The Book of Luke

By Matthew A Knight

It is to Luke that we are indebted for a glimpse into the background circumstances surrounding the birth of John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Christ. We catch a glimpse of Zacharias, a devoted priest and his wife Elizabeth who was barren. We are told of the visitation of

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookTrail Publishing
• Release date: May 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9781637678602

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Copyright © 2022 Matthew A Knight

Paperback: 978-1-63767-859-6

eBook: 978-1-63767-860-2

Library of Congress Control Number: 2022906689

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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Contents

Chapter 1:   Historical Background

Chapter 2:   The Birth of Jesus

Chapter 3:   The Coming of John the Baptist

Chapter 4:   Jesus is tested in the Wilderness

Chapter 5:   The Calling of the First Disciples

Chapter 6:   The Teachings of Jesus

Chapter 7:   Further Incidents and Miracles

Chapter 8:   Jesus Authority over Wind Weather and Demons

Chapter 9:   Jesus sends out the Twelve Apostles

Chapter 10:   Jesus Sends out the Seventy Two

Chapter 11:   Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer

Chapter 12:   Warnings and Encouragements

Chapter 13:   Jesus His Parables and the Pharisees

Chapter 14:   Further Teachings of Jesus

Chapter 15:   Jesus Parables against the Pharisees and Teachers of the Law

Chapter 16:   The Dishonest Manager

Chapter 17:   Further Instructions from the Son of Man

Chapter 18:   The Parable of the Persistent Widow

Chapter 19:   Parables and Miracles

Chapter 20:   Jesus in Jericho

Chapter 21:   Jesus in Jerusalem

Chapter 22:   The Betrayal and the Last Supper

Chapter 23:   The Trial and Crucifixion

Chapter 24:   The Resurrection

Introduction

It is to Luke that we are indebted for a glimpse into the background circumstances surrounding the birth of John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus Christ. We catch a glimpse of Zacharias, a devoted priest and his wife Elizabeth who was barren. We are told of the visitation of an angel predicting, against all odds that his wife would bear a son. This was no ordinary child but John, called the Baptist who heralded the arrival of the Lord Jesus.

We catch a glimpse of the circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus and of Mary’s visit to Elizabeth in the sixth month of her pregnancy. In this first chapter we catch a glimpse of angelic intervention in the normal affairs of men and women. Throughout this book, the Lord Jesus is referred to as the Son of Man and emphasizes the humanity of Jesus.

The idea of this book is to point the reader to what the Scriptures actually say. For an individual reading I would encourage the individual to read the relevant chapter in the Bible first, then, look at the commentary and answer the questions at the end of each chapter.

In a group Bible Study setting, the relevant chapter of the Bible could be read, each person reading a few verses at a time until the whole chapter in the Bible has been read. Then someone could read out my commentary on each chapter and the group could anwer the questions at the back of each chapter, looking at what the Bible actually says, and sharing with each other their own thoughts on the particular scripture chapter, thus reinforcing the group’s knowledge of each chapter of the Bible.

Luke 1:1 – 80

Historical Background

The opening chapter of Luke is one of straight narrative. It tells of the way God intervened in the lives of ordinary people. How could Zachariah have had any inclining when he went into the temple to do his religious duties that he would meet an angel that would predict that his wife, barren and now well on in years would bear him a child? Then, when Zachariah dared dispute the angel’s message, that he would be struck deaf and dumb? The people around him obviously knew something important had happened to Zechariah but they had no idea what.

How would Mary have known to visit Elizabeth now six months along? The angel merely said that Elizabeth was pregnant and in her sixth month... Perhaps she visited Elizabeth to escape wagging tongues because she was betrothed to Joseph and already pregnant. Pregnant with the earthly manifestation of the Holy Spirit! Certainly, Elizabeth welcomed Mary, who would have been a great help to Elizabeth at this time assisting with the never ending round of house hold chores in the days when there were no Labour saving devices. It tells the story of Mary, visited by Gabriel, an angelic being far beyond anything that she had ever before experienced, who announced to the bewildered and frightened woman she would bear a child and gave precise instructions as to how she was to name this child, namely Jesus, that she was highly favoured by God and the child she would carry in her womb would be called the Son of the Most High.

In another book it tells the story of Joseph, a man of principle being ordered not to put aside his betrothed because she was already pregnant to the Holy Spirit but to take her as his wife as originally planned. This man, direct in line to the throne of David yet far removed from all pretentions of kingship, a mere carpenter. His betrothed was to bear a child, not ordinary child but the Saviour of the world conceived, not by human intervention but by the Holy Spirit. None of us could ever completely understand why God chose to send His only Son into the world in such a way.

Elizabeth’s child was to be no ordinary child but one of very special significance. He was to be a Nazarene, and he was to be a precursor of the Lord Jesus. There was something of singular importance about the meeting of Mary and Elizabeth because at her presence the Child leapt for joy in Elizabeth’s womb. Then Elizabeth under the influence of a powerful spiritual force spoke these words to Mary "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favoured that the mother of my Lord should come to me? She somehow knew the momentous occasion of this visit.

Then Mary said these words under the influence of the Holy Spirit.

My soul magnifies the Lord and my Spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,…This passage is prosaically called the Magnificat" as recited by the mainline churches but at that time it was an outpouring of praise and gratitude to a Holy and awesome God who chose to intrude into the lives of two very ordinary women. The words of praise welled up within her till she could no longer hold it back and then it burst forth to gladden the hearts of Mary and of Elizabeth then the hearts of all who read these words, telling of a Lord who would uplift the humble and feed those who were spiritually starved, yet have no regard for those who were haughty or proud of their earthly achievements.

This passage tells us through Mary of a God who stooped so low to comfort and redeem us as to come in the flesh. Who intruded so poignantly into our human condition to lift all who believe into another plane of belief so that those who truly believe will catch a glimpse of ultimate eternity. We have here a glimpse of our eternal destiny, of God intervening in the affairs of men.

The Holy Spirit also visited Joseph, a man of principle, in a dream advising him to take Mary as his wife even though she was already pregnant.

We catch a glimpse of Zachariah under the influence of the Holy Spirit and suddenly released from his bondage of deafness and muteness when he acknowledged that his new born son was to be called John in obedience to the Angel of the Lord’s instructions. Zachariah under the influence of the Holy Spirit prophesied of the coming of the salvation to the Lord’s people through the coming of his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ not specifically named here in this prophecy. He also prophesied over his own son, who became known as John the Baptist that this child would be called A prophet of the Most High and that he would go before Him to prepare the way for Him, to give His people the knowledge of salvation. Zachariah’s prophecy is often referred to as the "Benedictus."

The chapter concludes that Zechariah’s son John grew in strength and favour and that he came to live in the desert.

Who was this man Theophilus? We don’t really know. He may have been a colleague of Luke the physician by profession (Colossians 4:14)... One can almost visualize Luke placing the tips of his fingers together as he considered a well written, historical and orderly account of the circumstances surrounding the birth of John who came to be known as ‘The Baptist’ and of the birth of the Lord Jesus