The Book of Luke: A Walk Through the Life of Jesus

By Keith Thomas

Most people all over the world, acknowledge that Jesus was the greatest teacher who ever lived, but have you ever explored, in detail, what He actually taught?

Join Bible teacher, Keith Thomas, as He walks you through the life of Jesus, explaining and studying His words, verse by verse, in order to apply Jesus' teaching to your life. The words of Jesus are life transforming and you will find that as you study Luke's Gospel in-depth, that the Holy Spirit will transform your life.

The goal of this study is "to know Jesus Christ more clearly, to love Him more dearly and to follow Him more nearly" (Richard Chichester). Luke, a physician by trade, offers us a rich and detailed account of the ministry of the Son of God. It does not matter how long you have been a follower of Christ; you will fall in love with Him all over again!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 16, 2017
• ISBN: 9781387297269

Keith Thomas

Keith Thomas worked as a lead clinical researcher at the University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine and National Jewish Health before writing for film and television. He has collaborated with James Patterson on a screenplay and a novel. His work has also appeared in Geek and McSweeney’s.

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The Book of Luke: A Walk Through the Life of Jesus

The Book of Luke

A Walk Through the Life of Jesus

Study Guide

by Keith Thomas

© Copyright 2017 by Keith Thomas Ministries.

Published through www.lulu.com

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.

Cover art created by Michael Senger.

Printed in the United States of America.

ISBN 978-1-387-29726-9

Contact Keith Thomas Ministries at [e-mail]

See more Keith Thomas studies at GroupBibleStudy.com

Although it is not possible for me to list here all of the people who have been invaluable partners with me in this work, I would like to acknowledge some key individuals for their practical help, insight and encouragement. I am specifically indebted to the following:

My wife Sandy, for editing, who is also my partner in all things. Bob Froelich, for your faithful work in editing and professional feedback. Mike Senger, for helping this series to become a reality in written form. Your expertise in editing and presentation is much appreciated, as is your personal support. For Rich Corbett, for building and maintaining www.groupbiblestudy.com. Thanks for your constant help in service of this ministry. It is love in action. For Rick Schweitzer, for faithfully attending to audio recording for the CD series. Mike Engel, for your help in promoting the website and partnering in the vision. You are such an inspiring brother!

Finally, to those who continue to work alongside us in this ministry, we regard you as partners in pulling the net that we are drawing up worldwide as these studies go out. Your support in this journey makes all the difference. You know who you are! We are so much better together. Please know that you are appreciated and it is a privilege to work with you.

CHAPTER 1 – Zechariah Meets the Angel Gabriel

(Luke 1:1-38)

My goal for this series is for us to know Jesus Christ more clearly, to love Him more dearly, and to follow Him more nearly (Richard of Chichester). Luke’s rich and detailed account of the life of Christ gives us unique insights into the life of our Savior and those whose lives He touched. This study will be a steady walk, not a sprint. Get your spiritual walking shoes on!

Introducing Luke

Luke, a Gentile (non–Jew), was a doctor by profession (Colossians 4:14). It is said that a minister sees men at their best; a lawyer sees men at their worst; and a doctor sees men as they are. Luke saw men and loved them all. The book was written to a man called most excellent Theophilus, and the title given to him is the normal title for a high official. We don’t know for certain, but many theologians believe that Theophilus could have been Paul’s lawyer representing him before Caesar.

Luke’s gospel is a careful piece of work. Luke was with Paul as he sailed to Jerusalem after Paul’s third missionary journey, referring to his participation with the words, we several times in the narrative. It is highly likely that, for the two years that Paul was in prison after the temple riot (Acts 21:30), he was Paul’s companion, visiting with him while Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea and waiting to be taken to Rome. While he was waiting for Paul’s transit to Rome, Luke may had used this time as an opportunity to meet and get witnesses’ testimony for the upcoming trial before Caesar. In Luke 1:3, he says that he had carefully investigated everything. An example of his preciseness is the way he dates the emergence of John the Baptist by six other historical facts occurring at that time (3:1-2).

Luke is clearly bringing the message to his readers that all barriers are down; Jesus Christ is for all men without distinction. He writes with the poor, despised, and downtrodden in mind. For instance:

The Kingdom of Heaven is not shut to the Samaritans (9:51-56). Luke alone tells of the Parable of the Good Samaritan (10:30-37). The one grateful leper that was healed is a Samaritan (17:11-19). Generally speaking, the Jews did not have dealings with the Samaritans, as John records (John 4:9), but Luke refuses to shut the door on any man.

Those that were not Jews, those whom the orthodox Jew would have considered unclean, Luke does not exclude. He shows us Jesus speaking with approval of them. Luke alone writes of Jesus speaking of the widow of Zaraphath and Naaman the Syrian as shining examples (4:25-27). The Roman centurion, another Gentile, is praised for the greatness of his faith (7:9). Luke tells us of God’s heart for all the lost, telling us of Jesus’ saying, Men will come from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at the table in the kingdom of God (13:29).

