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BIBLE STUDY LESSON
For
the week beginning Sunday October 11, 2020
THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
Introduction:
Luke 1:1-5
The authorship of the Gospel of
Luke is accredited to Luke the physician, who traveled with the Apostle Paul during
his second and third missionary journeys. Most scholars believed that Luke
wrote his Gospel account for a Greek man named “Theophilus” who lived in
Antioch, Luke’s hometown. However, I personally believe that Luke originally
wrote his Gospel account to the “Church at Antioch”, and that “Theophilus” which
means “friend of GOD”, was just a “code name” for the Church which was located
in that city.
The early Church letter and gospel writers
often used code words to protect their messages from the antichrist factions
that sought to cut off communications between CHRIST followers, or, “Adherents
of the Way”, as they were called. These opponents also sought to persecute
those followers and find out the locations of their meeting places.
Luke’s main objective
for writing this account was to highlight the “humanity” of JESUS and HIS
unique place in the human existence. For this reason, he was careful to examine
all of the evidence that was provided by the people who were closest to JESUS’
day to day movements and actions. He wanted to also provide precise dates to
the larger-than-life events that surrounded JESUS’ extraordinary ministry.
Luke begins his account
by giving us many details regarding JESUS’ “virgin birth” by Mary that are not
found anywhere else in scripture. And whereas Matthew’s Gospel account focuses
on JESUS as a Jewish MESSIAH, and John Mark’s accounts focuses on HIS
servanthood toward GOD the FATHER, Luke’s account depicts JESUS as ONE with GOD
WHO was “100% human” while HE lived on earth. JESUS was ONE WHO’s genealogy can
be traced all the way back to Adam (Luke 3:23-38) through both story and
explanation.
Luke’s writings
in his Gospel account are the most literary of all New Testament books. His
distinctive fluid style in the original Greek text is simply a thing of beauty.
Unlike the other three Gospels, whose contents can be traced back to eyewitness
accounts of JESUS’ life here on earth, Luke’s Gospel is a detailed account that
is a result of careful and thorough investigative research into the events
surrounding and involving CHRIST’s birth, ministry, death, resurrection, and
ascension back into Heaven. And just like in the case of the other Gospel
writers, GOD assigns his writings to attract a particular audience by stressing
special and unique interest themes.
Most scholars agree that Luke’s Gospel
account is also written to attract the attention of the “Hellenist”, or “the
person who is rooted in the Greek culture (Gentiles)”. And despite being ever
mindful of CHRIST’s deity, Luke is also brilliantly able to present JESUS’ as
the ideal 100% human being (the Hypostatic Union), WHO, quite simply, redefines
excellence to even the most righteous of men here on earth. In fact, HE shows
quite literally that all men’s righteousness is derived through their obedience
to GOD.
Luke also shows, more clearly than the
other Gospels, just how greatly JESUS values those who are often dismissed by
society, such as women, the impoverished, the downtrodden, and the powerless.
In his Gospel account he shows us that, in JESUS, excellence is not looked upon
as a “personal superiority”, that, in itself, “devalues others”, but rather, in
JESUS, we see a “divine standard” that is bent on “raising others up”,
resurrecting them into a life that is more pleasing to GOD.
And so, in the
aforementioned ways, perhaps Luke’s Gospel provides us with the most accurate,
and most attractive portrait of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, that can
found anywhere else in Scripture, arguably perhaps, even more so the book of
Hebrews.
THE FORETELLING OF THE BIRTH OF JOHN
THE BAPTIST
Luke 1:5-25
In the
New Testament Greek, the word used for “messenger” is “aggelos” (pronounced
ang-el-os), and it describes “one who brings news or tidings by divine order
from GOD”. Here in Luke chapter 1, after a brief introduction in verses 1-4,
Luke writes of an angelic announcement of the coming birth of the “forerunner
to CHRIST JESUS”, John “the Baptist”.
Taking up at verse 5, Luke begins his
Gospel account by introducing to us, a Jewish Levite Priest named Zechariah,
who, lived during the time when “Herod the Great” was king of Judea (37 B.C. –
4 B.C.). He was a member of the priestly line of Abijah, who was a descendant
of Aaron, and who was a priest during the reign of King David. Zechariah was
married to a woman named Elizabeth, who was also a descendant of Aaron. They
were both considered “righteous” in the sight of GOD because of their
obedience, and they had no children because Elizabeth was barren. This aging
couple had long prayed to GOD for a child and little did they know that their
prayers were about to be answered.
Zechariah had recently been chosen by
“sacred lot” (“Urim and Thummin”) to serve for a week in the Temple, an
opportunity that came only once in a lifetime for most priests. One day, as he
was serving his term of duty burning incense in the LORD’s presence, in the
sanctuary of the temple at Jerusalem, he received a visit from the Archangel of
the LORD, Gabriel (Vs.8-9). Gabriel is one of the famed archangels that stands
in the very presence of the LORD in Heaven.
Here Gabriel gives Zechariah the good
news of GOD’s answer to his and Elizabeth’s longtime prayer for a son. The
child would be named “John”, and would be great in the eyes of the LORD. He
would be a man blessed with the spirit (courage) and power (authority) of
“Elijah the Prophet” of old, and would be “the forerunner” for, or “prepare the
minds of the people, particularly the Jews, for” the coming of JESUS, the
CHRIST (HIS first advent) (Vs.13-17). However, Zechariah, despite his direct
word of good news from GOD, and because he was applying “human logic” to the
things of GOD, had great doubt in his heart, and was hesitant to believe that
he and Elizabeth could conceive a child in their old age (v.18).
This particular passage serves to remind
us that GOD expects more faith from those who are called to be HIS leaders, and
who are supposed to know and understand the ways of the LORD more thoroughly.
And HE also expects more from a professed Christian than HE does from an
unbeliever. Here Zechariah shows the doubt of an untrained layperson, instead
of the faith and trust of an experienced spiritual leader and man after GOD’s
OWN heart. This unbelief miffs the LORD, WHO sent Gabriel, and as a result,
Zechariah’s ability to speak is taken away from him until the birth of his son,
John, several months later (Vs.19-20).
GOD had to silence Zechariah because of
his words of unbelief that were, unfortunately, contrary to the fulfillment of
the covenant promise. He was a man who was versed in Scripture and was very
familiar with the example of Abraham and Sarah giving birth to Isaac at ages
that, even far exceeded he and Elizabeth’s. And yet, he found it hard to
believe that such a thing could happen to them under similar circumstances.
Christians are called to believe, and
when we pray and ask in faith, in JESUS’ name, for the things that are within
GOD’s Will, we are called by GOD to believe that HE will deliver. In other
words, when we pray to GOD for rain, we ought not to leave home without, at
least, an umbrella. We need to, at all times, show at least, a minimum amount
of faith (faith, the size of a mustard seed) in the GOD we say we serve.
A Sunday school lesson
by,
Larry D. Alexander
Larry Dell Alexander (1953–)
- Encyclopedia of Arkansas
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