Free at Last: A Life-Changing Journey Through the Gospel of Luke

By Leesa K. Donner

Many of us live life in bondage - to food, family or fear, to our past, present or future almost anything that keeps us from being who God intended us to be. But Jesus has come to give us abundant life and set us free. In A Life-Changing Journey through the Gospel of Luke, we learn that nothing is impossible with God. Dare to learn His Word through this inductive study and begin to live a life of liberty in Christ.

In this wonderful Bible study on Luke, Leesa Donner does a masterful job of challenging and encouraging the readerto enter the world of the gospel and come away not only with a better knowledge of the text but a transformed heart. Dr. Tremper Longman III Robert H. Gundry Professor of Biblical Studies Westmont College

This helpful, scholarly and yet accessible workbook is a unique aid in understanding the gospel of Luke. Ithas already produced spiritual fruit in the lives of many who have used it.Dr. Robert Norris, Senior Pastor Fourth Presbyterian Church, Bethesda, MD

Leesa and her husband Tim are two great blessings in the lives of my wife and me. I am pleased to recommend Leesas excellent Bible study.Cal Thomas Syndicated Columnist/Fox News Contributor

Free at Last is the most thought-provoking of the many Ladies Bible studies Ive done over the years. Cheryl (student)

Wonderful materialworks well within the scope of a small group. Linda (student)

The scholarship and the practicality of this study was a good balance. Not overly academic but rich in historyBonnie (student)

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Apr 22, 2013
• ISBN: 9781449789756

Leesa K. Donner

Leesa K. Donner holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications/Journalism from the Pennsylvania State University and is a graduate student at the Reformed Theological Seminary. Leesa has been married for 27 years to Tim Donner, who ran for the U.S. Senate from the Commonwealth of Virginia in 2012. She is the mother of two ‘special’ boys, William and T.J. and lives in Northern Virginia.

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Copyright © 2013 Leesa K. Donner.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-4497-8976-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4497-8975-6 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013906208

WestBow Press rev. date: 5/1/2013

Because this work is supplemented by commentaries from scholars, the author has made every effort to footnote sources. In some cases, quotations appear without page numbers because they were derived from electronic resources. Quoted material can be purchased at www.Logos.com.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Table of Contents

Author’s Preface

Acknowledgments

Why the New Living Translation?

