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Tuesday, November 9, 2021

Bible In One Year Day 313 (Luke 1 - 2, Proverbs 25: 24-26)

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Messianic Checkpoint (Gospel of Luke with Jeff Cavins)

Day 313: The Ark of the Covenant 

 

Agape Bible Study 
Luke 1 - 2 

INTRODUCTION

The Gospel According to St. Luke is written by a man believed to be the only Gentile, Holy Spirit inspired New Testament writer who carefully researched and recorded the events of Jesus' life and ministry for his target audience of Gentile Christians. It is also the only Gospel that is a two-part work "the second part being the Acts of Apostles. St. Luke's Gospel provides the longest and most complete account of the advent and earthly life of the Messiah "from the divine announcement and birth of His precursor, St. John the Baptist, to the Annunciation, birth and early childhood of Jesus, to His ministry to the lost sheep of Israel, and finally with the climax of His Gospel in Jesus' victorious death, glorious Resurrection and heavenly Ascension.

Authorship

The oldest title of this Gospel is "The Gospel According to Luke," stressing that even though the work is anonymous it was believed that the identity of the inspired writer was St. Luke, the companion of St. Paul (Col 4:14; 2 Tim 4:11). 

Dating the Gospel of Luke

Bible scholars are generally of two opinions on the dating of the Gospel of Luke. Some scholars favor a later date, placing the work after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.  Other scholars, however, date the writing of the book prior to 70 AD and suggest a date between 58 and 63 or perhaps 67 AD, referring to Bishop Irenaeus' testimony that the Gospels of Mark, Luke and John were written after the deaths of Sts. Peter and Paul in Rome that occurred in 64/67 AD. 

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 is divided into five parts:

  1. Prologue (verses 1-4)
  2. The birth of John the Baptist foretold (verses 5-25)
  3. The Annunciation (verses 26-38)
  4. The Visitation (verses 39-56)
  5. The birth of St. John the Baptist (verses 57-80)

Luke 1:1-4 ~ The Prologue

St. Luke begins his prologue by mentioning that there are other gospels recording the events of Jesus' life. Some scholars count as many as 34 different gospels written within the first 2-3 centuries of the Church while others count more. However, the Church has always maintained, and as Origen, the head of the Christian school of Catechesis in Alexandria, Egypt testified, from the very beginning of the Church only four Gospels were acknowledged as Holy Spirit inspired: As to the four Gospels, which alone are indisputable in the Church of God under heaven ....

Question: What three qualities is Luke claiming in the record of his Gospel account?

Answer: He claims he has done his "homework" and presents an account that is

  1. Thorough ("eyewitnesses from the beginning")
  2. Accurate ("investigating everything accurately anew")
  3. Orderly account that is complete ("to write it down in an orderly sequence")

Question: In verse 3 what does St. Luke present as his purpose for writing down his account of the life and ministry of Jesus?
Answer: Luke presents his intent to defend the teaching/instruction Theophilus has received.

Luke 1:5-25 ~ The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold


In his Gospel and in the Book of Acts St. Luke mentions historical events and important people to establish the timeframe of the story. He opens the Gospel account by setting the time "during the reign of Herod the Great. At the time the events of Jesus life took place, Judea was no longer an independent state. The Roman Empire extended from England to Egypt and from Portugal to the border of Persia. Herod the son of Antipater was an Idumaean (a descendant of Esau) selected to rule the Roman vassal province of Judea by the Roman Senate in 40 BC. Herod, however, had to subdue Jewish resistance to his rule and therefore didn't become the "king of the Jews" until 37 BC. Herod was an able ruler but a cruel and vindictive man. Augustus Caesar quipped that it was better to be Herod's pig than his son. Herod observed the Jewish practice of abstaining from pig flesh, but he killed three of his sons and a wife, among others. He died with no one to mourn him in c. 1 BC.(2) St. Matthew also dates the events of Jesus' birth within the reign of Herod the Great, but he includes the information that Jesus was born shortly before the death of Herod (Mt 2:1, 15, 19-22).

The priest Zechariah had traveled with his brother priests of the clan of Abijah to Yahweh's holy Temple in the city of Jerusalem. In the time of King David, the chief priestly families had been divided into 24 courses or clans (1 Chr 24:3-4, 10, 19) as had been the lesser ministers of the Levites (23:1-32; 24:20-25:31). It was the duty of the clans of the ministerial priesthood and the lesser ministers to serve two weeks a year in the Temple's daily liturgical services and for all the clans to be present to serve during the holy annual feast days. According to tradition, Zechariah lived in the village of Ein Kerem. He traveled the four miles from his village to the holy city of Jerusalem to fulfill the week-long obligation to serve God in the communal offering of the Tamid lambs in the twice daily worship services and to offer the other necessary sacrifices at the holy Jerusalem Temple.(3)

Zechariah's name in Hebrew (Zekaryah) is a theophoric name (a name containing the name of the deity) and means "Yahweh remembers." Zechariah's wife's name in Hebrew (Eliseba) means "God's oath" or "God is my oath."