Luke is supremely interested in the poor. When Mary brings the offering for her purification, it is the offering of the poor (2:24), showing us that the Lord Jesus identified with the poor of this world and not those born into a rich family. When Jesus is, as it were, setting out His credentials to the emissaries of John, the climax is, The poor have good news preached to them (7:22).  He alone tells the Parable of the Rich man and poor man (16:19-31).  In Luke’s account of the Beatitudes, the saying of Jesus runs not, as in Matthew, Blessed are the poor in spirit (5:3), but simply, Blessed are you poor (Luke 6:20). At every opportunity, Luke tells us of Jesus’ care for the poor.

Above all, Luke shows Jesus as the friend of outcasts and sinners. He alone writes of the woman who anointed Jesus’ feet, bathing them with her tears, and wiping them with her hair in the house of Simon the Pharisee (7:36-50). Luke is also the one who tells us of Zacchaeus, the deceiving tax gatherer (19:1-10), and also of the penitent thief on the cross beside Jesus (23:43). He alone of the Gospel writers has the immortal story of the prodigal son and loving father (15:11-32). All four Gospel writers quote from Isaiah 40 when they give the message of John the Baptist, Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God, but only Luke continues the quotation to its triumphant conclusion, And all flesh shall see the salvation of God (3:4-6). The Messiah of Israel was sent to save that which is lost, Jew and Gentile alike, and Luke of all the Gospel writers sees no limits, no confines, and no pre-requisites to the love of God.

He was a true friend to Paul from the first expedition to Paul’s final hours. Only Luke is with me, the aging Paul wrote to Timothy from his death cell (2 Tim 4:11). He was also humble, having also authored the book of Acts, he penned twenty-eight percent of the New Testament, yet not once does he include his own name in his work. The closest he came was in the we sections in Acts, when he wrote: And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them (Acts 16:10).

Knowing the Certainty of the Things of Christ

¹Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, ²just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. ³Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught (Luke 1:1-4).

God the Holy Spirit has carefully watched over the writing of His Word and breathed it to us using human instruments, so that we may know in the depths of our hearts, the certainty of what happened as God Himself stepped into human flesh.

Questions:

Luke had carefully investigated everything from the beginning.

How deep have you searched out the truth of God’s Word?

Would you stake your life on it (v.1-4)?

If you could take the time to search things out like Luke, how do you think this could change your life?

The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold (Vs. 5-24)

⁵In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. ⁶Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly. ⁷But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years. ⁸Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, ⁹he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

Zechariah, whose name means, the Lord has remembered, is the central character in this scene. He was married to the daughter of a priest, a woman named Elizabeth. Verse six tells us they had a big problem. They were childless and were now aged with Elizabeth being barren. The Jewish Rabbis said that seven people were excommunicated from God and the list began, a Jew who has no wife, or a Jew who has a wife and who has no child. Childlessness was a valid ground for divorce. Elizabeth had surely wondered why God had not given her a child. The Book of Psalms says, Behold, children are a gift of the Lord; the fruit of the womb is His reward (Psalms 127:3). I am sure she was plagued by thoughts of what she had done wrong since not having children was a stigma at that time. Now, it was too late, for both of them were well along in years (verse 7).

He belonged to the tribe of Levi, and both he and his wife were descendants of Aaron. We are also told that his family was of the priestly division of Abijah. Every direct descendant of Aaron was automatically a priest. This meant that there were too many priests, around twenty thousand priests altogether at the time of Zechariah. It was King David who divided the priests into twenty-four sections. Only at Passover, Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles were all involved. For the rest of the year each section or division served two periods of one week each. The Mishnah states that, before each of the two daily services, four sets of lots were taken to determine the participants of the day’s events out of the hundreds of priests on duty from their division. It was the highlight of those chosen finally to get the chance to serve in the temple, for no priest was permitted to offer incense more than once in his lifetime." Zechariah’s name was chosen to enter into the Holy place to offer incense (not the Holy of Holies, where only the High Priest could enter, and that only once a year, with the blood of a perfect sacrifice).

Questions:

What do you think it was like for him?

Step into his shoes for a moment. What do you think was in his mind as he prepared for this holy duty of offering incense before the veil separating God from man?

This was Zechariah’s big day. It was an awesome thing to enter into the Temple. Zechariah would have gone and bathed completely in the Mikveh, the ritual cleansing bath, before coming up a succession of terraces, with each ascending level composed of the Court of the Gentiles, the Court of the Israelite Women, up passing the barrier to another level, the Court of the Israelites, then the Court of the Levites, and finally, up to the Court of the Priests. We are told that there were a multitude of people praying as he made his way to the Altar of Sacrifice (v. 10). As he waited at the altar with empty censer in his hand, he looked beyond the bronze laver of hand and foot washing, up the last twelve steps to the final level of the Temple. This hill he was now ascending was built on Mount Moriah, the place where more than 3000 years previously Abraham had been instructed to go the three-day journey to this same hill and was tested to offer up his son, Isaac—the child of the promise, as a sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-4). Of course, God stopped him from sacrificing his son, for it was just a type and foreshadow of what God Himself would do, through the gift of His Son as a sacrificial Lamb. He said to his son Isaac: And Abraham said, my son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together (Genesis 22:8 KJV).

