Comments on the 2nd half of Luke Chapter 1

We had a family wedding last weekend and we have had family in town from Norway.  It has been such fun and very busy.  Now that things are settling down a bit, I hope to jump into this study of Jesus.  

I hope to make short observations about the readings I post.  If anyone is reading along with me, please feel free to post your observations and questions as well.  Whether you are a Christian or not, and whether you agree with my observations or not, I would love to hear from you.  It would be wonderful to have a humble, respectful, and edifying dialog with others who are also interested in learning about the Jesus of the Bible.  But even if you don’t want to participate via comments, you are welcome to join me on this journey by simply reading along!

As I read the story of Jesus in the Bible, I am amazed at how unconventional it is.  Why would God (Creator of Everything, Most Powerful, Most Wise, Greatest of All) chose to work and come in such a strange way?  Why would John the Baptist be the chosen herald who prepares the way for Jesus?  He didn’t come from a particularly prestigious or wealthy or powerful family.  His parents had the struggle of infertility.  As a woman who is struggling with infertility—I can imagine what that must have felt like—the loss, the confusion, the struggle with purpose, not fitting in.  And in some ways, it would have been worse for them in a culture where infertility was a source of reproach.  Jesus’ own immediate family was also humble and unconventional.  His mom, Mary, was single (something that was not socially acceptable for a pregnant woman in that time) and a virgin (obviously a miracle that many around her would have doubted and mocked her for asserting).  

We also get a peek into what the Bible describes as characteristics of Jesus—holy, Son of God, Son of the Most High.  We see that God the Father will make Jesus a king and that His kingdom will have no end.  These are radical claims.  Jesus’ relative, Elizabeth, calls Jesus her “lord” even while Jesus is in Mary’s womb.

Mary’s song and Zechariah’s prophecy tell us a lot about the character of God, the Father of Jesus.  He is a God who sees the humble.  He is a God who saves.  He is mighty and does great things for the humble.  He has mercy on those who fear (honor, revere, respect) Him.  He is strong.  He scatters the proud and exalts the humble.  He satisfies the hungry with good things.  He is faithful to His promises—old and new.  He looks after the generations. 

One thing in particular that stands out to me is how God's plan is long-term.  He told bits and pieces of it to the prophets of old....many, many years before the birth of Christ.  They would not have been able to know how it would unfold.  The same is true for us...as we are still in the middle of the story and there is so much of the story that does not make sense yet. 

Finally, I love the beauty of this sentence that refers to John the Baptist preparing the way of the Lord Jesus--a God who saves, forgives, shows mercy, shows his light in dark places, and guides our feet into the way of peace!  

Luke 1:76-78 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people
in the forgiveness of their sins,
78 because of the tender mercy of our God,
whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high