LUKE LESSON 2

     We will begin this lesson in Luke 1:21 "And the people waited for
Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple."

    In the last lesson we saw Zacharias going into the temple to burn
incense. He saw the angel Gabriel and was told he would have a son in
his old age. Because of his unbelief he was struck dumb, unable to
speak. When someone tarried this long ordinarily it meant he had
displeased God and been killed. The people were beginning to be
concerned for Zacharias' life.

    Luke 1:22 "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."

    When the people saw him (Zacharias) they knew immediately that
something unusual had happened in the temple. They assumed that he had
seen a vision because he could not talk.

    Luke 1:23 "And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his
ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house."

    We see, here, that he went ahead and finished his allotted time of
work in the temple before he went home. Each priest had a certain
amount of time he attended work in the temple and then someone else
took over. This was the case with Zocharias.

    Luke 1:24 "And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and
hid herself five months, saying,"  Luke 1:25 "Thus hath the Lord dealt
with me in the days wherein he looked on [me], to take away my
reproach among men."

    Elisabeth immediately knew that this child was a gift from God.
She felt now her friends would not think God had cursed her because
she had no children. She knew they, too, would realize this was a gift
from God because of her great age.

    Luke 1:26 "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from
God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,"  Luke 1:27 "To a virgin
espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and
the virgin's name [was] Mary."

    We see, again, here, God the Father sending Gabriel to Galilee
with a message. The little town he went to was Nazareth. "Nazareth"
means branch. What an interesting place for this to happen in that
Jesus is the Branch. this "espoused" was much more binding than an
engagement today. The deal had already been made by the fathers of the
bride and groom. The actual marriage would take place after the groom
had built the bride a home.  This explanation that she was a "virgin"
means that she had never slept with Joseph and could not possibly be
expecting his child.  Mary was a cousin of Elisabeth and was from a
very godly family herself.  Joseph was a descendent of King David. The
world would suppose Jesus to be Joseph's son so it would be of extreme
importance for him to be descended from David.

    Luke 1:28 "And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, [thou
that art] highly favoured, the Lord [is] with thee: blessed [art] thou
among women."

    Gabriel is bringing news to Mary that God sees how she lives and
He is about to bless her above the women of her day.

    Luke 1:29 "And when she saw [him], she was troubled at his saying,
and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be."

    Mary felt uneasy because of the presence of Gabriel. She was not
sure what he was saying. This "cast in her mind" just means she was
questioning in her mind what he meant. She was surprised at his
greeting to her. She did not think of herself as being highly
favoured.

    Luke 1:30 "And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou
hast found favour with God."

    Here again we see Gabriel telling Mary not to fear. She is
pleasing unto God.

    Luke 1:31 "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring
forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS."

    The name "JESUS" is powerful. The name means Saviour, The
Salvation of Jehovah. At the name of Jesus every knee shall bow.
Philippians 2:10 "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of
[things] in heaven, and [things] in earth, and [things] under the
earth;" In this name is salvation. this would certainly be startling
news to Mary who had never been with a man. Not only is she told she
will have a child, but that He will be a son, as well.

    Luke 1:32 "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the
Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father
David:"

    Notice here that "Son" is capitalized showing that this is God's
Son. I Kings 2:45 "And king Solomon [shall be] blessed, and the throne
of David shall be established before the LORD for ever." God had
promised some of David's descendents would be on the throne for ever.
We see here David's throne is Jesus' throne.

    Luke 1:33 "And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever;
and of his kingdom there shall be no end."

    We would have understood this better if it had said Israel instead
of "Jacob". Jesus reigns over physical Israel (the Jewish nation) and
spiritual Israel (the believers in Christ). Jesus' reign is forever.

    Luke 1:34 "Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be,
seeing I know not a man?"
    Mary was thinking of the physical and not the spiritual. She knows
that she has not been with a man and knows she is not expecting By
Man.

    Luke 1:35 "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy
Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall
overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of
thee shall be called the Son of God."

    God is to be the Father of Jesus. Mary is the mother and God is
the Father. Mary furnishes the body and God provides the Spirit.
"Highest" here means the eternal Father. Mary is expecting the Christ
Child. Jesus Christ is the Eternal Word. The Word takes on the form of
flesh and dwells among us. John 1:14 "And the Word was made flesh, and
dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth."

    Luke 1:36 "And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also
conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her,
who was called barren."  Luke 1:37 "For with God nothing shall be
impossible."

    This is telling Mary that all things are possible with God.
Nothing is impossible to Him. Elisabeth is expecting John and Mary is
expecting Jesus. These two will play a great role in Christianity.
John is the voice proclaiming the coming of Jesus Christ. His ministry
will fade away as Jesus' ministry broadens.

    Luke 1:38 "And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it
unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her."

    We see, here, Mary totally submitted to God. She calls herself
"handmaid of the Lord". Because she is totally His servant. His will
is her desire.

    Luke 1:39 "And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill
country with haste, into a city of Juda;"   Luke 1:40 "And entered
into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth."

    Here we see Mary, the cousin of Elisabeth going to share the news
of expecting the Christ child. Mary knows Elisabeth believes in God
and will believe that Mary is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. She also
wants to hear about the miracle of Elisabeth's pregnancy.

    Luke 1:41 "And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the
salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was
filled with the Holy Ghost:" Luke 1:42 "And she spake out with a loud
voice, and said, Blessed [art] thou among women, and blessed [is] the
fruit of thy womb."

    This is the Spirit of the Holy Ghost that came upon Elisabeth the
minute Mary greeted her. The gift of prophecy came upon her and she
began to prophesy of the coming events. Her first statement was a
message from God to Mary approving of the birth of the Christ child
which is to be soon. Many times a message of prophecy comes in a very
loud voice from an ordinarily quiet person. Elisabeth in prophecy
recognizes the blessedness of the Christ child which Mary is carrying
in her womb.

    Luke 1:43 "And whence [is] this to me, that the mother of my Lord
should come to me?"

    Here we see in prophecy, Elisabeth recognizes Jesus as her Lord
even before His birth.

    Luke 1:44 "For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded
in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy."

    We see here that even before his birth. John the Baptist
recognized Jesus.

    Luke 1:45 "And blessed [is] she that believed: for there shall be
a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord."

    This is the end of Elisabeth's prophecy. She is proclaiming how
wonderful it is that Mary believed.

    From verse 46 through 55 is a hymn of praise by Mary. This is a
beautiful statement of the low estate of Mary and the high estate of
God. This is an unselfish prayer of praise.

    Luke 1:46 "And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,"  Luke
1:47 "And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour."

    Here, we see Mary glorifying the Son of God who is her Saviour, as
well as ours. Even though she is His earthly mother, He is her
Saviour.

    Luke 1:48 "For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden:
for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed."

    Mary can hardly believe that a young girl of so little worldly
importance can be blessed of God so much that she will be remembered
for generations to come. Here again, she calls herself God's servant
("handmaid").

    Luke 1:49 "For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and
holy [is] his name."  Luke 1:50 "And his mercy [is] on them that fear
him from generation to generation."

    She jumps here from the blessings He has showered on her to the
mercy He will show all them who fear Him. His power (might) is
mentioned, then His holiness, and then His mercy, We see, too, that
all of these are never ending.

    Luke 1:51 "He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered
the proud in the imagination of their hearts."  Luke 1:52 "He hath put
down the mighty from [their] seats, and exalted them of low degree."
Luke 1:53 "He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he
hath sent empty away."

    We see, here, the mighty arm of God in His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus
is an extension of the Father. Jesus, in many instances, is spoken of
as the Right Hand of God. This is a kind of prophecy of Mary here,
speaking of what Jesus will do. This is very similar to the Sermon on
the Mount. Jesus comes to help those who cannot help themselves. He
would say He came for the ones who needed a physician. Those who trust
in uncertain riches of this world will be turned away by Jesus. The
key word is trust.

    Luke 1:54 "He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of
[his] mercy;" Luke 1:55 "As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and
to his seed for ever."

    Now we must look and see who Abraham's seed of promise are.
Galatians 3:29 "And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed,
and heirs according to the promise." You see, Jesus Christ is the help
of physical Israel and spiritual Israel (the believers in Christ). The
believers are Abraham's seed.

    Luke 1:56 "And Mary abode with her about three months, and
returned to her own house."

    We see, here, that Mary and Elisabeth had a lot in common. Both
were to have miracle births. Both were expecting promised sons. The
difference was Elisabeth's baby had an earthly father and Mary's baby
had a heavenly Father.

























                           Luke 2 Questions

1.  Why did the people marvel that Zacharias was in the temple so
    long?
2.  Why did the people think Zacharias had seen a vision?
3.  When did he go home?
4.  Who was Zacharias' wife?
5.  How long did she hide herself?
6.  What had God done for her?
7.  Why would the people think this was a gift from God to her?
8.  What angel was sent to Mary?
9.  Where was she at the time?
10. Who was she espoused to?
11. Whose house was he of?
12. What does "espoused" mean?
13. What one word lets you know Mary lived right?
14. What does "Nazareth" mean here?
15. What relation was Mary to Elisabeth?
16. What did the angel first say to Mary?
17. What does "cast in her mind" Mean?
18. What was her Son to be named?
19. What does His name mean?
20. In Philippians 2:10. what do we find out about Jesus?
21. In V-32. what shall Jesus be called?
22. What house shall Jesus reign over forever?
23. Explain who these people are.
24. Why did Mary ask Gabriel how all this could be?
25. Who shall come upon Mary to cause her to conceive the Son of God?
26. What does Mary furnish in this union?
27. What is Jesus called in St. John 1:14?
28. How far along was Elisabeth when Mary became with child?
29. What does Mary call herself showing she is God's servant?
30. Where would Mary find Elisabeth?
31. When Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, what happened to her
    baby in her womb?
32. What happened to Elisabeth?
33. What gift of the Spirit did Elisabeth receive?
34. Who did Elisabeth call Mary?
35. Who did she call Mary's baby?
36. What are verses 46 thorough 55?
37. Mary's soul magnifies whom?
38. What does Mary call Jesus?
39. What is hard for Mary to believe?
40. What three things are glorified by Mary of God in verses 49 & 50?
41. The mighty arm of God is ____________.
42. Who does He help?
43. Who are Abraham's seed?
44. How long did Mary stay with Elisabeth?