Introduction Luke Chapter One
Introduction Chapter 1
       
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first chapter of Luke
WRITER: The writer of the third Gospel is called by
Paul "the beloved physician" Colossians
4:14 and, as we learn from the Acts, was Paul's frequent
companion. He was of Jewish ancestry, but his correct Greek
marks him as a Jew of the dispersion. Tradition says that he
was a Jew of Antioch, as Paul was of Tarsus.
DATE: The date of Luke falls between A.D. 63 and 68.
THEME: Luke is the Gospel of the human-divine One,
as John is of the divine-human One. The key-phrase is "Son of
man," and the key-verse Luke
19:10. "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save
that which was lost." In harmony with this intent, Luke
relates those things concerning Jesus which demonstrate how
entirely human He was. His genealogy is traced to Adam, and
the most detailed account is given of His mother, and of His
infancy and boyhood. The parables peculiar to Luke have
distinctively the human and the seeking note. But Luke is
careful to guard the Deity and Kingship of Jesus Christ Luke
1:32-35. Luke, then, is the Gospel of "the man whose name
is The BRANCH" Zechariah
6:12.
Luke has seven chief divisions:
- The Evangelist's Introduction, Luke 1:1-4.
- The human relationships of Jesus, Luke 1:5-2:52.
- The baptism, ancestry, and testing of Jesus, Luke 3:1-4:13.
- The ministry of the Son of man as Prophet-King in
Galilee, 4:14-9:50.
- The final offer of the Son of man as King to israel, His
rejection and sacrifice, Luke 19:45-23:56.
- The resurrection, resurrection ministry, and ascension
of the Son of man, Luke 24:1-53.
The events recorded in this book cover a period of 39
years.
Exposition of Luke Chapter One
Luke 1:1-80
by Jameison-Faussett-Brown
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It appears from the Acts of the
Apostles, and the Apostolic Epistles, that the earliest
preaching of the Gospel consisted of a brief summary of the
facts of our Lord's earthly history, with a few words of
pointed application to the parties addressed. Of these
astonishing facts, notes would naturally be taken and
digests put into circulation. It is to such that Luke
here refers; and in terms of studied respect, as narratives of
what was "believed surely," or "on sure grounds" among
Christians, and drawn up from the testimony of "eye-witnesses
and ministering servants of the word." But when he adds that
"it seemed good to him also to write in order, having traced
down all things with exactness from their first rise," it is a
virtual claim for his own Gospel to supersede these "many"
narratives. Accordingly, while not one of them has survived
the wreck of time, this and the other canonical Gospels live,
and shall live, the only fitting vehicles of those
life-bringing facts which have made all things new. Apocryphal
or spurious gospels, upheld by parties unfriendly to the
truths exhibited in the canonical Gospels, have not
perished; but those well-meant and substantially correct
narratives here referred to, used only while better were not
to be had, were by tacit consent allowed to merge in the four
peerless documents which from age to age, and with astonishing
unanimity, have been accepted as the written charter of all
Christianity.
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Verse 1. set forth in order--more
simply, to draw up a narrative.
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Verse 2. from the beginning--that is,
of His public ministry, as is plain from what follows.
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Verse 3. from the very first--that
is, from the very earliest events; referring to those precious
details of the birth and early life, not only of our Lord, but
of His forerunner, which we owe to Luke alone.
in order--or "consecutively"--in
contrast, probably, with the disjointed productions to which
he had referred. But this must not be pressed too far; for, on
comparing it with the other Gospels, we see that in some
particulars the strict chronological order is not observed in
this Gospel.
most
excellent--or "most noble"--a title of rank applied by
this same writer twice to Felix and once to Festus (Acts
22:26; 24:3; 26:25). It is likely, therefore, that
"Theophilus" was chief magistrate of some city in Greece or
Asia Minor [WEBSTER and WILKINSON].
