Explanatory Notes on Birth Stories -- Published

I have now finished publishing Explanatory Notes on the Birth Stories. This is verse by verse commentary on John 1:1-18, Matthew 1-2, and Luke 1-2. All of it is also available unedited here for free on the blog. 

The printed version is available here.

The Kindle version is available here.

I will probably try to do an Explanatory Notes on the Crucifixion/Resurrection Stories too around Easter.

Luke 2:21-52 Explanatory Notes

Christ with the Doctors
Musei Capitolini, Rome

2:21 And when eight days were fulfilled for him to be circumcised, and his name was called, "Jesus," which was called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
1. Leviticus 12:3 says that a male child is to be circumcised on the eighth day outside the womb. When God became human, God came to earth as a Jewish male. God did not come as every human, just as none of us are every human. We are specific humans.

So God came to earth as a specific human, just as we all are specific humans. Jesus did not have all eye colors. He had one eye color, although we do not know what it was. In theory, he could have come to earth as a woman, but he came to earth as a man. As a Wesleyan, I believe this choice was practical rather than theological. 

And God came to earth as a Jew, in keeping with his use of the Israelite people as the path by which salvation would come to the earth. God did not choose Israel because they were a more numerous people or a better people (cf. Deut. 7:7). God had a relationship with Abraham, and he followed that relationship as a path to bring the Christ to the world.

Luke says nothing about the incarnation. In Luke, the story of Jesus begins with Mary. He does not mention Jesus' existence before he came to earth.

2. The name given him is Jesus, as Gabriel had instructed in 1:31. They follow God's instructions. Luke does not tell us what Matthew 1:21 is more explicit about. Jesus name means "Yahweh saves." Jesus presumably was not circumcised at the temple. A Jewish boy would normally be circumcised locally. 

22. And when the days of their cleansing were fulfilled according to the Law of Moses, they led him to Jerusalem to present [him] to the Lord, 23. as it has been written in the Law of the Lord, "Every male opening the womb will be called holy to the Lord."
Leviticus 12:4 goes on to speak of the purification of the mother after childbirth, thirty-three days after the birth. Jesus himself would not necessary be required for presentation at the temple. The purification in question had to do with the woman, but Luke's wording is curious. He says the days of "their" cleansing. Theologically, we know of course that Jesus did not need cleansing, but he fully participates in his humanity.

Luke quotes Exodus 13:12. Every human is supposed to belong to the Lord. Every Israelite is of course especially supposed to be set apart to the Lord. Wesleyans would generally consider the focus on males in the old covenant to be a mixture of ancient patriarchal culture and the unfortunate consequences of the Fall. 

Notice how quickly in life all men--in fact all people--become "unholy" to the Lord. The default desire of the Lord it seems is for us all to belong to him from the very beginning. Yet our sin soon separates us from him. "All have sinned and are lacking the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23).   

Luke would seem to emphasize conformity to the "Law of Moses" or the "Law of the Lord." We might put this emphasis into a general theme in Luke-Acts that Christians are peaceful, law-abiding participants in the Roman Empire. They are not troublemakers, as rumors around the empire might have suggested. Nero, when he was looking for a scapegoat for the fire of Rome in AD64, thought it would be believable to blame Christians. Yet here we see that these Jewish (Christian) folk are Law-keepers.

Luke also seems to orient his entire telling of the early Christian story around Jerusalem. Luke starts in the temple. Luke ends in Jerualem with them waiting for the Spirit, with Luke not even mentioning the resurrection appearances in Galilee. Acts accordingly begins in Jerusalem, and its first seven chapters are there. Paul goes to Jerusalem five times after believing, before and after every missionary journey. It is from Jerusalem that Paul heads to Rome for the story's end. 

24. And to give sacrifice according to what has been said in the Law of the Lord, "a yoke of turtledoves or two younglings of pigeons."

This is a poor person's sacrifice (Lev. 12:8). The clear implication to any Jew is that Jesus did not come from a wealthy family, even if they were in the lineage of David. We have already seen this theme of God elevating the poor and weak while bringing down the rich and the powerful. The type of sacrifice that they offer is fully in keeping with this theme of Luke-Acts.

Notice that they offer sacrifices in the temple. Jesus does not need cleansing, but we note that the earliest Christians participated in the temple even as late as Acts 21 (vss. 24, 26). Clearly Luke has a positive view of the Jerusalem temple. In all of Luke-Acts, only Acts 7:48 gives any hint that the temple might not be an ongoing part of Christian Judaism, including regular sacrifices.

Simeon

25. And behold, a person was in Jerusalem to whom the name [was] Simeon. And this person was righteous and devout, awaiting the encouragement of Israel. And the Holy Spirit was on him.
Joel Green calls the ongoing testimony of individuals like Simeon and Anna, "character witnesses." [1] What especially makes their witness powerful is the fact that they do not know Jesus, Mary, or Joseph. the witness is coming from the Holy Spirit. We remember again that the activity of the Holy Spirit is another one of the major emphases of Luke-Acts.

Simeon was a righteous person. Again, it is worth pointing out that for Luke this is real righteousness, not imputed righteousness. By this word Luke suggests that Simeon was a person who actually did the right thing. He kept the Jewish Law. His presence at the temple emphasizes this fact. He is also "devout"--he carefully follows the righteous rituals and practices of Israel.

He is waiting for the "consolation" or "encouragement" of Israel. Obviously, this "consoling" of Israel will involve the coming of its Messiah, its promised king. However, given what Luke says elsewhere (e.g., Acts 1:6), it likely also includes the restoration of Israel as a people and "nation." [2] He is waiting for Israel to be freed from Roman domination and rule.

26. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit not to see death before he would see the Messiah of the Lord [3]
Notice the role of the Holy Spirit in revelation. It is the Holy Spirit that most often brings God's word to his people. Simeon has been promised that he will not die before "the Christ of the Lord" arrives. He is thus awaiting the "anointed one" to come, the promised king who will rule in the liberated Israel to come. Messiah is a word based on the Hebrew for anointed one (meshiach), while Christ is based on the equivalent Greek word (christos).

27. And he came by the Spirit into the temple and when the parents led in the child Jesus so that they might do according to the thing having been customed by the Law concerning him, 

Again, we see the leadership of the Spirit. Simeon is clued in by the Spirit that it is time for him to go to the temple for the fulfillment of the promise to him. All these miraculous events are signs that testify that Jesus will be someone very great because his birth and youth were surrounded by spectacular signs and wonders.

Many Christians can attest to this sort of leadership of the Spirit. They are led to pray for someone just as--as they later find out--that person is undergoing a particular trial. Christians regularly attest to being told by the Spirit to go talk to someone at just the right needed moment. Christians can attest to feeling like they should go somewhere, later to believe it was the prompting of the Spirit.

Simeon thus arrives at the temple in time to meet Jesus and his parents. They are, again, fulfilling the expectations of the Law. They are Law-observant. They are law-keeping and respectable people.

28. ... even he himself received it into the arms and blessed God and said, [4] 

29. "Now you release your servant, Master, 
     according to your word, in peace...

So Simeon takes Jesus into his arms and sings or at least goes poetic. Simeon's song is parallel to Zechariah's song. The song is often called the "Nunc Dimittis" after the first words of the poem in Latin: "Now you send away." The "Master" in question is God the Father, since Simeon is holding the baby Jesus. God is our Father to be sure. God is also our Master and us his servants.

Many Christians operate with this sense that God has called them to some work or some task. They keep at that ministry or vocation until they feel "released" by God. Simeon had a promise from God. He did not feel like he could depart from this world until it was fulfilled. There was a part of his soul that was burdened, worried about his people. Now he can depart in peace. The burden has been lifted. The Lord has released him.

30. ... for my eyes saw your salvation,
     31. which you prepared in the face of all the peoples,  

32. a light for revelation of the Gentiles
     and glory of your people Israel.

Jesus will bring about the salvation of Israel and the whole world. Salvation for Luke is not merely a spiritual or eternal salvation. It is healing. It is restoration. It is wholeness. It relates to Israel collectively. It relates to each individual as a whole person--physically and economically. The poor are no longer poor. They are saved. The lame are no longer lame. They are saved.

God has prepared this "rescue" for all people, not just for Israel. Luke 2:32 is one of the clearest indications of the theme that the gospel is for the whole world. Assuming that Theophilus was a Gentile, it was for him as well. If Luke was truly the author of Luke-Acts, then he was a Gentile too. The gospel was for him. In Acts, the gospel goes "to the ends of the earth," which they would have conceptualized as Rome, the end of the civilized world. 

Even though the gospel is for all nations and all peoples, it is good news that brings glory to Israel as God's special people. Since God has used them as the vessel to save and restore the whole world, they receive special honor. Glory is honor-shame language, a way of thinking that is often foreign to us. We are taught to be true to ourselves and not worry about what other people think. In the biblical world, honor and glory meant something.

33. And his father and mother were marveling at the things that had been spoken concerning him. 34. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this [one] is set for the falling and rising of many in Israel and as a sign that will be spoken against 35. --and even your soul itself a sword will pierce--so that the thoughts from many hearts might be revealed."

You can know something without really knowing it. Mary and Joseph "know" that Jesus is going to be great. They have been told he will be called the Son of the Most High. With our hindsight, we know a great deal more about the scope of this greatness than they understood at the time. Despite what they know, they "marvel."

Simeon blesses Mary, Jesus, and Joseph. He "honors" them. Right now, it would be easy for Joseph and Mary to think that they were superior to Jesus, a baby. But Simeon looks into the future and sees that Jesus will be a bone of contention among Jews. Paul himself will give inspired musings on the fact that most of Israel had not believed in their Messiah. Many "spoke against" Jesus and the Jesus movement.  

Those who believed in him would rise in the kingdom. Those who did not would fall. The acceptance or rejection of Jesus would reveal the true thoughts and intentions of their hearts.

We do not know anything really about Mary in the early church. There are legends of her going to Ephesus with John, the beloved disciple. There are the ruins of a very early church there. But such traditions go well beyond Scripture, and it is hard to know for sure what happened. 

Luke may hint that at some point she herself would face some struggle of faith over Jesus. The tone of the passage suggests that she would emerge from that "piercing" of her soul with faith.

Anna

36. And Anna was a prophetess, daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Asher. This [woman was] advanced in many days, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity.
The second "character witness" at the temple is named Anna. In her is an intersection of two themes in Luke-Acts. Luke highlights the role, value, and full participation of women in the gospel, and Luke emphasizes God's care for widows and the poor. God takes those on the margins and brings them into the main. 

She only lived with her husband for seven years before he died. She was a virgin when she got married, and she remained an unmarried widow from then until her advanced age. Both of these facts were considered virtuous. In 1 Corinthians 7:40, Paul considers a widow who remains unmarried the more desirable option. 1 Timothy 5:11-12 similarly imply the virtue of a widow who does not remarry.  

