Cleromancy
is a form
of
sortition
(casting of lots)
in which an outcome is determined
by means that normally
would be considered random, such as the
rolling of dice (astragalomancy),
but that are sometimes
believed to
reveal the will of a deity.
In classical civilizationIn
ancient Rome
fortunes were told through the
casting of lots or sortes.
In Judaic and Christian tradition
Casting lots for tribal inheritance,
Aaron draws lots to select which of two goats will be the scapegoat
Casting of lots
(Hebrew: גּוֹרָל, romanized: gōral, Greek: κλῆρος, romanized: klē̂ros) is mentioned 47 times in the Bible.[citation needed] Some examples in the Hebrew Bible of the casting of lots as a means of determining God's will:
- In the Book of Leviticus 16:8, God commanded Moses, "And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat." One goat will be sacrificed as a sin offering, while the scapegoat is loaded up with the sins of the people and sent into the wilderness.
- According to Numbers 26:55, Moses allocated territory to the tribes of Israel according to each tribe's male population and by lot.
- In Joshua 7:14, a guilty party (Achan) is found by lot.
- In the Book of Joshua 18:6, Joshua says, "Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God." The Hebrews took this action to know God's will as to the dividing of the land between the seven tribes of Israel who had not yet "received their inheritance" (Joshua 18:2).
- In the First Book of Samuel 14:42, lots are used to determine that it was Jonathan, Saul's son, who broke the oath that Saul made, "Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies" (1 Samuel 14:24).
- In the Book of Jonah 1:7, the desperate sailors cast lots to see whose god was responsible for creating the storm: "Then the sailors said to each other, 'Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.' They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah."
- Book of Proverbs 16:33: "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from Yahweh" and 18:18: "The lot settles disputes, and keeps strong ones apart."
- Book of Leviticus 19:26 KJV "... neither shall you practice enchantment, nor observe times."[2] The original Hebrew word for enchantment, as found in Strong's Concordance, is pronounced naw-khash'. The translation given by Strong's is "to practice divination, divine, observe signs, learn by experience, diligently observe, practice fortunetelling, take as an omen"; and "1.to practice divination 2.to observe the signs or omens". Times in the original Hebrew is pronounced aw-nan'. Its translation in Strong's is "to make appear, produce, bring (clouds), to practise soothsaying, conjure;" and "1. to observe times, practice soothsaying or spiritism or magic or augury or witchcraft 2. soothsayer, enchanter, sorceress, diviner, fortune-teller, barbarian...". In the Hebrew-Interlinear Bible, the verse reads, "not you shall augur and not you shall consult cloud".[citation needed]
- Deuteronomy 18:10 "let no one be found among you who [qasam qesem], performs [onan], [nahash], or [kashaph]".[3] qasam qesem literally means distributes distributions, and may possibly refer to cleromancy. Kashaph seems to mean mutter, although the Septuagint renders the same phrase as pharmakia (poison), so it may refer to magic potions.
- In the Book of Esther, Haman casts lots to decide the date on which to exterminate the Jews of Shushan; the Jewish festival of Purim commemorates the subsequent chain of events.
- In I Chronicles 26:13 guard duties are assigned by lot.
- To Christian doctrine, perhaps the most significant ancient Hebrew mention of lots occurs in the Book of Psalms, 22:18 "They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." This came to be regarded as a prophecy connecting that psalm and the one that follows to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, since all four gospels (for example, John 19:24) tell of the Roman soldiers at Jesus's crucifixion casting lots to see who would take possession of his clothing. That final act of profanation became the central theme of The Robe, a 1953 film starring Richard Burton.
A notable example in the New Testament occurs
in the
Acts of the Apostles 1:23–26
where the eleven remaining apostles cast lots to
determine whether to
select
Matthias, or Barsabbas (surnamed Justus)
to replace Judas
is
a form of sortition (casting of lots)
in which an outcome is determined by means
that normally would be considered
random,
such as the rolling of dice (astragalomancy),
but that are sometimes
believed to reveal the will of
a deity
In classical civilization
In ancient
Rome
fortunes
were told through
the
casting of lots
or
sortes.
In Judaic and Christian tradition
Casting lots
for
tribal inheritance,
Aaron draws lots to select which of two goats will be the scapegoat. (Leviticus 16:7–10; stained glass from Lincoln Cathedral)Casting of lots (Hebrew: גּוֹרָל, romanized: gōral, Greek: κλῆρος, romanized: klē̂ros) is mentioned 47 times in the Bible.[citation needed] Some examples in the Hebrew Bible of the casting of lots as a means of determining God's will:
- In the Book of Leviticus 16:8, God commanded Moses, "And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat." One goat will be sacrificed as a sin offering, while the scapegoat is loaded up with the sins of the people and sent into the wilderness.
- According to Numbers 26:55, Moses allocated territory to the tribes of Israel according to each tribe's male population and by lot.
- In Joshua 7:14, a guilty party (Achan) is found by lot.
- In the Book of Joshua 18:6, Joshua says, "Ye shall therefore describe the land into seven parts, and bring the description hither to me, that I may cast lots for you here before the LORD our God." The Hebrews took this action to know God's will as to the dividing of the land between the seven tribes of Israel who had not yet "received their inheritance" (Joshua 18:2).
- In the First Book of Samuel 14:42, lots are used to determine that it was Jonathan, Saul's son, who broke the oath that Saul made, "Cursed be the man that eateth any food until evening, that I may be avenged on mine enemies" (1 Samuel 14:24).
- In the Book of Jonah 1:7, the desperate sailors cast lots to see whose god was responsible for creating the storm: "Then the sailors said to each other, 'Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.' They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah."
- Book of Proverbs 16:33: "The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from Yahweh" and 18:18: "The lot settles disputes, and keeps strong ones apart."
- Book of Leviticus 19:26 KJV "... neither shall you practice enchantment, nor observe times."[2] The original Hebrew word for enchantment, as found in Strong's Concordance, is pronounced naw-khash'. The translation given by Strong's is "to practice divination, divine, observe signs, learn by experience, diligently observe, practice fortunetelling, take as an omen"; and "1.to practice divination 2.to observe the signs or omens". Times in the original Hebrew is pronounced aw-nan'. Its translation in Strong's is "to make appear, produce, bring (clouds), to practise soothsaying, conjure;" and "1. to observe times, practice soothsaying or spiritism or magic or augury or witchcraft 2. soothsayer, enchanter, sorceress, diviner, fortune-teller, barbarian...". In the Hebrew-Interlinear Bible, the verse reads, "not you shall augur and not you shall consult cloud".[citation needed]
- Deuteronomy 18:10 "let no one be found among you who [qasam qesem], performs [onan], [nahash], or [kashaph]".[3] qasam qesem literally means distributes distributions, and may possibly refer to cleromancy. Kashaph seems to mean mutter, although the Septuagint renders the same phrase as pharmakia (poison), so it may refer to magic potions.
