Luke 1
EasyEnglishLuke 1:1
Luke: The Man Christ Jesus The Birth of Jesus and the Beginning of his Work An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on Luke 1:1 to 4:13
www.easyenglish.info Ian Mackervoy This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.
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About the *Gospel of Luke The writer The *Gospel of Luke does not mention Luke’s name as the author. But few people doubt that Luke did write this book. Also, he wrote the Book of Acts. He sent both books to the same person called Theophilus (Luke 1:3 and Acts 1:1).
Luke was not a *Jew. We know this from Colossians 4:11-14. Paul names the three *Jews who were with him in Rome. Luke was not one of them but he was with Paul there. All the other writers of the *New Testament were *Jews.
Luke travelled with Paul on some of his journeys. The evidence for this is that, in several places in Acts, Luke uses the words, ‘we’ or ‘us’. Luke was a medical doctor by profession (Colossians 4:14). There is a tradition that he was born in the city called Antioch in Syria.
Luke was not one of the original *disciples of Christ. But he studied the accounts of Christ’s life that were available to him. And he talked with those people who had been with Jesus. Some of the detail shows that probably Luke spoke with Mary the mother of Jesus.
We do not know whether Luke wrote this book in Israel, Rome, or somewhere else. And we do not know where he sent it. He probably wrote it some time between 59 *AD and 63 *AD. Purpose Luke’s purpose was to write a good and true account of the life of Jesus. This *Gospel tells the story of Jesus from the time before he was born. And it ends when Jesus went back to heaven. Luke wanted Theophilus and all people to know the truth about Jesus.
The *Gospel of Luke tells us about the things that Jesus said. And it tells us about the things that he did. This helps us to understand how God saves people from *sin. Luke shows us that Jesus is the *Saviour of the world. *Sin ruins people’s lives. And after they die, punishment is certain. People cannot save themselves. But Jesus came to look for and to save those people.
Luke shows that Jesus was a real man. In addition, he shows that Jesus was the Son of God. Contents Part 1
The birth of Jesus and the beginning of his work
1:1-4:13
The reason why Luke wrote this book
1:1-4
The birth of John the *Baptist
1:5-80
The birth and childhood of Jesus
2:1-52
John the *Baptist *preaches
3:1-20
John *baptises Jesus
3:21-22
The family history of Jesus
3:23-38
The devil tests Jesus
4:1-4:13
Part 2
Jesus in Galilee
4:14-9:50
The good news of the *kingdom
4:14-5:16
The *Pharisees begin to oppose Jesus
5:17-6:11
Jesus teaches the crowd
6:12-49
Examples of Jesus’ good deeds
7:1-50
Jesus teaches by means of stories
8:1-21
Jesus does *miracles
8:22-56
Jesus and the 12 *disciples
9:1-50
Part 3
Jesus on his way from Galilee to Jerusalem
9:51-19:44
No welcome in a *Samaritan village
9:51-56
The cost to become a *disciple
9:57-62
Jesus sends 72 *disciples ahead of him
10:1-24
The good *Samaritan
10:25-37
Martha and Mary
10:38-42
Jesus teaches us how to pray
11:1-13
Jesus and the prince of *demons
11:14-28
A lesson from Jonah 11:29-32
The eye is like the lamp of the body
11:33-36
With the *Pharisees and experts in the law
11:37-54
Jesus teaches the people
12:1-59
*Repentance
13:1-9
Jesus cures a woman on the *Sabbath
13:10-17
The *kingdom of God
13:18-30
*Prophets die in Jerusalem
13:31-35
Dinner with a *Pharisee
14:1-24
It costs to be a *disciple
14:25-35
Three stories about things that people had lost
15:1-32
The wise manager
16:1-13
Divorce
16:14-18
Rich man and poor man
16:19-31
*Sin, *faith and duty
17:1-10
10 *lepers
17:11-19
The *kingdom of God comes
17:20-37
Two stories about prayer
18:1-14
Jesus and the children
18:15-17
The rich young ruler
18:18-30
Jesus speaks about his death
18:31-34
Jesus cures a blind man
18:35-43
Zacchaeus
19:1-10
Story about the servants
19:11-27
Jesus enters Jerusalem
