Recap

So far in Luke, we've started the introduction. We noted how this book was written with the book of Acts to be one continuous story. We also looked at how, for Luke, the kingdom of God is centred on uplifting the marginalised and outcasts and bringing salvation and repentance, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

We then read through two stories of miraculous conceptions, side-by-side. An older couple, Zechariah and Elizabeth, had been unable to have a baby. But Zechariah was visited by an angel who told him Elizabeth would give birth to a little boy named John and he would be a messenger that turned people back towards God. Doubting at first, Zechariah’s mouth was shut until John was born, to be a sign that what the angel had said was true.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth’s much younger cousin, Mary, was betrothed to a man named Joseph, and the two had not yet slept together. An angel came to Mary telling her she would give birth to a little boy named Jesus and he would be the son of God who takes up David’s throne as the promised king. We read as Mary and Elizabeth met up, Mary praised God, John was born, and then Zechariah praise God now that he could speak again.

Both John and Jesus would be the culmination of what the Old Testament were pointing towards. And all the way through these stories, we saw people filled with the Holy Spirit to do things, whether that was to give birth, understand things without being told, or prophesy. 

Luke 2-3

Here we get the story that we more familiarly know as the Christmas story. A census is called by the emperor, meaning that every male had to go back to their hometown and register themselves and their family.

Joseph is originally from Bethlehem, also known as David’s city, as he is a descendant of king David. Luke is emphasising how Jesus is a fulfilment of the Old Testament. Even his adopted father is a descendant of David.

Unfortunately, there’s no room in the inn and so they end up staying out with the animals. Mary gives birth to a little boy and wraps him up in cloth, laying him in a manger (think pig trough).

Meanwhile, some shepherds are out in the fields when an angel comes to them to tell them their promised king and saviour has just been born in Bethlehem, and they’ll find him wrapped in cloth and in a manger.

Here we see Luke’s theme: God’s kingdom is primarily for the poor and the outcasts. Shepherds were considered some of the lowest of the low by society, and yet they were the first to hear about Jesus. And we have Jesus, the future king the Old Testament has been waiting for being born in a manger surrounded by animals.

The shepherds went out in search of this newborn and found Mary and Joseph with the little Jesus. They tell the couple all that the angel had told them and then leave, praising God for all that he had done.

It was part of the Jewish custom to circumcise your sons when they reach eight days old, and to make offerings to God for every firstborn son, so Mary and Joseph travel to Jerusalem to do exactly that.

Luke is very clear that Mary and Joseph to everything they need to fulfil the law. Much like the other gospel writer, Luke wants his audience to know that Jesus has not come to do away with the law and bring something completely different. He is the fulfilment of the law.

As Mary and Joseph bring Jesus into the temple, they meet Simeon, who had been filled with the Holy Spirit and told that he would not die until he met the promised king. Seeing Jesus, Simeon begins to praise God and prophecy. Jesus isn’t just the promised king of the Israelites. He is to be salvation to all peoples; the Gentiles included. A prophetess, Anna, also begins to praise God and tell people of what God is doing.

The couple return home and Jesus grows up strong and filled with wisdom. When he is twelve, his parents take him to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. Twelve is the age that most boys would take up a trade. More often or not, they would join the family business.

After the Passover was finished, Jesus’ parents returned home with a large crowd of people, but Jesus stayed in Jerusalem. It took them three days to realise he wasn’t with the group. Travelling back to Jerusalem, they found him in the temple with the teachers. His parents were upset. How could Jesus treat them this way? They had been worried sick.

But Jesus is confused. He’s old enough to join the family business. His father is God, and so here he is at work in the temple. His parents couldn’t yet fully grasp what he was saying, so Jesus went home with them and continued to grow. 

Fast forward to Jesus as an adult, and we’re back into familiar territory. John the Baptist is in the wilderness baptising people. But we also get some extra teaching from John that we don’t get elsewhere.

He initially calls the crowd a ‘brood of vipers’. Like with Jesus and the pharisees in Matthew 12:34, this is an allusion to the offspring of the serpent in Genesis 3. Currently, the people are aligned with the forces of chaos. And so what should they do? “Bear fruits in keeping with repentance” (Luke 3:8).

To move from chaos to salvation the people should turn from their old ways and live lives that reflect that. They can’t just trust in their ancestry and heritage as Jews. They’re whole lives need to reflect God’s order.

He tells those who have extra to share with those who don’t have enough tax collectors to only take what they’re allowed to and not take advantage of people, and soldiers not to oppress people by bullying and extorting them. Again, we see Luke’s theme of the kingdom of God being about freeing the poor and the oppressed.

Jesus comes, is baptised and the Holy Spirit comes down as God declares, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22).

Then, like Mathew, Luke also includes a genealogy to link Jesus to all the Old Testament characters that we’ve encountered so far. But Luke goes one further. After going all the way back to Adam, Luke also adds “the son of God” (Luke 3:38). Just as Adam was, in a way, the son of God, Jesus is now here as the son of God.

Psalm 111

This psalm isn’t attributed to anyone in particular, and falls into the category of praise psalm. It also serves as an acrostic, with each half verse starting with a different letter of the Hebrew alphabet.

Psalm 111:1-2 - Praise the Lord for his great works

Psalm 111:3-9 - The list of God’s great works

Psalm 111:10 - The logical response to his great works

The psalmist opens with a call to praise the Lord. The psalmist themselves will give thank to the Lord with their whole heart for the Lord’s works are great.

We then get a list of the Lord’s works and attributes. The Lord is honourable, majestic, and righteous. All of which will endure forever. He has won a great reputation for himself through his deeds and is gracious and merciful.

He is a God who provides for those who fear him and is constantly mindful of the covenant he has made with his people. He has demonstrated for his people his power, and brought them into a land they can call their own. The Lord is faithful and justice and can be trusted. His works will last forever. He has redeemed his people and will remain faithful to his covenant with them forever.

Therefore, in light of all these great works, the logical thing to do is fear and obey God. This is the beginning of wisdom. If we continue to practise God’s commands, we will have understanding. This psalm seeks to praise God for his attributes and works, and to teach those who hear about who God is and why they should obey and follow him.