- In the Book of Esther, Haman casts lots to decide the date on which to exterminate the Jews of Shushan; the Jewish festival of Purim commemorates the subsequent chain of events.
- In I Chronicles 26:13 guard duties are assigned by lot.
- To Christian doctrine, perhaps the most significant ancient Hebrew mention of lots occurs in the Book of Psalms, 22:18 "They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots." This came to be regarded as a prophecy connecting that psalm and the one that follows to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, since all four gospels (for example, John 19:24) tell of the Roman soldiers at Jesus's crucifixion casting lots to see who would take possession of his clothing. That final act of profanation became the central theme of The Robe, a 1953 film starring Richard Burton.
WINGED OX
Saint Luke
Luke the Evangelist,
The author of
The Third Gospel Account
(and the Acts of the Apostles),
is symbolized by a
Winged Ox or Bull
a figure of
sacrifice, service and strength
Luke's account begins with
the duties of Zacharias in
The Temple;
it represents
Jesus' sacrifice
in
His Passion and Crucifixion
as WELL as
Christ being High priest.
The Ox signifies that Christians should
be
prepared to sacrifice themselves in
Following Christ
What Is a Scapegoat
In the Bible?
A scapegoat
in the Bible is
“the goat that goes away”
(escape + goat) In essence, a scapegoat
in the Bible is
One Who
makes
atonement for another
(or redeems them)
In the context of Leviticus 16:8-22,
the scapegoat was,
used in a Jewish ceremony as illustrated below.
What Would Happen
To the
Scapegoat in the Bible?
Leviticus 16
spells out the instructions for the
high priest
at the time of its institution by the Lord,
Aaron was the high priest
regarding
The
Day of Atonement
According to the exact instructions from God,
Aaron was to
Enter the Holy Place
with a
bull from the herd
as a
sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering
Once attired in his linen garments,
he took from the congregation
two male goats for a sin offering and
one ram for a burnt offering.
The bull was offered First
to
Cover Aaron
and
His House’s Sins
Aaron then set the
two goats before the Lord
at the entrance
of the
Tent of Meeting,
and
two lots
were set over the goats,
one for the Lord and the other for Azazel
The meaning of Azazel is uncertain. It may be
A place or possibly a demon. Traditionally it meant scapegoat
The goat upon which the
LOT
Fell for the Lord
was used as a sin offering for the people.
Leviticus 16:10 is the meat
of the passage about the scapegoat. “
…but the goat on which the
Lot
fell for Azazel shall be presented alive
before the Lord to
make atonement
over it,
that it may be sent away into
the
wilderness to Azazel”
Aaron then
completed the ministrations
of his
atonement work
a very
bloody, messy process
after which he laid both his hands on the
“Head of the Live goat
and Confess Over it
ALL of
Inequities
of the
People of Israel,
and all their
Transgressions, ALL their sins.”
And he
“Put them on
The head of the goat”
and sent “it away into the
wilderness by the hand of a man
who is in readiness”
(Leviticus 16:21).
The man then let the “goat go free in the wilderness”
(Leviticus 16:22)
Once the
scapegoat was sent to the wilderness,
the
Sins of the people “Escaped”
through the
Atoning Work
done by
Use of Him
The man who
Led the scapegoat to Azazel had to
wash his clothes
and
bathe before He could
Come Back Into the Camp
(Leviticus 16:26)
Leviticus 16:30 is also a key verse in our
look toward
Jesus
as our
Scapegoat,
“
For on This Day
Shall atonement be made
For You
To
Cleanse You
You shall be clean before
The Lord from
All Your Sins
Why Is Jesus Our Scapegoat?
The scapegoat
as defined in Leviticus
served
as an
atonement for the people.
First, let’s define atonement.
It is the means of
reconciliation
between
God and People
(at one with Him)
The Old
Covenant defined sin
in
accordance with
The Law
(the Lord’s commandments as set in Exodus 20)
A priest kept the peoples’ accounts
Right with God
(cover their sins via sacrifices)
through
their Old Covenant work
It was a seemingly
Never-Ending Progression
of
sacrificial offerings,
for
man cannot not sin (Psalm 51:3, Romans 5:12)
, and
God cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13)
Even with the Law,
there is no one who is righteous, not
one
(Romans 3:10).
How can people be purified if
not under the Law?
What remained was the need for the sacrificial process
until
God instituted
a
New Covenant
a covenant by which
One who could take
on
The sins of mankind.
Only One perfect being
can take
away the sins of the world,
and He was publicly
introduced
by
John
the
Baptist
when John said,
“Behold!
The Lamb of God
Who takes away the sins of the world”
(John 1:29).
No more goat to carry off the peoples’ sins,
But a Perfect Lamb
The Law
was given to reveal sin
(Romans 3:20, Romans 7),
and
Jesus came to fulfill the Law
(Matthew 5:17)
Both believers and non-believers know the famous Bible verse,
John 3:16. “For God so loved the world
ThatvHe gave His only begotten Son, that he who believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Those who accept the truth of that verse and surrender their lives to Jesus as their Lord and Savior will have everlasting life in heaven with Him. Those who do not will fall victim to their own selfishness and will be separated from God for eternity.
A portion of the book of Hebrews may be likened to a treatise on the Levitical priesthood and sacrificial system, for it is grounded in them. What Hebrews adds, however, is the good news about Jesus!
Through Jesus, we will receive our Sabbath rest
(Hebrews 4:9),
for
He is our “Great High Priest
who has
passed through the heavens…
who was in all points tempted
as we are, yet without sin.”
We can now, because of Jesus,
come
“Boldly to the
Throne of Grace,
that we may obtain
Mercy and Find Grace
to
help in Time of Need”
(Hebrews 4:14-16).
He shed His blood once and
for all,
so there is now no need to
continue
a sacrificial system
that was
a type of what was
to come
(Hebrews 10:18). (A type is a resemblance of something yet to come).
Hebrews 10:3-4 says,
“But in those sacrifices there is a remainder of sins every year.
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could
take away sins.”
Since
Jesus fulfilled the law
by
the shedding of His blood,
there no longer
remains a need for continual
sin-erasing sacrifice
(Hebrews 10:10).
Later in the same chapter of Hebrews, we
find we can draw
near to God
“with a
true heart in full assurance of
faith…,”
and we are to
hold on to our
confession of faith
without
wavering because
Jesus is faithful
(Hebrews 10:17-25).
Hallelujah!
Jesus paid it all with His blood
(Romans 5:8)
in a bloody,
messy-act of love,
and now our
bodies are now
Washed
with
Pure Water
(John 4:10).
