Thoughts from the first five chapters of Luke

Last week I challenged people to read the book of Luke over the next month, and I am very excited about that! I am now realizing the challenge, however, of blogging over 5 chapters of the Bible! I am going to hit some highlights, feel free to comment below if you have thoughts or questions.
First of all, Luke is actually book 1 of a saga that also includes Acts! Many people call it Luke-Acts because it was probably meant to be read as one continuous story (hmm maybe we should read acts together next...). 

Chapter 1
"I have also decided to write a carefully ordered account for you, most honorable Theophilus."

Theophilus is probably an honorific and it means friend of God or beloved of God. It is debated whether the book is written to an actual person or to all believers whom Luke is calling friends of God.

The story of the birth of John the Baptist recalls stories in the Hebrew text that are similar such as Sarah and Abraham with the birth of Isaac (Genesis 18) and Hannah with the birth of Samuel (1 Samuel 1). God works miraculously in the lives of people who believed they would not be able to have children. My mom told me that she prayed telling God that he could have me back in the same way that Hannah gave Samuel back to God. 

"When Elizabeth heard Mary's Greeting, the child leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit."

A powerful response to the unborn Jesus! Incredible that he could have that effect on someone and not even be born!

Jesus is attended at his birth by shepherds (Chapter 2). Ordinary folk. This story seems normal to us now of course, however, what kind of king has shepherds at his birth? By the world's standards, Jesus should have been born in a palace with servants. That is not how God imagined it! He is born in a stable to a peasant family and attended by shepherds. God is on the side of the hurting, the oppressed, the suffering. God loves all but definitely identifies with the marginalized.

Jesus is circumcised on the 8th day like all Jewish males. The name Jesus (it's complicated so follow carefully) is derived from the Latin Iesus, which is a transliteration of the Greek word Iesous; which is a Greek rendering of the Hebrew Yeshua, which means Yahweh is salvation (ironically this is directly transliterated into English as Joshua). Jesus name literally means that God is our salvation, yet another clue about who Jesus is!

"The Child grew up and became strong. He was filled with wisdom and God's favor was upon him." Other than what is recorded here and in the other gospels we have very little information on the first 30 years or so of Jesus' life. The story moves directly into his earthly ministry right after the story of Jesus in the temple at age 12. 

Chapter 3
John prepares the way for Jesus, starting the soon to be Christian practice of Baptism. Baptism was derived from the Jewish practice of ritualized cleansing. It would soon come to represent 'circumcision of the heart' for followers of Jesus. John baptizes Jesus but recognizes that he is greater saying that Jesus will not just baptize with water but with the Holy Spirit and with fire. Baptism is the outward expression of the inward grace but the true change is marked by the gift of the Holy Spirit. In the United Methodist Church, we recognize the importance of the Holy Spirit by putting a flame on our symbol of the cross.

Chapter 4
Jesus' temptation in the desert is a fascinating but also an important story! Just like Adam and Eve faced temptation, just like others in the story of the people of God faced temptation, so did Jesus. Jesus, however, did not succumb to that temptation but trusted in God, using scripture as a response each time to the devil who was tempting him. The devil tempts him with food, with earthly power, and with using God's power for his own good. Jesus is able to resist the temptation and then he begins his powerful ministry.

Again we see Jesus and his favor for the poor and desire all to receive the good news. He quotes Isaiah saying he has been sent to preach good news to the poor; recovery of sight to the blind, to liberate the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor (Jubilee). Jesus came to save all but he definitely favored the poor, the hurting, the sick, and the oppressed. His church is on the same mission that Jesus was called to. 

Chapter 5
"Don't be afraid. From now on, you will be fishing for people." Jesus calls Simon Peter, James, and John in this story. Another remarkable aspect of the Jesus story is that he doesn't call those who we would think: the powerful, the wealthy, the teachers of the law, the priest, or the rulers. He calls ordinary folks and through his power they do extraordinary things!

Jesus ministry up to this point includes:
  • Proclaiming the good news
  • Calling disciples
  • Challenging the religious leaders of the time
  • Healing
  • Teaching
Jesus was a busy man! What are you thoughts on Chapters 1-5?


Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 30, 2018 at 7:07 PM

    Whoa... you skipped over the whole "Ancestors of Jesus" section. Several years ago I found this very interesting and put it into a family tree program. Now when I read it I saw something I had not seen before.

    Isn't Isaiah 11:1 (NLT - Out of the stump of David’s family will grow a shoot— yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root.) talking about Jesus?

    And how about this one: Jeremiah 23:5 (NLT)
    “For the time is coming,” says the Lord, “when I will raise up a righteous descendant from King David’s line. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land.

    So, based on these I always thought Jesus was a decendent of David. But if you read Luke 3:23 (NKJV - 'Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, ...' or NTL - 'Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry.
    Jesus was known as the son of Joseph.
    Joseph was the son of Heli.'

    Notice the "as was supposed" and the "was known as" phrases?

    Joseph was not Jesus' blood father, so was he really a "descendant from King David’s line"?

    - Bill P

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. David McMinnJanuary 31, 2018 at 7:55 AM

      Great thoughts Bill!

      The Davidic line of Jesus is very important, to be the messiah he had to be descended from David. If you look, the Matthew and the Luke geneaologies are different, and some say that one is Mary's line and the other is Joseph's line. Also, the people at that time had no understanding of genetics that we do today and an adopted child would have been considered a legitimate descendant of David as well. Therefor either way Jesus would be descended from David.

      Delete

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