Introduction

Lesson One: Luke 1:1–45

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Segment 1: Luke 1:1–4

Segment Two: Luke 1:5–25

Segment Three: Luke 1:26–45

Lesson Two: Luke 1:46–80

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Segment One: Luke 1:46–56

Segment Two: Luke 1:57–66

Segment Three: Luke 1:67–80

Lesson Three: Luke 2:1–24

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Segment One: Luke 2:1–7

Segment Two: Luke 2:8–20

Segment Three: Luke 2:21–24

Lesson Four: Luke 2:25–52

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Segment One: Luke 2:25–35

Segment Two: Luke 2:36–40

Segment Three: Luke 2:41–52

Lesson Five: Luke 3:1–38

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Segment One: Luke 3:1–20

Segment Two: Luke 3:21–22

Segment Three: Luke 3:23–38

Lesson Six: Luke 4:1–44

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Segment One: Luke 4:1–13

Segment Two: Luke 4:14–30

Segment Three: Luke 4:31–44

Lesson Seven: Luke 5:1–6:11

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Segment One: Luke 5:1–26

Segment Two: Luke 5:27–39

Segment Three: Luke 6:1–11

Lesson Eight: Luke 6:12–49

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Segment One: Luke 6:12–26

Segment Two: Luke 6:27–42

Segment Three: Luke 6:43–49

Lesson Nine: Luke 7:1–35

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Segment One: Luke 7:1–10

Segment Two: Luke 7:11–17

Segment Three: Luke 7:18–35

Lesson Ten: Luke 7:36–50

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Segment One: Luke 7:36–39

Segment Two: Luke 7:40-50

Segment Three: Review & Ponder

Lesson Eleven: Luke 8:1–21

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Segment One: Luke 8:1–3

Segment Two: Luke 8:4–15

Segment Three: Luke 8:16–21

Lesson Twelve: Luke 8:22–56

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Segment One: Luke 8:22-25

Segment Two: Luke 8:26–39

Segment Three: Luke 8:40–56

Lesson Thirteen: Luke 9:1–56

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Segment One: Luke 9:1–17

Segment Two: Luke 9:18–36

Segment Three: Luke 9:37–56

Lesson Fourteen: Luke 9:57–10:42

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Segment One: Luke 9:57–10:20

Segment Two: Luke 10:21–24

Segment Three: Luke 10:25–42

Lesson Fifteen: Luke 11:1–32

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Segment One: Luke 11:1–13

Segment Two: Luke 11:14–28

Segment Three: Luke 11:29–32

Lesson Sixteen: Luke 11:33–54

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Segment One: Luke 11:33–36

Segment Two: Luke 11:37–44

Segment Three: Luke 11:45-54

Lesson Seventeen: Luke 12:1–34

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Segment One: Luke 12:1–12

Segment Two: Luke 12:13–21

Segment Three: Luke 12:22–34

Lesson Eighteen: Luke 12:35–59

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Segment One: Luke 12:35–48

Segment Two: Luke 12:49–53

Segment Three: Luke 12:54–59

Lesson Nineteen: Luke 13:1–35

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Segment One: Luke 13:1–9

Segment Two: Luke 13:10–21

Segment Three: Luke 13:22–35

Lesson Twenty: Luke 14:1–35

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Segment One: Luke 14:1–14

Segment Two: Luke 14:15–24

Segment Three: Luke 14:25–35

Lesson Twenty-one: Luke 15:1–32

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Segment One: Luke 15:1–7

Segment Two: Luke 15:8–10

Segment Three: Luke 15:11–32

Lesson Twenty-two: Luke 16:1–31

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Segment One: Luke 16:1–18

Segment Two: Luke 16:19–31

Segment Three: Review & Ponder

Lesson Twenty-three: Luke 17:1–37

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Segment One: Luke 17:1–10

Segment Two: Luke 17:11–19

Segment Three: Luke 17:20–37

Lesson Twenty-four: Luke 18:1–17

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Segment One: Luke 18:1–8

Segment Two: Luke 18:9–14

Segment Three: Luke 18:15–17

Lesson Twenty-five: Luke 18:18–43

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Segment One: Luke 18:18–30

Segment Two: Luke 18:31–34

Segment Three: Luke 18:35–43

Lesson Twenty-six: Luke 19:1–40

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Segment One: Luke 19:1–10

Segment Two: Luke 19:11–27

Segment Three: Luke 19:28–40

Lesson Twenty-seven: Luke 19:41–20:8

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Segment One: Luke 19:41–44

Segment Two: Luke 19:45–48

Segment Three: Luke 20:1–8

Lesson Twenty-eight: Luke 20:9–40

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Segment One: Luke 20:9–19

Segment Two: Luke 20:20–26

Segment Three: Luke 20:27–40

Lesson Twenty-nine: Luke 20:41–21:11

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Segment One: Luke 20:41–47

Segment Two: Luke 21:1–4

Segment Three: Luke 21:5–11

Lesson Thirty: Luke 21:12–38

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Segment One: Luke 21:12–19

Segment Two: Luke 21:20–28

Segment Three: Luke 21:29–38

Lesson Thirty-one: Luke 22:1–38

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Segment One: Luke 22:1–6

Segment Two: Luke 22:7–30

Segment Three: Luke 22:31–38

Lesson Thirty-two: Luke 22:39–71

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Segment One: Luke 22:39–46

Segment Two: Luke 22:47–65

Segment Three: Luke 22:66–71

Lesson Thirty-three: Luke 23:1–56

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Segment One: Luke 23:1–25

Segment Two: Luke 23:26–43

Segment Three: Luke 23:44–56

Lesson Thirty-four: Luke 24:1–53

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Segment One: Luke 24:1–12

Segment Two: Luke 24:13–45

Segment Three: Luke 24:46–53

Bibliography

About the Author

Endnotes

Author’s Preface

There is a story inside the soul of every author that must be told. Otherwise, that author would not willingly submit to the vicissitudes of writing. Of course, when the subject is the Word of God, a heavy burden is attached to the process as well.