Luke gives details, which adds to the concreteness of these events. We know who her father was. We know what tribe she was from. Asher was of course one of the "ten lost tribes" of the northern kingdom, which was destroyed in 722BC by the Assyrians. This is perhaps another hint of the coming restoration of all Israel. 

Like Mary and Elizabeth, Anna is another example of a woman of great virtue and honor. She is also a prophetess. Luke-Acts has no problem whatsoever with a woman who prophesies. One of the indications of the age of the Spirit is that the daughters of Israel will regularly prophesy along with the sons (cf. Acts 2:17; Joel 2:28). 

Of course, there are important female prophets in the Old Testament as well. Deborah is the highest political authority in Israel as well as being a prophetess (Judg. 4:4-5). Huldah is a higher spiritual authority than the high priest in 2 Kings 22:13-14. 

Acts 21:9 mentions the four virgin daughters of Philip the evangelist, who were prophetesses. 1 Corinthians 11 assumes that ordinary women in a local congregation like Corinth will prophesy in the normal course of weekly worship. The very reason that Paul instructs them to wear a veil in worship is to keep social and cosmic order while they are prophesying.

Prophesying in these contexts is like preaching. It is bringing a direct word from the Lord to the audience of the prophecy. It suggests that nothing stands in the way of women being preachers in the church today. Indeed, the age of the Spirit, where all believers are filled with the Holy Spirit, removes all the barriers of our physicality to preaching. [5]

37. And she herself [was] a widow until eighty-four of years, who was not departing from the temple, with fastings and prayers worshiping night and day

She is eighty-four years old. The centrality of temple for Luke is again confirmed. Just as the apostles will be at the temple daily after Pentecost, she apparently spends the vast majority of her time, even at night, at the temple. What does she do there? She prays. She fasts. She worships. She is thus a model for what we do in worship today. 

38. And at that hour having come, she confessed in response to God and was speaking concerning him to all those awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem [6]
Like Simeon, she arrives just in time, presumably by God's prompting. She also recognizes that Jesus represents the "redemption" or liberation of Jerusalem from bondage. While this is certainly a spiritual liberation, it seems more than just that. Anna is looking for the liberation of Israel as a political entity also. This concrete liberation was presumably also part of God's plan. Paul sees this political redemption in the future as well (Rom. 11:26). 

Perhaps Acts implies that the reason it did not happen back then was the disbelief of the Jews of that day. This is at least what seems to happen repeatedly in Acts (e.g., 13:46). We should not see this as a permanent turn away from Israel. We are rather in the "times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24) until times of refreshing come (Acts 3:20).

Return to Galilee

39. And as they completed all the things according to the Law of [the] Lord, they returned to the Galilee, to their own city of Nazareth.
Luke again reiterates that the story of Christ is a story that is Law-observant and law-keeping. Christians at heart, when they are doing what Christians do by nature, are not troublemakers. Mary and Joseph stay in Jerusalem long enough to fulfill all the rightful aspects to childbirth.

In Luke's story, again, Mary and Joseph begin in Nazareth, to to Bethlehem for the census, then return to Nazareth in the northern region of Galilee. If all we had were Matthew's Gospel, we would assume that they all started out in Bethlehem and only went north to escape Herod's son Archelaus.

40. And the child grew and was getting strong, being full of wisdom, and [the] favor of God was upon it.

As John the Baptist grows as a young man (Luke 1:80), Jesus also grows. He grows physically. We will learn in 2:52 that he also grows in wisdom. This concept may be difficult for many of us, because almost think of Jesus as a divine mind in a human body. As we will mention in that verse below, this sense of Jesus was declared a heresy in the first few centuries of Christianity. Jesus was fully human, which meant that he learned and grew in wisdom as he grew.

Clearly, the favor of God (the Father) was upon Jesus as he grew. I left the translation as "it" here since the word for child in Greek is neuter. But, of course, Jesus was no "it." The word for favor here is "grace." Theologically, we would say that any favor on Jesus was deserved, so "favor" is a better translation in this instance. Words take on different meanings in different contexts.

The Temple at Twelve

41. And his parents used to go yearly to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Passover. [7] 42. And when he became of twelve years, when they were ascending according to the custom of the feast,[8]

Again, we should not miss the consistent message that Luke is giving subliminally that Jesus came from a Law-observant family. Jewish males ideally were supposed to present themselves before the Lord three times a year at three festivals, one of which was the Passover (23:17). The only place to do so at the time of Jesus was the Jerusalem temple.

Luke only mentions two times that Jesus was in Jerusalem for Passover: at the age of twelve and the week of his crucifixion. The Gospel of John will add two more during Jesus' earthly ministry, giving us the sense that Jesus ministered on earth from two to three years. The trip to Jerusalem was an "ascent" because Jerusalem is on Mt. Zion, surrounded by hill country.

This is the only record we have in any of the Gospels or the New Testament about Jesus' childhood. There are apocryphal "infancy Gospels." There is the Infancy Gospel of Thomas [9], in which Jesus has bears kill children making fun of him. There is also the "Proto-Gospel of James," the earliest attestation of the perpetual virginity of Mary. Neither of these likely second century works likely have any historical value.

43. ... and after having completed the days, when they were returning, Jesus the boy remained in Jerusalem, and his parents did not know. [10] 44. But, considering him in the company, they went a journey of a day, and they were seeking him among the relatives and the acquaintances. 45. And not having found [him], they returned to Jerusalem looking for him.

The first thought many of us have when we read that Joseph and Mary left Jesus behind is that this was an instance of horrible parenting. When they later punish him for it, we are even more puzzled. We may even picture a "nuclear family" of two parents and 2.5 kids. 

However, the family of the first century was an extended family rather than a nuclear family. Aunts, uncles, grandparents, cousins were part of the basic family unit. Even more, the whole village of Nazareth and its surrounding village may have had individuals in the company. In short, this was a large group of people traveling together, and it would have been assumed that Jesus was somewhere in their company. In the perspective of Luke, it was the child's responsibility to be in this group.

It thus takes them a day's journey to realize that Jesus is not in their company. "Have you seen Jesus?" "No, is he with Aunt Hannah and cousin David?" A day's journey would normally be about twenty miles, although possibly less with such a group. On a good day, that would be about a third of the way back to Nazareth. They likely would have traveled up the plain by the Jordan River.

To their horror, they finally come to the conclusion that he is not with Aunt Martha and Cousin Isaac. They turn around and go back.

46. And it happened after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the middle of the teachers and listening to them and inquiring of them. 47. And all the ones who heard him were amazed at the understanding and his answers.

They do not immediately know where to find him. No doubt they began in whatever home in which they had stayed. John 19:25 mentions that Mary had a sister. If she was the wife of Clopas, then it is at least possible she lived in Jerusalem (Acts 12:12). Whoever it was, Jesus is not there.

Presumably, they look at the home of every acquaintance they know in Jerusalem. Perhaps they go the the authorities of Jerusalem, both Jewish and Roman. There was probably little interest on their part to help an insignificant Galilean, let alone a child. Or maybe they go to the temple because they are finally seeking these authorities out as a long shot.

Finally, they go to the temple, where they should have gone first--at least if they truly understood. The fact that it is three days might be significant. Jesus will rise from the dead in three days. He will rebuild this temple in three days (cf. Mark 14:58).

Jesus is in the middle. This position suggests that he is the main teacher in this group. He is asking them questions. They answer. He listens. He asks a follow-up question.

You can tell by a person's questions how deep their understanding of a subject is. Jesus amazes them with his understanding. It is not just that he is only twelve years old. We might assume that he is asking questions on a level equal to their own understanding.

48. And having seen him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, "Child, why have done thus to us? Behold, your father and I, being in torment, were seeking you."

From an earthly perspective, from a parent's perspective, we totally understand Mary's frustration and concern. From the standpoint of an ordinary child, he has not honored his parents. He has caused them great torment, not to mention whatever expense might have been associated with extra time in Jerusalem. 

If he were an ordinary child, he would have failed his duties as a child. Of course Jesus is not an ordinary child. Jesus is the heir apparent to the throne of Israel. He will be called the Son of the Most High. Theologically, we have to assume that he had not sinned. The proper perspective on the event is a heavenly one, not an earthly one.

49. And he said to them, "Why were you seeking me? Did you not know that it is necessary for me to be in the matters of my Father?" 50. And they themselves did not understand the word that he spoke to them.

They still do not seem to understand him. They have the pieces, but they cannot put it together. Even to hear that he was dealing in the matters of his "Father" must have been puzzling, since they would naturally think of Joseph. "The matters of your father were to stay with the group."

The eyes of the Spirit see so much more than our human eyes can see. We can see everything horizontally in front of us and miss the vertical, heavenward dimension of the situation. What is obvious from God's perspective may seem foolish from ours and vice versa. Paul will say that "the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom" (1 Cor. 1:25).

51. And he descended with them and came to Nazareth, and he was subject to them. And his mother stored all these words in her heart.

Mary does not understand, but she remembers. She is open to future understanding. It will eventually become clear. She stores Jesus' words in her heart.

Jesus "was subject to them." This statement suggests that they discipline him. He is punished for the trouble he has caused them. From the standpoint of a human parent, this punishment makes sense. However, again, they do not see the situation from a heavenly point of view.

52. And Jesus advanced in wisdom and maturity and in favor with God and people.

As we mentioned above in 1:40, Jesus grows in wisdom and maturity. The early Christians struggled in the 300s and 400s to figure out how Jesus' humanity and divinity might fit together. The Council of Chalcedon in 451 decided that Jesus was fully human and fully God in such a way that neither his humanity or divinity should be diminished.

Apollinaris argued in the late 300s that Jesus had a human body but a divine mind. This "heresy" is very common in popular Christianity. I've heard a story of a pastor that thought Jesus did not need to sleep. He was pretending in the boat to be sleeping during the storm. This way of thinking was decided against in the year 381 at the Council of Constantinople.

Another wrong idea was proposed by a man named Eutyches. To him, Jesus' human nature was like a drop next to the ocean of his divine nature. You might as well just say he only had a divine nature. Again, the Council of Chalcedon concluded that it was unbiblical to diminish Jesus' human nature. Indeed, Luke does not diminish Jesus' humanity, and in fact Acts 2:22 calls Jesus "a man having been approved by God among you by powers and wonders and signs that God did."

Jesus did not come out of Mary's womb speaking fluent Aramaic. As a full human, he had to learn it. His bodily functions worked just like ours do. Mark 13:32 indicates that he did not access his omniscience while on earth. His human mind did not know everything. He did not fully access his omnipotence but showed us what is possible for humanity through the powers of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:22; cf. Mark 6:5).

It is therefore a legitimate question to ask when Jesus in his human mind realized that he was the Messiah, let alone the second person of the Trinity. At his baptism, God declares to him that Jesus is his beloved Son. Is the the moment. These things are divine mysteries. What we know is that Jesus' wisdom increased as he grew up, as great as it may have been to begin with in comparison to other humans.

He also grew in favor with others. Whatever biases they might have had against him because of suspicions around his birth, those who knew him with an open heart immediately recognized his greatness and that this was a person with a greater destiny than them. 