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Verse 4. that thou mightest
know--"know thoroughly."
hast
been instructed--orally instructed--literally,
"catechized" or "catechetically taught," at first as a
catechumen or candidate for Christian baptism.
Luke
1:5-25.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FORERUNNER.
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Verse 5. Herod--(See on Matthew
2:1).
course of Abia--or
Abijah; the eighth of the twenty-four orders of courses into
which David divided the priests (see 1 Chronicles
24:1, 4, 10). Of these courses only four returned after
the captivity (Ezra
2:34-39), which were again subdivided into
twenty-four--retaining the ancient name and order of each.
They took the whole temple service for a week each.
his wife was of the daughters of
Aaron--The priests might marry into any tribe, but "it was
most commendable of all to marry one of the priests' line"
[LIGHTFOOT].
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Verse 6. commandments and
ordinances--The one expressing their moral--the
other their ceremonial--obedience [CALVIN and BENGEL], (Compare
Ezekiel
11:20; Heb 9:1). It has been denied that any such
distinction was known to the Jews and New Testament writers.
But Mark
12:33, and other passages, put this beyond all reasonable
doubt.
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Verse 7. So with Abraham and Sarah,
Isaac and Rebekah, Elkanah and Hannah, Manoah and his
wife.
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Verse 9. his lot was to burn
incense--The part assigned to each priest in his week of
service was decided by lot. Three were employed at the
offering of incense--to remove the ashes of the former
service; to bring in and place on the golden altar the pan
filled with hot burning coals taken from the altar of burnt
offering; and to sprinkle the incense on the hot coals; and,
while the smoke of it ascended, to make intercession for the
people. This was the most distinguished part of the service
(Re
8:3), and this was what fell to the lot of Zacharias at
this time [LIGHTFOOT].
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Verse 10. praying without--outside
the court in front of the temple, where stood the altar of
burnt offering; the men and women in separate courts, but the
altar visible to all.
the time of
incense--which was offered along with the morning and
evening sacrifice of every day; a beautiful symbol of the
acceptableness of the sacrifice offered on the altar of
burnt offering, with coals from whose altar the incense was
burnt (Le
16:12, 13). This again was a symbol of the "living
sacrifice" of themselves and their services offered daily to
God by the worshippers. Hence the language of Psalm
141:2; Re 8:3. But that the acceptance of this daily
offering depended on the expiatory virtue presupposed
in the burnt offering, and pointing to the one "sacrifice of a
sweet-smelling savor" (Eph
5:2), is evident from Isaiah
6:6, 7.
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Verse 11. right side--the south side,
between the altar and the candlestick, Zacharias being on the
north side, in front of the altar, while offering incense
[WEBSTER and WILKINSON]. But why there? The right was the
favorable side (Matthew
25:33) [SCHOTTGEN and WESTEIN in MEYER]; compare Mark
16:5.
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Verse 13. thy prayer is
heard--doubtless for offspring, which by some
presentiment he even yet had not despaired of.
John--the same as "Johanan," so frequent
in the Old Testament, meaning "Jehovah's gracious gift."
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Verse 14. shall rejoice--so they did
(Luke
1:58, 66); but the meaning rather is, "shall have cause to
rejoice"--it would prove to many a joyful event.
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Verse 15. great in the sight of the
Lord--nearer to Him in official standing than all the
prophets. (See Matthew
11:10, 11.)
drink neither wine
nor strong drink--that is, shall be a Nazarite, or
"a separated one" (Numbers
6:2, &c.). As the leper was the living symbol of
sin, so was the Nazarite of holiness; nothing
inflaming was to cross his lips; no razor to come on his head;
no ceremonial defilement to be contracted. Thus was he to be
"holy to the Lord [ceremonially] all the days of his
separation." This separation was in ordinary cases temporary
and voluntary: only Samson (Jud
13:7), Samuel (1 Samuel
1:11), and John Baptist were Nazarites from the
womb. It was fitting that the utmost severity of legal
consecration should be seen in Christ's forerunner. HE was the REALITY and PERFECTION of the Nazarite without the symbol,
which perished in that living realization of it: "Such an High
Priest became us, who was SEPARATE FROM
SINNERS" (Hebrews
7:26).
filled with the Holy
Ghost, from . . . womb--a holy vessel for future
service.