What the world most certainly does not need is another Bible study; what it needs is a people whose hearts are ablaze with the risen Christ, a people who cannot but move outside themselves to go and do. Of course, the question is what gets us to that point? There indeed is the rub.

As flint sharpens flint, sometimes we can become the person God desires only by being shaped with the straight edge of a rock. If there is a time in this study when you feel that the words on the page have taken a knife to your heart, please know mine was carved up too. It seems that every lesson was burned into the fabric of my life in heart-rending and painful ways. This work was more a labor of blood, sweat, and tears than it was of love. There is pleasure in knowing and doing the will of God, but sometimes it is arduous soul work.

My purpose in writing this Bible study is not simply to tell the story of the gospel of Luke but to divide the Word as clearly and cogently as possible, giving readers every opportunity to meet with their real teacher—the Holy Spirit—and allow him to speak to their hearts.

Finally, it is to the Lord I offer up this body of work. May it be a holy and pleasant sacrifice acceptable to him. Whether one or one million read it is not my concern; what happens to this Bible study is entirely up to God.

My hope, my most fervent prayer, is that the love of Christ jump off the page and grab the heart of each reader with a new, bold, and fresh passion to do his will here on earth.

Leesa K. Donner

February, 2013

Acknowledgments

Every writer has many good friends and cohorts who have been willing to patiently put up with his or her misery. To that end, these acknowledgements will hopefully convey my heartfelt gratitude. While this study was an idea born in my heart and mind many years ago, it is only with the help of the following people that it came to fruition.

To my spiritual mentors, Drs. Robert M. Norris and Tremper Longman III, who did not simply teach me the Bible but rather how to approach an interpretation of a passage with honesty and reverence, and to the Reformed Theological Seminary for their dedication to those of us who seem to be eternally matriculating.

To Kay Arthur, Beth Moore, Myrna Alexander, and the myriad of women who have poured themselves out for others like me who desire to grow in grace and faith. Each of you teach the Word in a unique and different way, and to each of you I owe a debt of gratitude.

To my sister Laura Gabel and my good friends Cal and Ray Thomas for introducing me to Jesus.

To my dear friends DeeAnn Jeremiah, Edrie Scisciani, and Nathalie de Wolf for helping me along this difficult journey. And for Jean Bronson for her helpful and sage advice.

To my precious friend Abby Moffat, whose generous heart and spirit gave me the space and time to focus on this work. Keep seeking after him, Abby.

To my children, William and T. J., both object lessons of love and light in my life. Thank you for being my special boys. May I follow in your spiritual footsteps.

And lastly, to Tim Donner, the love of my life. You carried me through this project—as in life. Thank you for helping me to be who God made me to be, prodding me to continue when I wanted to quit, and believing in me when the ink well was dry. My only regret in this life is that I will not be married to you in the next. You are so very much the reason for my next breath. Only God can give a woman love like that.

Why the New Living Translation?

Heart & Mind Bible Study is keyed to the New Living Translation, Second Edition. There are several very good reasons for choosing the NLT over other translations.