19:28-44
Part 4
Jesus completes his work in Jerusalem
19:45-21:38
Jesus at the *temple
19:45-48
Questions about authority
20:1-8
Story about the farmers
20:9-19
Questions to test Jesus
20:20-47
The widow’s gift
21:1-4
The end of the age
21:5-38
Part 5
Jesus suffers death and he lives again
22:1-24:53
Judas goes to the chief priests
22:1-6
The last supper
22:7-38
In the garden
22:39-45
The arrest of Jesus
22:46-53
Peter denies that he knows Christ
22:54-62
Soldiers, Pilate and Herod
22:63-23:25
Jesus on the cross
23:26-49
Jesus in the grave
23:50-56
Jesus is alive again
24:1-12
Jesus and his *disciples
24:13-49
Jesus goes back to heaven
24:50-53 Chapter 1 The beginning of the life and work of Jesus – Luke 1:1 to 4:13 The reason why Luke wrote this book – Luke 1:1-4 v1 Many people have tried to give an account of the things that have happened among us. v2 We got our information from those people who saw these things. And we got our information from those people who have passed on the message from the beginning. v3 So it seemed good to me to write down these things in order for you, most excellent Theophilus. I have studied all these things carefully to make sure that I can write accurately about them. v4 By this account, you can be certain about the truth of the things that you have learned.
Verses 1-4 Luke was not among the first *disciples of the *Lord. He did not see the *Lord while he was alive on the earth. But many people had recorded what they knew about Jesus’ life. They got their information from those people who were with Jesus. One of these earlier records was probably Mark’s *Gospel. Luke studied what these people wrote. He probably spoke to many people who were with Jesus. And he listened to what they said. Then he made sure that the information was correct.
Luke calls the message that they passed on: ‘the word’. ‘The word’ means the *gospel and especially what Jesus taught. So, many Bible translations say that these people were ‘servants of the word’. They were probably the *apostles and teachers in the first Christian churches.
We do not know who Theophilus was. His name means ‘friend of God’. Theophilus was a proper name. Luke calls him ‘most excellent Theophilus’. This seems to show that Theophilus was a real person. And he was an important man, like Festus (Acts 26:25). Theophilus may have been the person who would publish this book. That is, he would arrange for other people to make copies of it. He could have been a *Greek or *Roman government official.
Luke wrote this book for Theophilus but he intended other people to read it as well. He wanted Theophilus and other people to have a true record. By this means, they could be sure of what they had learned. They could understand the *gospel and they could believe in the *Lord Jesus. The birth of John the *Baptist – Luke 1:5-80 The *angel comes to Zechariah – Luke 1:5-25 v5 When King Herod ruled in Judea, there was a priest called Zechariah. He belonged to the Abijah group of priests. His wife Elizabeth was also a *descendant of Aaron. v6 Zechariah and Elizabeth did what pleased God. They were without blame as they obeyed completely all the *Lord’s laws and commands. v7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth could not have a baby. And they were both getting old.
v8 One day Zechariah was serving as a priest in front of God’s *altar, because his group was on duty. v9 By the method that the priests used, they chose Zechariah to burn *incense in the *Lord’s *temple. v10 A large crowd of people was outside. At the time when the priest burned the *incense, the people prayed.
v11 Then an *angel of the *Lord appeared to Zechariah. The *angel stood on the right side of the *incense *altar. v12 It was a shock to Zechariah when he saw the *angel. Zechariah felt sudden fear. v13 But the *angel said to him, ‘Zechariah, do not be afraid. God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to a son. And you must give to this son the name John. v14 You will have joy and delight.