________________

[1] Joel Green, The Gospel of Luke (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997), 145.

[2] We shouldn't think of "nation" in this context as a nation-state of the sort we have today. It is hard to find a good word but what we mean is an independent political entity tied to a specific people group.

[3] pluperfect made with a periphrastic; a prin e construction with an aorist subjunctive and an

[4] temporal infinitive clause, intensive of autos

[5] Two verses are often used to argue against the whole weight of Scripture to the contrary. 1 Corinthians 14:34-35 is completely irrelevant to this question, given that 1 Corinthians 11 assumes women will bring words from the Lord to the church. If these verses were original, they must have had to do with disruptive speech.

So the whole weight of the counterargument falls on 1 Timothy 2:12. The context again pushes in the direction of the husband-wife relationship and the home. It cannot be about prophetic words given the entirety of the rest of Scripture. One verse should never be the basis for a whole theology, especially one that is unclear.

The whole passage is curious, almost sounding like it says wives are saved from Eve's sin through childbirth (2:15). We know, of course, that all sins are redeemed through the blood of Christ, whose death and victorious resurrection have forever undone the curse of the Fall in Genesis 3:16. To perpetuate the wife's subordination to the husband when we can adopt the trajectory of heaven (e.g., Mark 12:25) is to make excuses to unnecessarily perpetuate creation's unredeemed state.

[6] dative of time

[7] iterative imperfect

[8] genitive absolute

[9] Not to be confused with the so-called "Gnostic Gospel of Thomas."

[10] temporal infinitive clause, with genitive absolute continuing

Luke 1:57-80 Explanatory Notes (Birth of John the Baptist)

The Nativity of St. John the Baptist
Tintoretto

The Birth of John the Baptist
1:57 And the time was completed for Elizabeth, for her to give birth, and she begat a son. 58. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord magnified his mercy with her and they were rejoicing with her.
Love rejoices with those who rejoice (Rom. 12:15). The promise to Zechariah is fulfilled. The miracle reaches its culmination in the birth of John the Baptist. The disgrace of Elizabeth being barren in that culture is removed and is replaced with great honor and favor from God. Notice again the way that Luke tells about the role that women play in the good news, something very striking for that day. 

59. And it happened on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were calling it by the name of his father Zechariah. 60. But, answering, his mother said, "No, but he will be called John." 61. And they said to her, "[There is] no one from your kindred who is called by this name."
According to Leviticus 12:3, a Jewish male was to be circumcised on the eighth day after his birth (cf. also Gen. 17:12). In keeping with a general theme in Luke-Acts, the family of John the Baptist are law-observant Jews. Everything is done decently and in order.

The tradition would have been to call the son after the name of the father. Different cultures have different practices with regard to naming. In some cultures, the name of the grandfather is passed on to the grandson. In American culture, there are no regular naming practices. Luke indicates that it would have been conventional for Zechariah to name his first-born son after himself. At the very least, the son should have been given the name of a relative.

Those at the temple are thus puzzled that they would name him John, but they are following the instructions of the angel (1:13). As we mentioned above, the name John indicated that God is gracious. God was gracious to Elizabeth and Zechariah in giving them a son when they were unable to conceive. And God was being gracious to Israel by giving them an opportunity to repent before the judgment. The gift of repentance was the gift of salvation, and John was its first messenger. 

62. And they were signaling to his father in relation to what he would want it to be called. 63. And having asked for a tablet, he wrote saying, "John is his name." And all marveled.

The story does not indicate whether Zechariah was aware that they had already asked Elizabeth about the name of the boy. We should probably assume that the two had communicated previously about what the angel had told him. Elizabeth and Zechariah are in complete agreement. The boy will be called John. Perhaps they expected Zechariah to countermand her. Perhaps they questioned whether the woman would be correct or have such a say. Both Elizabeth and Zechariah are in full submission to God, and it would seem she is taking the spiritual lead here, with Zechariah keeping up.

It is the nature of human society to establish rituals and patterns. It would be impractical to "reinvent the wheel" every time we came to a decision. The tendency of most people toward "conserving" the way we have always done things often protects society from the potential dangers of experimentation. It would seem God has implanted in humanity just the right proportions of "conservative" to "progressive," with most slowing things down but a sizable proportion moving things forward.

We see God intervene at various times in both ways. God often reminds us of his nature from all eternity, which will never change. We must hold on to that eternal past. At other times God shakes things up. He keeps us from getting stale. He moves us forward. Things are constantly changing. We will not thrive if we cannot adjust and adapt.

John the Baptist was God's interruption of the status quo of Israel, not least because the status quo was on the wrong track. God graciously stepped into history once again and shook things up. And the name of the boy that first symbolized that was "John."

64. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue, and he was speaking, blessing God. 65. And fear came on all them living nearby, and in the whole hill country of Judea all these words were being talked about.

Zechariah has been punished sufficiently. The time for repentance is over. The time for rejoicing has arrived. Zechariah is now free of his doubts. The barren is now fruitful. She who was disgraced is now blessed. 

The power of God is a frightful thing. An elephant may like us, but its power can still squash you. God of course does not step on people by accident. Power is scary when we understand how vulnerable we are next to it. It is no wonder that the angel tells both Zechariah and Mary not to fear when he appears.

Rumors spread when there are omens of this sort. If Zechariah and Elizabeth live in the country already, the rumors did not have long to travel. Judea is the southern region of Israel where Jerusalem is. This is the area that Luke centers so much of his narrative around.

66. And all those who heard were themselves putting in their heart saying, "What then will this child be?" For even the hand of the Lord was with him.

As we already mentioned, the events surrounding a child's birth and youth were seen as indicators of what would happen in a person's adult life. When the people realize the spectacular nature of John's birth, they assume that God had great plans for the child in life. They would assume that God would do great things through him as a man.

Zechariah's Song

67. And Zechariah, his father, was filled with Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying...

The action of the Holy Spirit is a key theme of the Gospel of Luke as well as the book of Acts. One of the activities of the Holy Spirit is to bring words of prophecy to the people of God. Prophecy in this case is not about the far distant future but the future of those to whom the prophet speaks. In this case, the prophecy is not only for Zechariah and those around him, but for the early church through the voice of Luke.

Note that Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit even before the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. W remember that the Holy Spirit was active in Old Testament as well as New Testament times. The Spirit comes on various individuals in the Old Testament (e.g., David in 1 Samuel 16:13; the prophet in Isaiah 61:1). The difference is that being filled with the Spirit becomes the norm of all God's true people after the Day of Pentecost. In the Old Testament, the Spirit seems to fill people more selectively for specific purposes.

68. ... "Blessed [be] the Lord, the God of Israel, because he looked upon [us] and made redemption for his people. 69. And he raised a horn of salvation for us in the house of David, his son, 

Zechariah's Song is sometimes called the "Benedictus" because it begins with the word "Blessed." Remember that Mary's Magnificat was also named after the first words of her song. To bless someone is to give it honor. Obviously, God does not need our praise, and we can add nothing to him, but we can honor him. To bless God is to give God the honor that it his do. Of course when God blesses us, the benefit is much more substantial!

Zechariah honors God for being faithful to his people. God's people needed to repent so that they could be reconciled to him. God was under no obligation to take them back. Yet, predictably because of his love, he has set in motion a plan of redemption again. They are in bondage again and need to be freed. God would "redeem" and free them again.

However, this redemption would be a final redemption. It would be a final salvation or rescuing of them from the consequences of Israel's sin. The "horn of salvation" would be the Messiah, the Son of God, the promised descendent of David. The phrase comes from 1 Samuel 22:3 and Psalm 18:2. Zechariah thus echoes the promises there. The worthy Lord would save Israel from its enemies.

70. just as he spoke through the mouth of the holy ones from the age of his prophets, 71. salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, 72. to do mercy with our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73. the oath that he swore to Abraham our father...

The salvation whose beginnings start with John was not unanticipated in the Old Testament saints and prophets. The echo of David is an example. Those with the eyes of the Holy Spirit, as they read the Scriptures, could have anticipated that God would raise his king and save his people from their enemies. Salvation for Luke is again far more corporate than individual. It is the salvation of Israel collectively and concretely that is in view. It is rescue from the political and spiritual enemies of Israel. 

In Acts 1:6, Jesus does not tell his disciples that they are wrong to look for the restoration of the kingdom to Israel. We would be wrong to think Luke (or Paul for that matter) believed God had forever abandoned them. It is rather a question of the timing. "It is not for you to know times and seasons that the Father set by his own authority" (Acts 1:7). 

The faithfulness that God is showing to the present and future generation of Israel is God keeping faith with the earlier patriarchs and fathers of Israel, even back to Abraham. The relationship that God had with Abraham continued with Isaac and Jacob down to Moses and God's people to David and beyond. There is a continuity of God's people from age to age. God saving Israel is God keeping his promises to Abraham and David. 

God made a covenant with Abraham, a solemn commitment to bless his descendants. God keeps his promises. God made an oath that he would bless Abraham's seed. Hebrews 6:13-14 also mentions this oath, and Romans 4:13 remembers this promise. It is an act of God's mercy, since Israel does not deserve such grace.

74. "... to give to us to serve him without fear, having been rescued from the hand of enemies, 75. in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.

After rescue from their enemies, Israel could return to serving God without fear of judgment. What is the path that is without such fear? It is the path of holiness and righteousness. Righteousness for Luke is a life that actually walks right with God. 

Luke 10:27-28 make it clear what such a life of righteousness looks like. It is a life where one loves God will all his or her heart, soul, mind, and strength, as well as loving one's neighbor as one's self. When asked who one's neighbor is, Jesus tells the Parable of the Good Samaritan, indicating that one's neighbor is the person in need, even if it is someone to whom we do not want to show love.

If one belongs to God, one is holy, set apart to him. Only those who walk in righteousness are holy to God. To walk with God in righteousness as God's belongings is to walk in holiness.

Luke-Acts make it clear that walking in righteousness involves loving one's neighbor in very concrete ways. The Good Samaritan helps the man who has been mugged and needs physical help. The gospel is "good news for the poor," "freedom to prisoners," "sight for the blind," and the oppressed set free (Luke 4:18). Walking in righteousness for Luke certainly includes doing these sorts of things.

76. "And you, child, will be called, 'prophet of the Most High,' for you will go before the Lord, to prepare his ways, 77. to give knowledge of salvation to his people by forgiveness of their sins...

Mary's child will be called "Son of the Most High" (Luke 1:32). John the Baptist is then the "prophet of the Most High." The Most High here is presumably God the Father rather than Jesus, as it was in 1:32. The mention of preparing the way of the Lord is an allusion to Isaiah 40:3. The Lord in this case is thus Jesus. 

The way John prepares for Jesus is by leading the people of Israel to repent of their sins so that they might find forgiveness. Forgiveness of sins is the path to salvation from Israel's enemies. John the Baptist will show them the way.