The Texts

The NLT is an actual translation, not a paraphrased Bible as stated in the following:

Old Testament scholars used the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia (1977) with its contemporary textual apparatus. New Testament translators used the two standard editions of the Greek New Testament: The Greek New Testament, published by the United Bible Societies (fourth revised edition 1993), and Novum Testamentum Graece, edited by Nestle and Aland (twenty-seventh edition, 1993). This source material represents the best modern textual scholarship.¹

The Methodology

English translators have generally chosen one of two ways to render the foreign languages of the Bible into English. One method is called formal-equivalence, which is said to have a literal or word-for-word translation. This sounds all well and good until one realizes that to actually convey the message of the Scripture, formal equivalence often leaves the reader baffled and confused. The other method of translation is called dynamic-equivalence, which provides the reader with a thought-for-thought translation. The translators of the NLT worked for over a decade to employ both methodologies, rendering a translation that is both exegetically precise and idiomatically powerful. Essentially, it is beautiful for the ear, intellectually accurate for the mind and translated in such a way as to speak to the heart of the modern English reader.

The Translation Team

Sometimes referred to as the Dream Team of Bible scholarship, the NLT employed more than ninety Bible scholars and stylists who accept the Bible as the inspired Word of God. The publisher chose exceptional theological academicians with unparalleled reputations, among them Tremper Longman III, D.A. Carson, F. F. Bruce, Douglas J. Moo, Douglas Gropp, Richard Pratt, Mark D. Futato, and Raymond B. Dillard.

For Example

Here is a sample comparison text.

Suggested Uses

For the purposes of this Bible study, the primary text for the day’s lesson has been integrated in the daily worksheets for you to mark and study. However, you are welcome to use your favorite Bible to look up other texts referred to throughout the course.

Introduction

Welcome to the first holistic Bible study written just for you. Veteran Bible study students are aware that today’s Bible studies often fall into two categories: one that requires a lot of homework for serious Bible students, and one for those too busy and need something lighter. This study endeavors to strike a healthy balance between these two bookends and chart a different course. The student and group leader should be aware of three simple goals followed in producing this study.

1.   Scholarship and Research—The intent is to open up the scholarly world in a consumable format for the layperson through the various elements of biblical criticism, including textual, historical, form, genre, and grammatical criticism as well as provide commentary from a generally reformed view.

2.   Applicability—When appropriate to the text, students are encouraged to analyze the relationship between passages and the relevance it might bring to their lives.

3.   Functionality—Today’s Bible student is pressed for time. Each lesson is broken into three segments that can be done in one sitting or separately. The segments should take between twenty and thirty minutes to complete.

For Group Leaders

Additionally, Heart & Mind Bible Study is designed to be fundamentally different in three distinct ways. Use the format that best fits your church or group.

124168.jpg    Since each lesson is divided into three segments, you can focus on one segment as homework review and another as homework preview. Including class discussion, this should take approximately forty-five minutes of class time.

124171.jpg    As vessels of the love of Christ, we allow the Word to pour into us so it may be poured out again by God’s grace. We do not desire to be a Bible study that is spiritually constipated. Most people who join a Bible study are seeking some element of community. To this end, you may want to begin a John 13:35 ministry. Each week, one of your members will volunteer to be the subject of this ministry. Your group is invited to pray for and connect with this student via e-mail, a card, or a phone call, or perhaps by sharing a meal. This opportunity to demonstrate your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples (John 13:35) is not a programmed project to make you feel good; rather, it is designed to be evidence of your faith that organically emanates from the spirit of your group and is poured out as a love offering to the Lord. Of course, servant time outside your group is another option, depending on the availability of your students and opportunities in your church or community.

124176.jpg    No doubt you too are aware there are interactive studies and inductive studies—just about every kind of Bible study you can imagine. However, this book purposes to be a study that engages both the heart and the mind of the student in a clear, consistent way. Those who study the Bible today are different from those who did so fifty years ago. Many have careers, college degrees, and even postgraduate degrees. Today’s Christians do not need Bible study that provides the answers in the next question. (I decidedly do not!) Bible students today need to be intellectually challenged as well as given some opportunity to apply the verses to their lives.

Heart & Mind Bible Study is designed to address today’s Christians. Why is this important? Well, for one, because Jesus says so. Look at what he called the first and greatest commandment, to love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind (Matthew 22:37, emphasis added).

So let’s follow Jesus’ words and dig in. But before we begin, start your study with a little heartfelt prayer; tell the Lord why you want to do this study and what you hope to accomplish.

My Prayer:

Heart & Mind Bible Study

A Life-Changing Journey through the Gospel of Luke

Lesson One: Luke 1:1–45

Segment 1: Luke 1:1–4

T he mission of Heart & Mind Bible Study is to slow down your reading of the Bible to engage both heart and mind. In an attention deficit disorder, multitasking world, how can you accomplish this? I think it’s best done with pen in hand. Some of you are minimalists and comfortable with a simple pencil and paper, while visual learners prefer colors. The purpose of these props is to help analyze the text. When you do this analysis, you can design your own symbols or just get out your trusty pencil and follow our suggested markings. Liberty, not bondage, is the Heart & Mind motto!

Having read the introduction and prepared your heart; embark on our action-packed study of the gospel of Luke. There is nothing more life changing than the Word of God, so strap on your seat belts and prepare for a wild ride.

1.   Our first lesson begins with a small but very significant few verses. Please start by reading Luke 1:1–4, circling any action verbs.

Lk 1:1 Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. 2 They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. 3 Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write a careful account for you, most honorable Theophilus, 4 so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.

2.   In verse 1, the writer observes that others have undertaken the same task he is about to embark on. What does he say about those events?

3.   According to verse 2, what method did those other writers use to put together their accounts of that which had been fulfilled?

4.   In verse 3, the author used one word twice (in different forms) to describe his book. What is it, and what does it tell you about this account of the events you are about to study?

How often do you read the preface or introduction to a book? Let’s be honest now; this is a Bible study! The truth is not many of us read those introductory pages because we like to dig right in. However, that means we often miss the author’s purpose and motivation. Luke states both his purpose and motivation in this prologue.²

5.   Look closely at verse 4. What was his motivation for writing?

6.   Okay, let’s back up a moment to verse 3. To whom was Luke writing?

Most Bible scholars believe that because the phrase most honorable was used, Theophilus was an actual person, probably a Roman official of some rank. There has been some debate about this, since the name actually means one who loves God, and, therefore, some have maintained Luke was writing generally to all believers who love God.³ Even if he was writing for a specific person, certainly he expected others to read it. Perhaps you could say this gospel was written for you. That means God has a purpose for the diligent study you are embarking on today.

7.   Look up 2 Timothy 3:16–17. What is the purpose of all Scripture?

8.   Look up 1 Thessalonians 2:13. What does the Word of God continue to do even today?

As God’s Word continues to work in you, who believe, it is important to build a solid foundation pertaining to the veracity of the Bible before you begin to study the gospel of Luke in depth.

Concerning Luke 1:1–4, one commentator notes,

These four verses represent some of the finest Greek in the New Testament. The author is obviously an educated and skilled writer, a worthy candidate to compose the longest and most comprehensive account of the words and deeds of the central figure in human history.⁴

For centuries, those who did not believe in the saving work of Jesus Christ used the Bible to beat Christians over the head. It is not carefully written. It is not accurate. It is not reliable, they argue. These four short verses in Luke put the lie to those accusations. In his book The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?, F. F. Bruce makes the point that the evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so much greater than the evidence for many writings of classical authors, the authenticity of which no one dreams of questioning.⁵ Neil Lightfoot, in his outstanding book How We Got the Bible, points out, There are far more copies of the New Testament than of any other book from the ancient world.⁶

In terms of actual manuscript evidence existing today, there is simply no comparison between classical ancient works and the New Testament. For instance, there are in existence approximately 30 manuscripts from Plato’s writings, about 650 of Homer’s Iliad, and 24,000 manuscripts of the New Testament!⁷ Scholarly textual comparisons of these manuscripts—that is to say word-for-word evaluations of the content from one New Testament document to another—are simply staggering in their accuracy. So do not listen to those who talk about how the Bible is inaccurate or has been changed; they are simply uninformed.