All the outlying buildings had not been completed by this time, but the temple itself stood before him in white marble and gold. Josephus, the Jewish historian of the time, writes about Herod’s Temple, describing a building that

…wanted nothing that could astound either mind or eye. For, being covered on all sides with massive plates of gold, the sun was no sooner up than it radiated so fiery a flash that persons straining to look at it were compelled to avert their eyes, as from the solar rays. To approaching strangers it appeared from a distance like a snow clad mountain; for all that was not overlaid with gold was of purest white.[1]

At the altar, after the sacrifice had been made and blood sprinkled on the coals, the two priests on duty would have stirred the coals before filling Zechariah’s censor with hot coals. He would have again meticulously washed his hands and feet, this time at the bronze laver before climbing the steps to the Temple itself.  It is likely that thousands of people were watching him, some praying, some singing, as he began to ascend the twelve steps up to the Temple. One can only approach God through the blood of a substitute, which is why Zechariah has hot coals on which the sacrificial substitute has bled. Isn’t it interesting that even the furniture inside the temple plus the altar and laver were laid out in the form of a cross? It was only one time a year that the representative of the nation, the High Priest, could go beyond the Curtain, on the Day of Atonement and then never without blood from a perfect sacrificial lamb. When the High Priest entered the Most Holy Place with the blood, he had bells on the hem of his robe. If the other priests could hear the bells as he moved, they knew that he was still alive. If he fell down dead, he had a red cord tied to his belt so that they could pull him out again. This is something that must have been in the mind of all priests as they proceeded into this most holy place.

Zechariah released the coals from the sacrificial altar onto the Altar of Incense, praying while sprinkling the incense on top of the coals, just as King David instructed, May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice (Psalm 141:2). The priest was to then prostrate himself before backing up without turning his back to the veil. As he was praying, through the smoke of the ascending incense, the angel Gabriel manifested to his right alongside the Altar of Incense. Imagine how frightening that must have been for Zechariah!

¹¹Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. ¹²When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. ¹³But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. ¹⁴He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, ¹⁵for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from birth. ¹⁶Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God. ¹⁷And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord (Luke 1:11-17).

Questions:

What do you think was the prayer that the Angel said had been heard? (1:13).

Have you ever had to wait a long time for an answer to prayer, and been surprised when that answer came?

Explain.

There is no way we can know exactly what Zechariah prayed. Although I am sure that he did pray for a child for many years, it seems that, by this time in his life, Zechariah had no hope that he would have a child. He revealed his unbelief even after being told by the Angel that this was to happen! This makes me think that there may have been more to this prayer. As a priest and a representative for the people, Zechariah could have also been praying that God would turn the nation of Israel back to Himself. Before the Messiah could come, though, there was to be a messenger that would announce His coming. It would be he who would go before the Messiah and turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. The last prophet that was sent to Israel nearly four hundred years previously had prophesied:

"See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.  Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple, the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come, says the Lord Almighty" (Malachi 3:1).

⁵See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. ⁶He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children, and the hearts of the children to their parents; or else I will come and strike the land with total destruction (Malachi 4:5-6).

Four hundred years of darkness had passed since that prophecy of Malachi. As a priest and a man of God, he knew all about the controlling and corrupt leadership of Israel that he saw daily. Zechariah would have been familiar with the passages of Scripture concerning the coming of the Messiah and his forerunner.  Have you ever thought that, in the foreknowledge of God, we can be the answer to our own prayers? Often, God will lay a particular burden on our hearts before He reveals to us that we are the one called to be the answer to the prayer. Do not think it coincidence that he was the one chosen by lot to offer incense that day! This was all in the plans and purposes of God. As he released the incense on the hot coals of the Altar of Incense symbolizing prayer, I believe he would have prayed for the people of Israel, that the Messiah and His forerunner would come and release them from the cruel oppression not only of the corrupt leaders of Israel but also of the Romans, too.

Questions:

If you had an opportunity to get right to the veil before the Lord and know without a doubt that He would hear and give you what you asked, what would you ask?

Why do you suppose Zachariah was struck dumb?

¹⁸Zechariah asked the angel, How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years. ¹⁹The angel answered, I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. ²⁰And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their proper time. ²¹Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. ²²When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak. ²³When his time of service was completed, he returned home. ²⁴After this, his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. ²⁵The Lord has done this for me, she said. In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people (Luke 1:18-25).