And many people will be glad because of his birth. v15 John will be a great man for the *Lord. He must never drink wine or other strong drinks. The power of the *Holy Spirit will fill him, even from his birth. v16 He will turn many of the people in *Israel to the *Lord their God. v17 He will go before the *Lord. He will be strong and powerful like the *prophet Elijah. He will bring fathers and children together again. He will turn back those people who do not obey God to the right way to live.
He will prepare people for when the *Lord comes.’
v18 Zechariah asked the *angel, ‘How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is getting old.’
v19 The *angel answered him, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand close to God. God sent me to speak to you and to tell you this good news. v20 You have not believed what I have said. Therefore, you will be silent. You will not be able to speak until the day when these things happen. But what I said will happen at the proper time.’
v21 The people waited for Zechariah, and they wondered at his delay in the *temple. v22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. He could only make signs to them and he remained unable to speak. Then they understood that he had seen a *vision in the *temple.
v23 When he had finished his time of service in the *temple, he went home. v24 After this, his wife Elizabeth became *pregnant and she hid herself for 5 months. v25 She said, ‘The *Lord has done this for me. He has looked upon me and he has helped me. The people can see that he has removed my shame from me.’
Verses 5-7 Herod the Great was a son of a man called Antipater. Herod was not a *Jew by birth. He was the first king of Judah who was not a *Jew by birth. He became king in 37 *BC and he died in 4 *BC. So, the births of John the *Baptist and Jesus were in 4 *BC or earlier.
The name Zechariah means ‘God remembers’. Zechariah was a priest. The priests were all *descendants of Aaron but they could marry women from other families. But Elizabeth, Zechariah’s wife, was a *descendant of Aaron. So, John the *Baptist was a *descendant of Aaron by both his father and mother.
There were 24 groups of priests. Each group served in turn for one week in the *temple. So one of the groups was on duty at all times. Zechariah belonged to the group of Abijah. The group of Abijah was the 8th group out of the 24 (1 Chronicles 24:10). After the *exile in Babylon, only 4 families of priests came back to Jerusalem (Ezra 2:36-39). Some Bible teachers think that those 4 families became 24 new groups. And they took the names of the previous groups. The family of Abijah did not return from Babylon at that time.
Zechariah and Elizabeth were good people. They loved God and they obeyed his law. They were not able to have children and now they were too old. It was impossible for them to have a child. This caused them to be sad. And Elizabeth felt ashamed that she could not have a child.
Verses 8-10 Every morning and evening, the priests made an animal *sacrifice. This was in the area outside the *temple. Many priests helped in this. At the same time, just one priest went into the room in the *temple called the holy place. Here he burnt *incense on an *altar. There were so many priests that they had to choose one for this task. Because of the number of them, a priest would burn *incense just once in his life. On this day, Zechariah was the priest that they chose. He went into the holy place to burn *incense. A large crowd of people were in front of the *temple. And there they prayed at the time when Zechariah burned the *incense. We do not know whether this was at the morning or the evening *sacrifice.
Verses 11-12 To burn *incense, Zechariah stood in front of the *altar of *incense. The *altar of *incense was near the curtain that separated the holy place from the most holy place. On the north side, there was the table for the special bread. On the south side was the gold lamp holder. The *angel, who was called the *angel of the *Lord, appeared on the right or south side of the *altar. He stood between the *altar and the gold lamp holder.
The sudden appearance of an *angel was a shock to Zechariah.
Verses 13-15 Zechariah wanted to have a child. He and Elizabeth had probably prayed often to God about it. The *angel came with the news that God had heard those prayers. And Elizabeth would give birth to a son. But Zechariah must give the name John to that child.
John in the *Hebrew language combines the name of God with the word for kindness. Therefore, John means ‘the *Lord has been kind’.
Zechariah and Elizabeth had been so sad that they could not have a child. Now the *angel said that the birth of John would bring much joy to them. The *Lord would answer their prayers. John would be a special son to them. Many people would be glad at John’s birth and because of his life.