78. "... through bowels of mercy of our God, in the [days] the dawn from high will visit us, 79. to shine upon those in darkness and to those sitting in the shadow of death, to guide their feet into the way of peace."

As we look at the "psychology" of the New Testament world, we see pictures from their day that are metaphorical to us today. We think today of the heart as a muscle, a pump that provides the body with blood and thus oxygen. But the biblical metaphor sees the heart as the center of our character and intentionality.

The bowels were the center of our longings and desire. Our bowels are the location of our kindness and compassion (e.g., Col. 3:12). Paul actually calls Onesimus his "bowels" in Philemon 12, an indication of his affection toward him. In Zechariah's Song, it is God whose "bowels" show Israel his affection. The result is God's mercy on them, giving them a chance for forgiveness.

The sun is currently down for Israel. They are in days of darkness. But John the Baptist signifies the coming of the sunrise, the dawn of light on God's people. 1:79 is an allusion to Isaiah 9:2: "The people walking in the darkness see a great light." Matthew also sees the mission of Jesus as fulfilling this passage in Matthew 4:16.

The path out of darkness is a path to peace. It is a path from the hostility and oppression of Israel's enemies to freedom and peace. The expression, "the way of peace," is probably an echo of Isaiah 59:8, a passage that Paul also echoes in Romans 3:17. Isaiah 59 is bemoaning the sins of Israel that have separated it from God. "None is calling for righteousness; none is pleading for truth" (Isa. 59:4). 

In short, Isaiah 59 says, they are walking in darkness. But the promise is that "the Redeemer will come to Zion" (59:20), a promise that Paul also echoes in Romans 11:26. The Redeemer will turn transgression away from Jacob. [1]   

80. And the child increased and was becoming strong in spirit, and he was in the deserted [places] until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

John the Baptist was destined to be manifested to Israel. His task would be to "prepare the way of the Lord," to prepare for the introduction of Jesus, the Messiah (cf. Luke 3:4; 7:27). Like Elijah, he would be a person who dwelt in the desert (Mal. 4:5; Luke 1:17). He was a Nazarite, who did not drink wine or strong drink (1:15). 

God prepares John for this mission. As he grows, he becomes stronger and stronger in his spirit, as well as his body. The child "increases." John was no doubt willing to serve God in the way God wanted him to serve. John was a willing participant in God's plan. God would not have chosen him if he had not known he would accept God's calling. 

[1] The Hebrew reads that the Redeemer will come "to those who turn from transgression in Jacob." Paul follows the reading of the Greek translation: "he will turn ungodliness from Jacob."

Luke 1:39-56 Explanatory Notes (Visit to Elizabeth)

The Visitation,
Jacques Daret

The Visit to Elizabeth
1:39 Having arisen, [1] Mary in those days went into the hill country with haste into a city of Judah. 40. And she entered into the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
We do not know exactly where Zechariah and Elizabeth are from, but it is not Jerusalem. They are from a "city of Judah," in the hill country. Mary's connection with them may suggest that Mary had a priestly lineage. In chapter 4 will we encounter the suggestion that she also had a royal one.

Hebrews 7 does not indicate that Jesus had a priestly lineage, but certainly as Christians we think of Jesus as prophet, priest, and king. The Gospels and Paul are explicit about his kingly role. Luke will explicitly call him a prophet. And Hebrews 7 calls him a priest, whether he descends biologically from Levi or not.

Elizabeth is sixth months pregnant, and Mary will stay with her till she is nine months pregnant. The Gospel does not say whether Mary stays all the way to the birth of John the Baptist. It is the first trimester of Mary's pregnancy.

41. And it happened as Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was full of Holy Spirit.
The model of Spirit-filling in the Old Testament is that the Spirit of God comes on individuals to give them the power to do specific tasks (e.g., Samson) or to prophesy (e.g., Saul). In such cases, the power of God's Spirit is not necessarily associated with goodness or godliness. On the Day of Pentecost, it will become normal for all of God's true people to receive the Holy Spirit and the expectation of godliness and purity will become universal for those filled with the Holy Spirit.

Elizabeth is still under the old covenant, although Luke does not make that pattern clear here. She is filled with the Holy Spirit and called for a special purpose, to give birth and raise "Elijah," who will prepare the way for the Messiah. Interestingly, we are never told that Mary gets "filled" with the Holy Spirit, but we can assume she is both because Jesus is greater than John the Baptist and the Holy Spirit has overshadowed her (1:35).

We have already seen in this chapter that the coming of the Spirit is not always connected to an act on the part of an individual. John the Baptist is filled with the Spirit from his mother's womb (1:15). The Spirit can come on a person before the person has any real understanding of the Holy Spirit. John the Baptist will later confirm his membership in the people of God. Elizabeth's faith in what God is doing through Mary confirms hers.

42. And she called out with a great cry and said, "Blessed [are] you among women and having been blessed [is] the fruit of your womb!
Elizabeth recognizes Mary's honor among women. God has shown her favor and honored her. Blessedness is honor language, something it is difficult for Western minds to understand. Picture a room of people clapping while giving a standing ovation. 

Yet blessing goes beyond honor for something you do, although you can do things that bring you honor. Blessing is a gift of favor. A person can be blessed without doing something. They can be favored by God beyond their faithfulness. 

Mary is a faithful young woman, yes, but there were no doubt many faithful young women at that time. She is favored and honored and blessed beyond them not only because she was faithful but because God chose her beyond her faithfulness. She is blessed among the faithful. She is highly favored by God, chosen to do something no other woman in history will ever do.

The fruit of her womb is obviously blessed beyond all other humans. As Christians, we believe that Jesus was the eternal second person of the Trinity, God himself come to earth. We have the benefit of the Gospel of John and centuries of unpacked Christian understanding. In that light, the greeting seems like an understatement. Of course Jesus is worthy of honor! 

43. "And why to me [is] this, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, behold, as the sound of your greeting came into my ears, the baby in my womb leaped in rejoicing!
The baby John the Baptist leaps in the womb as a sign of what Mary represents. Mary is the "mother of my Lord." This is the first time in the Gospel of Luke that Jesus is referred to as "Lord," although he has already been referred to as the "Son of God" (1:32, 35). The title has been used ten times previously in the chapter but in every case in relation to God the Father.

Acts 2:36 will use "Lord" and "Messiah" as royal titles like "Son of God" and locate Jesus' assumption of them most poignantly after his resurrection from the dead and exaltation to God's right hand in heaven. That moment is like Jesus assuming the throne of the cosmos. The use of the term Lord in relation to Jesus comes especially from Psalm 110:1--"The LORD said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand.'" 

45. "And blessed is the one who has believed that there will be a fulfillment to the things that have been spoken to her from the Lord!"
Elizabeth's words began with a blessing to Mary and here they end with that same blessing again. Mary is the one on whom God has not only shown unmerited favor and blessing. She is the one who has believed or had faith in the things spoken to her by the angel.

There is a tendency in Protestantism to make faith and works into opposites or contradictories. The New Testament knows nothing of that. The favor shown Mary is not earned but her actions are consistent with that favor. She is worthy without deserving. Her honor fits her faithfulness although she could have never earned it.

Grace is unmerited favor. We think of it especially when God forgives our sins. It does involve a "work" of sorts, because we normally "trigger" grace by our prayers and faith. [1] Blessing is a specific kind of grace, not one that relates to our sin but to our faithfulness. It is God's gift beyond our faithfulness.

Mary's Song
46. And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47. and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior...
This is the "Magnificat." Both Luke's Gospel and Acts are filled with songs and sermons. Magnificat is the Latin for "it magnifies." This hymn has been set to various music over the centuries.

This hymn is in the style of Hebrew poetry, which utilized "parallelism." The most basic form of parallelism is synonymous parallelism, where you say something and then say it again in similar terms. So "my soul magnifies the Lord" is very similar in meaning to "my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."

This parallelism helps us with interpretation. For example, if we wonder which "Lord" Mary is thinking of, the mention of "God my Savior" in the second suggests she is thinking of God the Father. Interestingly, expressions that describe God the Father and Jesus the Son are often interchangeable, sometimes making it difficult to determine which is in view. Jesus is the "Savior, Christ the Lord" (2:11), but God the Father is also our Savior and the LORD.

The word soul would be difficult to interpret without the parallel. In the Old Testament and Hebrew, "soul" refers to the whole living being, so we would be tempted to translate this verse as "My person magnifies the Lord." But the parallel of the word spirit suggests Mary is referring to her inner being rather than her whole person, a part of her rather than the whole. 

Her soul in this case is her truest self inside, who she really is. It is the essence of her personhood, the part of her that makes choices. It is the part of her where the longings that aline with her choices come.

That inner essence of her praises the Lord and rejoices in God's goodness. God alone is deserving of worship, and she gives God some small bit of what God deserves--God's "worth-ship." God alone is truly worthy of our honor, praise, and glory.

48. "... because he looked upon the humble state of his servant girl. For, behold, from now all generations will bless me.
God in himself is worthy of our praise. Yet we can also praise God in the context of things he has done. Mary magnifies God not only for who God is but for what he has done in relation to her. All generations will now "bless" her, give her praise and favor. And to this day her prediction has come to pass.

One of the major themes of the Gospel of Luke is an emphasis on God's favor toward the poor. God seems to have chosen Mary not least so that he could exalt the humble. He intentionally did not choose a famous or wealthy girl. He did not choose a woman of privilege from a powerful family. It is clear from the rest of Mary's song that he chose her in part specifically to take someone who was marginal in society and exalt her.

We will see time and time again in Luke that Jesus targets those on the edges of society. He targets the "sick" not the "healthy." He focuses on the "lost sheep," the poor. He ministers to those society does not see, like women and the sick. He looks on Mary in her "humble state" and exalts her above the most "significant" of people in that day, including the Herods and Pilates.

The parallelism here is more "synthetic" rather than synonymous. The second line builds on the first one. God favored a humble girl, therefore, all generations will call her blessed.

49. "... because the Powerful [One] did great things for me--and holy is his name-- 50. and his mercy [reaches] into generations and generations to those who fear him.
The parallelism of these two verses centers on the fact that God is a God who does great things for his people. He has done something great for Mary and blessed her--she will be the mother of the Messiah. Similarly, God's mercy reaches to generation after generation to those who "fear" him like Mary did. And of course his mercy continues to our generation today.

Three characteristics of God are featured in these two verses. God is powerful. God's name is holy. God is merciful. The first two with out the last would definitely be fearful, and we are to "fear" the Lord. God is a God who can "fry us alive." An elephant may mean us no harm, but we might "fear" it if it is prancing around. A million volt fence would have nothing against us, but we would not dare touch it. 

God is all-powerful. There should be a healthy fear of him. His name is holy. It is set apart from all other names. To say that something is holy is to say it belongs to God and should be treated special, not like something that is common or ordinary. To say God is holy is to say that God is God and as a result to fall on our faces in unworthiness.

Yet God is a God of mercy. God wishes us well. As one of my Old Testament professors once said, "The God who can fry me alive loves me." As God we should fear him. As God has revealed himself to us, we need not.

