Luke Chapter 1
Before beginning our study in the Gospel According to Luke, I would like to first read and comment a short bit on
CHRIST’S WONDERFUL INVITATION (Friday Church News Notes, March 2, 2018, www.wayoflife.org, fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – from Matthew 11:25-30 we read “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” This invitation is issued by the Trinity. When we examine the context, we see the amazing fact that the Son of God is inviting sinners into the intimate relationship that He has with the Father. The invitation is a revelation of God’s marvelous character. How incredible that the Almighty God would care whether His fallen, unholy creatures know and love Him! Even after redemption, we are pathetic sinners who fail continually to come up to the glory of God, yet God desires our love and is keenly aware of whether we love Him and how much we love Him (e.g., Revelation 2:4). Salvation is coming to a person, knowing a person, having an intimate relationship with a person. And the rest in the Christian life comes by an intimate personal walk with Christ. This is the path of no “burn out.” The believer has a yoke to wear and a service to render, but it is not a yoke of drudgery, of religion, of mere duty. It is a restful, enjoyable yoke. It is not a heavy yoke that is held by a cruel taskmaster; it is a light yoke that binds me to a loving Saviour. He is in the yoke with me, and He does the heavy pulling.
In this study of Luke’s Gospel, we will not be doing an intensive study of each verse, nor each passage. But the focus will be upon what we can learn of our gracious Savior.
We need to look at it with an eye towards what Bro Escalera shared last week about our “Dash,” that is, how will our life be lived in relation to our Savior? What will be the epithet on the headstone on the grave?
I appreciated yesterday at the funeral for Michelle Guess’ grandmother how that the preachers and her son spoke of her love for her Savior and for her faithfulness to what He called her to do, to teach the 1st grade Sunday School class for 39 years with a love for Christ, a love for the kids, her friends and her family. I think the word used to describe her was eloquent and majestic.
That is quite a “Dash,” the years of one’s life. How can we find the help from the Lord to finish the race that is set before us. Let’s look as we study the life of our Savior and His people.
We saw in our study of Mark a few years ago, Christ Jesus presented as the Servant of the Lord, there was no lineage, for servants matter not whom they descend from. As we looked at many passages in Matthew’s gospel a couple of years ago in our study of Jerusalem and her kings, we saw Christ Jesus presented as the Messiah, the King of Israel. There we saw His lineage that is traced back as far as Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel. Bro. Phil on Wednesday nights a short while back did an overview of John’s Gospel, where we find God the Word made flesh, looking at Christ in terms of His deity. There was no lineage presented there other than what we find in verses 1 and 14 of chapter 1. Here we will find that Luke presents Christ as the Perfect Man, the sinless, obedient Son of God and Son of Man. We will find His lineage tracing all the way back to Adam, the first man.
- The Birth of the Perfect Man, Chs 1-3
- Purpose of the Gospel
- Announcement of the Birth of John, 1:5-25
- Gabriel Appears to Zacharias in the Temple
Purpose of the Gospel: To Present the Perfect Man
Luke 1:1-4 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.
- Four Hundred Years of Silence are Now Ending as Gabriel comes to speak with Zacharias.
- Fifteen Hundred Years of the Dispensation of the Law of Moses are nearing their conclusion.
- The Dispensation of Grace, of the Age of the Churches, is approaching its beginning.
Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, 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, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
They were righteous, and we know that righteousness for anyone is only by faith in the Lord, just as it was with Abraham. But we also see the characteristic of those who have been justified by faith, they are obedient to the Lord’s commands, and so both this well-stricken couple were. They had prayed for a child, a son. But none had come and now, like Abraham, It was approaching that is impossible for a woman to conceive, bear and raise a child.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him,
“Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. Johanan, Jehovah is grace.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
He will be a moral man, a man mighty in his work from the Lord’s point of view, and an extremely spiritual and effective man in his ministry.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
This fulfills Malachi 3:1.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Elijah was promised to come before the great and dreadful Day of the Lord in the last two verse of the Old Testament, Mal 4:5-6. Following Malachi’s writing of his book, there ensued four hundred of silence from the Lord. Now, officially, that silence is over. God is now speaking to His people again, here to the father of John, next to the mother of the Savior, and finally, the nation when John the Baptist begins his work some thirty years later.
