mary even told her. "And she cried out with a loud voice and said,' Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.'" v.42-45

And so it went, in the Shadow of the Cross.

Luke 1

This is a very long chapter. I'm going to take it in two parts.

It starts with meeting John's (the Baptist) parents and Mary and ends with seeing that John was growing to a man. In chapter 2, Luke regresses back to when Mary is about to give birth. I guess because Chapter 2 is the Christmas story, I never really paid much attention to Chapter 1, John's parents, Zacharias and Elizabeth, and the detail of John's birth. Luke is very specific.

Zacharias was a priest and at this particular moment was given a very high priestly task. It was during the performance of this task - that the people of the temple were very aware of and watching - that the angel Gabriel comes to him while he is alone. His wife Elizabeth, like Sarah, was very advanced in years and without a child. Gabriel was there to let him know that his wife was going to be pregnant.

"Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John. You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord;...he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother's womb. And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God. It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children..." v. 13-17

John, like Elijah, would take a bold and uncompromising stand of the Word of God. Also note, that John was filled with the Holy Spirit while in Elizabeth's womb, proving God's sovereignty in salvation - not of our works.

So, after being told this, Zacharias questions the angel. Honestly, I would have...that would have been a lot to believe! The angel punishes him by taking away his speech (makes him mute) until the time Elizabeth gives birth. Wow. But God needed to bring attention to Zacharias from the people in the temple who were waiting for him. So when he emerged, unable to speak, they realized he had seen a vision. Otherwise, the incident, most likely, would not have been believed and gone unnoticed.

After the baby was born and was circumcised on the 8th day in the temple, Zacharias "asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, 'His name is John.' And they were all astonished. And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed and he began to speak in praise of God. Fear came on all those living around them, and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, 'What then will this child turn out to be?' For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him." v. 63-66

I thought it was cool that he wrote on a tablet, like in the movies. LOL

"And you child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare His ways; to give to His people the knowledge of salvation..." v. 76-77

"And the child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel." v. 80

I love this dipiction of John from the movie, Godspell, from 1973. Enjoy and smile!

Luke

Dear Heavenly Father,
Bless my time in the book of Luke. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear what You have intended for me. Let me take what I glean and manifest it into my daily life to bring glory to You. I thank-you that I can call You, Abba Father! Amen

The book of Luke, was written by Luke who also wrote Acts. Both books were written to Theophilus. Luke is the only gentile author in the New Testament and I found it interesting that he quoted the least from the Old Testament and when he did go there he read from the LXX, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures. He uses Greek terminology over Hebrew: "The Skull" over "Golgotha", for instance.

Luke's book stays very much to the chronological order of Christ's life. Luke stresses Jesus' relentless progression toward the cross, which was the very purpose Jesus came to earth.

Romans 16

Romans ends with Paul giving acknowledgement to the people he is closest to in the church. I'm pretty sure that I have never seen this chapter...and am looking forward to getting back to the Gospels. Anyway, John MacArthur says of this chapter, " This chapter, which has almost no explicit teaching and contains several lists of mostly unknown people, is the most extensive and intimate expression of Paul's love and affection for other believers and co-workers found anywhere in his NT letters. It also provides insights into the lives of ordinary first-century Christians and gives an inside look at the nature and character of the early church."

Romans 15

Edification: to build up and strengthen.

"Each of us is to please his neighbor for his good, to his edification." v. 2
"Now may the God who gives perseverance and encouragement grant you to be of the same mind with one another according to Christ Jesus, so that with one accord you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." v. 5-6

"Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit". v.13

Amen