51. "He performed strength with his arm. He scattered the proud in the intention of their heart.
The alignment of God with the humble instead of the proud becomes clearer and clearer as we proceed through the song. Pride was specially offensive in the ancient world, because it suggested that a person was on the same level as the gods. A proud person was just asking for a god to put them in their place by knocking them down a notch.

God is the one with true strength. The proud might be tempted to think themselves strong or lofty. They might make plans thinking that they are in control of their fate. But the intentions of their hearts cannot bring blessing or certainty of outcome. It is God's arm that performs strength. The "arm of the Lord" is a theme in the later chapters of Isaiah (e.g., Isa. 53:1). 

52. "He brought down powerful rulers from thrones and exalted humble [ones].
Rulers are among the proud. You probably know the saying, "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." It is indeed difficult not to let power go to your head. Often you do not realize it until the time comes to step down from power. Many struggle to give up power and do so too late, after they have begun to unwind the legacy of their good years. Others try to resort to immoral means to try to maintain power after their time is up.

God is always in power. Rulers fall at God's hand, yet he remains forever enthroned. Meanwhile, God loves to exalt the lowly. David was the least of Jesse's sons when God anointed him. God loves to take the lesser and make it the greater.

53. "Those hungering he filled with good [things], and those who are wealthy he sent away empty.
This verse may sound downright socialist, but we should resist interpreting the New Testament through modern lenses and categories. Nevertheless, the statement means what it seems to say to us. The Gospel of Luke repeately emphasizes God's favor on those who lack and his general displeasure with those who have too much.

The economy of the ancient world was quite different from ours. They dealt more with goods, with coinage less central to the world's operations. The basic unit of Greek money, the drachma, was linked to a day's wage, and a day's wage was largely linked to the subsistence needs of a day. Your average person lived from hand to mouth.

Those who stored wealth were unusual and often thought as a more grandiose kind of thief. An old Arab saying suggests that, "every rich man is either a thief or the son of a thief." It is no surprise that the New Testament has very little positive to say about the wealthy. The Gospel of Luke is especially this way, all the more striking since it is dedicated to Theophilus, who was probably a wealthy Roman official.

Mary celebrates that God reverses the fortunes of people in this world. God is portrayed as a sort of divine Robin Hood, who takes from the rich and gives to the poor. There is no sense that the wealthy deserve or actually own their excess. There is a sense that it is unjust for anyone to be hungry. God is a God who sets these imbalances straight.

54. "He helped Israel, his servant, mercies to be remembered, 55. just as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed forever."
Lest we take these comments in an overly individualistic way, Mary's song ends with a reminder that all these words have to do with the restoration of Israel. God is keeping his promises to Abraham long ago. In Israel, all were meant to prosper. None were meant to be knocked off track into poverty or abject humility. Israel was never meant to be overcome by powerful outside political forces.

In Jesus God was remembering the faithful of the past. In Jesus God was showing mercy to Israel to bring everything back into balance. The lost sheep will be found. The poor and humble will be brought back to economic health. Those who have hoarded power and wealth will be brought down to size.

56. And Mary remained with her about three months, and she returned to her house.
Mary stays with Elizabeth up until the time she is ready to deliver. Luke does not say that she is there when Elizabeth gives birth, but the months add up to nine. Perhaps there is something symbolic here. John the Baptist is preparation for Jesus. When Jesus begins, John the Baptist ends. So Mary leaves as the preparation ends, and John the Baptist begins.

[1] aorist participle, feminine nominative singular

[2] Theologically, both Wesleyans and Calvinists believe that there is grace prior to our prayers, faith, and repentance. This construct makes sense, although it goes beyond what the biblical texts say.

Luke 1:26-38 Explanatory Notes (Appearance to Mary)

The Annunciation, fresco
by Fra Angelico
convent of San Marco, Florence

Announcement of Jesus' Birth (1:26-38)
1:26 And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee to which the name [was] Nazareth...
In the birth story of Matthew, which presumably existed in the church prior to the Gospel of Luke, the story of Jesus' birth begins in Bethlehem. If all we had were Matthew's Gospel, we would assume that Joseph and Mary started out in Bethlehem and only ended up in Nazareth because of Archelaus ruling in Jerusalem (cf. Matt. 2:22).

While this tension might be seen as problematic by some, it actually provides an argument for the historicity of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem. It is a common point of agreement in Matthew and Luke in the midst of a great deal of diversity in the birth accounts in general. The typical Christmas play is a splicing together of quite different and unique elements in the story, but the birth in Bethlehem is in common.

Gabriel once more is the messenger angel who brings the announcement or "annunciation" of what is about to come to Mary, the soon-to-be mother of Jesus. A Greek audience would have thought of Hermes and a Roman audience of Mercury. Hermes/Mercury was the one who brought messages to people from Zeus and the gods. It is no surprise, then, that the people of Lystra in Acts 14:12 think that Paul is Hermes because he is the main speaker.

In Matthew, Joseph has a dream, but Mary is the focus in Luke's Gospel. This focus on women, both Mary and Elizabeth, is uncharacteristic of the ancient world, which was overwhelmingly male-oriented. One of the special emphases of the Gospel of Luke is Jesus' focus on the role that women played in the Gospel story. This is also a feature of the book of Acts. It fits with Luke's sense that Jesus' earthly mission primarily focused on the "lost sheep," those knocked off track by the world, the marginalized of Israel.

Elizabeth lets people know that she is pregnant in her fifth month. In the sixth month of her pregnancy, Gabriel now comes to Mary. If Elizabeth is in Judea in the south. Mary is in Galilee in the north. At this time, the three primary regions of what used to be Israel were Galilee in the north, Judea in the south, and Samaria in the middle.

The village in which Mary lives is Nazareth. It was an unremarkable location, a small place of no world significance. We wonder if most of the Jews living in Jerusalem would even have heard of it. Certainly, no one outside of Israel would have known it. It is not mentioned at all in the Old Testament. 

It was "Nowheresville," another indication that God cares for the most insignificant. Those who are from someplace other than big cities will know of these small little towns and villages that you drive through when you are in the middle of nowhere. God came to earth in such a place.

27. ... to a virgin having been engaged to a man whose name [was] Joseph, from the house of David and the name of the virgin [was] Mary.
The Greek parthenos may or may not focus on the virginity of Mary. Certainly, the assumption of the word is that she is a virgin, although it might also be translated as "young maiden" or "young woman." It simply would not be a question that this young woman was also a virgin.

The story assumes that Mary becomes pregnant with Jesus without ever having sex. There have been some who have argued that Luke does not assume a virginal conception since the text does not explicitly say she never has sex with Joseph to become pregnant. [1] However, this argument seems very difficult to make. While it may be possible to read the text that way, it seems a highly improbable reading, as we will argue below.

Mary is engaged to Joseph in the village of Nazareth. If we make the normal assumptions about such an arrangement, we expect that Joseph might be a bit older than she is. He might actually be much older. She may not be his first wife or marriage although she seems to be his only wife. She is probably in her early teens, perhaps as young as fourteen. 

The marriage may be arranged. Either his parents or, if he is older, perhaps he arranged the marriage with her before she was old enough to be fully aware of her destiny. A betrothal was binding and to break such a betrothal would be tantamount to a divorce, although no sexual relations took place during that period. 

He is a descendent of David. At first, it might seem puzzling that such a descendant would be living in Galilee, but we soon find out that his family is ultimately from Bethlehem. We might infer then that his arrival in Nazareth may have taken place in his lifetime or not long before. Certainly, a number of Judeans had moved to Galilee in the century before Christ during the time of the Maccabees.

28. And having entered to her, he said, "Hail, having been favored [one], the Lord [is] with you!" 29. But she at this word was terrified and was debating what sort of greeting this would be. [2]
This is the verse from which the "Hail, Mary" takes its name. Roman Catholics often ask Mary to intercede for them saying, "Hail, Mary, full of grace. Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." The full statement includes material from verse 42 below. [3]  

Gabriel says that she is "having been favored." This is in the perfect tense suggesting that God's favor came upon her at some point in the past and that it remains upon her. The word "to favor" is charitoō, which is related to the word for "grace," charis. God's disposition is to show favor to Mary, to give graciously to her.

The Lord is with her. What a blessing to have the Lord on your side! Of course, the Lord is always on our side, but the Lord is not always "with us" on every venture or plan that we conceive. Mary has not conceived of the plan that God has for her in this instance, but she will be a willing participant.

Her willingness does not of course keep this situation from being terrifying. As with Zechariah, her natural response is one of terror. The young Mary is understandably confused and uncertain as to what is happening.

30. And the angel said to her, "Do not fear, Mary, for you have found favor before God. 31. And, behold, you will conceive in womb and will bear a son, and you will call his name, 'Jesus' ...
On cue, Gabriel tells her not to be afraid. The visit is not one of judgment or peril, but one of blessing. it is a visit of "favor" or "grace" (charis). God is about to give her a great blessing.

Luke 1:31 echoes Isaiah 7:14 without quoting it--"A young woman will conceive and bring forth a son, and you will call his name, 'Immanuel.'" Matthew of course quotes the verse. Luke may be aware of Matthew and feel no need to quote the verse, perhaps thinking that his audience would already know it. The similarity is striking, with only the name Jesus switched out for Immanuel.

Christians of course believe that Jesus was "God with us," the Word become flesh. The name Jesus is the Greek for Joshua. In Hebrew, Joshua means, "Yahweh saves" and so implies that in Jesus Yahweh is with his people, saving them. 

Although Luke does not state it explicitly, his readers understand that this will be a virginal conception. A virgin can of course conceive by becoming pregnant the first time she has sex. But that is not what Luke has in mind. She is not married and she is not yet having relations with Joseph. As Matthew 1:25 indicates, they will not have sexual relations until after Jesus is born.

32. "This [one] will be great and he will be called, 'Son of the Most High,' and the Lord God will give to him the throne of David his father. 33. And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will not be an end."
The expression, "Son of God" is a royal, kingly title in the Old Testament as well as in the Roman world. As we will mention in the next chapter, Augustus thought of himself as the son of a god. In Psalm 2, God declares the king of Judah to be his Son and tells the other kings of the nations to "kiss" the Son. Several other Old Testament texts refer to the king as God's son, as well as other Jewish literature of the day. [4]

The announcement thus declares that Jesus will be the Messiah, the king of Israel. That is his destiny. God is going to give him the throne of David. As David was called to be king in Bethlehem, Jesus the Son of David will be born in Bethlehem on a path to become king of God's people. It will not happen on earth during his first coming, but it will happen over the whole cosmos at his second coming.

David was also promised that his kingdom would never end (2 Sam. 7:16), but in his case the sense was that of a dynasty. His descendants would rule after he himself passed. It is not that way with the kingdom of Christ. He is risen from the dead and will come again and he will reign forever and ever in person (cf. Rev. 11:15).

