Luke's Gospel 1:1-25
A lot of people say they believe in God. The complexity of the physical universe along with how interconnected and fine-tuned everything is points to purposeful design by a Creator. “The heavens declare the glory of God.” Someone made all this.
But that’s not really comforting. Nature is terrifying. Everything in the world has sharp edges, is full of poison, sees you as either a threat or food, and wants to kill you. If there’s a God who designed all this stuff, then He seems like He’s probably not a very safe person.
So, this is why God went to the trouble of telling us about Himself—telling us the best way to get along in this dangerous world. He gave us His Commandments, and they go a long way toward helping us keep it between the ditches and staying out of trouble.
But that’s not enough either. First, because we’re not very good at following instructions—we’re going to make a mess out of our life and relationships. Second, because not everything bad that happens to us is in our control—we grow old, we get sick, and lots of bad things happen along the way. Keeping the commandments doesn’t keep us safe from those things.
So, God wants you to know something very surprising. He loves you.
The universe hates you and wants to smash you to hopeless despair but God loves you so much that He came into His creation to rescue you from it.
We’ve been going through the Bible a book at a time since January. We’ve covered the main storyline of the Old Testament—Creation, the Fall, God’s promise to Eve, to Abraham, to David, to Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. He promises to send a Messiah. An anointed prophet, priest, and king to save His people. To give them hope and a future.
Today we start the Gospel of Luke. Luke wants to make it very clear the story God began in the Old Testament is continuing in the New Testament. That Jesus is the One that all the Scriptures have been pointing to all along.
Luke was a partner in ministry with Paul. He’s the only Gentile author in the entire Bible—a fact that should get our attention—either because we’re not Jewish but we still believe in Jesus, or if we are Jewish, that a non-Jew wrote 27% of the New Testament (if you combine the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts, which he also wrote).
Also, he was a physician. A doctor. Roman medicine was actually pretty rockin’. They might not have known about germs yet but they sure did a lot of things right—even without microscopes and antibiotics. If you know anything about the life of Paul, it was definitely a good thing he traveled with a doctor.
Luke wrote his Gospel sometime around 60 AD, maybe a little earlier. He tells us why he wrote it in the first verse...
Luke 1:1-4
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
The Gospels of Matthew and Mark were already being read in church. Luke, being a Gentile Doctor and ministry partner of Paul (who was taking the Gospel to all kinds of people who didn’t know anything about Moses and Jewish teaching) wanted to write his own account to help fill in some of the gaps. He addresses the book to someone named Theophilus—a Greek name that means “Friend of God” or “Dear to God.” He calls him “Most Excellent Theophilus” which probably means he’s some kind of high-ranking official in Rome.
A lot of people think Luke wrote The Book of Acts and The Gospel of Luke originally as a defense for when Paul went to trial in Rome in front of Caesar—to show that the Christian religion wasn’t a criminal threat to the Roman government. Then after the trial, he worked on it some more and used it to teach the Christian faith.
None of that takes anything away from the fact that this is Holy Scripture, inspired by the Holy Spirit—alive and active. This is the Word of God.
Luke says he wrote this to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us—he’s going to point out example after example of things the life of Jesus fulfilled from the Old Testament. He researched everything he wrote, interviewing eye-witnesses and people who knew the Bible better than he did. He did all this to deepen his own faith, and to help Theophilus to grow in his.
Stick with me on this journey through the Gospel of Luke and I think we’re going to grow in the certainty of our faith, too.
Verse 5:
In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old. Luke 1:5-7
The first four verses of Luke are written in the most elegant koine Greek—I mean, people would have been impressed with his writing. Then, starting in verse five, it’s like he starts writing with a Jewish accent. There was a translation of the Old Testament in Greek called the Septuagint, and starting in verse five, he’s purposely writing in the style of that translation. He wants us to know that he considers this book to be a continuation of the story of Scripture.
We meet two old people, Zechariah and Elizabeth. In case we might miss the point, Luke lays it on thick. These are OLD Testament characters. Old characters. They are a continuation of the faithful remnant of the people of God. They are from the lineage of priests. They are both described as “righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and blameless.” God likes them a lot. He has shown them grace. They’re in good company. Noah was described as righteous, Abraham was made righteous because of his faith, Job is called righteous and blameless, David is called blameless and righteous. Later in Luke 23, when we get to the cross, we’ll find out Jesus is the ultimate righteous one that the whole Old Testament points to, and all these people are only righteous because of His innocence, which He gives them by grace.
And they were childless. Childless and old. Since this is the Bible, we all know what’s going to happen next, right?
Verse 8:
Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen by lot, (which is like flipping a coin) according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. Luke 1:8-9
This is probably the first time he ever got to burn incense in the Most Holy Place—it was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing for most priests—burning incense is liturgical worship and prayer the priest would do for the people of God.
Verse 10:
And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. Luke 1:10-14
An angel shows up and this is usually the way it goes down. The first thing angels say is “don’t be afraid.” Zechariah was jump-scared, but to be fair, he was all alone in the Most Holy Place—he wasn’t expecting company.
The angel says his prayer has been heard—his wife’s going to have a baby.
“Your prayer has been heard.” Hmm. Do you think that was a recent prayer? I get the idea that he had probably given up on this one. Maybe when they were young and all their friends were having kids, sure—but even their friends’ grandchildren were starting to have babies by now. I think this was an old prayer.
Interesting to think about. Do you have any old prayers that you’ve given up on? God is kind of in the business of doing things when we least expect it.
Verse 14:
He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. Luke1:14-15
Luke is all about joy. Joy for John’s parents, joy to the world the Lord is come. It’s the joy of the new era of salvation breaking into the world—beginning with the conception of the one who was going to prepare the way for the Messiah.
We are definitely supposed to be remembering some Old Testament stories—like I said, Luke’s laying it on thick so we don’t miss it. This is a continuation of the story that started in Genesis. We’re reminded of Abraham and Sarah—two old people who were visited by an angel and told they would have a child. Sarah laughed, and the baby’s name became Isaac (which means “laughter). Names in the Bible usually mean something important—John means “YAHWEH has been gracious.”
We’re reminded of Samuel’s mother, Hannah who prayed for a child. We’re also supposed to think of Sampson’s parents. They weren’t able to have kids and when the angel told them they’d have a son, dad wasn’t having it either. Sampson was also to be a Nazarite from birth, too—a special man of God, filled with the Holy Spirit, never cut his hair or drink anything fermented. But Sampson was kind of a weirdo and Zechariah’s son, John (A.K.A. The Baptizer) was going to be a little strange, too. But he was also going to be a joy and delight.
Verse 16:
He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:16-17
Everything about John was going to point to Jesus. Everything amazing about John will be even more amazing in Jesus. John is the last of the Old Testament prophets, filled with the Holy Spirit even before he was born—John is the last of the Old Testament. Jesus is the New Testament.
The last book of the Old Testament is Malachi, at least the way the church orders them, and the prophet Malachi has a lot to say about John the Baptizer. The one who would come in the spirit of Elijah, the greatest prophet, and turn the hearts of the children back to their father. The children of God, the people of God, had lost their way, they needed to repent and turn back to the Lord. John brought a ministry of repentance. Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand!
Jumping to verse 76 for a minute, this is what Zechariah says about his son’s ministry:
“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:76–79
We’ll get to that in a week or so. Today Zechariah is still standing in the Most Holy Place of the Temple (which is not the same as the Holy of Holies, but it is a place where only priests are allowed to go—and angels apparently.)
Verse 18:
Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.” The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.” Luke 1:18-20
Zechariah says, “Come on! You expect me to believe a couple of old farts like my wife and I are going to have a baby?”
And the angel says, “Shut your faithless mouth! Do you know who you’re talking to? Ever heard of Gabriel? The angel that stands in the presence of God? The one Daniel wrote about?”
Here’s a little Bible nerd trivia for you: In Daniel, Gabriel prophesied there would be deliverance for Israel in seventy weeks. Seventy sevens. From the moment of this announcement to Zechariah in the Temple, until Jesus is presented in the Temple as a baby to Simeon is 490 days. Seventy weeks.
Luke is also all about “good news,” (yoo-ang-ghel-id’-zo) Euaggelizo, “evangelize” “declare the Gospel.” The angel’s going to say to the shepherds, “I proclaim good news to you: great joy!” In His first sermon, Jesus will announce from Isaiah that (like Gabriel) He was also sent to “proclaim the Good News” — the Gospel. “God sent me here to tell you this good news. So shut your mouth until the baby is born—you want a sign? Here’s your sign.”
At this point, he had been in there a while.
Verse 21:
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. When he came out, he could not speak to them. Luke 1:21-22
They were expecting the Benediction—it’s what the priest was always supposed to say to dismiss them. “The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you, the Lord look upon you with favor and give to you His peace.” Numbers 6:24-26 We have to wait for the end of Luke to get the blessing Zechariah wasn’t able to perform here. In the last chapter, the last thing we’re told is Jesus lifted His hands and blessed them just before He ascended back to heaven—probably this priestly blessing. But Zechariah came out and couldn’t say anything.
Verse 22:
They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. When his time of service was completed, he returned home. After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.” Luke 1:22-25
Zechariah goes home and makes a baby the old-fashioned way. After all those failed attempts, after all those years of losing hope, the Lord makes this happen. So the story ends with Elizabeth alone and pregnant. She didn’t tell anyone about it for five months, probably because, you know, things happen, they don’t always work out. But she was very hopeful. When she did finally speak about it, she said, “The Lord has done this for me.” Not being able to have children was not only sad in their culture, people thought it meant God was mad at you. You must have done something. God must think you’re a terrible person and you’d make a horrible parent. So she literally means that God had taken away her shame and disgrace among the people by giving her a child.
This is also a big theme of Luke. God removes shame. He welcomes the outcasts. The sinners. He shows grace to the disgraced.
Her cousin Mary will be the first to know about the baby but we’ll get to that next week.
This is the first Sunday in Advent. The Lord is arriving. The last thing that happened in the Old Testament was Gabriel showing up and telling Daniel the Messiah was coming. That was 400 years before we meet Zechariah and Elizabeth. People had been praying for the Messiah—the prophet, priest, and king that God would send to save them. 400 years. It’s never too late to answer an old prayer. Advent celebrates both the first arrival of Jesus and looks forward to the day when He comes again in glory at the end of time. Advent is both things. We thank God for Jesus coming at Christmas and we pray for the day in the future when everything will be made right. We’ve been praying for this for a long time. When God finally does answer this old prayer, it’s going to surprise and delight us as much as it surprised and delighted the people we met in the first chapter of Luke this morning.
So, we have begun our deep dive into the Gospel of Luke. We’ll be at this for a while. We need to get to know this Jesus who came to rescue us and bring us joy. I would imagine it’s going to take most of next year—I hope you don’t miss a single week. We need to do this together.
Luke said he wrote this book to help us grow in our faith. It’s a well-written, researched, and historical record of Jesus’ life and teachings. God’s people need clear, accurate teaching in order to grow in our faith and in our service. It’s also the Word of God, which means it will not return to Him void—it will never be a waste of time, and it will always accomplish what God intends it to accomplish. As we go through this together, I pray the Lord would make you a faithful “friend of God” through Jesus, who has accomplished your salvation by His birth, life, death, and resurrection. AMEN