BIRTH OF JOHN. THE ANNUNCIATION 1-4. Preface. To write a preface to a history is not a Jewish, but a classical custom, and by following it St. Luke shows himself a true Gentile, trained in Greek culture and imitating classical models. Here he affects classical elegance and correctness of expression... [ Continue Reading ]
SURELY BELIEVED] RV 'fulfilled.'... [ Continue Reading ]
EVEN AS] i.e. these narratives were in exact accordance with the evidence of the eyewitnesses. EYEWITNESSES] i.e. mainly the Apostles themselves, perhaps also the seventy disciples.... [ Continue Reading ]
IN ORDER] may refer either to chronological order, or to orderly arrangement according to subjects. MOST EXCELLENT THEOPHILUS] Some think that Theophilus is not a real person, but an ideal name for a Christian reader ('beloved of God'). More probably Theophilus was a distinguished Roman citizen res... [ Continue Reading ]
INSTRUCTED] lit. 'catechised,' i.e. taught by means of question and answer. At a very early period, probably in the apostolic age, candidates for baptism ('catechumens') were required to go through a preliminary course of training in Christian doctrine and morality, of which catechising formed a pro... [ Continue Reading ]
The classical style of the preface now changes abruptly to one which is deeply tinged with Hebraisms. This Hebraic style continues to the end of Luke 2. Some scholars explain it by supposing that St. Luke is here using a Hebrew document. HEROD] see Matthew 2:1. THE COURSE OF ABIA (Abijah)] David div... [ Continue Reading ]
CONCEPTION OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. The rise of Christianity was preceded by a long period of four hundred years, during which prophecy was silent, and the religious guidance of the nation passed to the rabbis and the scribes, who made void the Law of God by their traditions. The advent of Christ was he... [ Continue Reading ]
RIGHTEOUS] i.e. according to the OT. standard. They were good, pious Jews, strict and careful observers of the Mosaic Law, but not, of course, sinless.... [ Continue Reading ]
LOT] To avoid disputes the various functions were decided by lot. TO BURN INCENSE] This was done daily, morning and evening (Exodus 30:6). The daily sacrifice of the lamb was offered on the great altar of burnt offering outside the Temple proper, in front of the porch. The incense was offered inside... [ Continue Reading ]
AN ANGEL] It was said of the high priest Simon the Just (died 320 b.c.) that 'for those forty years wherein he had served as high priest, he had seen an angel clothed in white coming into the Holy Place on the Day of Atonement and going out again.' St. Luke gives special prominence to the ministry o... [ Continue Reading ]
WAS TROUBLED] cp. Luke 2:9; Judges 6:22; Judges 13:22, etc.... [ Continue Reading ]
MY PRAYER] Probably not for offspring, but for the coming of the kingdom of God, and of the Messianic salvation, the only suitable prayer for so solemn an occasion. It was a maxim of the rabbis that 'a prayer in which there is no mention of the kingdom of God is no prayer at all.' JOHN] lit. 'Jehova... [ Continue Reading ]
John was a Nazirite, i.e. one of a class of men in Israel who consecrated themselves to God by abstaining from all intoxicants, by avoiding with scrupulous care all ceremonial defilement, and by wearing the hair long, Numbers 6:1. Usually men made the Nazirite vow for a definite time, not less than... [ Continue Reading ]
GO BEFORE HIM] RV 'go before his face,' i.e. before the face of Jehovah. ELIAS] RV 'Elijah': see Malachi 4:5 and on Matthew 17:10. TO TURN THE HEARTS, etc.] Malachi's exact words are, 'He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers.' 'The fathe... [ Continue Reading ]
With the unbelief of Zacharias compare the laughter of Abraham, Genesis 17:17, and of Sarah, Genesis 1:12. To ask for a sign was not in itself wrong. Abraham, Gideon, and Hezekiah had done so without rebuke. But the appearance of the angel ought itself to have been a sufficient sign to Zacharias.... [ Continue Reading ]
I AM GABRIEL, etc.] cp. Tob 1:15, 'I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels which present the prayers of the saints, and go in before the glory of the Holy One.' Two angels only are named in the canonical Scriptures, Gabriel (lit. 'the mighty man of God'), Daniel 8:16; Daniel 9:21 and Michael (lit... [ Continue Reading ]