34. And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am not 'knowing' a man?"
Here is Luke's indication that Mary's pregnancy will not take place on the basis of human sexual relations. She is not having sex with any man, whether Joseph or otherwise. Her question has an arguably different tone than Zechariah's. As one pastor has said, Zechariah asks "if" it will happen. Mary asks "how" it will happen.

35. And, having answered, the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the holy [child] that is being born will be called, 'the Son of God.' 
The answer to Mary's question is "the Holy Spirit." A man will not come upon her but the Holy Spirit will lead her to be pregnant supernaturally. This is not an event like in Greek mythology where Zeus has sex with a human. This is a spiritual conception. It is a matter of God's power.

We would call this event a miracle, "super" natural, above nature. God has created the world to operate by certain rules. This event breaks the rules, the most helpful understanding of a miracle. It is an instance of God stepping into the flow of history and interrupting it with a power that goes beyond what is naturally possible.

The "Most High" is an Old Testament way of referring to God (el elyon; cf. Gen. 14:18), possibly dating back to a time in Israel's history before they more fully understood the oneness of God. Someone in the Greco-Roman world would likely have thought of Zeus, the king of the gods. While this conception is quite different from that of Zeus causing the birth of Perseus, a Greek or Roman would understand well enough that Jesus was indeed in this way the son of God.

Conceived of the Holy Spirit, the child Jesus will be holy, set apart to God and pure. This will not be an ordinary child. And as we have mentioned, "Son of God" is a royal title. Jesus is heir to the Father's throne as well as heir to the throne of David. He will become the "Son of God in power" after his resurrection (Acts 13:33; Rom. 1:4), then installed in office as Lord and Christ (cf. Acts 2:36). 

36. "And, behold, your kinsman Elizabeth also herself has conceived a son in her old age, and this month is the sixth to her who is called, 'barren.' 37. For with God, no word will be impossible from God."
Now Gabriel tells Mary about Elizabeth, and she will then set out to visit her. The miracle of Elizabeth's conception supports the power of God in Mary's own situation. Elizabeth was called, "barren," sterile. But the matters that seem impossible from a human perspective are not impossible to God. Elizabeth is two-thirds of the way through her pregnancy. God has triumphed over the natural.

"Every word will not be impossible from God." The wording is Greek idiom but is fascinating. Mary has just received a word (hrēma). It may seem like a word that is not possible, but every word is possible with God. And it is "from God." It is a word from God, and it is possible from God.

God is all powerful. God has the power to do anything in this world. God created the world out of nothing. You cannot create something out of nothing without having all power in relation to what you create. God thus has the power to do anything in this universe.

Christian philosophers sometimes debate whether God can do what is logically impossible. Can God make 1 + 1 = 3? Far be it from us to think we know the answer to that question. Certainly, God can multiply loaves and fishes. However, many aspects of logic are matters of definition rather than matters of true impossibility. 

In the end, God created this universe out of nothing and so created the rules for this universe. Who is to say that God has not created other universes with different rules and different logics that we could not possibly comprehend? 

38. And Mary said, "Behold the servant girl of the Lord. May it be to me according to your word." And the angel went away from her. [5]
Mary submits to the divine revelation. She is God's servant. She will do whatever God asks her to do. God would not have chosen her otherwise. Gabriel's task is accomplished. 

[1] John Meier

[2] A potential optative.

[3] Some later manuscripts, splicing the two verses together because of later tradition, include "blessed are you among women" in verse 28 as well.

[4] E.g., 2 Samuel 7:14; Psalm 89:27.

[5] An optative of wish.

Luke 2:1-20 Explanatory Notes

The Nativity,
byBotticelli

The Census
2:1 And it came to pass in those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus for all the inhabited world to be registered.

Luke's account places the birth of Jesus squarely within the reign of the first Roman emperor. Augustus Caesar became the first emperor of Rome an ruled from 27BC-AD14 at the end of a period of great civil unrest. As the Roman empire is beginning, so too the salvation of the world was set in motion by the birth of Jesus. The contrast between the two kingdoms is striking, and the book of Revelation will bring out this contrast starkly.

Augustus considered himself to be a "son of God," as one account of his deeds remarks, "Divine Augustus Caesar, son of a god..." [1] The inscription goes on to call him a savior as well. Another inscription speaks of the "good news" or "gospel" of Augustus. [2] The coincidence between the language Luke uses of Jesus and that known to be used of Augustus is quite striking and leads us to wonder if Luke intentionally wanted Theophilus and his audience to contrast Jesus as Lord of the cosmos with Augustus, savior of the Roman world.

Of course, this language comes straight from the Old Testament as well and thus pre-dates Augustus. Psalm 2 referred to the king of Judah as God's son. Isaiah 52:7 speaks of the good news of God's coming reign. The name Joshua means "Yahweh saves." However, Luke's use of these terms in a Greco-Roman context with explicit mention of Augustus may suggest he wanted Theophilus--possibly a Roman official--to pick up on the subtext that Jesus is Lord on a much bigger scale than Augustus was.

The word, "inhabited world" (oikoumenē) refers to the Roman world as opposed to the "barbarian" world that existed outside of it. The implication is thus a Roman census rather than a census of regions beyond the empire. As of the moment, we have no evidence outside Luke of a worldwide census under the reign of Augustus.

We thus find debate between 1) those who would say that the evidence simply has not survived, 2) those who would say Luke confused a later regional census with an earlier worldwide census, 3) those who would say that Luke is trying to explain how Jesus could be born in Bethlehem when he was from Nazareth, and 4) those who would say Luke is intentionally using the idea of an Augustinian census to bring Jesus into clearer contrast with Augustus. [3]

2. This first registration came about while Cyrenius was governing Syria. 3. And all were going to be registered, each to his own city.
We do have evidence of a regional census that took place when Cyrenius was governor of Syria. This census took place after the son of Herod the Great, Archelaus, stopped ruling Judea as client king in AD6. There is not currently any evidence outside of Luke for an earlier governorship of Cyrenius in this area or an earlier census. See the options mentioned above under verse 1.

It is also not clear that the Romans would have expected someone like Joseph to go to Bethlehem for such a census. However, if Joseph had only recently come to Nazareth, returning to Bethlehem might have killed two birds with one stone. The pregnancy of Mary would have been sensitive and quite probably considered shameful by the village. It might have been convenient to be "out of sight" until Jesus was born.

4. And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth to Judea to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem because he was from the house and lineage of David [4] 5. to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, being in the round.
Jesus was from the lineage of David. Although the genealogy of Matthew 1 and Luke 4 are different in some respects, they both agree that Jesus was a descendent of David. This fact is significant because it qualifies Jesus to be the Messiah. We find record of this fact even in Paul, who was in direct contact with the earliest disciples (cf. Rom. 1:3).

It should not be a concern that Jesus was not the biological son of Joseph. For one thing, some have argued that the genealogy of Luke 4 traces Jesus' lineage through Mary. If so, then Jesus would also trace his lineage to David through her. However, adoption in the ancient world was considered just as "real" a lineage as biological lineage. In fact, adopted sons were sometimes given a greater status than biological ones. We see this in the case of Julius Caesar, whose adopted son Augustus became emperor while his biological son did not.

Bethlehem was not a large village at this time, about four miles southeast of Jerusalem. It was not a place of any significance at the time in the same way that the birth town of Abraham Lincoln is not particularly significant in the United States. It was, of course, the place of king David's birth. Micah 5:2 celebrates Bethlehem as the place from which the kings of Judah originate whether an individual king was born there or not. In the case of Jesus, he was actually born there.

Joseph takes Mary with him. As mentioned above, taking her shields her from the potential disgrace of being pregnant in Nazareth before the two have completed their marriage.

The Shepherds
6. And it came to pass while they were there, the days were fulfilled for her to give birth. [5] 7. And she bore her son, the firstborn, and she wrapped him and laid him in a manger because there was no place in the guest room.
This verse arguably has long been misread in terms of an "inn" and a stable. This misreading largely comes because we try to fit the scene into categories that make sense to us in our world. But the word kataluma would seem to be a guest room rather than an inn (cf. Mark 14:14; Luke 22:11), and it was common for a family's animals to stay in the house on a lower split level. [6]

This guest room of sorts could have been a makeshift addition to a smallish house, possibly added when Joseph and Mary came to town. Presumably they would have stayed with relatives of Joseph. However, it would not likely have been a large add-on, perhaps only large enough for Mary and Joseph to fit. The birth of the child would thus have exhausted the space, making it necessary for the baby to be elsewhere. Thus, a manger on the lower level was used.

The placement of the king of Israel in a manger with animals coheres well with Luke's emphasis on Jesus' mission to the marginal, the poor, and the powerless. Contrast his presentation with that of Matthew, which has significant royal overtones. In Luke, Jesus' birth goes unnoticed by the powerful. From a human perspective, it is completely insignificant.

8. And there were shepherds in the same country, living out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock.
Instead of wise men with gifts like gold, instead of Herod the king taking notice of Jesus, Luke emphasizes shepherds. Shepherds were not high on the social scale. They are not even sleeping under a roof but outside at night. Again, Luke's emphasis on such lowly witnesses fits with his sense that Jesus came primarily for the poor and the marginalized in his earthly mission.

9. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them and glory from the Lord shown around them, and they feared a great fear.
Despite the lowliness of the setting from a human perspective, something of cosmic and everlasting significance is taking place here. The spiritual realm knows well enough what is happening, even though the earthly realm may not notice. An angel appears to the shepherds. 

The angel is called an "angel of the Lord." We hear of the angel of the Lord in a few places in the Old Testament. For example, the angel of the Lord appears to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3:2. Such an angel is fittingly accompanied by glory. Perhaps we are to picture such glory in terms of great light. As we saw in Luke 1, fear is a normal human response.

10. And the angel said to them, "Do not fear, for behold, I am announcing good news to you--a great joy that will be for all the people 11. because was born to you today a Savior, which is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.
If fear is the normal response to angelic activity, it is also normal for the angel to tell those visited not to fear. This angel follows that script as expected.

The angel brings "good news" or a "gospel." The good news is the birth of a Savior. Again, to a Roman like Theophilus the overtones of Augustus' good news would likely have been obvious. 

We are prone to see the good news in terms of our individual salvation from hell. Certainly that is good news! But we should note that such is not the focus here. For one, Luke thinks of salvation more in corporate than individual terms, and he barely mentions hell (cf. 12:5). Salvation in Luke is primarily about the restoration of God's people as a whole, especially Israel.

Even more, the good news is far more about Jesus than it is about us. The focus of the good news is that Jesus is king. The focus is not on me being saved but on Jesus being the Savior. He is "Christ," the Messiah, the anointed one, the king. He is "the Lord," the one who will rule over everything.

Yes, it will bring great joy to Israel. Yes, it will bring joy to the world. The good news is for everyone, well beyond the inhabited Roman world. But the good news is about Jesus. I as an individual am not the center of the universe.

12. And this to you [is] a sign: you will find the baby, having been wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.
Signs were a significant aspect of the ancient world. The Romans looked for omens, portents from the gods or of the Fates, telling of momentous events. In this case, the sign is not an owl, an earthquake, or thunder. The sign is a lowly baby in an animal's manger. God stands with the lowly.

It is of course possible that Luke means to echo Isaiah 7:14. In this verse, quoted in Matthew 1:23, God gives a sign to king Ahaz that involves a virgin conceiving a child. Perhaps Luke wants his audience to remember that Jesus' birth embodies this sign as well.

13. And immediately came with the angel a multitude of a heavenly army, praising God and saying, 14. "Glory in the highest [places] to God and upon earth peace among people of [God's] good pleasure."
The angel of the Lord is now joined by the angelic hosts. The number of angels is so great that it can only be summarized as a "multitude." The heavenly hosts appear occasionally in the Old Testament (e.g., 2 Kings 6:17). They are most of the time invisible to human sight, but God opens the eyes of the shepherds to see the heavens.

The angels make it clear that Jesus' birth is a matter of celebration on the highest levels of the cosmos. And just as the reign of Augustus ushered in the "pax Romana," the Roman peace, so Jesus' birth heralds the arrival of peace to the earth. Augustus ended civil war. He cleared the seas of pirates and the roads of robbers and violent men. Jesus would also bring peace to the earth.

For those raised on the King James Version or who have sung choir pieces from that era, the ending of the verse may be a little unfamiliar. You may be used to singing, "good will toward men." That is the way that most medieval copies or manuscripts of the New Testament read.

However, older manuscripts that have been discoved in the last few hundred years suggest that the original text read, "to people of good pleasure" rather than "good will toward people." The original sense seems to have been "peace on earth to those on whom God shows favor." Not all of course will experience the reign of Jesus as one of favor.

15. And it came to pass as the angels went away from them into the sky, the shepherds were saying to one another, "Let us go indeed into Bethlehem and let us see this word that has come to pass, that the Lord has made known to us." [7] 16. And they came, hurrying, and they found both Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in the manger.
The angels then withdraw back into the sky. In keeping with the fact that God meets us where we are, Luke and his audience would no doubt have thought of them going straight up to the top of the cosmos, where God's presence dwelt, the Most Holy Place of the cosmos.

The shepherds do not need to be told what to do next. They must go see. They want to go celebrate in person. They go to nearby Bethlehem, since they are in the fields between villages. God has shown them something. Is it just for information? No, it is for action!

If we are to fit the Gospels together, we should note that Matthew's wise men will not arrive for some time, probably over a year in fact. The shepherds hear of Jesus' birth almost immediately after it happens. Presumably space will be added in the house so that Jesus does not have to remain long in a manager. 

17. And having looked, they made known concerning the word that had been spoken to them concerning this child. [8] 18. And all who heard marveled concerning the things that had been spoken by the shepherds to them.
It was expected in that world that the birth of someone who would later be significant would be foreshadowed with events of significance. Jesus' birth combines these seemingly paradoxical elements. On the one hand, it is a lowly birth, showing that God is a God of the lowly, the poor, the outcasts and cast aside. 

Yet it is accompanied by angelic hosts from the heavens. Jesus' entrance to the world involved the glory of heaven, despite its earthly insignificance. Those who hear marvel at the knowledge, no doubt unable to process the event in their normal categories and ways of thinking.

19. And Mary was collecting all these words, pondering in her heart.
Mary is also trying to process what is happening. She will not be able to put it all together without new categories. She knows something momentous is happening. She believes. Her heart is fully on board. Her head cannot quite process it.

20. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God at all the things that they heard and saw, just as it was spoken to them.
The shepherds return to their normal lives. It is not the time for the kingdom to be restored to Israel. We do not know what happens to them. Would they still be alive thirty years later when John the Baptist started his ministry?

We do not always get to participate in the things that God announces or promises. We certainly cannot wait around for them. We must live our lives till Jesus returns. The shepherds did so, glorying in the knowledge of things they did not get to experience.

[1] An incription text known as the res gestae has been found in more than one place in Turkey (e.g., the Myrian inscription) celebrating the rule of Augustus in these categories. 

[2] The Priene inscription.

[3] The last two are not mutually exclusive.

[4] This is actually the place where I started making Greek grammatical notes in my posts. I then backfilled them into earlier passages in Luke. In this verse is an infinitive of cause.

[5] Interesting infinitive constructions.

[6] Cf. Stephen Carlson, "The Accommodations of Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem: Κατάλυμα in Luke 2.7," NTS 56 (2010): 326-42.

[7] two hortatory subjunctives, relative clauses resulting from articular participle and relative pronoun

[8] aorist passive articular participle

Luke 1:5-25 Explanatory Notes

The Annunciation,
Leonardo da Vinci

The Birth Narrative (1:5-2:52)

Announcement of John the Baptist (1:5-25)
5. And there came to be in the days of Herod, king of Judea, a certain priest by [the] name of Zechariah, from the order of Abijah, and his wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name [was] Elizabeth.
1. The first two chapters of Luke present the story of the birth of both Jesus and John the Baptist. Mark does not say anything about Jesus' birth, nor does it indicate any familial connection between Jesus and John the Baptist. Matthew also adds the story of Jesus' birth to its source material in Mark, but its presentation is quite different from that of Luke. Our Christmas plays would be interestingly different if we were lacking either one.

The birth and childhood of a person were viewed differently in the Greco-Roman world than we view them today. We have learned from Freud and modern psychology that childhood is a highly formative time, where a person is formed. If a person is somehow separated from parents or a context of love and nurture, it will be almost impossible for them to grow up and have normal loving relationships. [1] If their parents have certain unique or emphatic characteristics, those can have a major impact on the habits and patterns of later life. 

By contrast, the ancient Mediterraneans viewed childhood not as formative but as indicative. If a person became great, they must have always been destined for greatness. Therefore, there would have been signs of greatness as a child, omens and hints. Identity was something that was generally considered fixed throughout one's life rather than something formed. [2]

When God reveals Godself, when God speaks and inspires, God does it within the categories of our understanding. This is the principle of incarnation in revelation--God "takes on the flesh" of those to whom he is speaking. Otherwise we either would not understand or we would not understand nearly as well. God does not expect us to come up to his level--we cannot! God "stoops to our weakness." God comes down on our level and speaks in terms we can comprehend, because God is actually trying to communicate with us. God wants us to understand. [3]

So the function of the childhood narratives in Luke and Matthew are to foreshadow who Jesus and John the Baptist will become. Their births came with dramatic omens that point to the greatness we will later seen in their lives and indeed, in eternity. There are signs beyond anything anyone has ever or will ever experience again.

2. Luke 1 gives us the announcements of their births, focusing on their mothers. This focus on women in the story is highly unusual in the ancient world and is a signature of Luke. When revelation fits neatly within its world, that is not usually a main take-away. When revelation is unusual or unique for its world, that is usually a key point of revelation.

One also wonders if somewhere close to Luke is an influential woman speaking into his narrative.  Some have even suggested that Mary herself could have been a major source for Luke at this point. It is of course hard to say, but there are traditions that Mary came to Ephesus in later life. For the story of John the Baptist, we know that there were followers of him at Ephesus in the late first century. They would no doubt have inherited traditions about his origins. [4]

In Luke-Acts, the attention to the women of the story suggests that part of the new covenant and a distinctive feature of the good news is the elevation of women. In Acts 2:17, Luke will indicate that the Day of Pentecost brought a day when "daughters will prophesy." The elevation of women to equal status with men is a key part of the good news. In Christ, the curse of Genesis 3:16 is undone and the complete equality of women with men in every way is made possible, including leadership and ministry.

3. The Herod in question is of course Herod the Great. He does not feature in Luke's story but, if the Gospel of Matthew is also in the background of Luke, people would know of his cruelty from Matthew 2 where he kills the infants in Bethlehem. Since Luke is writing to a Roman official, it is perhaps not surprising that he does not highlight Herod's cruelty as a Roman proxy. 

It is a little surprising that Luke calls Herod the king of Judea, since he ruled a much larger area than just Judea. Herod also ruled Samaria and Galilee, as well as Idumea and Peraea. But perhaps at the time of writing, Luke believed it would be communicative to speak of the focal area.

In addition to the main priests like the high priest, there were many other priests and Levites throughout the land. Zechariah is a lower level priest who probably did not even live in Jerusalem. There were fifty-two orders of these lower level priests, and they served two weeks out of the year in the temple. Of course only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place of the temple and even then only once a year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). His order is identified as the order of Abijah.

Both Zechariah and Elizabeth are from priestly lines. They are descendants of Aaron in the Old Testament, the first high priest. The fact that Elizabeth is of a priestly lineage may suggest that Mary also had some priestly blood in her background. If so, it would suggest that Jesus was not only of royal blood but also priestly in lineage. It would corroborate the sense that he was a king-priest (cf. Heb. 7). 

6. But they were both righteous before God, going in all the commandments and righteous requirements of the Lord blameless.
The New Testament knows nothing of the sense that "I'm not perfect, just forgiven." The New Testament authors expect that actual, lived-out righteousness will be true of God's people. There is no "legal fiction" about Zechariah and Elizabeth having some righteousness on paper that they do not actually live out. They are actually righteous. 

They obey the commandments of God, period. They keep the righteous expectations of the Jewish Law. Indeed, they are blameless in their keeping of the Law. Paul will say the same thing of himself in Philippians 3:6. He realizes that, while God expects righteous behavior, this is not how God has chosen to justify us, to declare us right with him. Only Christ is the way to that.

7. And there was not to them a child because Elizabeth was barren, and both had advanced in their days.
There was of course a huge stigma on a woman who did not bear a child. In their world, they assumed the woman was always the cause. A woman's womb was viewed as something like an oven in which the seed from the man was cooked. Any failure of the system was attributed to her.

We now know, of course, that this is not always the case. The man is just as likely to be the reason why pregnancy does not occur. And of course we know that the man and woman both contribute equally to the genetic material of the child.

The barrenness of Elizabeth invokes the stories of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis, as well as Hannah in 1 Samuel 1-2. We find echoes of both those stories in the birth story of John the Baptist. Elizabeth would have had difficulty ever being valued as a woman in that world. God is about to take away her stigma. 

Indeed, this is one of the key messages of Luke-Acts. God lifts the status of the marginalized. God takes those who are shamed in their world. He lifts them and gives them places of great honor.

8. And it happened while he was serving in the order of his division before God, 9. according to the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him [by lot] to offer incense, having entered into the temple of the Lord. 10. And all the multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of the incense.
1. A team of five priests served each day in the outer room of the temple, the "Holies" or "Holy Place." This is a great honor, usually a once in a lifetime honor. In their worldview, God chose by the casting of lots who was supposed to do it. We can assume that, in this instance, God did indeed choose Zechariah.

Christians debate whether God micromanages the world on this level all the time, with some believing God determines every last event. The Wesleyan tradition of which I am a part believes that God also empowers humans to make at least some decisions, particularly those relating to salvation. I personally believe that God has built freedom into the creation on the quantum level. You might say that God has given the universe some degree of "free will."