John must never drink wine or strong drink. Strong drink probably means any drink with alcohol in it. (See the rules for the Nazirites in Numbers chapter 6. The Nazirites were people who made a special promise to God.) This showed that John had a special task from God.
God had a special task for John to do. God sent the power of the *Holy Spirit to be in John even before his birth. John would be a great servant of the *Lord. He would be a *prophet; in fact, he was more than a *prophet (Matthew 11:9).
Verses 16-17 The work that John would do was to prepare the people for the *Lord (Malachi 3:1). John would cause many *Jews to *repent of their *sins. They would turn again to the *Lord their God. Because of this, families would come together again.
In Malachi 4:5 we read that Elijah will come before the *Christ comes. The *Christ means the king that God would appoint to save his people. The promise that *Christ would come is in many parts of the *Old Testament. Here, ‘Elijah’ means a *prophet who is like the *prophet Elijah in the *Old Testament. This new ‘Elijah’ would come with the power that the Holy Spirit gives to him. So, John the *Baptist came in that power before Jesus came. John would announce to the *Jews that Jesus the *Christ had come.
Verses 18-20 Zechariah asked what seemed to be a reasonable question. He and his wife were too old to have children. But the question showed that he did not believe the *angel (verse 20). Mary asked a similar question (verse 34). But she did believe the *angel. She asked how God would give her a child.
The *angel told Zechariah that his name was Gabriel. Gabriel means ‘God’s soldier’. This was a direct message from God. So Zechariah did not believe God. But God would do what he said. Because of this, Zechariah would not be able to speak until after John was born.
There was a tradition of the *Jews that there were 4 chief *angels round the *throne of God. Their names were Michael, Uriel, Raphael and Gabriel.
Verses 21-22 It was not usual for the priest to be such a long time in the holy place. The priest would usually take less than half an hour to burn the *incense. So, the people wondered what had happened. They waited for Zechariah to come out from the holy place. When he did come out, he was both dumb and deaf (1:62).
The people understood that Zechariah had seen a *vision. But he had actually met with the *angel Gabriel.
Verses 23-25 Zechariah did not go home immediately. He continued to perform his duties until the end of the week. Then the group of Abijah had completed their time in the *temple. After this, Zechariah went home to his wife Elizabeth.
Some time later Elizabeth became *pregnant. This means that she would have a baby. She stayed at home for 5 months. Then there could be no doubt that she was expecting a child.
Elizabeth knew that she could not have a child in the normal way. The *Lord had made it possible. The *Lord gave to her the strength. And he made her able to have a baby although she was so old.
At that time, many people thought that it was a shame for a wife to have no children. The *Lord had removed that shame from Elizabeth. The *angel announces the birth of Jesus – Luke 1:26-38 v26 In the 6th month, God sent the *angel Gabriel to Nazareth. Nazareth was a town in the region called Galilee. v27 God sent the *angel to a young woman who had never had sex with a man. Her name was Mary. She was engaged to a man called Joseph. He was a *descendant of David. v28 The *angel came to Mary and he greeted her. He said, ‘The *Lord gives you great honour. The *Lord is with you.’
v29 Mary was very worried by what the *angel said. And she wondered what his words could mean. v30 The *angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary. God is pleased with you and he has decided to *bless you. v31 You will become *pregnant. A son will be born to you and you must call his name Jesus.v32 He will be great, and he will be called the Son of the *Most High. The *Lord God will give to him the *throne of King David, his *ancestor. v33 He will rule over Jacob’s people for all time and his *kingdom will never end.’
v34 Mary asked the *angel, ‘How will this happen? I have not had sex with a man.’
v35 The *angel answered her, ‘The *Holy Spirit will come upon you. The power of the *Most High will cover you. Therefore, the baby will be called holy, and he will be the Son of God. v36 Now also Elizabeth, your relative, will have a son although she is very old. People said that she could not have a child. But this is the 6th month since she became *pregnant. v37 Nothing is impossible with God.’
v38 Mary said, ‘Look! I am the *Lord’s servant. Let this happen to me as you have said.’ Then the *angel went away from her.