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Verse 16, 17. A religious and moral
reformer, Elijah-like, he should be (Malachi
4:6, where the RF"turning of the people's heart to the Lord"
is borrowed from 1 Kings
18:37). In both cases their success, though great,
was partial--the nation was not gained.
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Verse 17. before him--before "the
Lord their God" (Luke
1:16). By comparing this with Malachi
3:1 and Isaiah 40:3, it is plainly "Jehovah" in the flesh of
Messiah [CALVIN and OLSHAUSEN] before whom John was to go as a
herald to announce His approach, and a pioneer o
prepare His way.
in the
spirit--after the model.
and
power of Elias--not his miraculous power, for John did no
miracle" (John
10:41), but his power "turning the heart," or with like
success in his ministry. Both fell on degenerate times; both
witnessed fearlessly for God; neither appeared much save in
the direct exercise of their ministry; both were at the head
of schools of disciples; the success of both was similar.
fathers to the children--taken
literally, this denotes the restoration of parental
fidelity [MEYER and others], the decay
of which is the beginning of religious and social
corruption--one prominent feature of the coming revival being
put for the whole. But what follows, explanatory of this,
rather suggests a figurative sense. If "the
disobedient" be "the children," and to "the fathers" belongs
"the wisdom of the just" [BENGEL], the
meaning will be, "he shall bring back the ancient spirit of
the nation into their degenerate children" [CALVIN, &c.]. So Elijah invoked "the God
Abraham, Isaac, and Israel," when seeking to "turn their
heart back again" (1 Kings
18:36, 37).
to make ready,
&c.--more clearly, "to make ready for the Lord a prepared
people," to have in readiness a people prepared to welcome
Him. Such preparation requires, in every age and every
soul, an operation corresponding to the Baptist's
ministry.
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Verse 18. Whereby, &c.--Mary
believed what was far harder without a sign. Abraham, though
older, and doubtless Sarah, too, when the same promise was
made to him, "staggered not at the promise of God through
unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God." This
was that in which Zacharias failed.
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Verse 19. Gabriel--signifying "man of
God," the same who appeared to Daniel at the time of incense
(Da
9:21) and to Mary (Luke
1:26).
stand, &c.--as
his attendant (compare 1 Kings
17:1).
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Verse 20. dumb--speechless.
not able--deprived of the
power of speech (Luke
1:64). He asked a sign, and now he got it.
until the day that these things
shall be performed--See on Luke
1:64.
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Verse 21. waited--to receive from him
the usual benediction (Nu
6:23-27).
tarried so
long--It was not usual to tarry long, lest it should be
thought vengeance had stricken the people's representative for
something wrong [LIGHTFOOT].
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Verse 22. speechless--dumb, and deaf
also (see Luke
1:62).
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Verse 24. hid five months--till the
event was put beyond doubt and became apparent.
Luke
1:26-38.
ANNUNCIATION OF CHRIST.
(See on Matthew
1:18-21).
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Verse 26. sixth month--of Elisabeth's
time.
Joseph, of the house of
David--(See on Matthew
1:16).
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Verse 28. highly favoured--a word
only once used elsewhere (Eph
1:6, "made accepted"): compare Luke
1:30, "Thou hast found favour with God." The mistake of
the Vulgate's rendering, "full of grace," has been
taken abundant advantage of by the Romish Church. As the
mother of our Lord, she was the most "blessed among women" in
external distinction; but let them listen to the Lord's own
words. "Nay, rather blessed are they that hear the word of God
and keep it." (See on Luke
11:27).