Question: What significant detail does Luke include concerning the ancestry of Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth? Ex 6:23; 28:1-4 and Sir 45:6/7-15/19.
Answer: They are both descendants of Israel's first high priest, Aaron. Only Aaron's descendants could serve as chief priests. Elizabeth has the same name as Aaron's wife.

In the Greek text the angel uses the verb euangelizesthai, which means "to preach the gospel" (good news). Zechariah received the honor of being the first one to whom the gospel of the Kingdom was preached! St. Luke used this verb ten times in his Gospel and fifteen times in Acts. Notice that the angel only answers Zechariah's question "How shall I know this?" by reveling his name, "Gabriel."

The angel Gabriel is God's messenger to Zechariah; the word angelos means "messenger." 

This lesson continues with St. Luke's birth narrative which, like St. Matthew's birth narrative, is presented in 5 parts:

  1. The announcement of St. John's birth (Lk 1:5-25)
  2. The announcement of Jesus' birth (Lk 1:26-38)
  3. The Visitation (Lk 1:39-56)
  4. The birth of John the Baptist (Lk 1:57-80)
  5. The birth of Jesus (Lk 2:1-21)

Luke 1:26-38 ~ The announcement of Jesus' birth (the Annunciation)

It is the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a virgin named Mary. In Hebrew her name is Miriam. Mary lived in the insignificant village of Nazareth in the lower Galilee. Nazareth is located just north of the fertile Jezreel Valley, 15 miles east from the Sea of Galilee, and 20 miles from the Mediterranean Sea to the west.

Question: What other woman in Israel's history bore the same name from the Exodus generation? When has this family connection been mentioned previously? See Lk 1:5, 36; Ex 6:20, 23; 15:20 and Num 26:59.
Answer: Mary/Miriam is the same name as Moses and Aaron's sister. Both Elizabeth/Elisheba, who bears the same name as the wife or Aaron, Israel's first high priest (Ex 6:23) and Mary/Miraim have a name connection and bloodline link to the great Exodus heroes and heroine: Aaron the first High Priest, his brother Moses the liberator, law-giver and prophet, and their sister, Miriam, Israel's first prophetess (Ex 15:20).

Mary's son is to be the "new Moses" promised by the prophets. He will be the new law-giver, the new liberator, and God's supreme prophet that was promised to Moses in Deuteronomy 18:18-20: I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their kinsmen, and will put my words into his mouth; he shall tell them all that I command him. If any man will not listen to my words which he speaks in my name, I myself will make him answer for it.

Question: How are the families related? What is Mary's lineage? See Ex 28:1; Lk 1:5, 32 and 36.

Answer: Zechariah's wife is a kinswoman of Mary. Both Zechariah and Elizabeth are descendants of the first High Priest, Aaron, the brother of Moses (Ex 28:1; Lk 1:5). Therefore, as well as being a descendant of King David (Lk 1:32), Mary also has a link to the priestly bloodline (1:36).

Mary is "betrothed" to a descendant of the great King David, a man named Joseph. A betrothal was the first stage of an arranged marriage and lasted about year (Mishnah: Ketubot, 5:2). The betrothal involved a ketuba, a formal contract in the presence of witnesses, in addition to the payment of the mohar, the "bride price" (see Mal 2:14). The second stage was when the bridegroom came to take the bride to his house. At that time there was a seven-day marriage feast with the consummation of the union on the first night (Gen 29:27-28; Judg 14:12-18; Mt 1:18; 25:1-13; Tob 8:20, 27; Mishnah: Ketubot, 4:4-5). The betrothal gave the groom legal rights over the girl and the contract could only be broken by him through a writ of divorce (see Mt 1:18-19).(2) Mary and Josephus were in the first stage of the marriage arrangements at the time of the Annunciation, and she was still a virgin.

Joseph's Hebrew name is Yosep, a name meaning "let him add" (increase).

Question: What was significant about the name of Mary's betrothed? See Gen 30:22-24. Answer: He was probably named for Joseph, the beloved son of Jacob/Israel and his wife Rachel.

Once again the angel Gabriel was send by God. The Greek word angelos means "messenger." It is the same word that is used in the New Testament to identify both spiritual messengers (for example see Mt 1:20, 24; 2:13, 19; Lk 1:11-38; Acts 5:19 and Rev 1:1), and human messengers (for example see Mt 11:10; Mk 1:2; Lk 7:27 and 2 Cor 12:7). The Greek word archangelos means "chief messenger," and is usually translated as "archangel." The Church identifies Gabriel as one of the seven Archangels who stand before the throne of God (Lk 1:19; Rev 8:2, 6; 15:1, 6, 7, 8; 16:1; 17:1 and 21:19).


CCC 411: Mary benefited first of all and uniquely from Christ's victory over sin: she was preserved from all stain of original sin and by a special grace of God committed no sin of any kind during her whole earthly life.