God sent
His sacrificial Lamb
as a
Scapegoat for us
that when
God looks at us,
He sees
His perfect Son
Why Is This So Radical?
It’s hard for anyone in today’s society to think
anything or anyone else
can mitigate their responsibilities.
Two types of people exist;
those who take full responsibility for their actions
and those who don’t.
Either group could dismiss the idea that someone else would take their place, much less admit to wrongdoing that requires a repayment (atonement). That wrongdoing is sin, and so many people refuse to acknowledge that anything they do may be called a sin.
Many are appalled at the Bible’s biography of Jesus’ flogging, crucifixion, and death, and they wonder how a God of love can allow such a heinous act. Think about Aslan in The Lion the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Susan and Lucy watch, horrified, as Aslan sacrifices himself for no apparent reason. Yet they learn through Aslan’s death that evil cannot be destroyed without it “For without the shedding of blood there is no remission [of sins]” (Hebrews 9:23-28). Through Jesus, we have life “and that abundantly” (John 10:10).
That Jesus fulfilled the Law and is the perfect sacrifice is indeed radical to contemporary Jews too. The sacrificial system is one they would like to reinstate since they do not accept Jesus as Messiah.
Everyone—Jew or Gentile--needs a Savior.
In Acts 4:11-12,
The Apostle Peter tells a spiteful
crowd of Sanhedrin about Jesus,
“This is the ‘stone which was rejected
by you builders, which has become
The chief cornerstone.
Nor is there salvation in any other,
for there is no other name
under heaven
given among men by
which we must be saved.”
Left to our own devices,
we all fall
(John 3:18).
When we understand that God Himself is the
primary scapegoat in Scripture, it helps us see that
God is not violent, but He allowed violent people
to attribute violence to His name so that
He could bear
their shame and guilt.
“God Himself reuses the scapegoat mechanism, at his own expense, in order to subvert it.”
(Girard, One By Whom Scandal Comes, 43-4).
To put it another way,
God
“allowed himself to be expelled
so as to
make of his expulsion a
revelation
of
what he is really like”
(Alison, “Girard’s Breakthrough”).
God Takes On our Violence
Though innocent of all violence attributed to Him, God allowed the violence committed by others to be laid upon His head so that He might take the blame and thereby rescue and deliver mankind from most of the self-destructive consequences of their sin, and reveal Himself to mankind as a loving Father who takes our sin upon Himself for our deliverance from the consequences of sin and for the sake of our relationship with Him.
God “is always ready to pay with his own person in order to spare men the terrible destiny that awaits them”
(Girard, Things Hidden Since the Foundation of the World, 208).
God Rescues Mankind from Violence
By being the scapegoat for natural and human violence, God thereby rescues, redeems, and delivers mankind from the disastrous consequences of owning up to what is truly in our hearts. If given a true and complete glimpse of the blackness that resides in our own hearts, some would fall into deep despair and depression from which there is no escape, while others would embrace the evil as a justification for further evil actions toward others. When men get an honest glimpse of the evil that resides in our hearts, we either sink down into death or seek to incarnate the evil even further. When faced with the depths of our own depravity,
some die and some kill.
God wanted to rescue humanity from either possibility
and so He actively allowed men to blame Him for the evil of their own hearts. He bears the burden that no human being can bear. He became the scapegoat for their sin, allowing humanity to lay their sins upon Him
so that He might carry their sins away.
In order to achieve God’s purposes,
God will in effect “get his hands dirty.” It is necessary for God to enter into compromising situations, and work with whatever potential there is, in order to move forward God’s salvific goals. But God, too, will suffer violence in such situations. God will not only absorb the effects of the human misuse of power, but will “look bad” in the eyes of those who think that God’s possibilities should not be so limited (see 1 Cor 1:26-31) (See Fretheim, The Suffering of God, 76).
God as the Scapegoat and Leviticus 16
The imagery of the scapegoat comes from the description in Leviticus 16 of the goat chosen on the Day of Atonement to carry the sins of Israel out into the wilderness. On the Day of Atonement, the priest would select two goats and present them before God, and then cast lots to see which would be chosen as the scapegoat.
The goat which was selected by lot was offered to God as a burnt offering, while the one which was rejected became the scapegoat (Lev 16:7-10). The priest was to lay his hands upon the scapegoat, symbolically passing all of Israel’s sins upon the goat, and then the goat was to be sent away into the wilderness, where it (presumably) died,
taking all the sins of Israel with it into the grave.
That God allows Himself to be the scapegoat for our sin is seen partly in the fact that the practice of “scapegoating” is found, not just in Leviticus 16, but in all cultures and all religions throughout history. From sacrificial animals to human sacrifices, all societies sought, in one way or another, to alleviate their own guilt and shame by laying this guilt upon someone or something else.
While this often took the form of blood sacrifice, the practice of “scapegoating” is also seen when a culture blames some person or people group within their society for all the woes that fall upon that society. This person or people group is then killed off, enslaved, or sent into exile, bearing the sins of society on their back. Those that remain are able to continue their lives as normal, thinking that the root cause of their problems has been eliminated.
The real problem, of course, is within each and every human being, and so it is only a matter of time before problems resurface and the quest for a new scapegoat must begin again.
Sociologists, anthropologists, and psychologists
have noticed this
“scapegoat mechanism”
in various societies and cultures around the world and have attributed it to an evolutionary necessity for the survival of human society. Humans needsomeone else to blame for their sin so that humanity can continue. The practice of blaming others for our behavior enables the survival of society
(See Girard, The Scapegoat).
Without the scapegoat mechanism, inter-personal
violence only continues to escalate on
an
ever-increasing spiral
of
retribution and destruction
until
society
collapses upon itself.
By bringing
blame upon a scapegoat,
two warring enemies are able to put aside their differences
and unite in
the common goal of destroying the scapegoat.
The scapegoat bears
the blame for
what was done,
even though the scapegoat
is usually innocent of the
wrongdoing
for which it
receives blame
Whether one accepts the evolutionary hypothesis or not, it cannot be denied that the scapegoat mechanism exists in all societies and cultures, and that God Himself used it to help rescue and deliver Israel from the disastrous consequences of her own sin.
Could it be that in using the scapegoat imagery, God was not only giving Israel a way of escape for their own violent tendencies, but was also revealing to them (and us) what He Himself was doing about the violence of Israel, and indeed, the violence of the whole world?
Could it be that the scapegoat imagery of Leviticus 16 that God wasn’t just telling Israel that their sins were carried away into the wilderness by a goat, but that He Himself was bearing their sin on His own being,
so that they might be delivered from the ever-increasing spiral
of violence that threatened to consume them?
Yes, it seems entirely possible.