So this was likely the first time that Zechariah had ever offered incense in the temple. This took place twice a day, in the morning at dawn and in the evening at dusk. Perhaps we should picture evening prayer here because there seem to be more people present than we might expect at dawn. They are praying, waiting on a blessing after the crew of priests is finished.

In Revelation 8:4, we get the sense that incense was associated with the prayers of the people. It was not an animal sacrifice but generating special smells that likely symbolized originally God smelling something good. God inhaled, as it were, the prayers of the people, and he smiled with a delight like we have when we smell our favorite foods. Incense is thus like a symbolic catalyst to carry our prayers up to God. 

2. A couple key features of Luke-Acts again linger in the background here. First, Luke-Acts both emphasize the importance of prayer even more than the other Gospels. These first two chapters of Luke, unique to his Gospel, are full of prayers.

We also see the centrality of the temple within the "map" of Luke-Acts. The story begins in the temple, and Paul will visit the temple in Acts 21 at the end of the storyline as well. Jerusalem is the center of Luke's universe. Jesus will ascend to heaven from Jerusalem in Acts 1, and it will be from Jerusalem that the witness to Jesus begins in Acts 1:8.

11. And an angel of the Lord appeared to him on the right hand of the altar of incense. 12. and Zechariah was terrified when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 
No doubt the appearance of an angel would be terrifying. Fear is the universal reaction in Scripture and Jewish literature at the appearance of an angel. The response of the angel in the next verse is also common, "Fear not."

Who knows what picture of an angel is in Luke's mind here. Does Zechariah see a humongous figure, an other-dimensional figure? We will soon find out that the angel in question is none other than the Gabriel of Daniel 8-9. The right side was understood in that culture to be a favored side and would be perceived as befitting a messenger from God. The word angel means "messenger."

The altar of incense was located in the outer room of the two-part sanctuary. In the book of Revelation, it symbolizes the prayers of God's people (Rev. 5:8). Perhaps it is no coincidence that Zechariah is assigned to the altar of incense at the very time that the long term prayers of him and his wife Elizabeth are about to be answered.

13. But the angel said to him, "Do not fear, Zechariah, because your petition was heard, and your wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to a son, and you will call his name 'John.'"
Presumably, the petitions in question are the prayers for a child because of their inability to have a son. At this stage of their life, those prayers were probably long in the past. Clearly, even when God answers prayers, he does not always do so on our preferred time schedule. The prediction is made, and the name of John is instructed.

14. And joy will be to you, and rejoicing, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15. For he will be great before the Lord. And wine and strong drink he will never drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb. [5]
Joy is of course one of the themes of Christmas, and the joy of the birth narrative starts with the promise of children. There will of course be puzzlement as well. Zechariah will not likely be the only one to question whether this is really going to happen, and Elizabeth will not publicize her blessing immediately. But there will be great rejoicing at the birth to be sure.

There is also the foreshadowing of the great role John the Baptist will play. We know of John the Baptist even today, after all. But we have reason to believe that there were followers of John the Baptist who did not believe in Jesus even in the late first century. [6] His role will be as the forerunner of the Messiah, the one who prepares the way of the Lord (Luke 3:4; Mal. 3:1; 4:5).

John the Baptist would apparently be a Nazirite. Nazirites did not drink any form of alcohol and did not cut their hair as an indication of sanctification to God (cf. Num. 6:1-6). Most Israelites were not Nazirites, including Jesus himself. 

Interestingly, John would be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he was born. This is an indication that Luke does not think that being filled with the Holy Spirit requires the conscious involvement of a person. This observation is often used as an argument in support of infant baptism, since John is "in" the people of God even before he can consciously choose God.

16-17. And he will turn many of the sons [and daughters] of Israel to the Lord their God. And he himself will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers [and mothers] to [their] children and disobedient [ones] with the prudence of the righteous, to prepare for the Lord a people having been equipped. 
While we are prone to spiritualize the mission of Jesus and John the Baptist, it had a clear political and "real world" overtone for Jesus' day. In the minds of those who heard the message of Jesus and John the Baptist, the restoration of Israel as a free, political entity on the earth was a central point. They did not hear the message in terms of their individual relationships with God but in terms of Israel's corporate relationship with God.

John the Baptist would turn Israel as a people back to God. His mission was to prepare the way for the Messiah to rule a restored people and a restored "nation." He was to get everything ready for the restored kingdom. This task required turning the allegiance of the Jews back to God. 

Parents needed to resume teaching their children to serve the Lord. Those who have strayed from the covenant of God with Israel needed to learn from the "prudence," from the practical wisdom of the righteous. The righteous are those who have kept the covenant, who have followed the Jewish Law. The people of God need to be "reconstructed," "equipped," "furnished" with the tools needed for the re-auguration of the kingdom.

You generally do not move into a house until it is built. You do not sleep in a structure without a roof. You do not move in until there is a front door to close. John the Baptist was Elijah, whose task was to get the building in order before the king would move in for good.

The mention of Elijah is again an allusion to the words of Malachi, especially 4:5-6. [7] There, God speaks of sending Elijah before the Day of the Lord. Malachi speaks of Elijah turning the hearts of the children to their parents to save Israel from judgment. Gabriel thus connects the prediction of Malachi with John the Baptist.

18. And Zechariah said to the angel, "In what way am I to know this, for I am an old man, and my wife having been advanced in her days?"
Zechariah seems to doubt the message. Certainly he is given the mild chastisement of silence as a reminder of the need for faith. As I have heard said, Mary questions the "how" it will happen, Zechariah questions "if" it will happen.

From a human perspective, his doubt is not unreasonable. However, the appearance of an angel in the Holy Place suggests that he should have suspended his sense of the normal. From a human perspective, the birth is impossible. She is too old; he is less than likely. This will be a true miracle because it will contravene the laws of nature.

19. And answering, the angel said to him, "I myself am Gabriel, the one who has stood before God, and I was sent to speak to you and to announce the good news of these things to you...
We now find out the name of the angel. This is Gabriel, the messenger angel, whom we know from Daniel 8 and 9. Perhaps we are meant to see a connection between the prophecy of Daniel and the births of Jesus and John the Baptist. Although in general Luke is less apocalyptic, less oriented around cataclysmic events of the second coming than Matthew and Mark, the presence of Gabriel may allude to the arrival of John the Baptist and Jesus as the beginning of the end. 

Gabriel proclaims good news (euangelizomai). In the first instance, the good news would seem to be the birth of John the Baptist. The birth of a son after barrenness is good news. The birth of a son at such an age is a miracle. The birth of a son in that world is good news period. 

But of course we must suspect that the good news is even greater. The good news is that God is going to restore his people. The good news is that God is sending the Messiah. God is sending Israel its king.

20. "... And behold, you will be silent and not able to speak until the day these things come to be, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time." [8]
Zechariah did not respond in faith, so his mouth is sealed. It is a mild punishment but also a sign to those around him. They will know that something significant has happened and is happening. It builds suspends for the arrival of John the Baptist.

21. And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they marveled at him delaying in the temple. [9] 22. And having come out, he was not able to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple. And he himself was signaling to them and was remaining unable to speak.
It was conventional for a priest to give a blessing to the people after the service in the temple was complete. But Zechariah cannot speak when he emerges. Not only is he unable to give the blessing, but he is delayed in coming outside. The task presumably would not have taken too long normally. All these factors again indicate that something different and striking has happened and is about to happen.

Zechariah motions and presumably would like to share what has happened with the people, but he is unable. He motions with his hands but cannot communicate it. They realize that he has had a vision in the place where God touches the earth. This is the nexus of God's communication with the earth at this time in history, and God has presumably spoken. 

23. And it came to pass, as the days of his ministry were fulfilled, he went away into his house.
The work that Zechariah is doing is "leitourgia." It is not just ministry but a ministry of worship that is done in relation to God rather than humanity. The English word liturgy is derived from this Greek word. It is service to God rather than service toward others. Zechariah has had the job of a lifetime, and it is now fulfilled. He returns to whatever village outside of Jerusalem he may be from. 

24. And after these days, Elizabeth his wife conceived and was hiding herself for five months, saying, 25. "For thus the Lord has done for me in the days that he looked on to take away my reproach among people."
One of the special themes of Luke-Acts is its attention to the role women played in the story of the gospel. Elizabeth is the first of these women. Whereas Matthew's birth story focuses on the royalty of Jesus and features kings and wise men, Luke's birth story has a lowly priest and his wife, a lowly virgin from Galilee, and hardly noticeable elderly people who come regularly to the temple.

These "nobodies" fit with Luke's teaching that Jesus came to reclaim the marginal rather than the powerful and central. He came for the lowly, not the exalted. He came for the sick and not the healthy.

Elizabeth apparently does not let anyone know that she is pregnant for five months. People would probably have doubted her if she had said, but at five months it will become clear. Those who have had miscarriages in the past are also sometimes more cautious about sharing their pregnancies because of their past experiences.

Barrenness was a matter of reproach in that world. Elizabeth's central identity as a woman in that world was the production of a male heir. Although we know that Zechariah may actually have been the cause, they did not. They blamed the woman, viewing her as a sort of incubator of the man's seed. A woman's womb was like an oven in which the seed was cooked. If there was a problem, they thought it was the wife's fault.

She would have lived her whole married life with this social stigma. No matter how much love Zechariah might have given her, she would have inevitably experienced social shame. His family may even have treated her with some contempt. She had failed at the very reason for her existence in the family. God was now taking all of that shame away, as he did with Sarah and Hannah in the Scriptures. 

[1] This was seen in the Romanian orphans under the communist regime of Nicolae Ceauşescu, where babies were not held as infants. Even the best developed of these children have difficulty today relating to other people. We can hope that the intentional policy of separating children from parents at the southern US border under the Trump administration will not have such long-lasting effects on those children.

[2] Of course we also believe that "nature" plays a role in our personalities in addition to "nurture." It is a both/and--genetics and environment.  

[3] Even referring to God as "he" is a tool to help the patriarchal worlds of the Bible understand. God has no genitalia and in fact also uses feminine imagery in the Bible to reveal "herself" to the world (e.g., Isa 49:15). There is a significant implication--to take the Bible too "literally" is to tie God down to ancient worldviews, the parts of the Bible that were the ancient clothing rather than the message. 

[4] For followers of John the Baptist at Ephesus around the year AD58, see Acts 19:3. Many think the de-emphasis of John the Baptist in the Gospel of John may reflect that followers of John the Baptist who did not accept Jesus as the Messiah may have continued in Ephesus until the 90s.

[5] I have decided to record grammar of interest as it appears. This verse has a subjunctive of emphatic negation.

[6] Acts hints at this in 19:3-4, and the way the Gospel of John presents John the Baptist may imply the situation at Ephesus in the late first century. 

[7] Malachi 2:6-7; 3:1, 18; 4:5-6.

[8] This verse has a future periphrastic construction.

[9] This verse has a temporal infinitive construction and an imperfect periphrastic.