CCC 490: To become the mother of the Savior, Mary "was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role." The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as "full of grace." In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God's grace.

CCC 491: Through the centuries the Church has become even more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius IX proclaimed in 1854: "The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin." (quoting Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus; also see CCC 492-493; 722).

Question: On what day in the liturgical calendar does the Church celebrate Mary's Immaculate Conception? What is our obligation concerning this feast day? See CCC 2042, 2177 (list of holy days), 2180-81.
Answer: December 8th is the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. It is the obligation of all professing Catholics to attend the Mass celebrating this feast day. The obligation is listed under the first of the Church's five precepts.

The angel's greeting is also identifies Mary as the fulfillment of "the daughter of Zion" in the writings of the prophets. God's holy prophets taught the nation of Israel that it was her destiny to give birth to the promised Redeemer-Messiah and now Mary, a daughter of Israel, was asked to fulfill that destiny. The prophet Zephaniah wrote: Shout for joy, daughter of Zion [chaire thygater Sion], Israel, shout aloud! Rejoice; exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! 15 Yahweh has repealed your sentence; he has turned your enemy away. Yahweh is king among you; Israel, you have nothing more to fear. 16When that Day comes, the message for Jerusalem will be: Zion, have no fear, do not let your hands fall limp. 17 Yahweh your God is there with you, the warrior-Savior (3:14-17 NJB).
[..] = Greek translation. Compare this passage with Luke 1:28-31.

Mary is the fulfillment of Israel's destiny to produce the Redeemer-Messiah in St. Luke's allusion to the "daughter of Zion" prophecy: Mary, in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling, is the daughter of Zion in person (CCC 2676)

Luke 1:28-31
(the angel Gabriel speaking)		Zephaniah 3:14-17 NJB & LXX Greek
(God speaking)
"Chaire (Rejoice)" (Lk 1:28)Chaire ... thygater Sion "Rejoice daughter of Zion"
Zeph 3:14
"the Lord is with you" (Lk 1:28)"Yahweh is king among you" (Zeph 3:15b)
"Do not be afraid, Mary" (Lk 1:30)"you have nothing more to fear... Zion have no fear" (Zeph 3:15-16)
"you will conceive in your womb" (Lk 1:31)"Yahweh your God is there with you" (Zeph 3:17)
"Jesus" [Hebrew = Yahshua/Yehoshua = "Yahweh saves"] (Lk 1:31)"the warrior-Savior" (Zeph 3:17)
Michal E. Hunt Copyright © 2012


The name born by both Jesus and Joshua means "Yahweh is salvation." The Fathers of the Church saw a typological link between Jesus and the Old Testament hero who bore the same name. Biblical typology is defined as: A biblical person, thing, action, or event that foreshadows new truths, new actions, or new events. In the Old Testament, Melchizedech and Jonah are types of Jesus Christ. A likeness must exist between the type and the archetype, but the latter is always greater. Both are independent of each other (Catholic Dictionary, John A. Hardon, S.J.).



Question: In Exodus 40:34 God overshadowed the Sanctuary that held the Ark of the Covenant when His presence came to dwell on it (Ex 25:10, 21-22). Is there a connection between the Virgin Mary and the Ark of the Covenant? What were the three items that were placed in the Ark of the Covenant when it resided in the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem Temple? Compare Mary's womb with the description of the contents of the Ark of the Covenant from Hebrews 9:4.
Answer:

Contents of the Ark of the Covenant according to Hebrews 9:4Jesus Within Mary's Womb
The Ten Commandments = the word of God (also see Ex 25:21; 40:20)Jesus: the Living Word of God (Jn 1:1).
A pot of the manna, the bread from heaven (also see Ex 16:33-34).Jesus: the Living Bread come down from heaven (Jn 6:51).
Aaron's staff or branch that came back to life when green shoots budded as a sign of God's favor (also see Num 17:23, 25).

Jesus: "The Branch" of the House of David that died but came to life again.*
M. Hunt © 1998

*"the Branch," as was noted earlier, is a prophetic title for the Messiah in the books of the prophets.

The sacred box of the Ark of the Covenant, upon which God's presence rested, was last seen just prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 587/6 BC when the prophet Jeremiah hid the Ark and the tent of the desert Sanctuary in a cave on Mt. Nebo (see 2 Mac 2:1-8). The prophet Jeremiah foretold that the time would come when the box of the Ark would no longer be important to the covenant people: They will in those days no longer say, "The Ark of the Covenant of the LORD!" They will no longer think of it, or remember it, or miss it, or make another (Jer 3:16b).

Question: But will the faithful remnant of Israel, who will become the New Covenant Church of the people of God, be deprived of a sacred vessel associated with the very presence of God? See CCC 2676 and Rev 11:19-12:1-5; 21:3.br /> Answer: No! The Virgin Mary is the Ark of the New Covenant! Her womb is the first "dwelling of God ... with men" (Rev 21:3; CCC 2676).

THE VIRGIN MARY IS THE ARK OF THE NEW COVENANT

God the Holy Spirit overshadowed and then indwelled the Ark. The Ark became the dwelling place of the presence of God. (Ex 40:34-35)God the Holy Spirit overshadowed and then indwelled Mary. At that time Mary's womb became the dwelling place of the presence of God. (Lk 1:35)
The Ark contained the 10 Commandments (the word of God in stone), a pot of manna, and Aaron's rod that came back to life. (Ex 25:16; Dt 10:2, 5; Heb 9:4)The womb of the Virgin contained Jesus: the Word of God enfleshed, the living bread from heaven, "the Branch" (Messianic title) who would die but come back to life. (Lk 1:35)
The Ark traveled to the hill country of Judah to rest in the house of Obed-edom. (2 Sam 6:1-11)Mary traveled to the hill country of Judah (Judea) to the home of Elizabeth. (Lk 1:39)
Dressed in a priestly ephod, King David approached the Ark and danced and leapt for joy. (2 Sam 6:14)John the Baptist, son of a priest who would himself become a priest, leapt for joy in Elizabeth's womb at the approach of Mary. (Lk 1:43)
David shouted for joy in the presence of God and the holy Ark. (2 Sam 6:15)Elizabeth gave a cry of joy in the presence God within Mary. (Lk 1:42)
David asked How is it that the Ark of the Lord comes to me? (2 Sam 6:9)

Elizabeth asked, Why is this granted unto me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Lk 1:43)

The Ark remained in the house of Obed-edom for 3 months. (2 Sam 6:11)Mary remained in the house of her cousin Elizabeth for 3 months. (Lk 1:56)
The house of Obed-edom was blessed by the presence of the Ark. (2 Sam 6:11)

The word "blessed" is used 3 times concerning Mary at Elizabeth's house. (in Lk 1:39-45)

The Ark returned to its sanctuary and eventually ends up in Jerusalem where the presence and glory of God is revealed in the newly built Temple. (2 Sam 6:12; 1 Kng 8:9-11)Mary returned home from visiting Elizabeth and eventually comes to Jerusalem, where she presents God the Son in the Temple. (Lk 1:56; 2:21-22)
God made Aaron's rod (which would be kept in the Ark) return to life and budded to prove he was the legitimate High Priest. (Num 17:8)God would resurrect His Son, who had become enfleshed in Mary's womb and born to bring salvation to all mankind, to prove He is the eternal High Priest. (Heb 4:14)
When the Ark was outside the Holy of Holies [when it was being transported] it was to be covered with a blue veil. (Num 4:4-6)In Mary's appearances outside of heaven, visionaries testify that she wears a blue veil.
In Revelation 11:19 John sees the Ark of the Covenant in heaven; this is the last verse of chapter 11.In Revelation 12:1 John sees Mary in heaven. It is the same vision Juan Diego saw of Mary in Mexico in 1531 "the Woman clothed with the sun and standing on the moon.
M. Hunt, copyright 2002, revised 2012

Mary's unique role in salvation history is first mentioned in Genesis 3:15a where God curses the Serpent and promises that the Redeemer-Messiah who will crush the power of Satan will be born from a woman: I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring [seed] and hers [her seed]... This passage is referred to as the first Gospel message, or in Greek as the Protoevangelium. The prophets of God narrowed this promise by identifying Israel as the people destined to bring forth the promised woman. In addition, Mary's role as the Ark of the New Covenant is foretold in the prophecies of Jeremiah. In chapter three he wrote concerning the sacred gold-covered box of the Ark of the Covenant that will disappear in the Babylonian conquest. When the remnant of Israel returns after the exile, he tells the people a time will come when they no long look for the lost Ark: I shall give you shepherds after my own heart, who will pasture you wisely and discreetly. Then, when you have increased and grown numerous in the country, Yahweh declares, no one will ever again say: The Ark of the Covenant of Yahweh! It will not enter their minds, they will not remember it or miss it, nor will another one be made. When that time comes, Jerusalem will be called: The Throne of Yahweh, and all the nations will converge on her, on Yahweh's name, on Jerusalem, and will no longer follow their own stubborn and wicked inclinations (Jer 3:15-17 NJB).


The Catechism of the Catholic Church affirms Mary's role as the "daughter of Zion and the Ark of the New Covenant: ... Mary, in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling, is the daughter of Zion in person, the Ark of the Covenant, the place where the glory of the Lord dwells. She is the dwelling of God...with men" (CCC 2676).

Question: What was the Holy Spirit's role in preparing Mary for the Incarnation of the Messiah, and what was the result?
Answer:

  1. The Holy Spirit prepared Mary in advance for the Incarnation of the Son by infusing her with His grace at the moment of her conception: By the Holy Spirit's power and her faith, her virginity became uniquely fruitful (CCC # 723).
  2. In preparing Mary, the Holy Spirit was fulfilling God the Father's promise for the salvation of humanity: I shall put enmity between you and the woman .... (Gen 3:15).
  3. In Mary the Holy Spirit manifested God the Son enfleshed who then became the Son of God within the womb of a human mother who is both fruitful mother and ever virgin "Mary became the "burning bush" of a definitive Theophany. Filled with the Holy Spirit she made the Word visible in the humility of His flesh through her DNA.

The result was twofold:

  1. Through the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit began to fulfill God's plan to bring humanity into communion with Christ.
  2. The Holy Spirit made Mary the Ark of the New Covenant "bearing the presence of God in her womb. The "something new" promised by Jeremiah was a reversal of the old creation when the first virgin (Eve) came from the body of the first man (Adam). In the beginning of the new creation, the second Adam (Jesus) came from the body of the second Eve (the Virgin Mary). What made this event "new" is that this time the woman who held a man-child in her womb was a virgin, and the man-child was God enfleshed.


Mary humbly identified herself as God's female slave/servant. The Greek word is doule, the feminine of doulos which means "male slave/servant." In the ancient world, nearly all servants were slaves. Then Mary completely submitted herself to the Lord and His sovereignty over her life with her words: "May it be done to me according to your word."

At the moment of Mary's free will response, Jesus was conceived by the power of God the Holy Spirit. (CCC 496).

The Incarnation took place as God the Holy Spirit "overshadowed" (episkiazein) and enveloped the Virgin Mary. This is the same Spirit of God who moved over the face of the water of Creation, bringing life (Gen 1:2-31). Now He came bringing life to the Virgin's womb "the fruit her womb was the work of God the Holy Spirit (CCC# 697). This worthy Virgin, conceived without the stain of sin, became the new Tabernacle of God "the Ark of the New Covenant (see Rev 11:19-12:1; CCC 2676). This is the mystery Catholics reflect upon every time they pray the Angelus.

The Fathers of the Church saw the Virgin Mary as the "new Eve" and Mary's "yes" as the undoing the disobedience brought about by the virgin Eve: Thus, the knot of Eve's disobedience was loosed by the obedience of Mary. What the virgin Eve had bound in unbelief, the Virgin Mary loosed through faith (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 3.22.4).


Luke 1:39-56 ~ The Visitation: Mary journeys from Nazareth to the house of Zechariah

After the angel's visit, Mary immediately set out, probably joining a caravan traveling to Jerusalem, to make the 7-8 day journey from Nazareth in the Galilee to the hill country of Judea and the town of her kinswoman Elizabeth. According to a Christian tradition that predates the Crusades, Zechariah and Elizabeth lived in the Judean town of Ein Kerem, about four miles west of Jerusalem (Shrines of the Holy Land, pages 125-29). After the return from the Babylonian exile, the Book of Nehemiah records that the chief priests took up residence in or near Jerusalem (Neh 11:3).

You will recall that Elizabeth was in seclusion for the first five months of her pregnancy as the ancients counted without the concept of a zero place-value (Lk 1:24). It is now the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy as they ancients counted (Lk 1:36) when Mary traveled to visit her. Mary's desire to visit her kinswoman is probably prompted by the Holy Spirit as well as by her need to share her experience with someone who will understand.

When Mary entered her house and Elizabeth first heard Mary's voice (Lk 1:40), the fetus of St. John the Baptist, recognizing the presence of his Lord, leapt for joy within his mother's womb (Lk 1:41, 44). The unborn St. John's response to Mary and the Christ within her womb recalls God's words to Jeremiah: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you (Jer 1:5). Think of the horror of abortion that is taking place daily as children, personally known by God from the womb and given as His holy gift, are violently murdered before (and in some cases after) birth.

Question: In Elizabeth's Holy Spirit inspired greeting to her kinswoman, she gives what three blessings in verses 42-45?
Answer:

  1. She blesses Mary
  2. She blesses Jesus
  3. She blesses the faith God has given Mary

Elizabeth's third blessing for Mary: Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled, is given in contrast to Zechariah's unbelief. Mary is the first Christian. Her belief does not waver during the years of Jesus' ministry or during His Passion. She will be faithfully praying together with those who believed and waited for the coming of the Paraclete in the Upper Room after Jesus' Ascension (Acts 1:13-14).


Luke 1:47-55 ~ The Canticle of Mary (the Magnificat)

Mary's response to Elizabeth's exclamation of praise for Mary's belief and the honor God has shown her as "the mother of the Lord," is a hymn of praise that is known as the Magnificat. Some scholars have concluded that Mary's Magnificat like the Benedictus of Zechariah (Lk 1:68-79) was an early Aramaic Jewish-Christian hymn that predates Luke's Gospel. Other scholars disagree, citing the numerous references to the Greek Septuagint Old Testament passages within the two chants (Fr. Raymond Brown, The Birth of Jesus, pages 350-55 and the opposing view from Fr. Raymond Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke, page 361). One test for such a theory is how easily the Greek translates into Hebrew or Aramaic.

Question: Mary's hymn of praise can be divided into what three parts?
Answer:

  1. Her praise for what God has done for her personally (verses 46b-49).
  2. Her praise for God's mercy to the poor and disadvantaged (verses 50-53).
  3. Her praise for God's faithfulness to Abraham's descendants, the nation of Israel (verses 54-55).

Mary begins by calling God her personal savior. The word "Lord," Kyrios in Greek, is understood to be Yahweh who is the source of Mary's blessing and her salvation. The expression "rejoices in God my Savior" is an echo of Hannah's hymn of praise to God in 1 Samuel 2:1.


Question: Do Catholics worship Mary?
Answer: Absolutely not! Worship belongs to God alone. We give Mary the very special honor she deserves as the Mother of God, and we fulfill her prophecy in the Magnificat, prompted by the Holy Spirit, that "all generations" should "call her blessed" (Lk 1:48). We also acknowledge her role as the Mother of Jesus Christ, the Davidic King who rules forever. The queen mother of the Davadic kings had the role as the people's advocate; she was given a seat at the right side of her kingly son and presented the people's petitions (see 1 Kng 2:19). It is in this role that Mary is our Advocate to her Son, and we can rightly petition her with our prayers. However, only God can fulfill those petitions. We also acknowledge Mary as the Mother of the Church and therefore the adopted Mother of every disciple of Christ, as it is written in Revelation 12:17.

Chapter 1:57-80

Luke 1:57-66 ~ The Birth of St. John the Baptist


St. Luke's pattern of promise and fulfillment continues. Elizabeth conceiving and giving birth to St. John was the fulfillment of the first part of the angel's promise to Zechariah in 1:13.

Question: What other three prophecies of the angel are fulfilled at John's birth?
Answer:

  1. The angel's statement And you will have joy and gladness and many will rejoice at his birth (1:14) is fulfilled in verse 58: Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord has shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her.
  2. The angel's command that the child be named John (1:13) was also fulfilled in verse 60 when Elizabeth said: No. He will be called John and Zechariah confirmed the naming of the child in verse 63, writing John is his name.
  3. The angel told Zechariah But now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place ... (1:20) and on the day of his son's birth the angel's prophecy was fulfilled when Zechariah began to talk (verse 64).


Luke 1:67-80 ~ The Canticle of Zechariah

Zechariah's Holy Spirit inspired benediction can be divided into two parts that are followed by a concluding statement in verse 80:

  1. The blessing for what God has done: a survey of how God has intervened in the history of the forefathers (verses 68-75).
  2. The prophecy concerning what God will do: proclaiming his son's future prophetic role (verses 77-79).

The priest Zechariah, like Mary, blesses God's mercy for intervening in Israel's history to bring salvation to his people (verses 68, 69, 77). Both the Benedictus of Zechariah and Mary's Magnificat show how God's intervention in a person's life can have implications for the covenant people as a whole. In the first part, speaking in the past tense, Zechariah praises God's deliverance of His people in language that echoes Psalms 41:13a; 72:18a and 106:48 (the Psalm that recounts the Exodus story). When he speaks of God's "visitation" it is an allusion to the Exodus liberation and Moses' burning bush experience of God in Exodus chapter 3.

Question: Then in the following verses (68-73) there are allusions to what three past events in salvation history?
Answer: There are references to:

  1. The covenant with King David (verse 68a)
  2. The promises of the prophets (68b)
  3. God's covenant oath to Abraham (72-73).

Chapter 2

But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah, too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from old, from ancient times.
Micah 5:1

(Ephrathites were the Judahite clan that settled in Bethlehem; it was the clan of Naomi and Boaz, ancestors of King David and Jesus (see Ruth 1:2 and 1 Sam 17:12).

Luke 2:1-14 ~ The birth of Jesus

He sets the historical time for Jesus' birth during the reign of the Roman emperor Caesar Augustus (29/27 BC - 14 AD) and when Quirinius was governor of the Roman province of Syria. An influential Roman senator named Publius Sulpicius Quirinius was born in the early 50's BC and died in 21 AD. According to existing historical data, he was the governor of Syria in 6/7 AD. The Jewish historian Josephus records that when the Romans deposed Herod's son Archelaus, Judea was annexed to the province of Syria and Quirinius (Cyrenius/Kyrenius in Greek) was sent to be the Roman legate of Syria-Judea. At that time the new governor was commanded by the Roman Senate to take a census (Antiquities of the Jews, 17.13.5-18.1.1; for other references to this Roman see 17.8.4; The Jewish Wars, 7.8.1). An inscription that was found in Aleppo, Syria confirms it. The date is wrong for Luke's narrative which is taking place prior to King Herod's death in what is probably 3/2 BC. However, Luke makes a point of stating the tax enrollment was the first during Quirinius' rule, suggesting that there were two such enrollments and that Quirinius served two terms as governor. Historically we only have a record of one enrollment, but this does not mean that an earlier enrollment did not take place ""absence of evidence is not evidence of absence" as continuing archaeological discoveries confirms.

Historians are uncertain why Joseph would have felt compelled to take his wife, in the advanced state of pregnancy, to Bethlehem for the census. There is no documentary evidence that the Romans required enrollment to take place in the town of one's birth. Joseph's decision to take Mary to Nazareth could have been because that was his permanent home while living in Nazareth had been temporary, or perhaps there was a requirement to be enrolled in Bethlehem because they were both descendants of King David. The Romans kept a close account of all those who might be the focus of a popular revolt based on a connection with a former ruler.(2) It may also have been Joseph's and Mary's decision that Jesus must be born in the city of David to fulfill the prophecies associated with the birth of the Messiah or they may have been divinely instructed about fulfilling the prophecies.

Luke 2:15-20 ~ The visit of the Shepherds


Finding the "sign" of the child in the manger, the humble shepherds are the first to proclaim the Gospel "the "good news" that the Messiah has come as He was promised.

As Mary witnesses the fulfillment of what the angel Gabriel told her, she reflected on the events as they have unfolded and what will happen in the future. She knows this is only the beginning of a journey that will change the course of human history. Luke uses Mary's contemplation to call the reader to also contemplate the meaning of these events "not just in the lives of Mary and those who were present at Christ's birth, but to contemplate what these events mean to the reader personally.

Luke 2:21-24 ~ Jesus' circumcision, naming and His presentation at the Temple
2

Jesus coming with Joseph and Mary to the Temple can be seen as a fulfillment of Malachi 3:1b: And suddenly there will come to the Temple the LORD whom you seek ... The circumcision and naming is another link to the narrative of St. John's birth and more evidence of the obedience of Mary and Joseph, just as Elizabeth and Zechariah were obedient in the naming of their child.

Women who gave birth to male children were required to observe forty days of ritual confinement after which they were to present themselves at the Temple for purification: The LORD said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites: When a woman has conceived and gives birth to a boy, she shall be unclean for seven days, with the same uncleanness as at her menstrual period. On the eighth day, the flesh of the boy's foreskin shall be circumcised, and then she shall spend thirty-three days more in becoming purified of her blood; she shall not touch anything sacred nor enter the sanctuary until the days of her purification are fulfilled (Lev 12:1-4).

When the period of purification was completed, the new mother went to the Temple of Yahweh in the holy city of Jerusalem. She bathed in the Temple ritual purification pool (mikvah) and presented a whole burnt offering and a sin sacrifice to the Lord (Lev 12:6-7). If the child was a firstborn male, the woman was required to dedicate him to God: "Every male that opens the womb shall be consecrated [or holy] to the Lord," as Luke quotes in verse 23 from Exodus 13:2. This is just one of the ways in which the prophecy of the angel Gabriel is fulfilled when he told Mary her Son will be called "holy" in Luke 1:35. Mary and Joseph, with the forty day old baby Jesus, journeyed the c. five miles from Bethlehem (located south of Jerusalem on the east ridge of the mountain watershed) up the mountain to Jerusalem, situated on a ridge about 2400 miles above sea level.


Simeon and Anna Praise the Infant Jesus - Arent de Gelder 


Luke 2:25-38 ~ The prophetic statements of Simeon and Anna


Question: In what four ways does St. Luke describe Simeon?
Answer: He is righteous, devout, actively awaiting the coming of the Messiah, and the Holy Spirit was upon him

Like Zechariah and Elizabeth, Simeon is described as "righteous" and he is also described as "devout." Luke defined "righteous" as "observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly" (Lk 1:6) and "devout" in the same way as "a devout observer of the Law (Acts 22:12). Simeon is a prophet and his part in the infancy narrative is prophetic.

Question: What is the role of God's Spirit in Simeon's life?
Answer:

  1. He has the Spirit upon him (verse 25)
  2. He receives revelations from the Spirit (verse 26)
  3. He comes to the Temple "in the Spirit" (verse 27)

The Holy Family was in the outer court when Simeon approached them. St. Luke uses the Greek term hieron, which includes the whole of the Temple complex and not the inner court and Sanctuary (naos) that is accessible only to priests. An individual, including a woman, could enter the inner court where the altar of sacrifice stood only if she was offering a sacrifice.

Simeon's prayer of praise is called in Latin the Nunc Dimittis and is divided into two parts and is followed by a prophecy for Mary:

  1. The fulfillment of God's promise to Simeon
  2. The prophecy of a universal salvation

Having been told that he will live until he has seen the Messiah, Simeon now identifies Jesus as the promised Redeemer-Messiah not just for Israel but for all nations, proclaiming a universal message of salvation. Addressing God and using the prophetic language of Isaiah 42:6 and 49:6 from the "Song of the Servant" passages of Isaiah, it is the child Jesus who Simeon identifies as "your salvation." This declaration may also suggest wordplay on Jesus' name: "Yahweh is salvation."

