To whom was Luke written? (Theophilos) Theophilus Lover of God.
Prominent man (likely a public official) who received Luke and Acts
and patronized the author. By extension, everyone who loves God and
wants to know the certainty of things taught about Jesus. I too
decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent
Theophilus (Luke 1:3b)
Slide 3
So the Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done
thisI will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your
offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike
his heelAdam named his wife Eve, because she would become the
mother of all the living. (Genesis 3:14-20)
Slide 4
In the time of Herod king of Judea (Luke 1:5a) (Herodes) -
Herod Name of a royal family that flourished among the Jews in the
times of Christ and the Apostles. Herod the Great, son of Antipater
of Idumea (Edom). Appointed king of Judea (40 BC) at the suggestion
of Antony and with consent from Octavian. He was brave and skilled
in war, learned and sagacious, but also extremely suspicious and
cruel.
Slide 5
This is the account of the family line of Esau the father of
the Edomites in the hill country of Seir. (Genesis 36:9) David
became famous after he returned from killing eighteen thousand
Edomites in the Valley of Salt. (II Samuel 8:13) Herod prevented
them and went off by night to Idumea, where his father was from
---Flavius Josephus, War of the Jews, 263
Slide 6
Matthew 2:22 Luke 3:1 Acts 12:1 Acts 25-26
Slide 7
there was a priest named Zechariah (Luke 1:5b) (Zacharias) -
Zechariah Yahweh has remembered. Prophet, author, and (likely)
priest in Old Testament. Father of John the Baptizer.
Slide 8
These were the divisions of the descendants of Aaron: The sons
of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and IthamarDavid separated them
into divisions for their appointed order of ministering...The first
lot fell to Jehoiaribthe eighth to AbijahThis was their appointed
order of ministering when they entered the temple of the Lord,
according to the regulations prescribed for them by their ancestor
Aaron (I Chronicles 24:1-19)
Slide 9
Aaron married Elishebaand she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar
and Ithamar. (Exodus 6:23) his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant
of Aaron. (Luke 1:5c) (Eliysheba - Hebrew) - Elizabeth (Greek) "my
God has sworn" or "God is an oath Mother of John the Baptizer and
related to Mary.
Slide 10
Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all
the Lords commands and decrees blamelessly. (Luke 1:6) The Lord
does not look at the things people look at. People look at the
outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart. (I Samuel
16:7)
Slide 11
When Rachel saw that she was not bearing Jacob any children,
she became jealous of her sister. So she said to Jacob, Give me
children, or Ill die! Jacob became angry with her and said, Am I in
the place of God, who has kept you from having children? (Genesis
30:1-2) But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to
conceive, and they were both very old. (Luke 1:7) Children are a
heritage from the Lord, offspring a reward from him. (Psalm
127:3)
Slide 12
Make an altar of acacia wood for burning incense.Aaron must
burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the
lamps. He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at
twilight so incense will burn regularly before the Lord for
generations to come. (Exodus 30:1-8) Once when Zechariahs division
was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, he was chosen
by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the
temple of the Lord and burn incense. (Luke 1:8-9)
Slide 13
2 priests (one morning and one evening) X 365 days per year
_______________________ = 730 priests selected annually 18,000
priests 730 chosen annually _______________________ = 24 years, 8
months for an average wait
Slide 14
Slide 15
Slide 16
And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the
assembled worshipers were praying outside. Then an angel of the
Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of
incense. When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped
with fear. (Luke 1:10-12)
Slide 17
So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth
to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, Because I asked the Lord
for him. (I Samuel 1:20) But the angel said to him: Do not be
afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. (Luke 1:13a) Isaac
prayed to the Lord on behalf of his wife, because she was
childless. The Lord answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah
became pregnant. (Genesis 25:21)
Slide 18
pray continually (I Thessalonians 5:17) Then Jesus told his
disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and
not give up. (Luke 18:1) Do not be anxious about anything, but in
every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present
your requests to God. (Philippians 4:6)
Slide 19
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call
him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will
rejoice because of his birth, for 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 before he is born. (Luke
1:14-15) (Ioannes) - John Yahweh is gracious.
Slide 20
The Lord said to Moses, Speak to the Israelites and say to
them: If a man or woman wants to make a special vow, a vow of
dedication to the Lord as a Nazirite, they must abstain from wine
and other fermented drinkDuring the entire period of their Nazirite
vow, no razor may be used on their head. They must be holy until
the period of their dedication to the Lord is over; they must let
their hair grow long. (Numbers 6:1-5)
Slide 21
When does human life begin? Before I formed you in the womb I
knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as
a prophet to the nations. (Jeremiah 1:4) For I know the plans I
have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to
harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. (Jeremiah 29:11)
Before John was conceived, he had a name, a purpose and a calling
from God. Baby is referred to as he not it or the fetus. Even in
the womb, John is referred to as a son. Before birth, John displays
human emotion (joy). As soon as the sound of your greeting reached
my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. (Luke 1:44) And
behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a
son (Luke 1:36a)
Slide 22
He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord
their God. And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and
power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their
children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteousto make
ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:16-17)
Slide 23
I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me.
Then 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) See, I will send the prophet Elijah to
you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He 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)
Slide 24
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look,
the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John
1:29)
Slide 25
Zechariah asked the angel, How can I be sure of this? I am an
old man and my wife is well along in years. (Luke 1:18) Then one of
them said, I will surely return to you about this time next year,
and Sarah your wife will have a son. Now Sarah was listening at the
entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were
already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So
Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, After I am worn out and my
lord is old, will I now have this pleasure? (Genesis 18:10-12)
Slide 26
The angel said to him, 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. And 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 appointed time. (Luke 1:19-20)
Slide 27
Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering
why he stayed so long in the temple. When 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. When
his time of service was completed, he returned home. (Luke
1:21-23)
Slide 28
After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five
months remained in seclusion. The 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 1:24-25) I tell you, among those
born of women there is no one greater than John (Luke 7:28a)
(oneidos) - reproach shame, disgrace.
Slide 29
Why is the story of John so important? His story connects the
Old and New Testaments John was the fulfillment of Old Testament
prophecies. John broke Gods silence. Johns conception was a
miracle. John was the prophesied forerunner of Messiah. John and
Jesus are intertwined in the plan of God.