MARVELLED THAT HE TARRIED] RV 'Marvelled while he tarried.' The people were afraid that the officiating priest might be struck dead for omitting some formality (Leviticus 1:13), hence the custom was for the priest to finish his ministry as quickly as possible. Once when Simon the Just delayed too lo... [ Continue Reading ]
CAME OUT] His duty was now to pronounce the priestly benediction (Numbers 6:24), but this he was unable to do.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DAYS] i.e. the week of the course of Abijah.... [ Continue Reading ]
HID HERSELF FIVE MONTHS] She desired to devote herself entirely to prayer and thanksgiving for so signal a mercy. The reproach of childlessness was deeply felt: see Genesis 30:23; 1 Samuel 1:6, etc.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SIXTH MONTH] i.e. from the conception of John, Luke 1:24. NAZARETH] see on Matthew 2:23... [ Continue Reading ]
THE ANNUNCIATION (see on Matthew 1). Wonder and awe and adoring praise are the emotions with which Christians have ever regarded the unspeakable condescension of Him who, 'when He took upon Him human nature to deliver it, did not abhor the Virgin's womb.' That Mary fully understood who her child was... [ Continue Reading ]
CAME IN] Local tradition states that Gabriel appeared to her as she was drawing water at the fountain of the Virgin outside Nazareth, where the Church of the Annunciation now stands. But, as the angel 'came in' to her, she must have been in the house, perhaps engaged in prayer, as painters are fond... [ Continue Reading ]
HIS FATHER DAVID] This seems to imply the Davidic descent of Mary: cp. Luke 1:27, which is ambiguous, and Luke 1:69.... [ Continue Reading ]
HOW SHALL THIS BE, SEEING I KNOW NOT A MAN?] The traditional view of this passage, which sees in it a proof of the perpetual virginity of our Lord's mother, is perhaps correct. Unless Mary had resolved to remain a virgin after her marriage with Joseph, and had obtained her husband's consent to do so... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HOLY GHOST, etc.] Mary would doubtless understand 'the Holy Ghost' impersonally, as the creative power of God, but St. Luke's readers would understand it personally, as frequently in the Acts. The Holy Ghost, (1) miraculously forms and hallows our Lord's human body and soul at His conception; (2... [ Continue Reading ]
Unasked, the angel gives Mary a sign. He who has caused Elisabeth to conceive contrary to nature can make good His word to Mary also. THY COUSIN] RV 'thy kinswoman.' It does not follow from this that Mary belonged, like Elisabeth, to the tribe of Levi. Male descent alone determined the tribe, and Ma... [ Continue Reading ]
BEHOLD THE HANDMAID (lit. 'the slave') OF THE LORD] In these words of humble submission Mary accepts her great destiny. She does so freely, with full understanding of the difficulty of her position. The future she leaves in God's hand. BE IT UNTO ME ACCORDING TO THY WORD] This sacred moment, which m... [ Continue Reading ]
INTO A CITY OF JUDAH] or, 'into a city called Judah' (i.e. possibly Juttah, a priestly city near Hebron).... [ Continue Reading ]
MARY'S VISIT TO ELISABETH. THE MAGNIFICAT. This beautiful narrative must be derived from Mary herself, probably directly. It is told as vividly and minutely after a lapse of half-a-century as if it were an event of yesterday. Clearly it was one of those things which the Virgin mother kept and ponder... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BABE LEAPED] The Jews believed that children were intelligent before birth: cp. Genesis 25:22.... [ Continue Reading ]
BLESSED _art_ THOU AMONG WOMEN] A Hebraism for 'Thou art the most blessed of all women': see on Luke 1:48.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MOTHER OF MY LORD] The aged Elisabeth acknowledges that the young maiden is greater and more highly favoured than she, because she is 'the mother of my Lord,' i.e. of the Messiah. 44. See on Luke 1:41.... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THERE SHALL BE A PERFORMANCE] RM 'that there shall be,' etc.... [ Continue Reading ]
In the Gospels (not in the Pauline Epistles) 'soul' and 'spirit' are synonymous.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE MAGNIFICAT. This glorious song of praise, which has been used in the services of the Church from early times, tells us more than anything else in the NT. of the character of our Lord's mother, and of her spiritual fitness for her exalted destiny. She was one who diligently searched the Scripture... [ Continue Reading ]
IN GOD MY SAVIOUR] In Mary's idea of 'salvation' was doubtless included deliverance from foreign power as well as spiritual deliverance. 'God my Saviour' is, of course, in accordance with OT. ideas, God the Father. Not till much later did she come to regard her Son in this aspect.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LOW ESTATE] cp. 1 Samuel 1:11. Mary, though descended from David, was in humble circumstances. ALL GENERATIONS SHALL CALL ME BLESSED] Prophetically spoken. She has become the pattern of womanhood and motherhood to the whole Christian world, and her song has been enshrined in the Liturgy of every... [ Continue Reading ]
Cp. Psalms 111:9.... [ Continue Reading ]
Cp. Psalms 103:17; Psalms 51. Cp. Psalms 89:10. With prophetic certainty Mary regards the putting down of pride, and the establishment of meekness as already achieved. 52. Cp. Job 5:11; Job 12:19; 1 Samuel 2:7. THE MIGHTY] RV 'princes,' include Herod and his dynasty, but the main idea is that a kin... [ Continue Reading ]
Cp. Micah 7:20. The national feeling is pronounced. The Gentiles are not mentioned, except indirectly in the allusion to the promise to Abraham. The true translation of Luke 1:54 is (see RV) 'He hath helped Israel his servant, that he might remember mercy towards Abraham and his seed for ever, as he... [ Continue Reading ]
Birth and childhood of the Baptist. The Benedictus. 59. The eighth day] Circumcision took place on the eighth day, even though it was the sabbath: see John 7:22. At the circumcision of a child the circumciser said, 'Blessed be the Lord our God, who hath sanctified us by his precepts and hath given u... [ Continue Reading ]
WRITING TABLE] i.e. a tablet covered with wax for writing upon.... [ Continue Reading ]
HATH VISITED] The past tense may express Zacharias' certainty that the Messiah will come, but more probably it implies prophetic knowledge that the conception of Jesus has already taken place. REDEEMED] To Zacharias this would mean political redemption from foreign rule as well as spiritual redempti... [ Continue Reading ]
THE BENEDICTUS. 'This song, which was composed in the priest's mind during the time of his silence, broke solemnly from his lips the moment speech was restored to him, as the metal flows from the crucible in which it has been melted the moment that an outlet is made for it' (Godet). It consists of f... [ Continue Reading ]
AN HORN OF SALVATION] The power of the Messianic King is likened to the strength of a bull, or wild-ox (AV 'unicorn'), which is represented by his horns: cp. 1 Samuel 2:10; 2 Samuel 22:3; Psalms 75:10, etc. DAVID] The expression implies that Mary was descended from David.... [ Continue Reading ]
SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN] may be taken literally, Adam being regarded as the first prophet. More probably it is used vaguely for 'in olden times.'... [ Continue Reading ]
ENEMIES] i.e. Herod and the Romans, but when Christians sing this hymn, they mean Satan and all the enemies of Christ.... [ Continue Reading ]
TO PERFORM THE MERCY PROMISED TO OUR FATHERS] RV 'To shew mercy towards our fathers.' THE RV implies that the patriarchs, though dead, still exist, and take an interest in the fortunes of their posterity, a doctrine affirmed with authority by Christ (Matthew 22:32). COVENANT] The 'covenant' and 'th... [ Continue Reading ]
OF THE LORD] Zacharias understood it of Jehovah; Christians understand it of Christ. 77. This v. well describes the character of John's ministry, which joined the announcement of the Kingdom with the preaching of repentance. Translate, 'To give unto his people knowledge of salvation—salvation which... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DAYSPRING] The Gk. word here (_anatole_) is ambiguous. It may either mean the rising of a heavenly body, and hence the heavenly body itself, so that the Messiah is virtually called 'the Sun' or 'Star of Israel,' or it may mean 'the Branch,' a title applied to the Messiah (Jeremiah 23:5; Jeremiah... [ Continue Reading ]
PEACE] not successful war is Zacharias' ideal for the Messianic period, and not only earthly peace, but 'peace with God.'... [ Continue Reading ]