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Verse 31. The angel purposely
conforms his language to Isaiah's famous prophecy (Isaiah
7:14) [CALVIN].
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Verse 32, 33. This is but an echo of
the sublime prediction in Isaiah
9:6, 7.
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Verse 34. How, &c.--not the
unbelief of Zacharias, "Whereby shall I know this?" but,
taking the fact for granted, "How is it to be, so
contrary to the unbroken law of human birth?" Instead of
reproof, therefore, her question is answered in mysterious
detail.
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Verse 35. Holy Ghost--(See on Matthew
1:18).
power of the
highest--the immediate energy of the Godhead conveyed by
the Holy Ghost.
overshadow--a
word suggesting how gentle, while yet efficacious, would be
this Power [BENGEL]; and its mysterious
secrecy, withdrawn, as if by a cloud, from human scrutiny
[CALVIN].
that
holy thing born of thee--that holy Offspring of thine.
therefore . . . Son of
God--That Christ is the Son of God in His divine and
eternal nature is clear from all the New Testament; yet here
we see that Sonship efflorescing into human and palpable
manifestation by His being born, through "the power of the
Highest," an Infant of days. We must neither think of a
double Sonship, as some do, harshly and without all
ground, nor deny what is here plainly expressed, the
connection between His human birth and His proper personal
Sonship.
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Verse 36. thy cousin--"relative," but
how near the word says not.
conceived, &c.--This was to Mary an unsought
sign, in reward of her faith.
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Verse 37. For, &c.--referring to
what was said by the angel to Abraham in like case (Ge
18:14), to strengthen her faith.
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Verse 38. Marvellous faith in
such circumstances!
Luke
1:39-56.
VISIT OF MARY
TO ELISABETH.
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Verse 39. hill country--the
mountainous tract running along the middle of Judea, from
north to south [WEBSTER and WILKINSON].
with
haste--transported with the announcement to herself and
with the tidings, now first made known to her, of Elisabeth's
condition.
a city of
Juda--probably Hebron (see Jos
20:7; 21:11).
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Verse 40. saluted Elisabeth--now
returned from her seclusion (Luke
1:24).
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Verse 41. babe leaped--From Luke
1:44 it is plain that this maternal sensation was
something extraordinary--a sympathetic emotion of the
unconscious babe, at the presence of the mother of his
Lord.
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Verse 42-44. What beautiful
superiority to envy have we here! High as was the
distinction conferrRed upon herself, Elisabeth loses sight of
it altogether, in presence of one more honored still; upon
whom, with her unborn Babe, in an ecstasy of inspiration, she
pronounces a benediction, feeling it to be a wonder
unaccountable that "the mother of her Lord should come to
her." "Turn this as we will, we shall never be able to
see the propriety of calling an unborn child "Lord," but by
supposing Elisabeth, like the prophets of old, enlightened to
perceive the Messiah's Divine nature" [OLSHAUSEN].
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Verse 43. "The mother of my
Lord"--but not "My Lady" (compare Luke
20:42; Joh 20:28)" [BENGEL].
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Verse 45. An additional benediction
on the Virgin for her implicit faith, in tacit and delicate
contrast with her own husband.
for--rather, as in the Margin, "that."
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Verse 46-55. A magnificent canticle,
in which the strain of Hannah's ancient song, in like
circumstances, is caught up, and just slightly modified and
sublimed. Is it unnatural to suppose that the spirit of the
blessed Virgin had been drawn beforehand into mysterious
sympathy with the ideas and the tone of this hymn, so that
when the life and fire of inspiration penetrated her whole
soul it spontaneously swept the chorus of this song, enriching
the Hymnal of the Church with that spirit-stirring canticle
which has resounded ever since from its temple walls? In both
songs, those holy women, filled with wonder to behold "the
proud, the mighty, the rich," passed by, and, in their persons
the lowliest chosen to usher in the greatest events, sing of
this as no capricious movement, but a great law of the
kingdom of God, by which He delights to "put down the
mighty from their seats and exalt them of low degree." In
both songs the strain dies away on CHRIST;
in Hannah's under the name of "Jehovah's King"--to whom,
through all His line, from David onwards to Himself, He will
"give strength"; His "Anointed," whose horn He will exalt (1Sa
2:10); in the Virgin's song, it is as the "Help" promised
to Israel by all the prophets.
My
soul . . . my spirit--"all that is within me"
(Psalm
103:1).
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Verse 47. my Saviour--Mary, poor
heart, never dreamt, we see, of her own "immaculate
conception"--in the offensive language of the Romanists--any
more than of her own immaculate life.
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Verse 54. holpen--Compare Psalm
89:19, "I have laid help on One that is
mighty."
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Verse 55. As he spake to our
fathers--The sense requires this clause to be read as a
parenthesis. (Compare Mic
7:20; Ps 98:3).
for
ever--the perpetuity of Messiah's kingdom, as expressly
promised by the angel (Luke
1:33).
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Verse 56. abode with her about three
months--What an honored roof was that which, for such a
period, overarched these cousins! and yet not a trace of it is
now to be seen, while the progeny of those two women--the one
but the honored pioneer of the other--have made the world new.
returned to her own house--at
Nazareth, after which took place what is recorded in Matthew
1:18-25.
Luke
1:57-80.
BIRTH AND CIRCUMCISION OF JOHNSONG OF ZACHARIAS AND PROGRESS OF THE CHILD.
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Verse 59. eighth day--The law (Ge
17:12) was observed, even though the eighth day after
birth should be a sabbath (John
7:23; and see Php
3:5).
called
him--literally, "were calling"--that is, (as we should
say) "were for calling." The naming of children at
baptism has its origin in the Jewish custom at circumcision
(Ge
21:3, 4); and the names of Abram and Sarai were changed at
its first performance (Ge
17:5, 15).
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Verse 62. made signs--showing he was
deaf, as well as dumb.
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Verse 63. marvelled all--at his
giving the same name, not knowing of any communication between
them on the subject.
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Verse 64. mouth opened
immediately--on thus palpably showing his full faith in
the vision, for disbelieving which he had been struck dumb (Luke
1:13, 20).
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Verse 65. fear--religious awe; under
the impression that God's hand was specially in these events
(compare Luke
5:26; 7:16; 8:37).
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Verse 66. hand of the Lord was with
him--by special tokens marking him out as one destined to
some great work (1 Kings
18:46; 2 Kings 3:15; Acts 11:21).
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Verse 68-79. There is not a word in
this noble burst of divine song about his own child; like
Elisabeth losing sight entirely of self, in the glory of a
Greater than both.
Lord God of
Israel--the ancient covenant God of the peculiar people.
visited and redeemed--that is,
in order to redeem: returned after long absence, and broken
His long silence (see Matthew
15:31). In the Old Testament, God is said to "visit"
chiefly for judgment, in the New Testament for
mercy. Zacharias would, as yet, have but imperfect
views of such "visiting and redeeming," "saving from and
delivering out of the hand of enemies" (Luke
1:71, 74). But this Old Testament phraseology, used at
first with a lower reference, is, when viewed in the
light of a loftier and more comprehensive kingdom of God,
equally adapted to express the most spiritual conceptions of
the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
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Verse 69. horn of salvation--that is
"strength of salvation," or "mighty Salvation," meaning the
Saviour Himself, whom Simeon calls "Thy Salvation" (Luke
2:30). The metaphor is taken from those animals whose
strength is in their horns (Psalm
18:2; 75:10; 132:17).
house of
. . . David--This shows that Mary must have
been known to be of the royal line, independent of Joseph;
of whom Zacharias, if he knew anything, could not know that
after this he would recognize Mary.
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Verse 70. since the world began--or,
"from the earliest period."
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Verse 72. the mercy promised
. . . his holy covenant . . .
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Verse 73. the oath . . . to
. . . Abraham--The whole work and kingdom of
Messiah is represented as a mercy pledged on oath to Abraham
and his seed, to be realized at an appointed period; and at
length, in "the fulness of the time," gloriously made good.
Hence, not only "grace," or the thing promised;
but "truth," or fidelity to the promise, are
said to "come by Jesus Christ" (John
1:17).
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Verse 74, 75. That he would grant us,
&c.--How comprehensive is the view here given! (1) The
purpose of all redemption--"that we should serve
Him"--that is, "the Lord God of Israel" (Luke
1:68). The word signifies religious service
distinctively--"the priesthood of the New Testament"
[BENGEL]. (2) The nature of this
service--"in holiness and righteousness before Him" (Luke
1:75) --or, as in His presence (compare Psalm
56:13). (3) Its freedom--"being delivered out of
the hand of our enemies." (4) Its fearlessness--"might
serve Him without fear." (5) Its duration--"all the
days of our life."
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Verse 76-79. Here are the dying
echoes of this song; and very beautiful are these closing
notes--like the setting sun, shorn indeed of its noontide
radiance, but skirting the horizon with a wavy and quivering
light--as of molten gold--on which the eye delights to gaze,
till it disappears from the view. The song passes not here
from Christ to John, but only from Christ direct to Christ as
heralded by His forerunner.
thou
child--not "my son"--this child's relation to himself
being lost in his relation to a Greater than either.
prophet of the Highest; for thou
shalt go before him--that is, "the Highest." As "the Most
High" is an epithet in Scripture only of the supreme
God, it is inconceivable that inspiration should apply
this term, as here undeniably, to Christ, unless He were "God
over all blessed for ever" (Romans
9:5).
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Verse 77. to give knowledge of
salvation--To sound the note of a needed and
provided "salvation" was the noble office of John,
above all that preceded him; as it is that of all subsequent
ministers of Christ; but infinitely loftier was it to be the
"Salvation" itself (Luke
1:69 and Lu 2:30).
by the
remission of . . . sins--This stamps at once the
spiritual nature of the salvation here intended, and
explains Luke
1:71, 74.
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Verse 78. Through the tender mercy of our
God--the sole spring, necessarily, of all salvation for
sinners.
dayspring from on
high--either Christ Himself, as the "Sun of
righteousness" (Malachi
4:2), arising on a dark world [BEZA,
GROTIUS, CALVIN,
DE WETTE, OLSHAUSEN, &c.], or the light which He
sheds. The sense, of course, is one.
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Verse 79. (Compare Isaiah
9:2; Mt 4:13-17). "That St. Luke, of all the Evangelists,
should have obtained and recorded these inspired utterances of
Zacharias and Mary--is in accordance with his character and
habits, as indicated in Luke
1:1-4" [WEBSTER and WILKINSON].
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Verse 80. And the child, &c.--"a
concluding paragraph, indicating, in strokes full of grandeur,
the bodily and mental development of the Baptist; and bringing
his life up to the period of his public appearance" [OLSHAUSEN].
in the
deserts--probably "the wilderness of Judea" (Matthew
3:1), whither he had retired early in life, in the
Nazarite spirit, and where, free from rabbinical
influences and alone with God, his spirit would be educated,
like Moses in the desert, for his future high vocation.
his showing unto Israel--the
presentation of himself before his nation, as Messiah's
forerunner.
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Copyright Statement
These files are a derivative of an electronic edition
prepared from text scanned by Woodside Bible Fellowship.
This expanded edition of the Jameison-Faussett-Brown
Commentary is in the public domain and may be freely used and
distributed.
Bibliography
Information
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.
"Commentary on Luke 1". "Commentary Critical and
Explanatory
on the Whole Bible".
<http://www.studylight.org/com/jfb/view.cgi?book=lk&chapter=001>.
1871.
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