Like many of us who have prayed for so long for something without getting the answer, Zechariah was living in his own limitations at this stage of his life. We can limit God and hinder what He wants to do by our unbelief. I think Zechariah had given up on the prayer for a child but God hadn’t. Sometimes the answer to prayer is all about timing. In talking about Zechariah’s difficulties with the angel’s words, author Chuck Swindoll says,

"When Gabriel told him that he was going to have a son, he responded using the emphatic first person in the Greek, ego, Luke boldfaces Zechariah’s doubt— ‘for I am an old man.’ But, employing the same word, ego, the angel silences the old man’s excuse…and his tongue. ‘I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God.’"[2]

It is as if the angel Gabriel said in return, Excuse me, but do you know to whom you are talking? Do you think I am going to lie to you? I stand in the presence of God.  Actually, Zechariah must have been struck deaf too, for chapter 1, verse 62, says that at the circumcision of John, they made signs to Zechariah to find out what he would like to name his son. They would not have made signs if he could still hear. Zechariah had spoken words of doubt, not only to the angel of God, but also in front of the very Holy of Holies of God. We must be careful of the words which come from our hearts.

³⁵The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil. ³⁶But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment. ³⁷For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned (Matthew 12:35-37).

The Bible says, How can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12:34). Your mouth will express what your heart believes. My laptop computer is a wonderful machine and very helpful for writing these messages, but it can do nothing if I do not input the information that I want out of it. If we dwell on all sorts of negativity, don’t be surprised if that is what issues from our lives. Unbelief and doubt will always hinder the power of God in our lives. Jesus would often put people out of the room when He thought that they would hinder the miraculous power of God with their doubt. When he raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead, for instance, He did not let any of the mourners or doubters go in with him, only Peter, James and John and the parents (Luke 8:51). Faith is the only conductor for the power of God to flow. Ask the Holy Spirit if He will stop you before speaking unbelief and doubt into any situation in which you find yourself. Begin to speak words of faith into your needs.

²²Have faith in God, Jesus answered. ²³I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, Go, throw yourself into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. ²⁴Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:23-24).

Notice from the passage above that Jesus used the word says twice in talking about faith that will move mountain-sized impossible situations. One must find out God’s will by prayer concerning a given situation, but as soon as the will of God is known, speak God’s word in faith.

One thing that stands out here is that it was in God’s house that God’s message came to Zechariah. God’s voice comes to those who will listen. One should be very receptive when in Church; God will often speak to you through your pastor, the worship, or other parts of our meetings. There is power in the very fact that we assemble with the express purpose of praising and worshipping God, and giving time to hear His Word. Jesus said:

For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them (Matthew 18:20).

Questions:

Do you have an example of God speaking to you while you were in a Church meeting?

How did a word from God come to you?

What or who did God use?

The people outside at the various courts were waiting anxiously for Zechariah to come out of the temple, stand on the porch before the people, and pronounce a blessing. It must have been very frustrating for Zechariah because, after the meeting with the angel, as he made his way down through the terraces, he could not utter the blessing, but he began trying to communicate by making hand signals as to what had happened. How frustrating to this man of God not to be able to fulfill his responsibility to bless the people with his words.

Why are we told of Elizabeth’s remaining in seclusion for five months (Verse 24)? Perhaps, this was to keep herself away from anyone that would speak doubt and unbelief into their situation. After Zechariah was struck deaf and dumb, it would have made her very aware that unbelief and doubt was a threat to this baby that she had been waiting all her life for. She was taking no chances.

Gabriel assures us that nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). Abraham was ninety-nine years old and Sarah was ninety when she became pregnant with Isaac. Here in this story about Zechariah and Elizabeth, we see a similar pattern. God glorifies His name by working when things are impossible by natural means. Although we can appreciate God’s workings in our everyday lives, we need to be open for God to surprise us! Can you imagine what a response Zechariah and Elizabeth would have had to this news? No wonder Elizabeth needed time to accept and understand what was happening to her. I also believe that the Holy Spirit would have been speaking to her about the life that she was carrying. Surely, this child would have been seen as a miracle and as a sign from God. God was setting the stage for the new chapter that He was beginning, not only in their lives but also in the lives of the nation of Israel, and though they did not understand this then, the lives of all humanity.

Prayer:

Lord, help us to be attentive to Your words and to speak them with faith. We thank You for working in quiet ways, in mighty ways, and for all that You do. We give you praise! Help us to be those that quickly believe when we see You at work.

---

[1] Josephus, War, V. 5. 3.

[2] Charles R. Swindoll, The Origination of Something Glorious, Study guide published by Word Publishing, 1994, Page 22.

