Tag: Holy Spirit

Red Letter Year: 6/19

Luke 1:57-80

57 When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. 58 And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.

59 When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. 60 But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”

61 “What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” 62 So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. 63 He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” 64 Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.

65 Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. 66 Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.

67 Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:

68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has visited and redeemed his people.

69 He has sent us a mighty Savior from the royal line of his servant David,

70 just as he promised through his holy prophets long ago.

71 Now we will be saved from our enemies and from all who hate us.

72 He has been merciful to our ancestors by remembering his sacred covenant—

73 the covenant he swore with an oath to our ancestor Abraham.

74 We have been rescued from our enemies so we can serve God without fear,

75 in holiness and righteousness for as long as we live.

76 And you, my little son, will be called the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the Lord.

77 You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.

78 Because of God’s tender mercy, the morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,

79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of peace.”

80 John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.

Comments

Because of God’s tender mercy, a gentle sunrise is breaking through the darkness, freeing us from our enemies and enabling us to serve God without fear, doing what is holy and just. Zechariah’s prophecy echoes Mary’s song and continues Luke’s introduction to his Gospel. As we noted yesterday, these are not misguided expectations, they are here to help us understand the remainder of Luke’s account. Just as it will be concerned with economic reversal, it will also be concerned with deliverance from enemies, holiness, justice, salvation, and the path of peace. These themes may also be found in Mark and Matthew, but we will see Luke ordering his account to place special emphasis on Gospel themes that he may have regarded as underdeveloped. Luke made use of both Mark and Matthew, so we will pay closer attention to how he reorders their material. That may sound like dry work, but it will yield fruit that accentuates these early prophetic words. It would be good to get these firmly in your mind and heart as we proceed.

The New Living Translation (NLT)Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale HousePublishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Red Letter Year: 6/18

Luke 1:39-56

39 A few days later Mary hurried to the hill country of Judea, to the town 40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. 41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting, Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed. 43 Why am I so honored, that the mother of my Lord should visit me? 44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in my womb jumped for joy. 45 You are blessed because you believed that the Lord would do what he said.”

46 Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises the Lord.

47 How my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

48 For he took notice of his lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed.

49 For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me.

50 He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him.

51 His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.

52 He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands.

54 He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful.

55 For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then went back to her own home.

Comments

Mary uses some strong language in her worship song. God’s mighty arm has scattered the proud and haughty. God has knocked over thrones and those who sit on them. God has emptied the bank accounts of the rich. God has shown mercy to the lowly. God has exalted the humble. God has given good things to those who had nothing. Sounds like a Robin Hood story. Sounds like the messianic expectations that Jesus refused to meet in Matthew. But it should also make you think of the Temple clearing we read recently (and a number of Psalms). Luke highlights Mary’s song at the very beginning of his Gospel, not to present misinformed messianic expectations, but to tell us at the very outset that this is what his Gospel is about – that this is an essential part of the kingdom Jesus inaugurates. Matthew told us the “poor in spirit” were blessed. Luke alters that to say the poor are blessed. This does not necessarily contradict Matthew, but it adds an important dimension to the overall Gospel of Jesus Christ that these four accounts together give us. Luke wants us to know that going in, he wants to put us on alert to be looking for this as we read. Mary’s worship song serves as Luke’s thesis statement.

The New Living Translation (NLT)Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale HousePublishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.