What a great and marvelous announcement this is for the aged priest and his wife of many decades!
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
With Zacharias, we see that even with God’s righteous, obedient servants, even the best of saints can have their moments of doubts. But even then, the Lord will continue His work in and with their lives. It is understandable and I can identify with the doubt and shock of Zacharias. If I were eighty plus years old, I too would be very doubtful if an angel told me that my wife Sonja was going to have a baby!
Whereby shall I know this? Zacharias’ reply showed his lack of faith in the word from God sent by Gabriel. He wanted to know, How can I KNOW this thing, not How you gonna do this?
What are you going to do so that I can know this is true? He wanted a miraculous sign so that he could believe it, similar to Gideon and his fleece. He did not simply believe the word of God.
In this specific regard, he was not well pleasing to the Lord, see Heb 11:6.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
Can you hear Gabriel saying “You’re kidding me, right?!” Gabriel means “Mighty one of God.” And so he first tells Zacharias his name to let him no the authority and ability with which he is sent to the priest. He tells him his position, one that stands before God. Then he reminds him of the mission that he is on, from God to bring him good news that his prayer has been answered and that his wife is going to conceive, and that their son is going to be the Messiah’s forerunner, coming in the spirit of Elijah no less, thus ending the 400 years of God’s silence with the nation of Israel.
You want a sign he says, fine I’ll give you a sign.
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. 23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
A woman as old as Elizabeth knew that it was going to be a hard time carrying this baby, giving it birth and then nursing, nurturing and raising him in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. She was going to need the Lord’s help all the way along, she was going to need to continue to submit herself to the Lord and continue in obedience to Him as was her habit. And we will find the next we see her, that not only is here baby in the womb filled with the Holy Spirit but she is as well.
This was a righteous and obedient family John the Baptist came into, and despite the response, we just saw of Zacharias and his state-of=shock moment of disbelief, they would raise him well.
Next, we come to the second person Gabriel is sent to for a special announcement, the most important of announcements as far as any Hebrew woman could imagine.
Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Highly favored – Gracious favor has been bestowed upon you!
Blessed art thous AMONG women, NOT ABOVE women, as Catholicism promotes. She was a woman in need of God’s grace, just as every other person born of a son of Adam is. She had no immaculate conception. That is a heresy from Rome. We will see this in vs 47.
Blessed is from eulogew. We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ. This is the same word. This was the special blessing bestowed upon her, and none other women that’s ever lived. This was a unique and special blessing from the Lord.
29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
She was troubled at his saying. She was perplexed by it, and notice that
She cast in her mind this salutation. I believe that Mary was a woman that meditated on the word of God, as it is said of the person who abstains from sinful behavior and associations as recorded in Psa 1. We know in later verses we will see that she “pondered” in her heart the things said concerning her coming Son.
30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
This word favor is translated grace in most instances. In other words, she had done as Noah, she had found grace in the sight of the Lord. She was a humble, submissive handmaiden, and as Zacharias and Elizabeth, righteous and obedient to the Lord.
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
Mary, unlike Zacharias, did not doubt Gabriel’s word, nor did she ask for a sign. However, she did was the righteous will do on an announcement like this one, she wanted to know “HOW” this thing would come to pass since she had never known a man. She was not just a young maiden as modernists like to promote. No indeed, she was a virgin, just as we see in vs 27. This will be an expected response from someone who meditates, ponders on God’s word. We are to ask the questions concerning the declarations in the Bible, so that we can better understand God’s word.
35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
All the women from Eve down to Mary’s generation, especially those of the tribe of Judah, must have wondered, “Am I the one the Lord will choose to bring forth the promised seed?” See Gen 3:15 and Isa 7:14.
36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.
Since miraculous things were beginning to take place, Gabriel told Mary of the news he had given Zacharias and its fulfillment with Elizabeth.