When people wrote that God told them to kill
and slaughter others,
they were scapegoating God,
but He was letting them do it—even inspiring them to do so.
Why?
For their
own deliverance.
The Deliverance of God
God knew that without the violence of the scapegoat mechanism,
mankind would only spiral into ever-increasing violence,
which ultimately
would end in our complete
destruction.
Without an innocent
victim on which to
pour
our wrath and guilt,
mankind metes out its violence upon each other in
an ever-increasing spiral
of violence. God knew this in the Old Testament
(and even today),
and so allows people to blame Him for the most horrendous actions, not because He has done these things, and not because He has commanded that such things be done, but because He knows that if
He does not act as the scapegoat,
we will destroy ourselves.
God has chosen to bear
the people’s sins rather than deal with them on strictly legal terms. For God to assume such a burden, for God to continue to bear the brunt of Israel’s rejection, meant continued life for the people
(Fretheim, The Suffering of God, 148).
This is especially seen when we consider that much
of the scapegoat imagery
is carried over into the New Testament and
applied to
Jesus Christ on the cross
By
Teaching Israel
about the
scapegoat, and indeed, implanting
the scapegoat mechanism
Into the Hearts
of people around the world,
God was preparing people for the
ultimate scapegoat
of human history--Jesus Christ.
Jesus, the innocent victim,
bore our sins on
His own body,
taking them with Him
into the grave,
so
that we might not fall into death
but
might experience
the life
God intended for His creation
The first four verses of
Luke’s gospel
are one sentence in the original Greek.
They are written
in refined,
academic, classical style.
But then, for the
Rest of the gospel,
Luke didn’t use
the language of scholars
but
of the common man,
the
language of the village
and
The Street
Through this, Luke said to us,
“This account has all the
proper academic and scholarly
credentials.
But it is written
for
The man on the street.”
Luke wrote so that people
would
understand Jesus,
not so they would
admire his brain and literary skill.
1. (1-2) Mention of the prior accounts of the life of Jesus.
Inasmuch as many have taken
In hand
to set in order a
Narrative of those things
which have
Been fulfilled among us,
just as
Those who from the
beginning
were
eyewitnesses and ministers
of
The Word
Delivered them to us,
a. Many have taken in hand:
Luke wrote his gospel knowing that many had already
written histories of
The
Life of Jesus
This may be a reference to the works of
Mark and Matthew
(most people think John was written after Luke),
and it may also refer to other biographies of Jesus
not directly
inspired by the Holy Spirit.
i. Some researchers claim that the writings about
Jesus did not come about until two or perhaps three generations
after His death on the cross.
But the work of German papyrus expert Carsten Thiede
suggests that we actually possess copies of
Matthew that date close to the very time of Jesus.
Thiede’s findings are based on a
careful analysis of the handwriting script used on the
recently discovered fragments.
b. Those things which have been fulfilled among us:
The previously mentioned writings contain things already
commonly known and believed
among
Christians of Luke’s day.
When Luke wrote,
most
Christians already
knew all about the
life of Jesus,
both from the
oral accounts passed on by the original disciples,
and by the biographies
that had already been written.
i. With the word us, Luke put himself in the
community of Christians
who
believed and received
The accounts
of
Jesus’ life
Luke was a companion of Paul
(Acts 16:10-11; 2 Timothy 4:11; Philemon 1:24)
and Paul called him the
beloved physician
(Colossians 4:14).
Luke was a doctor and therefore a man
of
science and research,
and
This is reflected in his
history of the
Life of Jesus
ii. By every indication,
Luke was a Gentile.
Colossians 4:10-11 and 4:14 show that
he wasn’t Jewish,
because he was
not included in the group
who
are of the circumcision.
This makes Luke unique
in that he is
the
Only New Testament writer
who
was a Gentile
iii. God gave this
lone Gentile writer a great privilege.
Because he also wrote the
book of Acts
(which makes up the second volume of this Gospel),
Luke wrote
more of the New Testament
than any
other human writer did
(assuming that Paul did not author the letter to the Hebrews).
c. Just as those who from the beginning
were eyewitnesses and
ministers of
the word
delivered them to us:
Luke tells us that the
prior accounts of the life of Jesus
were based on the words of
eyewitnesses.
i. Those who from the beginning
were
undoubtedly the apostles,
who were with Jesus from the
very start
But those who from the beginning would also include people
such as
Mary herself,
whom
Luke probably interviewed in
his research
for this history of the life of Jesus
ii. Luke wrote to a first century world that was
burnt out on “if it feels good, do it” living;
yet it was offended
by the crazy superstitions of most religions.
The world then, as today,
longs for what
Christianity offers:
faith founded on fact.
2. (3-4) Luke explains the reason for the writing of his account.
It seemed good to me also,
having had
perfect
understanding of all things from the
very first,
to write to you an orderly account,
most excellent
Theophilus, that you may
know the certainty
of those things
in which you were instructed.
a. It seemed good to me also: Luke was not one of those who was an eyewitness of events from the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Yet he put himself in the same line as other who wrote their accounts of Jesus’ life from first-hand experience (such as Matthew and Mark), because his account was based on diligent research and a perfect understanding of events.
b. To write to you an orderly account: Having already read Matthew and Mark’s account, Luke wanted to give a third account with an emphasis on comprehensiveness and order. Therefore, Luke is the most comprehensive gospel. He documents the story of Jesus’ all the way from the annunciation of John the Baptist to Jesus’ ascension.
· Luke is the most universal gospel. In Luke,
Gentiles are often put in a favorable light.
· Luke’s gospel is the one most interested in the
roles of women, children, and social outcasts.
· The gospel of Luke is the one most interested in prayer. He has seven different references to Jesus praying that are found in this gospel alone.
· Luke’s gospel is the one with the most emphasis on the
Holy Spirit and on joy.
· Luke’s gospel is the one with the most emphasis on preaching the good news (the gospel). This term is used ten times in this Gospel (and only once in any other Gospel) as well as fifteen additional times in Acts.
c. Most excellent Theophilus: Luke addressed his gospel to a man named Theophilus, but it was also written with a wider audience in mind.
i. By his title (most excellent), we gather that Theophilus was probably a Roman government official. It is entirely likely that the books of Luke and Acts make up Paul’s defense brief for his trial before Caesar, since Acts leaves Paul waiting for that trial.
ii. Whoever Theophilus was, he had already had some instruction in the faith (in which you were instructed).