Verses 26-28 Nazareth was a small town or village. It was not on a main road. The *Jews did not consider Nazareth to be important (see John 1:46).
God sent the same *angel to Mary as he had sent to Zechariah. The *angel Gabriel came to Mary in Nazareth. It was the 6th month since Elizabeth became *pregnant.
Mary was engaged to Joseph. In that society, the agreement to marry bound the man and the woman together. In other words, they had to marry each other. If they broke off (ended) the agreement, by their law it would be a divorce. But they must not have sex before the marriage.
Verses 29-31 The appearance of the *angel surprised Mary. What he said made her feel uneasy. She did not know what to expect. But the *angel told her not to be afraid. He had come from God. He told her that she pleased God. So, she had nothing of which to be afraid.
Gabriel told Mary that God had chosen her for the human birth of his son, Jesus. She had never had sex, but she would have a baby. No man would be the father of Jesus. His birth would be a *miracle of the *Holy Spirit. The *prophet Isaiah had said that this would happen (Isaiah 7:14).
Mary must call the baby ‘Jesus’. The name Jesus was a common name in *Israel. It is the same name as Joshua, with a different English spelling. The meaning of the name in the *Hebrew language is ‘the *Lord saves’. So, Matthew’s *Gospel says, ‘You must call his name Jesus. This means that he will save his people from their *sins’ (Matthew 1:21). One meaning of *Lord is the special name for God in the *Old Testament (Yahweh).
Verses 32-33 Jesus is great because he is the Son of the *Most High. The *Most High was an *Old Testament name for God. Jesus is and always has been the Son of God. In his birth, he was the Son of God in a human body. Jesus is both God and man. He has always been God; and he became the perfect man.
Christ was, by human birth, a *descendant of King David (3:31). God made a promise to David. He said to David, ‘Your *throne will last for all time’ (2 Samuel 7:16). By the ‘*throne’, God meant the royal authority to rule as king. In the Psalms, God said to David, ‘I will establish your *descendants for all time. And I will build your *throne for all time’ (Psalms 89:4). God gave to Jesus the *throne that he had promised to a *descendant of David.
Jesus will rule over *Israel for all time (Jeremiah 33:17). He will rule over everybody and everything in heaven and on the earth. He will be the king of kings and the *Lord of *lords (Revelation 17:14; Revelation 19:16). His *kingdom will never end (Isaiah 9:7; Daniel 2:44; Daniel 7:14; Hebrews 1:8). These *prophecies are about a future time. Jesus will return to this earth and then God will establish his rule.
Verse 34 Unlike Zechariah, Mary did not ask for something to convince her that the *angel’s message was true. Her question was to know how it would happen. There was no lack of belief with Mary. The birth could not be a normal one because she had not had sex with a man. She would have known the *prophecy about the birth of the *Christ (Isaiah 7:14). And she realised that the *prophecy referred to her. But she could not imagine how the *Lord would achieve it.
Verse 35 The *angel told her how it would be. The *Holy Spirit will come and the power of the *Most High will cover her. God would cause Mary to have the child. The *scripture does not tell us in detail how God did this. There was no sex act involved in this. Jesus would have no man as his father. But he was born of a woman and so he became a real human. His father is God and he is the Son of God.
Jesus was there with God his Father, even before God made the world (John 1:1-2). Jesus has always been God. But by means of Mary, he became human (John 1:14). But he was still God.
Verses 36-38 Mary belonged to the *tribe of Judah. Elizabeth was a relative of Mary. But she belonged to the *tribe of Levi. Men from the *tribe of Levi could marry women from other *tribes. So, probably Elizabeth’s mother was from the *tribe of Judah. Her father was from the *tribe of Levi.
