I have someone in my family with the love language of giving gifts. She loves to give her friends and family gifts. She has surprised me with birthday presents when my real birth date is months away. We definitely feel the love she is showing us.
In Luke 11, Jesus asks the fathers in the group this question, “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
What an amazing promise for us! Our loving, heavenly Father wants to give us the Holy Spirit. We know that the results or fruit of the spirit are love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Gal. 5:22-26)
Throughout the scriptures, there are so many examples of the LORD filling His children with the spirit and enabling them to do His will and work. We should completely receive God’s spirit as a gift of love to guide us in our spiritual lives. We also find a warning from Jesus about allowing evil to make its home within us. It is important to rid ourselves of all evil and we must also fill ourselves with the things of God.(v.24-26) When we allow the LORD to dwell in us through prayer, reading and obeying the scriptures, it doesn’t leave room in us for evil. This close fellowship we have with God and Jesus should be so strong that it is seen by others. We are to be the light of the world, full of the light given to us from Jesus Christ. That light shows us our true selves, the good and the bad. (v.33-36) He can correct our faults if we allow him to. Notice that Jesus warns the Pharisees and experts in the law about their sin, but rather than changing, they began to oppose him fiercely. (v.37-54) Rather than letting our pride oppose Christ, let us receive his correction. We can live in fellowship with him and feel blessed as we remember his words, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (v.28)
-Rebecca Dauksas
Reflection Questions
Have you asked your Father in heaven for the gift of the Holy Spirit? Are you using it well? Does your life show the results (fruits) of the Spirit in you?
Looking carefully at yourself – what evil needs to be removed so you can fill yourself with what things of God?
Is there a part of the word of God that you have heard but are struggling to obey? What will it take to obey fully?
How do we see God in our reading today? How do we see His Son in our reading today?
Raspberry pie filling had poured on my shoes as I finally wrestled the large, heavy aluminum pan filled with pie onto the countertop. It was then that I noticed that this extra-large catered size pan had spilled raspberry filling from the car into the house and through the kitchen. I caught myself wondering if the restaurant staff had booby-trapped this massive dessert and I still had another to bring in. My friends were empathetic, but they were frantically searing ribs on the grill. This last minute pickup for a large rehearsal dinner had turned into chaos. Yes, it is hilarious now, but at the time, it was a little overwhelming. So I can completely identify with Martha in Luke 10.
Jesus was accompanied by his disciples and often with large crowds. Imagine the bustle in the village of Bethany as Jesus enters the home of Martha. Jesus loved Martha, her sister Mary and their brother Lazarus. Jesus had been revealing some amazing spiritual truths. He confirmed that eternal life could be inherited by loving the Lord God with all our hearts, souls, strength and minds while loving our neighbors as ourselves.(v.25-28) He explained that love is expressed by mercy in action through the parable of the good Samaritan.(v.30-37) His teaching was amazing and we can understand why Mary did not want to miss a minute of it. I imagine Mary had helped Martha with preparing for Jesus’ visit, but he was there now and he was teaching so Mary sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
We can all learn from Jesus’ words. There are so many things to do – good things to do – but these good things should never take the place of just being with and listening to Jesus. We all need to choose to be in Christ’s presence “which is better” and it will not be taken away from us.
-Rebecca Dauksas
Reflection Questions
What is the one thing that is needed?
What most often distracts you from what is most important? What does this reveal about your priorities? How can you work towards fixing this?
What does it look like to sit at the feet of Jesus today? How can you do it more consistently?
What do you find most amazing about the teachings of Jesus? What does this tell you about Jesus and even about His God and Father?
In Luke 9, Jesus sends out the twelve disciples. He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and they were to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. They went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere. That sounds amazing, but later Jesus explains that there is a lot more to being his disciple. There is sacrifice. We must be willing to offer up our own lives-our desires, our agenda- in the service for God. Jesus told them all that whoever wants to be his disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow him. Notice that we do it daily. Our sacrifice is about gaining life, a better life, an eternal life. As Paul would write, “I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1) Jesus told them that “whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” (Luke 9:24 & 25)
Jesus assures us that what we are giving up and what the world offers us is nothing compared to what he has in store for us. Even though we must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22), Christ wants us to fully rely on him every day. May he give us the strength and encouragement to always Follow Him.
-Rebecca Dauksas
Reflection Questions
How can you proclaim the Kingdom of God and help heal the sick?
What have you given up in order to follow Jesus? What are you still hanging on to too tightly? What might taking up your cross daily look like today? And tomorrow? And Saturday? Etc…
What do we learn about who Jesus is in Luke 9? What did Peter not say? Why is what he did say important?
I was having a phone conversation with someone who had been serving in their local church. The topic of the Kingdom of God came up and she asked me what is the Kingdom of God? She said she really didn’t know about that.
I was thrilled to answer her question with scriptures about the Kingdom and I sent her lessons and lists of verses. Of course, I had to be selective because there is so much about the Kingdom in the scriptures.
In Luke 8, we discover that Jesus is traveling from “one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God”. It was good news in the time of Jesus and it is good news today. The Kingdom message offers hope and eternal perspective. Jesus and his followers lived in the real world, too. They faced difficulties as we can see from this brief description of the women who followed him and also financially supported Jesus’ ministry. The women “had been cured of evil spirits and diseases”. They had experienced first-hand the blessings of being spiritually and physically healed by Jesus. Now they could also support the Lord Jesus as he shared the good news of the Kingdom of God with others.
Jesus used multiple parables or short stories to illustrate the importance and astounding value of the Kingdom (see Matthew 13 for more). The parable of the Sower is presented to show that a person should receive the word of God and produce good fruit. We are so blessed that Jesus also shares the explanation of the parable in the following verses. As Jesus told his disciples the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God have been given to you. We see that the word of God is offered freely, but some allow it to be snatched away and others fall away when the going gets tough. Some let life’s worries, riches and pleasures take over and there is simply no room for it in their lives. Now of course our hope is to be those with noble and good hearts, that hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop. From season to season, I have been amazed by some plants that produce like crazy. When you have a harvest of “get me another basket”, the garden work is worth it. So keep planting and watering and sowing those good news seeds so God can produce His kingdom fruit through you.
-Rebecca Dauksas
Reflection Questions
What do you know about the Kingdom of God? What does Jesus want people (then and now) to know about God’s Kingdom? Why do you think it was what he spoke about? Is it what your church talks about?
Look again at Luke 8 at the types of soil the seed – word of God – landed on. Can you think of an example of each – what causes the seed/plant to NOT grow healthily? What is needed for it to be healthy and growing/producing? How healthy is the word of God in your life? What is interfering with its health?
God had given Jesus the ability to perform miracles and the capability to be the “one Teacher” (Matt.23:8) who revealed important messages from Him. In his teachings, we learn the Great Commandment of loving God with all that we are, among other truths of loving our neighbor as ourselves, going into the world to preach the gospel, and so much more. And he didn’t just want us to be aware of these commands, he wanted us to put them into practice. His teachings were to be the foundation on which we build our lives.
The miracles and teaching were attracting a crowd. In Luke 7, we see that people were seeking out Jesus. Each person was very different from the other, but they shared a common need that Jesus could fill. A centurion is seeking healing for his servant, a widow needs resurrection power for her son, a prophet needs reassurance that Jesus is the one, and a sinful woman needs to be assured that her sins are forgiven. But even beyond the glaring needs presented to Jesus, we can see how those in Christ’s presence are being changed. Just think about all the lives that are influenced and thus transformed because of interactions with those who have interacted with Jesus.
I imagine that the elders of the Jews were praising God when their plea for healing was granted along with the centurion’s friends and the crowd that followed Jesus. The crowd along with a large funeral procession are awestruck and praised God for resurrecting the widow’s son. What a scene that was! Going from mourning to praise. And of course, I imagine the disciples of John would never forget the message they were given. “Go back and report to John what you have seen and heard: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. Blessed is anyone who does not stumble on account of me.” We can only guess at the large amount of people that were strengthened in the faith because of the imprisonment and execution of John. This event still impacts followers today. Encouraging us to show others our love for Christ even in the middle of some of life’s dismal circumstances.
And last, we look at Simon the Pharisee. I would imagine that he was forever changed by having dinner with Jesus and by the interruption of the sinful woman. He learned that those who are aware of their great need for forgiveness have a great appreciation for the forgiveness they have received. Being truly forgiven, makes us want to express our thankfulness and love.
When these people entered into his presence, their minds, hearts, and lives are ultimately changed to reflect him more fully. When we enter into the presence of Jesus, we can expect that our lives will be changed, too. Sometimes our desires may be fulfilled, but even more than that, we will have our hearts changed to desire what God has for us.
Enter into his presence today and experience the change that comes from spending time with Jesus. May this change create a ripple effect that will transform your family, friends, coworkers, and community.
-Rebecca Dauksas and Cayce Fletcher
Reflection Questions
Has your life been changed by Jesus? If so, how? If not, why?
Of the people Jesus interacted with in Luke 7, which one are you most like? What do you share in common? What do you think this person would have told their friends, family, coworkers, community about Jesus following the events of Luke 7? What do you have to tell about Jesus?
What does God reveal about Himself and about His Son in our Bible reading today?
We don’t know who wrote the Book of Judges, but we do know it records the events immediately after those recorded in the Book of Joshua. The book of Judges is named after the judges that ruled the land of Israel after Joshua’s death.
Although there are several exciting stories of God’s deliverance recorded in the book, reading the book of Judges can be depressing. This is because it records the downward spiral of Israel and its relationship with God. The loop looked sort of like this:
Israel would follow God for a while.
Then they would turn away from God and worship idols.
God would punish them by sending invaders to torment Israel.
The Israelites would cry out to God for deliverance.
God would raise up a Judge to deliver them.
Israel would then follow God for a while. (loop)
One thing that makes reading Judges so frustrating is that with each iteration of the cycle, the Israelites fell further from God. And their punishments got worse.
Judges 21:25 tells us the root cause of all of these problems, where it says, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.”
People did whatever they wanted, instead of following God’s commands.
As you read the book of Judges, I challenge you to compare and contrast your own life with the experiences of the Israelites and see what practical lessons you can apply to your own life.
-Steve Mattison
– – Devotion – –
Imagine waking up one morning in a world where there are no laws. No local police, no elected officials and no military force defending civilians’ rights. Instead, everyone just does what is right in their own eyes. Ok, that is a little terrifying. Yet, the book of Judges tells us twice, “In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit.” (Judges 17:6 and 21:25) As we will discover, the Israelites are soon allowing disobedience and selfishness to rule. The covenant with God was broken and they begin to rule themselves. It can be difficult to read the accounts of the people and their judges because they do not seem to have a moral compass. We must remember this is a narrative telling us what they did, not approving of their actions. Human beings NEED the LORD to teach us what we should and should not do. People are excellent at justifying and rationalizing our wrong doing, but thankfully God is there to help us. As Proverbs 21:2 states “A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart”.
How far did Israel fall during this time period? Psalm 106 states that they shed the innocent blood of their sons and daughters for idol sacrifice to false gods. “They defiled themselves by what they did; by their deeds they prostituted themselves.” (v.39) This Psalm contrasts how good, loving, and mighty the LORD is against the people that reject Him. If we want to be blessed, we must act justly, and do what is right (v.3).
The LORD loves us as a perfect Father. He wants us to be in a close, loving relationship with Him so He has given us the scriptures. Through them we have explanations of good actions and forbidden, sinful actions. Through the scriptures, we have scores of examples of those that chose to follow the LORD. Most of all the scriptures explain who the LORD is. His amazing plan for His creation and an incredible future for His children. It is so important for us to understand and do what the LORD commands us to do.
Thankfully the scriptures also include the instructions of Jesus Christ, God’s Son. His teaching shows us that we can do what is right by putting his words into practice. We can be like the faithful builder that dug down deep and put the foundation on rock. The storms of life can’t tear our faith down because it is well built. (Luke 6:46-49)
-Rebecca Dauksas
Reflection Questions
How important is it to you to do what is right? How do you most often decide what is right and what is wrong?
How important is it to God for you to do what is right? How does He tell us what is right and what is wrong?
What is the result when everyone does as they see fit?
What do we learn about God in today’s Bible reading? What do we learn about His Son in Luke?
Joshua had walked with the LORD for many years. The scripture described him as a very old man when he summoned the Israelites to share some important messages. This was his opportunity to let them know what was really essential, what really mattered. How did he have faith when others faltered? Some of his significant instructions are to “hold fast to the LORD your God” and “be very careful to love the LORD your God”. That is exactly what he did and that is what gave him such a close relationship with God.
He had lived a lifetime of experiences with the LORD. Just imagine him watching Moses enter the tent of Meeting where the pillar of cloud was. Even when Moses returned to the camp, Joshua remained at the tent.
He stood with Caleb and tried to persuade the people that if they would only follow God that the LORD would give them the land. But the camp chose to rebel against the LORD and succumb to the fear and disbelief of the other spies. (The LORD intervened when the people were ready to stone them for their faith.)
Joshua experienced miracle after miracle including the sun stopping in the middle of the sky. Joshua was chosen and commissioned to lead Israel because he followed the LORD wholeheartedly. That is what he wanted from the Israelites. That should be our purpose, too.
He encouraged them to wholeheartedly obey the scriptures. As Joshua 23:6 states, “Be very strong; be careful to obey all that is written in the Book of the Law of Moses, without turning aside to the right or to the left”.
As modern-day Christians, we can follow Joshua’s example. He did what was right, even when he was in the minority. The LORD approved of his decision and in turn, the Lord loved him. Just like Joshua, there are so many examples of others who wholeheartedly lived life with God. We know that the next experiences for them will be the resurrection, all the rewards that come with entering the kingdom of God and eternal life.
Because we know that this awaits the followers of God, we should also give our whole hearts to God. Let us stand with the Lord and say, “As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
-Rebecca Dauksas
Reflection Questions
Consider the life of Joshua – when and how was he faithful to God? When and how was God faithful to him? Now consider your own life – when and how have you been faithful to God? When and how has God been faithful to you?
Does it work to follow, love, serve, obey the Lord half-heartedly? Why or why not? With how much of your heart do you follow, love, serve, obey the Lord?
What do we learn about the Lord our God in our Bible reading today? Does that make it easier or harder to serve him wholeheartedly?
Did you know that cities of refuge were first established by God? