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CHAPTER 42 – Luke: 5 B.C.-31 A.D.

Luke is the forty-second book of the Bible and the third of four books known as The Gospels. The title of the book in Greek is Euangelion kata Loukan meaning “The Gospel According to Luke.” The English title comes from the Greek title.

Authorship

Luke, a physician, who knew many eyewitnesses of Jesus’ life and who was familiar with their writings, is the author of the book of Luke. It was probably written not later than 63 A.D.

Summary

The book of Luke opens with a declaration of Luke’s sources of information about Jesus and the book is addressed to someone named Theophilus.

Luke then speaks of a certain old priest named Zacharias who along with his wife, Elisabeth, were blameless and also childless. While Zacharias ministers in the Temple, the angel, Gabriel, appears to him and tells him that he and his wife will have a son who would make ready a people prepared for the Lord God.

Zacharias goes home and Elisabeth conceives, and in her sixth month of pregnancy, the angel, Gabriel, appears to virgin named Mary in a city named Nazareth. Gabriel tells Mary, who is betrothed to a man named Joseph, that she will conceive a son through the power of the Holy Spirit, that she was to name her son, Jesus, and that her cousin, Elisabeth, was pregnant.

Mary visits Elisabeth, stays with her three months, and then returns home. Elisabeth gives birth to a son and they name him, John. Caesar Augustus decrees that all the world should be taxed and so Joseph and Mary travel to a city named Bethlehem to be taxed. While in Bethlehem, Mary gives birth to a son.

Angels appear to shepherds watching their flocks by night and they tell the shepherds that in the city of David a Saviour is born, which is Christ the Lord. The shepherds go and they find Mary and Joseph and their baby son lying in a manger (feeding trough) and they return home praising God.

On the eighth day, Mary and Joseph circumcise their son and name him, Jesus. After this, they take Jesus to the Temple to present Him to the God. There at the Temple, a man named Simeon prophesies concerning Jesus and an old prophetess named, Anna, also prophesies regarding Jesus. The child, Jesus, grows and is filled with wisdom.

When Jesus is twelve years old, Mary and Joseph take Him with them to the Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover. When Mary and Joseph leave to return home, Jesus stays behind in Jerusalem without their knowledge. After three days, Mary and Joseph find Jesus in Jerusalem and Jesus tells them that He must be about His Father’s business. Jesus returns home with them and He grows up filled with wisdom and in favour with God and man.

John, the son of Zacharias, comes into the wilderness and the region about the Jordan River, preaching the baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Multitudes come to John to be baptized. Herod, the ruler, being reproved by John for Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils he had done, shut up John in prison.

But before John’s imprisonment, Jesus is baptized by John and the Holy Spirit and God, the Father, manifest themselves at Jesus’ baptism. Luke then gives the genealogy of Jesus, starting from Jesus Himself and going back to Adam.

The Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the wilderness where Jesus is tempted of the devil forty days during which Jesus eats nothing. The devil makes three last temptations of Jesus, which Jesus resists successfully. Jesus then returns to Galilee where His fame spreads throughout all the region and He teaches in their synagogues.

After this, Jesus comes to Nazareth where He was raised from a child and He speaks in the synagogue. The people are angry at Jesus’ words and they attempt to kill him by casting Him down from the top a hill, but Jesus escapes. Jesus then goes to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and teaches the people on the Sabbath days. He casts out a devil (demon) from a man in the synagogue and His fame spreads.

At Simon’s house, Jesus heals Simon’s wife’s mother of a fever. Many sick people are brought to Jesus and He heals them, casting out devils out of many people. After this, at the lake of Gennesaret, Jesus performs a miracle in which so many fish are caught by some fishermen that two ships begin to sink. The fishermen, Simon Peter, and James and John, the sons of Zebedee, then leave all and follow Jesus.