One of the most famous observations about the veracity of the Bible that stands today comes from a secular archeologist who converted to Christianity after his manuscript research in the Middle East in the nineteenth century. Sir Frederick Kenyon said,

The number of manuscripts of the New Testament, of early translations from it, and of quotations from it in the oldest writers of the Church, is so large that it is practically certain that the true reading of every doubtful passage is preserved in some one or other of these ancient authorities. This can be said of no other ancient book in the world.⁸

Therefore, we may begin our study of the gospel of Luke with confidence that it was written carefully, that it was investigated, and that it was written by a thoughtful and educated man under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

9.   Have you ever given any thought to the authenticity of the Bible? Are you convinced the Scriptures that you read are reliable? Why or why not?

Segment Two: Luke 1:5–25

I n this segment, we will take a close look at the fascinating story of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Underline any words referring to John the Baptist, including synonyms.

Lk 1:5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of Aaron. 6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and regulations. 7 They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.

8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the Temple, for his order was on duty that week. 9 As was the custom of the priests, he was chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. 10 While the incense was being burned, a great crowd stood outside, praying. 11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar.

12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear when he saw him. 13 But the angel said, "Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a son, and you are to name him John. 14 You will have great joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, 15 for he will be great in the eyes of the Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 16 And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.

17 He will be a man with the spirit and power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly. 18 Zechariah said to the angel, How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years. 19 Then the angel said, I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!

20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time." 21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so long. 22 When he finally did come out, he couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary. 23 When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home.

24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth, became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months. 25 How kind the Lord is! she exclaimed. He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.

10.   Note that starting in verse 14, six characteristics of John are outlined. Briefly jot down what they are. Do not feel that you have to reinvent the wheel or paraphrase in any way. It’s best to just copy exactly from the Bible. Number one is done for you.

1: v. 15—He will be great in the eyes of the Lord.

2:

3:

4:

5:

6:

11.   Reviewing these characteristics of John the Baptist, how would you describe this child of Zechariah and Elizabeth?

12.   According to verse 13, who had named the child, and what name was to be given him?

Names were significant in the Hebrew culture. R. J. D. Utley explains,

Zechariah means remembered by YHWH (the Tetragrammaton for God). His wife, Elizabeth, was also from a priestly family. Her Hebrew name could mean (1) God is swearer or (2) God fully satisfies. John—the same as Johanan, so frequent in the Old Testament, means Jehovah’s gracious gift.⁹

13.   After the angel told Zechariah not to be afraid in Luke 1:13, what else did he tell him in that verse?

14.   What does this tell you about God’s faithfulness to this righteous couple who suffered for many years? Jot down a few of your educated suppositions.

35291.jpg    Exploring the Heart of the Matter¹⁰

15.   Have you ever stopped to ponder God’s graciousness? Think of one instance when God has been gracious to you and write about it briefly here.

16.   As you suffer through the many and varied difficulties in your life, do you believe God will be faithful and gracious to you in the future? Why or why not?

Segment Three: Luke 1:26–45

D o you eagerly desire to hear what God has to say every day? Take your time with this passage. Find a distinctive way of marking Jesus or any synonyms referring to him that you can recognize and reuse throughout this study.

Lk 1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, 27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. 28 Gabriel appeared to her and said, Greetings, favored woman! The Lord is with you! 29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean.

30 Don’t be afraid, Mary, the angel told her, for you have found favor with God! 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end! 34 Mary asked the angel, But how can this happen? I am a virgin.

35 The angel replied, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God. 36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she’s now in her sixth month. 37 For nothing is impossible with God. 38 Mary responded, I am the Lord’s servant. May everything you have said about me come true. And then the angel left her. 39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth.

41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, "God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped