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JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE LUKE Day 1 Luke 1:1-25 Luke 1:1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou might know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years. 8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. 11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, 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. 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believe not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. 23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. Today we come to Luke’s Gospel about the life and death of Jesus Christ. Luke was a Roman traveling companion of Paul, also a physician. In writing the book of Luke, he penned it with historical accuracy, showing Jesus as divine man, teacher, prophet, liberator, and miracle worker. He writes his gospel as a historical narrative. Luke starts his historical narrative in the form of a letter to an old friend, Theophilus. He continues his letter to Theophilus in the book of Acts. Being a historian, Luke began at the beginning with Zacharias and Elisabeth. In this narrative, we see one thing clearly. Zacharias was of the order of Abia. Meaning there were twenty-four courses of priests who worked in the temple for one week at a time, twice a year. When you know what course Zacharias worked, you can come to a possible conclusion to when Jesus was born, as Mary is the cousin of Elisabeth. More on that in tomorrow’s study. 1 Chronicles 24:1 Now these are the divisions of the sons of Aaron. The sons of Aaron; Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children: therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest’s office. 3 And David distributed them, both Zadok of the sons of Eleazar, and Ahimelech of the sons of Ithamar, according to their offices in their service. 10 The seventh to Hakkoz, the eighth to Abijah, (KJV) Being that Zacharias worked in the eighth and then the thirty-second weeks, and the Jewish year was forty-eight weeks long, we can determine when John and Jesus were born. Luke further showed how Zacharias doubted what the angel told him because it was impossible for his wife to have children at her advanced age. A priest worked until he was fifty years of age, making the age Elisabeth conceived somewhere in her late forties. Because Zacharias doubted what the angel told him, he became mute until after his son was born. As Christians, you know that what looks impossible to man, isn’t impossible for God. It takes a measure of faith to believe what God tells you, especially when you’ve never undertaken what God tells you to do. Not since Sarah, Abraham’s wife, conceived Isaac, did a woman conceive a child past her time of life. Elisabeth wasn’t as old as Sarah, but she was past the age of child-bearing. God will do whatever is necessary to fulfill his promises to his people. You just need faith to believe. Let’s pray: Father, give me faith to believe what you tell me, without doubt, so you can work your will in me. In Jesus’ name, I pray, amen. Copyright © 23 August 2018 by Valerie Routhieaux Image courtesy of Pixabay