The *angel told Mary that this relative of hers would have a baby. But Elizabeth was so old that this was not possible. For a normal birth, she was too old. But she had carried the child for 6 months already. This would have encouraged Mary. The *Lord was causing the birth of John; and the *Lord would cause the birth of Jesus.
God is able to do what he wants. Nothing is impossible for him.
Mary believed what the *angel had told her. She accepted it with a good attitude. She was happy for the *Lord to do what the *angel said. In this, she was very brave. In those days, it was a serious matter to have a child before marriage. In law, the punishment could be death, although such a result was rare. But it would be normal for the man to whom she was engaged to divorce her. At this time, she could not know what Joseph would do. Mary visits Elizabeth – Luke 1:39-45 v39 Soon after this, Mary got ready and she hurried off to a town in the hills of Judea. v40 She came into Zechariah’s house and she greeted Elizabeth. v41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby inside her jumped. The *Holy Spirit filled Elizabeth. v42 She cried out in a loud voice and she said, ‘God has *blessed you more than any other woman. And he has *blessed the child that will be born to you. v43 I do not deserve this, that the mother of my *Lord should visit me. v44 When I heard the sound of your greeting, the baby inside me jumped with joy. v45 The *Lord has *blessed you because you believed him. And he will do all that he told you.
Verses 39-45 We do not know in which town Zechariah and Elizabeth lived. The hills of Judea were about 50 to 70 miles (80 to 110 kilometres) from Nazareth town where Mary was. Mary went as soon as she could to visit Elizabeth. She stayed with Elizabeth for three months (verse 56). She probably left Elizabeth just before or just after John was born.
At the sound of Mary’s voice, the baby inside Elizabeth jumped with joy. The *Holy Spirit was active in the baby before its birth. The baby felt that Mary would be the mother of *Christ. The *Holy Spirit now filled Elizabeth. And the *Holy Spirit showed her that Mary’s child would be the *Christ.
A *Jewish woman could have no greater honour than to be the mother of the *Christ. Elizabeth cried out that God had given that honour to Mary. Mary’s child would be the *Lord Jesus Christ. Mary believed what God had said by the *angel Gabriel. So, God *blessed her because of her belief. Mary’s song – Luke 1:46-56 v46 And Mary said, ‘My *soul tells of the greatness of the *Lord. v47 And my spirit finds its joy in God who saves me. v48 God has shown a special kindness to me, his humble servant girl. People in all future ages will say that God has *blessed me. v49 This is because the powerful God has done great things for me. His name is holy. v50 In every age, God will pity those people who have an attitude of fear toward him. v51 He has done great deeds by his power. He has scattered proud people who consider themselves superior. v52 He has brought down rulers from their *thrones. He has made humble people important. v53 He has filled hungry people with good things but he has sent rich people away with nothing. v54 He helped his servant, that is, the people from *Israel. He remembered his love and kindness for them. v55 This is the promise he made for all time to our *ancestors, to Abraham and to his *descendant.’
v56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then she returned to her home.
Verses 46-50 We know what Mary said here as the song of Mary. Many Christians call this song the Magnificat. Magnificat is the first word in the *Latin language of this song. It is a song of joy and it is a song to praise God. Much of the language in the song comes from the *Old Testament. In particular, it is quite similar to the song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10).
Mary praises the *Lord with her *soul and she has joy in her spirit. In the poetry of this song, both *soul and spirit mean the same. They emphasise that she praises God with all of herself. And she enjoys praising God.
Mary did not come from a wealthy family. She was an ordinary girl. She calls herself a humble servant of the *Lord. But God chose her to give birth to the *Christ. By this, God showed his special kindness to her. God showed his greatness by this special act. What God did for Mary is a reason for everyone to praise God.
Mary said that the name of God is ‘holy’. She meant that God is different from us. Nobody is like him. His goodness and kindness are extraordinary. The ‘name’ of God means the person of God. God is perfect and he is wonderful.