B. The announcement of the birth of John the Baptist.1. (5-7) The time and people beginning the history of the life of Jesus.There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.
a. in the days of Herod: These events happened at a definite time. This was the man known as Herod the Great, who was at the end of a long and terrible reign. Ethnically, he was not a descendant of Israel, but of Jacob’s brother Esau – therefore an Edomite, or an Idumean. He was known for his spectacular building programs, but even more so for his paranoid cruelty, which drove him to execute many, including members of his own family.
b. A certain priest named Zacharias…His wife…was Elizabeth: These events happened to definite people. Zacharias and Elizabeth were righteous and obedient, yet also stigmatized by their barrenness (but they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren).
c. Of the division of Abijah: Priestly divisions (including the division of Abijah) were noted in 1 Chronicles 23-24.
2. (8-10) Zacharias’ temple service.So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense.
a. According to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense: Only priests from a particular lineage could serve in the temple. Over the years the number of priests multiplied, (there were said to be as many as 20,000 priests in the time of Jesus) so they used the lot to determine which priests would serve when. The lot to serve might fall to a priest only once in his life.
i. To a godly man like Zacharias, this was probably the biggest event of his life, a tremendous privilege, a-once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Surely he wondered what it would be like to enter the holy place, and if God had something special to speak to him in this special event of his life.
ii. It is also easy to imagine that Zacharias asked the other priests who had already performed this service what it was like; asking them if they had any unique spiritual experience when they ministered before the Lord. The whole event was filled with enormous anticipation.
b. To burn incense: According to the Law of Moses, incense was offered to God on the golden altar every morning and every evening (Exodus 30:7-8). By this time, there was an established ritual for the practice.
i. There were several lots cast to determine who did what at the morning sacrifice. The first lot determined who would cleanse the altar and prepare its fire; the second lot determined who would kill the morning sacrifice and sprinkle the altar, the golden candlestick, and the altar of incense. The third lot determined who would come and offer incense. This was the most privileged duty; those who received the first and second lots would repeat their duty at the evening sacrifice, but not with the third lot. To offer the incense would be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
ii. Before dawn, hundreds of worshippers gathered at the temple. The morning sacrifice began when the incense priest walked toward the temple, through the outer courts, he struck a gong-like instrument known as the Magrephah. At this sound, the Levites assembled and got ready to lead the gathered people in songs of worship to God.
iii. The other two priests chosen by lot that morning walked up to the temple on each side of the priest chosen to offer the incense. All three entered the holy place together. One priest set burning coals on the golden altar; the other priest arranged the incense, so it was ready to go. Then those two priests left the temple, and the incense priest was left all alone in the holy place.
iv. In front of him was the golden altar of incense; it was 18 inches square and 3 feet high. On that small table lay the burning coals, with little wisps of smoke rising up, ready for the incense. Behind the gold altar was a huge, thick curtain, and behind that curtain was the Holy of Holies, the Most Holy Place, where no man could enter, except the high priest, and that only on the Day of Atonement. As he faced the golden altar of incense, to his right would be the table of showbread, and to his left would be the golden lampstand, which provided the only light for the holy place.
c. And the whole multitude of the people
was praying outside at the hour of incense:
When the people outside saw the two men exit the temple, they knew that the time to offer the incense had come. Those hundreds of people bowed or kneeled before the Lord and spread their hands out in silent prayer. They knew that at that moment the incense priest prayed in the holy place, in the very presence of God, for the entire nation.
i. There followed several minutes of dead silence in all the temple precincts – as Zacharias lingered in prayer in the holy place during this, the most solemn experience of his life.
ii. The connection between the burning of incense and prayer might seem strange to some, but it the Bible the burning of incense is a strong picture of prayer (Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8).
ii. What did Zacharias pray for? He must have thought about it carefully beforehand. He may have even taken out a prayer list, though it is more likely he memorized it. He also knew how long to pray, because he had attended the morning sacrifice as a worshipper many times before, and he knew how long the incense priest stayed in the temple. He must have prayed for both needs of the nation of Israel, which was occupied and oppressed by the hated Romans. He must have prayed for God to send the Messiah. He probably would have thought it wrong to throw in his personal needs at such a holy moment!
3. (11-17) The angel’s announcement to Zacharias.
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
a. Then an angel of the Lord appeared:
The angel simply stood on the right side of the altar of incense. Zacharias probably had his eyes tightly shut in passionate prayer, and when he opened them he saw this angel.
b. When Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him:
The angel who appeared to Zacharias was not a romantic figure, or a naked baby with wings. This angel was a glorious, fearful, and an awesome creature. Like most angels in the Bible, the first thing this angel has to say to his human contact is
“Do not be afraid.”
i. Zacharias must have thought, “Does this happen to everyone who does this? The other guys didn’t tell me anything about this!”
c. Your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear a son:
It is doubtful that Zacharias prayed for a son when he was at the golden altar of incense. First, it might have seemed like such a selfish need. Second, since he and Elizabeth were both well advanced in years (Luke 1:7), they had probably given up on this prayer a long time ago.
i. Sometimes we pray for something for a long, long time. We pray for the salvation of a spouse or a child. We pray for a calling or a ministry. We pray that God would bring that special person to us. But after years of heartfelt prayer, we give up out of discouragement. Zacharias and Elizabeth probably prayed years of passionate prayer for a son, but gave up a long time ago, and stopped believing God for so much anymore.
ii. When we are in that place, we sometimes begin – in the smallest of ways – to doubt the love and care of God for us. But God always loves, and His care never stops.
iii. Zacharias’ reaction to the angel’s promise was probably thinking, “I don’t know what you are talking about. I didn’t pray for a son. We’re old, you know. I gave up on that prayer a long time ago. I’m praying for the salvation of Israel. I’m praying that God will send the promised Messiah.” Zacharias didn’t know that God would answer both prayers at once, and use his miracle baby to be a part of sending the Messiah!
iv. Zacharias had no idea that God would answer the two greatest desires of his heart at once. He had probably completely given up on the idea of being a dad; it was a hope that was crushed over the years of disappointment. But God hadn’t given up on it, even though Zacharias and Elizabeth had.
d. You shall call his name John:
The boy was given a name before he was even conceived.
This was a command from the Lord to name the boy John.
e. He will be great in the sight of the Lord,
and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink:
This is probably a reference
to the vow of a Nazirite found in Numbers 6.
Their son John would be specially consecrated to
God all the days of his life, as Samson should have been.
i. Though John would be great in the sight of the Lord,
by the grace of God, he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (Matthew 11:11).
f. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb: Their son John would have a unique filling of the Holy Spirit, being filled with the Holy Spirit even while in the womb.
i. Calvin, on John being filled with the Holy Spirit from the womb: “Let us learn by this example that, from the earliest infancy to the latest old age, the operation of the Spirit in men is free.”
g. He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God: John’s great work would be to prepare the way of the Messiah by turning hearts to God before the Messiah came. The pattern for his ministry would be the great prophet Elijah –in the spirit and power of Elijah. Jesus later said this was fulfilled in John (Matthew 11:14 and 17:12).
h. To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children: This quotation from Malachi 4:5-6 is meaningful for more than its reference to Elijah. These were essentially the last words in the Old Testament, and now God’s revelation is resuming where it had left off.
i. Elijah was a man who called Israel to a radical repentance
(1 Kings 18:20-40).
4. (18-20) Zacharias’ doubt and muteness.
And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”
a. How shall I know this?
For I am an old man and my wife is well advanced in years: Zacharias’ attitude was, “
Thanks for the promise, angel. But knowing the condition of my wife and I, this is a big one. Can you give us a sign to prove it?”
i. It isn’t that Zacharias doesn’t want to believe this; he does. It is simply that he feels it must be too good to be true, and he has probably protected himself from disappointment by not setting his expectations too high. We rob ourselves of many a miracle by the same attitude.
ii. Zacharias looked at the circumstances first, and what God can do last; we are tempted to think this is logical; but if God is real, there is nothing logical about putting circumstances before God.
b. I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God: Gabriel reminds Zacharias of who he is and where he has come from. There is a big contrast between I am an old man and I am Gabriel – which held more weight? Gabriel also “preaches the gospel” to Zacharias (brings you glad tidings).
i. It was nothing but good news to Zacharias that he would not only have a son, but that the son would have a significant role in God’s plan of redemption. This is the good news that Gabriel brought to Zacharias.
ii. This gives a better idea of what it really means to preach the gospel – it is to bring good news to people who need it.
c. My words which will be fulfilled in their own time: If there is no Zacharias, there is no John the Baptist. If there is no John the Baptist, there is no herald announcing the coming of the Messiah. If there is no herald announcing the coming of the Messiah, the prophecies in the Old Testament regarding the Messiah are unfulfilled. If any of the prophecies of the Old Testament regarding the first coming of the Messiah are unfulfilled, then Jesus did not fulfill all things. If Jesus did not fulfill all things, then He did not complete God’s plan of redemption for you and I and we must perish in our sins!
This was good news!
d. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak: Zacharias paid a price for his unbelief. His unbelief did not make God take his promise back; it just kept Zacharias from enjoying it.
i. When we do not believe God’s promise for our lives, we do not necessarily destroy the promise; but we do destroy our ability to enjoy the promise. What made this such a severe punishment was that Zacharias had
such great news to tell.
ii. Strangely, many Christians would not consider this a punishment – they don’t mind keeping quiet about the good news of Jesus.
5. (21-23) Zacharias appears to the multitude.And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. And so it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.
a. And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long: The custom was for the priest to come from the temple as soon as he was finished praying, to assure the people that he had not been struck dead by God. Zacharias’ delay had started to make the crowd nervous.
i. After the incense priest finished, he came out of the holy place through the great doors of the temple and met the other two priests right outside the doors. Then the incense priest raised his hands and blessed the people with the blessing from Numbers 6:24-26. The hundreds of gathered worshippers knew what to do; they responded by saying, “Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.”
ii. After all this, the Levites got the worship singers and musicians started. They began with a blast from special silver trumpets; then a priest struck the cymbals, and the choir of Levites began to sing the Psalm of the day. The choir was made up of not less than twelve voices, which mingled young and old for a full range of sound and probably some great harmonies.
b. But when he came out, he could not speak to them: When Zacharias came out, he was supposed to stand on the temple steps, overlooking the crowd, and pronounce the priestly blessing on the people (Numbers 6:24-26), and the other priests would repeat it after him. But Zacharias couldn’t speak!
i. Doing the best he could through hand motions, he told the story of what happened to him in the temple. It’s hard to know if everyone believed him!
6. (24-25) Elizabeth’s conception and joy.
Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”
a. His wife Elizabeth conceived: Zacharias had normal relations with his wife; he partnered with God to fulfill the promise. He did not count on this child coming from a miraculous conception.
b. She hid herself five months: Elizabeth did not go away to hide her pregnancy; she was gone for the first five months, the time when she would be least noticed as pregnant. She went away to spend time with the Lord, and to meditate on the destiny of the child within her.
C. The announcement of the birth of Jesus.1. (26-27)
Gabriel is sent to Mary in
Nazareth.Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
a. In the sixth month the angel Gabriel: Gabriel’s work was not finished with the announcement to Zacharias in the temple. In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, he came to a village in Galilee.
b. A city of Galilee named Nazareth: Chronologically, this is the first mention of Nazareth in the Old or New Testaments. Nazareth is perhaps remarkable for its unremarkable nature; it was unmentioned in the Old Testament, in the Apocrypha, and in the writings of Josephus.
i. Though Nazareth is in the general region of Galilee, it is 15 miles away from the Sea of Galilee. It is six miles from the closest major road. Nazareth had no good water supply; only one fairly weak well in the center of the village.
ii. Jesus would forever be identified with this place, being repeatedly called Jesus of Nazareth (Mark 1:24, John 18:7, John 19:19, Acts 2:22). His followers were also called “Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5).
c. To a virgin betrothed: Mary was betrothed to Joseph. There were three stages to a Jewish wedding in that day.
· Engagement (a formal agreement made by the fathers).
· Betrothal (the ceremony where mutual promises were made).
· Marriage (approximately one year later, when the bridegroom came for his bride at an unexpected time).
i. When a couple was betrothed, they were under the obligations of faithfulness, and a divorce was required to break the betrothal. This was not a casual promise.
d. The virgin’s name was Mary: Mary is clearly said to be a virgin. There is no ambiguity about the idea here – Mary had never had sexual relations with any man.
i. The conception of John the Baptist, the forerunner, was miraculous; we should expect an even more remarkable conception of the Messiah.
ii. “The name ‘Mary’ is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Miriam, the sister of Moses. It means ‘exalted one,’ a fitting description of the soon-to-be mother of the Messiah.” (Pate)
2. (28-29) Gabriel greets Mary.And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.
a. The angel said to her: Gabriel said three things to Mary. Each of these were certainly true of Mary, who had a unique privilege among any person to ever live.
· She was highly favored.
· That the Lord was with her.
· She was blessed.
i. However, all these things are true of the believer in Jesus. We are highly favored as Mary was (Ephesians 1:6), the Lord is with us (Matthew 28:20), and we are blessed (Ephesians 1:3).
ii. The Roman Catholic prayer that begins “Hail Mary, full of grace” is accurate. Mary was full of grace, and so is the believer. But Mary’s grace was a received grace, not grace to give to others.
b. But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying:
The fact that Mary was troubled at his saying shows her humility. Mary was surprised to hear such extravagant words said of her.
3. (30-33) Gabriel announces the birth of the Messiah, born to Mary.
Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”
a. You have found favor with God…you will
conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son:
The focus was not on Mary, but on a Son, to be named JESUS (a common name). This Sonwas unmistakably identified as the Messiah predicted by the Old Testament.
i. He will be great: No one has influenced history more than Jesus Christ. “Is it not proven that he is great? Conquerors are great, and he is the greatest of them. Deliverers are great, and he is the greatest of them. Liberators are great, and he is the greatest of them. Saviours are great, and he is the greatest of them.” (Spurgeon)
· Jesus is great in the perfection of His nature.
· Jesus is great in the grandeur of His offices.
· Jesus is great in the splendor of his achievements.
· Jesus is great in the numbers of those He rescues.
· Jesus is great in the estimation of His people.
ii. He will be called the Son of the Highest:
Jesus would be the son of Mary, but not only her son; He would also be, and be known as, the Son of God.
iii. The throne of His father David: He will be the Messiah prophesied to David (2 Samuel 7:12-16), who has the rightful authority to rule over Israel,
and of His kingdom there will be no end.
b. You will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son:
Mary knew exactly what Gabriel was talking about because she was a woman of the word of God. When Gabriel said this, Mary knew he quoted from Isaiah 7:14: the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son.
4. (34-37) Mary’s question and Gabriel’s response.
Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.
For with God nothing will be impossible.”
a. How can this be, since I do not know a man? Mary’s question was logical. She asked the same question Zacharias asked (Luke 1:18), but his question was asked in skeptical unbelief, and her question was asked in wonder-filled faith.
b. The power of the Highest will overshadow you: Gabriel answered that the power of the Highest, in the Person of the Holy Spirit, would overshadow Mary.
i. The word overshadow means “to cover with a cloud,” as in the cloud of Shekinah glory (Exodus 16:10, 19:9, 24:16, 34:5, 40:34) or the cloud of transfiguration (Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:34).
ii. This cloud was a visible manifestation of the glory and presence of God; this means that the same power of God that was with Moses and others in the Old Testament was now going to do a unique work in the life of Mary.
iii. “This delicate expression rules out crude ideas of a ‘mating’ of the Holy Spirit with Mary.” (Morris)
iv. “Technically speaking, however, the angel predicted a virginal conception, rather than a virginal birth. As far as anyone can tell, the actual birth of Jesus was normal; not so his conception.” (Pate)
c. That Holy One who is to be born:
Because this will be the manner of His conception, He would be the Holy One (different from all others),
and He will be called the Son of God.
i. This doesn’t have the same impact on us today because of our unfamiliarity with the idea of being a Son of God. But Mary (and all other Jewish people from her culture) knew what this meant: this child would be equal to God (John 5:18).
ii. Jesus did not become the Son of God; He was called the Son of God, recognizing His nature from all eternity.
d. Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age: With such an amazing promise, Gabriel also brought evidence, explaining that Elizabeth was pregnant. If God could do that, He could do what He promised for Mary.
i. “Though believers are satisfied with the bare word of God, yet they do not disregard any of his works which they find to be conducive to strengthen their faith.” (Calvin)
e. With God nothing shall be impossible:
The point is clear. More literally, one could translate this for no word of God shall be powerless. God will absolutely perform what He has said.
i. The words, ‘for nothing’ (literally, ‘no word’)
‘will be impossible for God,’
recall the divine promise of a son addressed to Sarah
(Genesis 18:14 [Septuagint])
and, in so doing, provide another confirming
example of God’s ability to carry out His promise to Mary.”
5. (38) Mary’s response of faith.
Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.
a. Behold, the maidservant of the Lord!
Mary first responded by agreeing with what Gabriel said about her. She was the maidservant of the Lord, and it was not her position to debate with her Master, but to accept what He said.
i. “It was inevitable that clouds would gather around her character, which would sorely perplex the good man to whom she was betrothed. But as soon as she realized that this lot was ordained for her by God, she humbly acquiesced, with these model words of patient faith.” (Meyer)
b. Let it be to me according to your word: Mary then responded with an affirmation of faith. “Let it be to me according to Your word” is the proper response of every believer to every promise of God.
i. All this took more trust in the Lord than we might think. Mary agreed to receive a pregnancy that would be seen as suspicious, and this in a culture that had a potential death penalty for adultery. Mary identified herself with sinners so that the purpose of God would be fulfilled.
ii. Spiritually speaking, there are similarities between God’s work in Mary and His work in every believer.
· Jesus lives within the believer spiritually, as He did in Mary physically.
· Jesus lives within us spiritually by His word, as He did in Mary physically.
· Jesus is made visible to the world through us, as
He was through Mary physically.
iii. “Truly did our Lord speak when he said to his disciples, ‘
These are my mother, and sister, and brother.’
We bear as close a relationship to Christ as did the Virgin mother,
and we in some sense take the same position spiritually
which she took up corporeally in reference to him.”
c. And the angel departed from her:
We don’t know the exact moment Jesus was conceived in the womb of Mary. It may have been when Gabriel spoke to her, or soon after. Whenever it was, the cloud of God’s glory overshadowed Mary (Luke 1:35), and Jesus was miraculously conceived in Mary’s womb. Jesus’ birth from this conception is what we call the Virgin Birth.
i. When we approach the event we call Virgin Birth, we have to agree with Paul’s analysis: great is the mystery of godliness (1 Timothy 3:16). But the message of the Scriptures is clear regarding the Virgin Birth. There can be no question about the Virgin Birth, only questions on the authority of Scripture.
ii. The Virgin Birth is unique. Many mythologies have legends about a god who had sexual relations with a woman and produced offspring, but the idea of a virgin birthis unique to Christianity.
D. Mary’s song.1. (39-41) Mary’s visit to Elizabeth.Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
a. Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste: Mary heard from Gabriel that her relative Elizabeth was pregnant (Luke 1:36). So she went the considerable distance (somewhere between 80 and 100 miles) from the region of Galilee to the hill country of Judea for a visit.
i. Mary probably understood that not many people could understand her experience with Gabriel and miraculous conception. If anyone could understand, it might be Elizabeth.
b. The babe leaped in her womb: When Elizabeth saw Mary, her unborn child – John the Baptist – leaped, because he was filled with joy. Though John wasn’t born yet, he had a spiritual awareness and could respond to the Spirit of God.
i. “Such comfort there is in the presence of Christ (though but in the womb)
as it made John to spring. What then shall it be in heaven, think we?
Elizabeth’s blessing to Mary.
Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
a. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
John the Baptist had not yet been born, and Zacharias was still mute. Yet Elizabeth believed the word of the Lord given to her husband Zacharias when he was in the temple. In the temple, Gabriel told him that their promised son would make ready a people prepared for the Lord
(Luke 1:17).
i. Elizabeth believed that,
and also believed that the baby in
Mary’s womb was the Lord who Elizabeth’s son
would prepare the way for
(the mother of my Lord).