After blessing Joseph and Mary, Simeon offers a prophecy of opposition and suffering for Mary.

And then turning to Mary, Simeon said: and you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."

Simeon prophesies that Mary will share in her Son's suffering. The Cross is Jesus' unique sacrifice and is a sacrifice He asks all His disciples to embrace as His partners in the plan of redemption (see Mt 10:38; 16:24; Mk 8:34; 10:21; Lk 9:23; 14:27). 

The proclamation of the Gospel has begun "Simeon and Anna the prophetess have recognized the Messiah and have begun to announce His coming to His people. This is the third righteous man/woman combination in the birth narrative: Zechariah and Elizabeth, Mary and Joseph, and now Simeon and Anna. God has always used righteous men and women to move forward His plan for mankind's salvation.

Luke 2:39-40 ~ The Holy Family returns to Nazareth

Question: In the previous lesson, we compared the similarities between the angel Gabriel's birth announcements to Zechariah and Mary. Now compare the similarities St. Luke deliberately places in the continuing narrative of John and Jesus' births in Luke 1:39-2:40.

Answer:

John's BirthJesus' birth
As prophesied, John was born: The time came for Elizabeth to have her child, and she gave birth to a son (Lk 1:57).As prophesied, Jesus was born: ... the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to a son, her first-born (Lk 2:6).
There was joy over the birth (Lk 1:58).There was joy over the birth (Lk 2:13-18).
John was circumcised and named on the 8th day (Lk 1:59-60).

Jesus was circumcised and named on the 8th day (Lk 2:21).

Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Zechariah spoke praise, thanksgiving and prophecy in the Benedictus (Lk 1:67-79).Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Simeon spoke praise and prophecy in the Nunc dimittis (2:29-32) and Anna thanked God (Lk 2:36-38).
John's birth story concludes with the assurance that God's hand was upon the child: ...the child grew up and his spirit grew strong (Lk 1:80).Jesus' birth story concludes with the assurance that God's hand was upon the child: And as the child grew to maturity, he was filled with wisdom, and God's favor was with him (Lk 2:40).
Michal E. Hunt Copyright © 2012

The date of 3/2 BC was universally held by the early Church Fathers for the year of Jesus' birth until the early 17th century AD when astronomer Johannes Kepler proposed a date of 4 BC for the death of Herod the Great, which would have made Jesus' birth in about 7/6 BC. He based his theory on discovering a partial lunar eclipse near the Feast of Passover in that year which he believed was the celestial phenomena reported by Flavius Josephus (Antiquities of the Jews, 17.6.4 [167]). However, modern astronomer Ernest Martin discovered a total lunar eclipse near the Passover of 1 BC. Thus, the year 3/2 BC is again embraced as the birth year for Jesus by Ernest Martin, W. F. Filmer, and other scholars who place the death of Herod in 1 BC. Their position has also been accepted by Jack Finegan in the latest revised edition of his Handbook of Biblical Chronology, pages 291-301. Also, see the document "Dating the Birth of Jesus."

Luke 2:41-52 ~ the boy Jesus teaches in the Temple

The feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread took place during an eight-day period in the early spring as a memorial of the Exodus redemption (Ex chapter 12; Lev 23:4-14; Num 28:16-25). The feast of Unleavened Bread (Nisan 15-21st ) began at sundown on the day of the Passover sacrifice and was one of the three "pilgrim feasts" in which every man of the covenant who was thirteen years and older was required to appear before God's altar with his sacrifices (Ex 23:14-17; 34:18-23; Dt 16:16-17; 1 Chr 8:13).(3) In the first century AD, the two feasts were celebrated as though they were one feast (8 days) and were referred to simply as "the Passover." It was a joyous time and many families made the journey to Jerusalem, like the Holy Family on this occasion.

Question: For how many days was the boy Jesus missing? What is the significance of the number of days?
Answer: Jesus was missing for three days in Jerusalem, as He will be missing on the three days between His crucifixion and Resurrection. "Finding" Jesus on the third day prefigures the events of Easter.

Question: Where did Joseph and Mary find Jesus?
Answer: At the Temple conversing with the teachers of the Law.

Jesus was "in the midst" of the teachers. The Greek text of this part of the narrative from verse 41 to 52 has 170 words. It is interesting that the Greek word for "in the midst" is in the exact middle of the narrative—it is word # 85 (Bovan, page 109).

As time passed and Jesus grew up like any child his parents may have begun to take His promised mission for granted. This episode reminded them that their son was indeed the Son of God and that He knew His true identity and His destiny. This is the first manifestation that Jesus was conscious of being "the Son" as He confirms in Joseph's presence that God is His Father.

Jesus was obedient to the commandment to honor His earthly parents (Ex 20:12). That Mary contemplated these events probably means that she did so in terms of what had been revealed to her in the past and what was likely to unfold in the future according to the prophecy she had received and the teaching of the prophets (see 2:19). Her continuing thoughtful contemplation shows her appreciation of God's Divine plan and her part in it.


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