After this, Jesus heals a leper and a paralysed man, calls Levi a publican (tax collector) to follow Him and Levi immediately leaves all and follows Jesus. Levi makes a great feast for Jesus attended by a great company of publicans, and the scribes and the Pharisees murmur against Jesus and His disciples. On a Sabbath day after this, while going through the corn fields, His disciples pluck ears of corn and eat at which act the Pharisees complain.

On another Sabbath, Jesus heals a man in the synagogue with a withered hand and the scribes and the Pharisees commune with one another what they might do to Jesus. After this, Jesus goes up into a mountain and prays all night, and when it is day, Jesus chooses twelve of His disciples whom He calls apostles.

A great multitude of people from all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, come to hear Jesus and to be healed by Him. Jesus heals them all and teaches them many things and when He is finished, He enters into the city of Capernaum where He heals a centurion’s servant. The next day, Jesus goes to the city of Nain with many of His disciples, where He raises a dead man to life again. The report of this spread throughout all Judaea and the surrounding region.

John the Baptist sends two of his disciples to Jesus with the enquiry whether Jesus is the One who should come or should they look for another. Jesus sends them back to John with an answer and Jesus praises John. A Pharisee invites Jesus to a meal at his house and while Jesus is there a woman anoints His feet with ointment.

After this, Jesus goes throughout every city and village with the twelve disciples preaching the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. On a certain day, Jesus enters a ship with His disciples and a storm arises at sea and Jesus calms the storm.

When they arrive at the region of the Gadarenes, they are met by a man possessed by many devils. Jesus casts the devils out of the man and permits the devils to go into a herd of swine, at which the herd runs down a steep place into the lake and are drowned. The people, in fear, ask Jesus to leave but when Jesus returns at a later time, the people gladly receive Him. Jesus heals a woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years and raises the daughter of Jairus from the dead to life again.

Jesus then sends out the twelve disciples to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick and they go. When the disciples return, they tell Jesus of what they had done, and Jesus takes them into a deserted place belonging to a city called Bethsaida. The people follow Jesus and He teaches them, heals them, and miraculously feeds 5,000 men, besides women and children with five loaves and two fishes.

Eight days after this, Jesus takes Peter, John, and James up a mountain to pray. As Jesus prays, His face changes and His clothes become white and glistening and Moses and Elijah appear and they talk with Jesus, and God speaks from heaven. The next day when they come down from the mountain, Jesus heals a demon-possessed child.

When the time comes that Jesus should be received up into heaven, He sets His face to go to Jerusalem. Jesus sends messengers before Him but the Samaritans do not receive Him. Jesus next sends out seventy of His disciples in pairs into every city and place where He would come, and the seventy return with joy.

After this, Jesus has a conflict with the scribes and the Pharisees who lay wait for Him, seeking to catch words out of His mouth that they might accuse Him. When an innumerable multitude of people are gathered, Jesus teaches them many things. As Jesus is teaching in a synagogue on a Sabbath day, He heals a woman who had been sick for eighteen years. Jesus then goes through the cities and villages, teaching and journeying toward Jerusalem.

As Jesus goes to Jerusalem, He passes through Samaria and Galilee and in a certain village, He heals ten lepers. Near Jericho, Jesus heals a blind man who follows Jesus and all the people praise God. On His way through Jericho, Jesus commends rich Zacchaeus, the chief publican (tax collector), for His repentance and goes to be a guest at His house, at which all the people murmur.

Ascending up to Jerusalem, when He comes near to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sends two of His disciples before Him with instructions. They return with a colt (a young donkey) and they set Jesus on the colt. When Jesus comes near to Jerusalem, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of His disciples begin to rejoice and to praise God.

Jesus then goes into the Temple in Jerusalem and casts out them that bought and sold there. Jesus teaches daily in the Temple and the scribes and the chief of the people seek to destroy Him, but could not find what they might do Him as all the people were very attentive to Jesus.

On one of these days that Jesus teaches the people in the Temple and preaches the gospel, the chief priests, scribes, and elders confront Him. Jesus speaks a parable against them, and they desire to seize Jesus but they fear the people. They then watch Jesus continually and send out spies who would pretend to be just men, that they might catch Jesus in His words and so, deliver Jesus to the power and authority of the governor.

After this, Jesus sees the rich men casting their gifts of money into the treasury and likewise a certain poor widow whom He commends for her small offering. In the daytime, Jesus teaches in the Temple and at night He leaves and stays in the Mount of Olives. In the morning, all the people come to Him to hear Him.

The Feast of Unleavened Bread, the Passover, draws near and the chief priests and scribes seek how they might kill Jesus for they fear what would be the people’s reaction to this action of theirs. Then Satan enters into Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples of Jesus, and he communes with the chief priests and captains how he might betray Jesus unto them. The chief priests and captains are glad and they agree to give money to Judas, who then seeks an opportunity to betray Jesus in the absence of the multitude.

On the day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover must be killed, Jesus sits down to a meal with the twelve apostles. He institutes the celebration of the Lord’s supper, prophesies that one of them will betray Him and that Peter will deny Him three times before the cock crows.

Jesus then goes to the Mount of Olives with His disciples. There Jesus prays asking the Father to remove the spiritual cup of woe from Him if He is willing, but nevertheless let the Father’s will be done. An angel from heaven appears and strengthens Jesus, and Jesus continues praying and His sweat is as if it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.

Judas, one of the twelve disciples, comes with a multitude and betrays Jesus with a kiss. One of Jesus’ disciples strikes the servant of the high priest with a sword and cuts off his right ear and Jesus heals the servant. They take Jesus to the high priest’s house and Peter follows from afar. There at the house, Peter denies Jesus three times before the cock crows and, when He remembers Jesus’ words, Peter goes out and weeps bitterly.

They abuse Jesus and as soon as it is daylight, the elders of the people and the chief priests and scribes come together and lead Jesus to their council. They put Jesus on trial and the whole multitude of them lead Jesus to Pilate, the governor, with an accusation against Jesus. Pilate tells the chief priests and the people that he finds no fault in Jesus, and he sends Jesus to Herod, who is in Jerusalem at the time.

Herod mocks and abuses Jesus and sends Him back to Pilate, who yields to the crowd’s request that he release Barabbas, a notorious prisoner, and crucify Jesus. As they lead Jesus away, they compel Simon, a Cyrenian, to carry Jesus’ cross. When they come to the place called Calvary, they crucify Jesus and two criminals, one criminal on Jesus’ right hand and the other on His left.

While Jesus hangs on the cross, He is mocked by the people, the rulers, the soldiers, and one of the criminals who is crucified with Him. The other criminal repents and Jesus promises him that He will be with Him, Jesus, in paradise. About the sixth hour of the day (12:00 p.m.) darkness covers the land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.) when Jesus dies.

Joseph, one of the councillors, who is a good and just man, begs Pilate for the body of Jesus and he takes it down and lays the body in a new sepulchre (tomb). That day is the preparation day and the seventh-day Sabbath draws near so they rest on the Sabbath day according to the commandment.

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women come to the tomb and find the stone at the door of the tomb was rolled away, and the tomb is empty. Two men in shining garments appear and tell them that Jesus is not here, He is risen from the dead to life again. The women go and tell the eleven apostles and all the rest of the disciples that Jesus is risen, but they do not believe the women. Peter runs to the tomb and finds it empty and he wonders at what has happened.

Jesus then appears that same day to two of His disciples who were walking to a village called Emmaus near Jerusalem. The disciples, one of them whose name is Cleopas, do not recognise Jesus and they invite Jesus to spend the night with them as it is very late in the day. At the evening meal, they recognise Jesus and He vanishes out of their sight.