CHAPTER 2 – Mary Finds Favor with God

(Luke 1:26-55)

The Birth of Jesus Foretold

Nearly six months passed after the angel Gabriel had talked to Zechariah in the Temple. If you or I were planning the birth of the Messiah into the world, it is likely that we would have planned it much differently. We would probably see the Savior of the world being born in a big city where he would have had opportunities, born to parents with wealth and high standing in the community, of the upper religious class, perhaps born to a daughter of a high priest. God has a different way of doing things, though. ⁸For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways, declares the LORD. ⁹For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). In God’s plan, He sent the angel Gabriel to a small, northern town in Galilee called Nazareth. This little town was not known as one of great importance. In fact, several years later, when Nathaniel was invited to meet the Messiah, Phillip told him that Jesus was of the town of Nazareth, and Nathaniel replied, Nazareth! Can anything good come from there? (John 1:46).

God chose an insignificant place not known for anything good. In God’s predetermined plan, He has chosen again and again to identify with the poor and disenfranchised of this world. In the wisdom of God, He chose a girl more than likely around thirteen years of age (which was the age of betrothal at the time), one whose life and walk pleased God, one who was promised to a humble carpenter. Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? (James 2:5). Again and again, we see that God has His eyes on the poor of this world.

²⁶In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸The angel went to her and said, Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you. ²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰But the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. ³¹You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. ³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:26-33).

In his book, The Day Christ Died, Jim Bishop talks about Mary’s betrothal (engagement) and virginity: "When the two mothers and fathers were agreed, the qiddushin took place. This is a formal betrothal and was as binding as a wedding. The qiddushin has the finality of marriage. Once the marriage contract was negotiated, even though the marriage ceremony had not occurred, the bridegroom to be could not be rid of his betrothed except through divorce. If Joseph had died between qiddushin and marriage, Mary would have been his legal widow. In the same period, if another man had known her intimately, Mary would have been punished as an adulteress."[3] The betrothal period lasted several months, up to a year at most. During her engagement or betrothal, Mary’s purity would have been under careful scrutiny. Isn’t it interesting that God chooses that time for her to become pregnant.

This time, the angel Gabriel appears to a woman, Mary, and says nothing as yet to Joseph. Unlike Zechariah, we read that Mary is not so much struck at the sight of the angel as much as the greeting that he spoke. Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. The literal sense of the phrase is that she kept pondering or meditating on the angel’s greeting. The angel told her that the Lord is with her and that she was highly favored! She must have wondered why the angel was telling her these things. For what was she being prepared? It suggests that Mary was a young woman who had some depth to her life, i.e. a reflective side to her that often had God on her heart and mind. Like Mary, we have God with us if we are born-again of the Spirit. Kindness and grace has come to us. How highly favored are those who are called to be the Church of the Living God. As highly favored ambassadors of Christ, we should seek to be strategic in how we use our time, energy, and money. Time spent in personal devotion to God and pondering the thoughts of God is never wasted time.

It is almost as if Gabriel is asking permission of Mary for what she is chosen to become. God honors our choices in life. He gives us freedom to choose, but He is looking for those who will willingly lay down their lives in humble service to Him. Mary is told that the baby she is to bear should be named Jesus, which means The Lord is Salvation. She is highly favored and blessed among woman to bear the Son of God, but there is a price involved in this act of service. Many did not understand, and I think that as Jesus grew up, she had to keep her virgin birth a secret to those in the neighborhood. Think about it. After Herod had killed all those children in Bethlehem up to the age of two years, surely she would not want anyone to be aware that she was raising the Messiah, the future King of Israel! At times, it must have been confusing and hard to comprehend. Mary had much to treasure, and much to contemplate in her heart.

Questions:

How do you suppose Mary felt about the angel’s message foretelling her supernatural pregnancy?

What would have been the hardest to comprehend?

Being favored by God,

Getting pregnant as a virgin,

Who her child was going to be, or

Explaining her pregnancy to others, especially Joseph and her family?

For those who choose to serve God, there is sometimes a stigma that goes along with serving the God of Glory. What do I mean by a stigma? A stigma is defined as a mark of disgrace that sets a person apart in his social web or culture. True Christianity is counter-cultural to the way of this enemy-occupied world. To obey God will often create negative attitudes and prejudice in those around us which leads to discrimination. Jesus himself said, A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also (John 15:20). Mary would have to face misunderstanding and finger pointing, for how could she say that she is pregnant without having lain with a man? Who would believe that from a thirteen-year-old? Can you imagine what it must have been like for her to face the disappointment she surely would have encountered when she told her parents? Mary’s faith in God had to be strong and deep to see her through the disgrace that she had to bear. Many years later, as Jesus was talking to the religious elite of the time, he was accused of being illegitimate:

⁴⁰But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. ⁴¹You are doing the deeds of your father. They said to Him, We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God" (John 8:40-41).