38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Notice Mary’s response, one of submission to the Lord’s will to use here to bring His Son, the Messiah of Israel, the Savior for men into this world.
Be it unto me according to they word. That is the response of faith and obedience. That is the response that pleases the Lord.
When Gabriel went back to heaven this second time, I’ll bet he was whistling a happy tune of praise to the Lord, instead of shaking his head as he must have with Zacharias. That is, if angels can whistle.
Luke 1:39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
As we know, someone is only filled with the Holy Ghost, when they have been cleansed of their sin through confession and forsaking, and have submitted themselves to be obedient to the will of God. And so Elizabeth was in this instance, but the Holy Spirit revealed something to her—and to her baby still in her womb! Anyone who believes the Bible and denies that life exists in an unborn baby is severely deceived. But back to the point, They recognized that the mother of their Savior was in their presence. And so the Spirit of God led Elizabeth to cry out the following blessing.
42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
Blessed both times here is from eulogew, just as in Gabriel’s greeting previously. It is the blessing of God, from Him.
Again, she blessed AMONG women, not ABOVE women.
43 And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
Rome tries to twist this “mother of my Lord” into “the mother of God.” Again, that is a rank heresy. God has no mother, for he is eternal, without beginning and without end. Mary is the mother of the Son of God, Jesus, but not of Jehovah God.
44 For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord.
She was blessed, makarina, because she believed the promises of the Lord. She was also blessed, makarina, as in Psa 1, because she meditated upon the word of the Lord.
This word makarinw is often translated happy. It is the word used for Blessed art thou” in the beatitudes. It is a blessing or happiness that derives from our obedience to God. Even though we go through difficulties, trials, and troubles; even though the world will think ill of us and persecute us, we can still be blessed, or happy in the soul, because of our trust in the Lord, our faithfulness to Him and our submission to Him, as we walk in the light of His word.
I hope you are happy today, in your soul, even though ills betide, I hope that you are blessed.
We are going to see in the next few verses how it was that Mary “fit the bill” so to speak, as being that one young maiden, still a virgin, that the Lord would choose as the mother of His Son, Jesus the Messiah. In her response to Elizabeth’s prophetic greeting, she responds in kind with an exalted praise of the Lord Jehovah that shows not only here knowledge of several of the Psalms, the Hymnal of the Jewish OT saints but also knowledge of the books of Genesis and 1 Samuel. We see too her use of the word “blessed” from Makaridzw, to be happy. And we will see that she was a woman that followed the pattern of how to truly happy as revealed in Psalm 1:1-2.
Too, we will observe some similarities between her Magnificent Praise of the Almighty, and the Blessings pronounced by our Savior in the Beattitudes of Matthew 5, where He announces the standards for conduct and attitude in His coming Millenial Kingdom.
Luke 1:46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,
Magnify – to esteem highly, to extol, laud, celebrate. See Isa 52:13. Notice, she does not exalt herself. Many have extolled her, but we will see that she had the right perspective of herself, the Lord’s perspective in the following verses. It is THE LORD that is to be exalted, as she so greatly does!
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
This short verse is packed with a wealth of instruction for us, and a tremendous example. Notice first whose Savior she declares God to be— HERS! Only sinners need a Savior, and she rightly sees herself as a sinner saved by God’s grace, through faith in Him—just as Abram was counted righteous. Secondly, she declares that it is God Himself who is her Savior. Only God can save us, no sinner can save him or herself.
Finally, we see her righteous, humble response to the God Who is her Savior—her spirit rejoices in Him. Jesus said that we must worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. And that is exactly what Mary does on this occasion. This word for rejoice is from Agalliaw and means to be “exceeding glad.” She had the greatest delight in God her Savior, and so should we when it sinks into our soul what He has done for us poor old once lost sinners, now saved by His grace through faith in His glorious Son.
Mary had no immaculate conception. She was not free from “original sin” as the Roman Catholic theologians like to proclaim. She too was a sinner made righteous by God through faith in Him.
48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
Mary was a poor peasant girl, yes, but this word “low estate” according to Strongs has the thought of “1) lowness, low estate 2) metaph. 2a) spiritual abasement, leading one to perceive and lament his (moral) littleness and guilt.”