At the same hour, the two disciples rise up and return to Jerusalem and they tell the eleven apostles and others disciples what had happened. Jesus then appears to them all, eats in their presence, and opens their understanding that they might understand the Scriptures. Jesus next leads the disciples out as far as Bethany and He is carried into heaven. The disciples return to Jerusalem with great joy.

Themes

• The birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.
• Joy of God and angels in heaven when one sinner repents.
• Precise, detailed, historical data concerning the life of Jesus.
• The genealogy of Jesus all the way back to Adam, the first human being whom God created.
• Unbelieving Jewish leaders and their murderous plots leading to the murder of Jesus.
• The preaching and teaching of Jesus, often by using parables.
• Miracles of healing, of casting out demons, of control of the forces of nature, of multiplying food, of raising the dead to life again.
• The love, longsuffering, humility, gentleness, wisdom of Jesus.
• The call to be disciples of Jesus Christ, following Him, and worshipping Him.
• Jesus’ life of prayer, and a call humanity to pray to God.
• The public ministry of Jesus to Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles).
• The friendly, social nature of Jesus.
• Women as consecrated followers of God, and of Jesus, God’s Son.
• A people led astray from God by their religious leaders.
• What sin is, how to live godly lives, and so enter God’s kingdom.

God as Revealed in the Book

• God who conceived Christ in the womb through the Holy Spirit.
• God who manifested Himself on earth with regard to Jesus.
• God who answered the prayers of Jesus.

Connections with the Rest of the Bible

Only one angel is identified by name in the Bible. That is, in the books of Daniel and Luke, the name of an angel, “Gabriel” (Daniel 8:16; Daniel 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26), appears.

“Caesar Augustus” (Luke 2:1), “a raiser of taxes” (Daniel 11:20), reigned from 27 B.C. to 14 A.D., and it was during his reign that Christ was born in approximately 5 B.C. Tiberius Caesar was adopted by Caesar Augustus in 4 A.D. and Tiberius began his reign as “co-princeps” with Augustus in 13 A.D. When Augustus died in 14 A.D., Tiberius succeeded him. So, counting from 13 A.D., “the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar” (Luke 3:1), was the year 27 A.D., the year when Jesus Christ was baptized being “anointed with the Holy Ghost [Holy Spirit] and with power.” Acts 10:38.

In the previous discussion on the book of Ezra (Chapter 15 of this book that you are reading), it was stated that the 70-week prophecy of Daniel Chapter 9 started in 457 B.C. Now “from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem [in 457 B.C.] unto [Christ] the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore [sixty] and two weeks.” Daniel 9:25. That is, after (7 weeks + 62 weeks) = 69 weeks = (69 weeks x 7 days per week) = 483 prophetic days, which is 483 literal years according to the day-for-a-year principle. The end of the 483 literal years points to the time which would come “to anoint [Christ] the most Holy.” Daniel 9:24. So, (457 B.C. + 483 years) = 27 A.D., since there is no year zero between 1 B.C. and 1 A.D.

“After threescore and two weeks shall Messiah [Christ] be cut off, but not for himself.” Daniel 9:26. This was a prophecy that Christ would die after the 483 years which ended in 27 A.D. “And he shall confirm the [everlasting] covenant with many for one week [the 70th week]: and in the midst of the [70th] week he shall cause the [earthly sanctuary’s] sacrifice and the oblation [offering] to cease.” Daniel 9:27. Now the middle of the 70th week is 3½ prophetic days or 3½ literal years from 27 A.D. Therefore, Christ died in (27 A.D. + 3½ years) = 31 A.D.

Spiritual Applications

Pray to God sincerely and ask God to help you to do His will, believing that God will help you, and thus you will be enabled to make the spiritual applications noted below:

• Believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
• Study the book of Luke and learn its lessons.
• Be like Jesus Christ in character and so be saved.
• Believe God’s miracles; note though that Satan deceives through certain miracles which he is able to do.

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