Did you see their insinuation? We are not like you, they were saying. We were not born of sex outside of marriage. We are not told this in Scripture, but it is very likely that, since Jesus was a popular preacher and teacher, being followed by many, the religious Jews had checked out His parentage, and the word on the street in Nazareth was that Mary had an extra-marital affair during her time of being betrothed to Joseph. Mary had to endure the stigma of whisperings and shame from those who thought that she had sinned. Joseph himself had a hard time believing her story. Following the custom of the day, Joseph could have refused to marry her, or had her sent away quietly, or even stoned, according to Jewish law at that time. After the angel Gabriel’s visit, Mary went to see Elizabeth and Zechariah, John the Baptist’s parents. When she came back after three months, it became known that she was pregnant. Joseph was about to send her away, for he felt that he could not go ahead with the marriage, knowing that he had not lain with her.

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. ²⁰But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-20).

Imagine being told that you were going to give birth to the King of Israel, the long-awaited Messiah who would sit on the throne of David. Surely, she must have wondered, Why me? On top of that thought, she was further told that this child would be the Son of God.

³⁴How will this be, Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin? ³⁵The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. ³⁷For nothing is impossible with God. ³⁸I am the Lord's servant, Mary answered. May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her (Luke 1:26-38).

In the Tenach, what Gentile Christians call the Old Testament, we are told that the soon-coming King of Israel would be the Son of God. As we see, this is not a new concept for the Jewish people! We have glimpses of the coming of the Son of God throughout Scripture. For instance;

⁶I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.  ⁷I will proclaim the Lord’s decree: He said to me, "You are my son; today I have become your father. ⁸Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. ⁹You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery." ¹⁰Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. ¹¹Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling. ¹²Kiss his son, or he will be angry, and your way will lead to your destruction, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him (Psalm 2:6-12).

Then further in the Tenach, there is a passage in Proverbs 30:4. In speaking about the Holy One of Israel, the Scripture says, "Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know! (Proverbs 30:4). The Lord had spoken ahead of time that the King of Israel, the One that God would install upon the Holy hill of Zion in Jerusalem, would be the divine Son of God. Blessed will be all who take refuge in Him! Do you take your refuge in Him? Then, you are blessed!

Questions:

Mary’s response to Gabriel was, ³⁴How will this be, Mary asked the angel, since I am a virgin?

How do you compare Mary’s response to Zechariah’s?

Mary was seeking to know her part in this. Basically, she was saying, What do you want me to do? Verse 35 tells us the how. The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. The word overshadow was used in the Greek Old Testament to describe God’s presence coming down upon the sanctuary of the Temple. This is the same thing that happened to the three disciples at the transfiguration of Christ. We are told that a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud (Luke 9:34).

For Mary, this was not a sexual experience at all.  The presence of God came upon her, and the eternal Son of God descended into Mary’s womb. It was a creative miracle. We don’t know the timing but it was likely after her words, May it be to me as you have said (Luke 1:38). The Holy Shekinah presence of God came down on her, and somehow, inside of her, she was aware of a new life inside of her. Are you aware of Christ living in you? Have you ever asked Christ to fill you and give you new life? Why wait? You can receive the Messiah today, not in the same way as Mary, of course.  However, the same Holy Spirit wants to fill you with His presence and for Immanuel to be resident in you. Have you ever said to God those same wonderful words of submission, I am the Lord’s servant, may it be to me as you have said?

The Virgin Will Conceive

Twice we are told in Luke 1, verse 27, that the Messiah (Christ) was to be born of a virgin, but Mary did not remain a virgin, for she had at least six children after Jesus. After Jesus stepped out into ministry, He preached in His home town of Nazareth, where the people said, Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things? (Matthew 13:55-56).

Why did Mary need to bear Christ while still a virgin? Why is it an important part of God’s story? This is a very important truth to understand, and it is a truth that is under attack today, even within Christianity. The miracle of the virgin birth is being questioned and explained away. Have you ever wondered why? Why is this truth so powerful? Why is it such a threat to our enemy, Satan? Hundreds of years previously, the prophet Isaiah foretold of One who would come into the world to break Satan’s hold on us. He would be born of a virgin and would be called Immanuel, meaning God with us:

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).

When our first ancestor, Adam, chose to disobey God, sin entered the world and mankind legally fell under Satan’s dominion. Paul the Apostle writes about this principle of servitude in his letter to Rome. He wrote,

Don't you know that when you offer yourselves to someone to obey him as slaves, you are slaves to the one whom you obey? (Romans 6:16).

Satan had a legal claim for every human being that came into the world as we are all descendants of Adam. Due to Adam’s obedience to Satan and his lies, for the first time man sinned, and our enemy became to us as a slave owner (Ephesians 2:2). The default in our nature to sin came to all of Adam’s race. Adam and all of his descendants became slaves to the one they obeyed.  Because of the Fall, Satan had the power of death over all of us, for all had sinned (Romans 3:23). The only way for man to be redeemed (bought back) was through an innocent substitute to pay the penalty—death. God Himself would enter the world, pay the ransom price, and take upon Himself all the judgment that the slaves of Satan had incurred. The blood of an ordinary man would have no efficacy (Webster defines efficacy as meaning: power to produce effects or intended results). The seed of a normal human being did not bring forth Jesus. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. The sin nature was passed down through the seed of a man. Teacher and writer, Charles Swindoll, helps us to understand God’s dilemma after the Fall of Man:

"The problem of sin and evil creates a unique difficulty. Transgression of God’s laws—decrees that reflect His very character—must carry a penalty or the laws are meaningless. Therefore, to simply set aside the penalty of sin would require the Lord to deny His very character. Yet to eradicate sin would destroy the sinner. Gabriel and the other angels probably struggled to understand the Lord’s extraordinary efforts to redeem sinful humanity, and they may have found His plan equally perplexing. If the Lord were to explain why God must become a man in order to redeem humanity, I imagine the conversation might go something like this:

Unable to resolve the dilemma, Gabriel asked, ‘How will you destroy sin and preserve the people?’ The Lord glowed with pleasure at the opportunity to reveal the next detail of His plan. ‘I will provide a substitute—someone to pay the penalty of sin on their behalf.’ ‘But who? I protested. How can someone pay for the sins of another if he dies paying for his own?’ ‘A very astute question,’ He answered. ‘The substitute must not have any sin of his own.’ I was even more perplexed. ‘But Lord, the substitute would have to be a human in order to represent humanity, yet all of humanity has been infected with evil. Furthermore, this substitute would have to be superhuman in order to pay the penalty for all people, to die a death that would cover not just one sinner’s penalty, but that of the whole multitude! What substitute could possibly suffice?’

After a short silence, God said, ‘God.’ I stood dumbfounded. It didn’t seem possible. And if it were, it didn’t seem fair. Indeed, it wasn’t. This was grace. So characteristic of Him, yet utterly beyond my ability to comprehend. He continued, ‘I will send My eternal Son to be the Messiah. He will be the substitute. The Messiah will not be the son of a sinful, earthly father, but My Son, born of a virgin to preserve His sinlessness. The Messiah will be man. The Messiah will be God. Being the God-man, He will represent humankind, yet He will have no sin. Furthermore, after He dies on behalf of all humankind, He will conquer death by rising from the grave.’ I could not speak. The perfection of His plan—so ingenious, so simple, so intricate—left me even more amazed than seeing Him create the universe with a mere word."[4]

The writer of the Book of Hebrews explains that, through Christ’s death, Satan’s power over all that receive God’s grace and mercy was broken:

Since the children have flesh and blood, he [Christ] too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him [Satan] who holds the power of death—that is, the devil (Hebrews 2:14).

When Satan illegally crucified Jesus, he had no legal right to do so for Jesus Himself said, "I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me" (John 14:30).

Question:

What did Jesus mean by His statement that Satan had nothing in Him?

Jesus was not under his dominion because He was born with no sin in His life and had never sinned. This is why Christ had to be born of a virgin birth. In this way, there would be no trace of sin passed down to Him through a man. Satan had tried his best to get Jesus to sin, but he had not succeeded. Before the courts of Heaven, Satan legally became a murderer when he took Jesus to the cross, and you know that no murderer has any rights. All rights are taken away. Through His substitutionary death, Jesus defeated Satan completely. Sometime during the Passover week before Christ’s crucifixion, Jesus said, Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out (John 12:31). Judgment happened at the cross, the prince of this world, Satan, had his power broken. God could only do this by Jesus being born a sinless human, coming as a representative Man by a virgin birth. Mary’s response to Gabriel’s message was, I am the Lord's servant, Mary answered. May it be to me as you have said (Luke 1:38). May that same spirit of submission to God’s will be in all of us!

After Mary’s angelic visitation, she remembered his word that her relative, Elizabeth, had also conceived a son and was in her sixth month of pregnancy. She decided to make the journey to Judea, a distance of around 60-80 miles depending on where Elizabeth and Zechariah lived. I wonder if she told her parents of her pregnancy before leaving? It is a possibility that her visit to Elizabeth’s house was to get some wise counsel as to how to tell her parents. Would she have told Joseph before leaving? There’s so many questions and so few answers. I think it is likely that only when she returned to Nazareth being three months pregnant, that she told Joseph and her parents.

It certainly was confirmed to Mary as soon as she crossed the threshold of Elizabeth and Zechariah’s house. Elizabeth knew by the Spirit. The Spirit of God came upon her as Mary entered the house, and likely filled John with the Spirit at the same time, for we read of John that he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born (Luke 1:15).

³⁹At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, ⁴⁰where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²In a loud voice she exclaimed: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! ⁴³But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. ⁴⁵Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her! (Luke 1:39-45).

Notice that Elizabeth knew that Mary was to be the mother of the Lord, even as soon as she saw her. There was no time for a letter, no cell phones, but Elizabeth knew by the Spirit just what the plan of God was. Immanuel had come! All of Mary’s thoughts and, perhaps, fears of what had taken place inside her, all came out with such words of praise toward God:

⁴⁶And Mary said: My soul glorifies the Lord ⁴⁷and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, ⁴⁹for the Mighty One has done great things for me.  Holy is his name. ⁵⁰His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. ⁵¹He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. ⁵²He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. ⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. ⁵⁴He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful ⁵⁵to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors (Luke 1:46-55).

One of the most amazing things to me is the level of submission to God’s will by Mary. She didn’t ask about the downsides of the decision before she submitted to God’s will. She didn’t even ask for time to think it over! Right away, she made up her mind to leave all the details to God. Francis Fenelon once said, Make this simple rule the guide of your life: to have no will but God’s. James Graham said, Promotion, publicity, personality, politics, popularity and even prosperity we have in abundance. But there is a dearth of God–empowered men and women with a deep love for the Savior, unconditional commitment to Him, and complete indifference to their own well-being. In these last days, we so need men and women who will totally submit to the will of God just as Mary did. May she be a lesson to all of us.

Questions:

The angel Gabriel had said, For nothing is impossible with God (Luke 1:37). In what area of your life do you need to believe that nothing is impossible to God?

Share with one another a need you have and close in prayer for God to work in supernatural ways in these last days.

The miracle of the virgin birth is key to understanding the great plan God had in sending His son. The church must guard these truths as precious cornerstones of our faith. It should not surprise us that, in the days we live, our faith will be tested. That means not only our own personal walk of faith but also the very foundations of our faith, the Word of God. Do you really believe that our God is a miracle-working God? Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and was born of a virgin? Do not let go of these precious truths, for they are guiding lights that will keep you in His way.

Close in prayer for God to work in supernatural ways in these last days.

Prayer:

Lord, help us to be as open and willing as Mary was. Help us not to miss the moments when You would come and speak to our hearts. We treasure the truth of Your word. We ask that You will show Yourself strong on our behalf and that we would see Your wonders in these last days.

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[3] Jim Bishop, The Day Christ Died, Printed by HarperSanFrancisco, 1957. Page 91.

[4] Charles R. Swindoll, Insights on Luke, Published by Zondervan, 2012. Page 46.

CHAPTER 3 – The Birth and Teen Years of Jesus

(Luke 2)

Luke gives us the political backdrop against which our Savior comes on the scene. Jesus was to be born amidst a struggle for power. The seen and unseen powers of heaven and earth were poised, waiting for this Prince of Peace to be born. Even though Rome did not realize it, the quiet birth of Jesus would change history in a way that surpassed any legacy of any known ruler in the world at that time or any time since. Let’s follow the journey of the Holy family as they were led and protected by God’s hand.

The Birth of Christ

¹In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ²(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³And everyone went to their own town to register. ⁴So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them (Luke 2:1-7).

When Julius Caesar was stabbed to death in a conspiracy by a number of Roman Senators in 44 BC, all that he owned, his lands, his property, his wealth and his titles passed to his heir, Gaius Octavius, at just nineteen years of age. Over the next twenty years, he gained supreme rule over Rome and added to his title as Caesar the name Pontifex Maximus, high priest of Rome. Eventually, he took the title Caesar Augustus, meaning supreme ruler. When Halley’s comet was seen in the heavens in 12 BC, he claimed that it was the spirit of his father, Julius Caesar, that was entering into heaven and becoming a god! From that point on, Augustus sought also to be worshiped as a god due to being the son of a god. He was now the most powerful man on the face of the earth.

Augustus Caesar was worried about the decline in Roman civilization at that time, evident by the decline in the belief of the Roman gods, and in Roman family virtues. It was the Jubilee year of Augustus in 2 BC, celebrating twenty-five-years of his reign. He hoped to use the Jubilee year to renew the belief in the Roman gods and to confirm the legitimacy of his throne.

He began to exert control over the empire that he ruled. He put out a decree for a census. There were usually two reasons for a census. The first was to provide an accurate account of the size of military strength and, secondly, to update the record for taxation purposes. The first tax was known as a loyalty tax. It demanded a loyalty oath. The citizens had to swear by the gods that neither they nor their offspring would usurp the Roman throne. Think of the headiness of power that Caesar Augustus now had, i.e. total power over all the world. All he had to do was to speak the words, and hundreds of miles away, people had to return to their ancestral town to be registered. He may have thought he had total power, but behind the scenes was the Lord putting His plan into operation. The Lord had spoken through prophecy more than six hundred years earlier that the Messiah would be born seven miles south of Jerusalem in the little town of Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David.

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times (Micah 5:2).

The One who descended from heaven did not have His first existence from Mary. He has ever existed, and from ancient times, He has been watching over His Word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). Caesar Augustus was thinking that he was working out his plans, but behind the scenes, he was just a puppet working out God’s plans for the birth of Jesus into the world at the very location of which God had spoken hundreds of years previously.

Question:

Can you look back at a