‘Fear’ does not only mean to be afraid. It is the serious attitude of someone who knows about God’s greatness. So ‘fear’ means more than to give honour or to respect God. It shows a proper attitude to God. Those people who have this attitude toward God trust in him. They will try never to offend him. They will try always to do what pleases God. God will be kind to such people.
Verses 51-55 This part of the song describes past events. But it also describes things that God continues to do, both now and in the future. What God has done in the past gives us hope for the future.
Mary continued to praise God. She told of what he did by his great power. God is against those people who are proud of themselves. They think that they are superior. These proud people make themselves enemies of God.
People who are humble ask God for help. And God helps them. God provides for those poor people who come to him for help. He satisfies their hunger. But the rich do not want help from God. They imagine that their own resources are enough. But God sends them away with nothing.
God loves his people, in other words, the families that came from *Israel. In the past, he has *blessed them and he has been kind to them. He made promises to Abraham and to *Israel. Now God will do as he promised in the person of the *Christ. Those promises include all nations and not just *Israel. By Christ, God shows his kindness to people from every nation.
Verse 56 After three months with Elizabeth, Mary returned to her home in Nazareth town. Elizabeth’s baby was due or he was just born. It is possible that Mary stayed until John’s birth. Probably by that time it was noticeable that Mary would have a baby. The birth of John the *Baptist – Luke 1:57-66 v57 When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. v58 Her neighbours and relatives heard how good the *Lord had been to her. And they shared her joy.
v59 On the 8th day after his birth, they came to *circumcise the boy. They wanted to give him the same name as his father Zechariah. v60 But his mother said, ‘No. His name will be John.’
v61 They said to her, ‘But there is nobody in your family with that name.’
v62 They signalled to the father to find out what name he wanted for his son. v63 Zechariah asked for something on which to write. Then he wrote, ‘His name is John’. They were all surprised. v64 Immediately God made Zechariah’s mouth and tongue free. He could speak again and he began to praise God. v65 All the people who lived near them were very afraid. In all the hill country of Judea, people talked about all that had happened. v66 Everyone who heard this, thought deeply about it. They said, ‘This child will be someone special.’ They could see that the *Lord was with him.
Verses 57-66
At the usual time, John the *Baptist was born. Elizabeth’s family and neighbours knew that the *Lord had arranged this birth. It was a time of great joy for them all.
God told Abraham to *circumcise every male in his family. And this was the rule for all his *descendants. They had to *circumcise every baby boy when he was 8 days old (Genesis 17:9-14). So, Zechariah and Elizabeth took John and they *circumcised him on the 8th day.
It was normal to give to the boy a name from his family. So the family wanted to call the boy Zechariah. The boy’s father, Zechariah, could not speak but Elizabeth stopped them. She insisted that they called the boy John. The *angel told Zechariah to give this name to the boy (1:13).
The family would not allow Elizabeth to call the baby John. They told her that nobody in the family had that name. Then they asked Zechariah. He could not speak or hear. So, he wrote, ‘His name is John.’ In this, he obeyed the *angel and God cured him. He could now both speak and hear. His immediate reaction was to praise God.
All the people knew that God was at work. They saw that an old couple had a baby. They saw that God cured Zechariah when he called his son John. This caused them to know the fear of God. And they understood that God had a very special plan for John’s life. Zechariah’s song – Luke 1:67-80 v67 The *Holy Spirit filled John’s father Zechariah and Zechariah *prophesied.
v68 ‘Praise the *Lord God of *Israel! He has come and he has made his people free. v69 He has sent a powerful *Saviour to us. Our *Saviour comes from the family of God’s servant David. v70 By his holy *prophets long ago, God said that he would do this. v71 He promised to save us from our enemies and from the power of all who hate us. v72 He has been kind to our *ancestors and he has remembered his holy promise. v73 God made that promise to our *ancestor Abraham. v74 He promised to rescue us from our enemies’ power so that we could serve him without fear. v75 We can now be holy and we can live in a right manner with God all our lives.