She was humble before the Lord, for that is the only person that the Lord will exalt, or even give grace unto as we know from James 4:6 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
And we see how one of her other sons, James learned from the Savior– and I believe from his own mother at an early age, what he writes in James 1:9-10 “Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: {rejoice: or, glory} 10 But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.”
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
Just as Gabriel has told her in vs 37, The mighty God is able to do the impossible. Modernists and Rationalists have to seek a natural explanation for the miraculous. What a shame, what a shame! They rob God of His glory in attempting to do so. They mock and deny the words of the Bible in trying to declare that Mary was simply a young woman that had sexual relations with her husband Joseph and that Jesus was just another man. They blaspheme the Savior, His Father and the Holy Spirit, and God’s wrath abides upon them because they hold the truth in unrighteousness and they do not have the Jesus of the Bible as their Savior.
Thus they deny God’s power unto salvation and attempt to derail the faith of some.
But Mary knows the impossible thing that the Almighty has done with her body in creating a fertilized egg in the womb of a woman that remained a virgin until after she had given birth to the Savior. “Without faith it is impossible to please Him.” Believe so-called science, rationalism, what you see and observe—or believe the Bible and the God of the Bible. That is the crux of the matter.
50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
This she quotes from Psa 103:17. His mercy is great indeed and it is only available to those that fear Him, the Almighty God of the heavens and the earth. So we see that she indeed had a healthy fear of God.
51 He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
She is quoting here from Psa 98:1-3. This refers to God’s mighty arm in many times delivering the nation of Israel from her enemies. But this Psalm also calls all the earth to worship the Lord. But the only ones that will are those that have seen the arm of the Lord in salvation of the souls of men and women as we see in Isaiah 53:1-3 “1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? 2 For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
Those with a proud mind “He scatters” Mary says. They cannot see His arm of salvation at work. There is no saving power available for them because they think they have no need of it. Their vain, proud imagination is scattered away as their souls depart this earth at the end of their days, headed to hell for eternity because they refused to acknowledge their sin and humble themselves in turning to God and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ into their life to save them.
But, for those who do humble themselves and trust Christ, they see it as Paul declared, the power of God and the wisdom of God in His mighty arm’s work in our salvation.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
Just as Isa 53:1-3 presented the Messiah as a “root out of a dry ground” and as having no form or comeliness about Himself that would draw men to Him, so we see the Messiah coming from a poor, peasant virgin of Nazareth. Had he been conceived by the daughter of the king, why the Jews would have been all around Him, always seeking His blessing and company because of His rank. But He came as a “root out of a dry ground” because His Father planned this in the humble beginning of the Messiah.
Next time indeed He comes to reign on David’s throne. But this time He came to save sinners and to give His life a ransom for many.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
Remember the Beatitudes in Matt 5:6? “Blessed are they that do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.”
Indeed the Lord does fill the hungry with good things!
But the rich he hath sent empty away! This reminds me of that rich church in Laodicea that had all they wanted, not realizing their lack of a Savior! They had robes, gold, eye salve. They had it made, or so they thought.
But what they lacked was true spiritual power, the qualities of character wrought in their lives by the Savior through the Holy Ghost. Jesus told them in Rev 3:18 “I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.”
Gold tried in the fire bought from Christ! They needed to have not what the world considered of utmost value, but that which God called valuable– His grace and the knowledge of God and Christ. In other words, they needed salvation, God’s power unto salvation.
They needed also white raiment – God’s virtue provided in Christ, true righteousness before God that comes only by faith in Christ.
They also needed to anoint thine eyes with eyesalve that thou mayest see. They needed to see things God’s way. They needed to realize their sinful estate and their need of Christ’s righteousness and the Holy Spirit’s power in carrying out the real work of a church for Christ, proclaiming that word of reconciliation to a lost and dying world!
By the world’s standards, they would have fit right in here in today’s American religious scene. Many today would look at a church like that at Laodicea and say, “Wow I wish our church had all that going for it!” But Christ, was about to spew them out of His mouth unless they repented. He was about to “send them empty away,” as Mary says here in vs 53.
If a church is relying on committees, local commerce leaders, bankers and prominent businessmen to head their deacon boards, Sunday School boards, etc, etc, then they are probably like the Laodicean church. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that there are not any spiritual followers of the Lord Jesus Christ who are successful businessmen. But many churches have fallen into this trap of worldly standards for the leadership in their churches. Many, not all, but many of these Laodicean type churches do not know what the Gospel is that is God’s power to salvation.
I want to read this that I took from a transcript of a radio broadcast by The Berean Call email I received Friday, March 9, 2018. It is a statement by a former Roman Catholic who was discussing the topic of why it is that Roman Catholicism and the modern “Evangelical” churches are drawing closer to each other. This paragraph I think describes many so-called evangelical churches today and their sad state,
“Greg: Yeah. Evangelical is an inappropriate term because it has with it the connotation that these are people who evangelize. On either side of this, these groups here, none of them evangelize, because they don’t have anything to evangelize. It’s all about the here and now. It’s about how to live well and how to have a – you know, how to enjoy everyday life. Well, you can’t find a biblical passage for that! It’s not about this world, it’s about the world that’s coming, and we’re supposed to be telling the good news of faith alone in Christ alone and get people in the ark of Christ, because obviously if the Book’s true, the wrath is forthcoming.”
I pray the Lord will not send any of us “empty away.” I pray that we will continue to humble ourselves under His mighty hand, exalting our Savior and telling others that the hour is short, there is a judgment coming and that they need to turn to God from their sins and receive the Lord Jesus Christ into their own personal life as their Savior and Lord, before it is too late.
54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
Remember in Romans 11 how Paul praises the Lord for His great wisdom in showing His wonderful mercy to now the Gentiles, but later to the Jews, and thus to All of mankind?
Mary now praises the Lord for His mercy, for not giving Israel what they deserved, but for being merciful in taking action to send the Savior into the world through her.
This help of Israel, God’s servant, was, for the most part, rejected in Christ’s first coming. But it will be heartily received upon His second coming.
55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
She here recalls the promise made to Abraham in Gen 17:19
“And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.”
KJV Luke 1:56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
57 Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
63 And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.
65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
66 And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
- 2 Sam 7:26 David’s praise to the Lord after receiving the promise.
- 1 Kings 11:13 God’s promise to leave Solomon one tribe.
- Psa 89:3, 20 God’s oath to David of a kingdom
- Isa 9:6-7
- Isa 11:1-9
- Jer 23:4-6
- Jer 33:15-26
- Eze 34:23
- Eze 37:24-25
- Amos 9:11
- Mark 11:10 the disciples proclaimed Him as He entered Jerusalem
- Rom 1:2-3 Paul showed His descent from David
- Rev 22:16 Jesus called Himself the root and offspring of David
Zacharias recognized that as Gabriel had promised him, his son John would prepare the way for the Savior, the seed of David, the righteous Branch, that one day—yet still future– Israel would be restored to the Lord in righteousness and holiness.
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
- Read Gen 15:4-7, 18; 17:5-8; 22:15-18
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
Luke 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Luke 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
For thou shalt go before …
Luke 1:16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
Luke 3:4 As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; 6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
Isaiah 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Matthew 3:3 For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Matthew 3:11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
John 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
Acts 13:24 When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. 25 And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
Luke 24:46-47 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in(epi-Dat-”on the basis of”) his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
Acts 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Acts 10:43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
Acts 13:38 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
Ephesians 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
Numbers 24:17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
Zechariah 3:8 Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.
Zechariah 6:12 And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD:
Malachi 4:2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
Revelation 22:16 I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Isaiah 9:2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
Isaiah 42:7 To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prison house.
Isaiah 42:16 And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
Isaiah 49:6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. 2 For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.
Matthew 4:16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
John 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
John 9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
John 12:46 I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.
Acts 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
Ephesians 5:8 For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light:
1 Thessalonians 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
1 John 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