This faith was in Elizabeth because she was filled with the Holy Spirit.
b. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things:
Elizabeth recognized that Mary’s faith played an active role in receiving the promise. God promises should never make us passive; they should prompt us to seize them by faith. Elizabeth wanted to encourage Mary’s faith, so she declared
“there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.”
3. (46-56) Mary’s song of praise to the Lord.
And Mary said:
“
My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever.”
And Mary remained with her
about three months,
and returned to her house.
a. My soul magnifies the Lord:
This song
(often called the Magnificat, after the Latin translation of the first few words)
resembles Hannah’s song in 1 Samuel 2:1-10,
but it also has at least 12 other allusions to the Old Testament.
This means that Mary
was a woman
who studied and knew God’s Word.
The Scriptures were
on her heart,
and came out through
her song.
i. “It appears by the whole frame of
this holy song, that the blessed Virgin
was well versed in the Scripture,
which she here makes so much use of in sundry passages…
She had by her much reading made her bosom
Bibliothecam Christi, Christ’s library, as a Father saith;
and may seem to have been exercised
in the good word of God from her infancy.” (Trapp)
ii. Mary was great gifted, highly privileged. She did exactly what such greatly blessed people should do: Mary magnified the Lord. This remedies pride and self-congratulation and is something every blessed believer should do.
b. My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior: This means Mary needed a Savior, and she knew that she needed a Savior.
i. “Mary answered the Roman Catholic dogma of the immaculate conception, which holds that from the moment of her conception Mary was by God’s grace ‘kept free from all taint of Original Sin.’ Only sinners need a Savior.” (Liefeld)
ii. “Mary was a member of the sinning race…but the honour conferred on her was of the highest, and our thoughts of her, our language concerning her, should at least not lack the dignity and respect manifested in the word of Gabriel. Hers was the crown and glory of all Motherhood, and we should ever think and speak of her reverently.” (Morgan)
c. He who is mighty has done great things for me: This song mainly celebrates God’s goodness, faithfulness, and power. Mary’s song shows the futility of trusting in self, of trusting in political power, or of trusting in riches. Mary’s trust was in God, and it was rewarded.
i. Trapp on has done great things for me: “No small things can fall from so great a hand. He gives like himself.”
ii. Mary rejoiced and gloried in God, though the child was not yet born. “Brothers, there are some of you who cannot even sing over a mercy when it is born, but here is a woman who sings over an unborn mercy.” (Spurgeon)
iii. “To Mary was granted the blessedness of being the mother of the Son of God…Yet that very blessedness was to be a sword to pierce her heart. It meant that some day she would see her son hanging on a cross.” (Barclay)
E. John the Baptist’s birth.1. (57-66) The birth and naming of John the
Baptist.
Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her. So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.” But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” So they made signs to his father; what he would have him called. And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.” So they all marveled. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.
a. She brought forth a son: The promise was fulfilled just as God said it would be. God always keeps His promises.
b. They rejoiced with her: This fulfilled Gabriel’s promise recorded at Luke 1:14 (many will rejoice at his birth).
i. William Barclay relates the custom of the time: “When the time of the birth was near at hand, friends and local musicians gathered near the house. When the birth was announced and it was a boy, the musicians broke into song, and there was universal congratulation and rejoicing. If it was a girl, the musicians went silently and regretfully away!”
c. They would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias:
Both Zacharias and Elizabeth knew the name of the child had to be John, according to the command from the angel (Luke 1:13).
d. They made signs to his father: They treated Zacharias as if he were deaf, not mute. This must have been constantly annoying to Zacharias.
e. His name is John: Now, Zacharias responded in total faith. It wasn’t “I think his name should be John.” For Zacharias, this was recognition of a fact, not a suggestion.
i. Even though he had failed before, God gave Zacharias a second chance at faith. He gives the same to us today.
ii. “This was a return from the point of unbelief, and the exercise of will in the appointed way.” (Morgan)
f. Immediately his mouth was opened:
Just as Gabriel said, Zacharias could speak again.
He spoke, praising God.
It was fitting that Zacharias’ first words were praise to God. His chastisement for disobedience had not made him bitter. Instead, it made him want to trust God all the more, at every opportunity.
2. (67-80) Zacharias’ prophecy.
Now his father Zacharias
was filled with the Holy Spirit,
and prophesied, saying:
“Blessed is the Lord God
of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who have been since the world began,
That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
To give knowledge of salvation to His people
By the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;
To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”
So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the
day of his manifestation to Israel.
a. Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied:
The prophetic voice of the Lord had been silent for 400 years. Now, God spoke through Gabriel (Luke 1:13, 1:28), through Elizabeth (Luke 1:41-42), through Mary (Luke 1:46-55), and now through Zacharias. When God spoke again, it was all connected to the theme of Jesus and His work.
i. Zacharias could truly say, “
Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for
He has visited and redeemed His people.”
It was as if God was present for Israel (has visited) in a way not experienced for a long time.
ii. Zacharias’ song has been called the Benedictus, from its first words in the Latin translation.
b. Has raised up a horn of
salvation for us in
the house of His servant David:
We know this was truly Spirit-inspired prophecy because the first focus of his prophecy is the unborn Jesus, not Zacharias’ new son John.
· Jesus is the horn of salvation for us (Luke 1:69).
· Jesus is the One who saves us from our enemies (Luke 1:71).
· Jesus is the One to perform the mercy promised to our fathers (Luke 1:72).
· Jesus is the One to remember the covenant (Luke 1:72).
· Jesus makes us able to serve Him without fear (Luke 1:74).
i. “It was a song of salvation, and has within it truth deeper than most likely the singer then understood.” (Morgan)
ii. Zacharias didn’t even know Jesus yet, but he praised Him,
he loved Him, and he was passionate about Jesus.
We know so much more about Jesus than Zacharias did,
so what can excuse the coldness of our hearts?
iii. Trapp on by the mouth of His holy prophets:
“There were so many prophets, yet they all had one mouth, so sweet is their harmony.”
c. And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest:
After the initial focus on Jesus,
the Holy Spirit then led Zacharias to speak
of his new-born son and his place in God’s great plan.
· John was a true prophet,
the prophet of the Highest(Luke 1:76).
· John had the unique calling to
go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways (Luke 1:76).
· John would teach and give knowledge of salvation
to God’s people (Luke 1:77).
· John would show people the remission of their sins
(Luke 1:77).
· John would give light to those who sit in darkness(Luke 1:79).
· John would guide God’s people into the way of peace(Luke 1:79).
d. The child grew and became strong in spirit:
The promise of God came to fruition in John’s life. John was in the desert till the day of his manifestation because that is where God trains many of His prophets.
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