v76 You, my child, will be a *prophet of the *Most High. You will go ahead of the *Lord to prepare his ways. v77 You will make known to his people that the *Lord can save them. He can forgive their *sins.
v78 By God’s love and kindness, a sun from heaven will rise upon us. v79 The sun will shine on those people who live in darkness and in death’s shadow. It will guide them into a life of calm and quiet ways. He will lead us to a peaceful way of life.’
v80 The child grew up and he became bold in spirit. He lived in the deserts until the day when he appeared to the people in *Israel.
Verse 67 The *Holy Spirit came upon Zechariah and he *prophesied. We call this *prophecy Zechariah’s song. Many Christians know Zechariah’s song as the Benedictus. Benedictus is the first word in the song in the *Latin language.
The song is in two parts. In the first part, Zechariah praises God because God has sent the *Saviour (verses 67-75). The *Saviour is Christ. In the second part, Zechariah speaks about the work of John the *Baptist (verses 76-79).
Verses 68-70 God ‘has come’ means that God has visited his people.
*Prophecy sometimes speaks of the future as if it had already happened. The *Lord has, in the past made *Israel’s people free. Here it means that God will rescue his people by means of the *Christ. Many people thought that this was a political rescue. They expected the *Christ to rescue them from the *Romans. (*Israel was under the rule of the *Romans.) But the work of the *Christ was to make people free from *sin and death. This work of the *Christ was not only for the people from *Israel, but also for people from every nation.
Jesus now makes his people free. This means that he has paid the price to make them free. Jesus, the powerful *Saviour, paid the price for our *sins when he died for us. Jesus has taken the punishment because of our *sins. We need to *repent and to believe this. Then God will forgive us.
We are free when God forgives our *sin. We are free because the *Lord gives to us a new life. Death cannot end this new life. This new life will never die. This is what we call ‘eternal life’.
Verses 71-75 The *Old Testament in many places tells us that God would send a *Saviour to his people. This *Saviour would be a *descendant of King David. Both Mary and Joseph were *descendants of the family of David. So, by his human mother, Jesus belonged to that family. Jesus is the *Saviour that God promised to send.
The promise to Abraham was that God would defeat the enemies of his *descendants. Then Abraham’s *descendants could live in the country that God had promised to them. Also, because of Abraham, God would *bless all nations. God would save his people from their enemies.
The *descendants of Abraham include all who believe in the *Lord Jesus (Galatians 3:6-9). The enemies from which Jesus came to rescue us are *Satan, *sin and death.
The purpose of *salvation is that we should serve God. Because of Jesus, we need have no fear. He has removed the punishment because of our *sins. We can be holy and we can live with God.
Verses 76-79 The second part of Zechariah’s song is about his son John. Zechariah said that John would be a *prophet of the *Most High God. It seems that there had been no national *prophet among the *Jews for about 400 years.
John would tell the people to *repent of their *sins. He would tell them that the *Christ could forgive them.
God’s love and kindness are such that he sent the *Lord Jesus from heaven. The ‘sun’ that shines upon his people means the *Lord (see Isaiah 60:1-2). And the ‘darkness’ means *sin. While the people were in the darkness of *sin, God’s light shone upon them. In other words, he took away their *sin and he gave to them a new life. He made them free from *sin and death.
Verse 80 The child John grew up to be a man of strong character. He lived a private life in the desert. When the time came, he appeared to the people in the desert of Judea (Matthew 3:1). He was then about 30 years old. Luke will tell us about John’s work in chapter 3.
© 2010, Wycliffe Associates (UK)
This publication is in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).
November 2010
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var w1 = new Array;w1[0]=’<b%3Egospel</b%3E ~ the good news that God saves people from sin because of Jesus Christ.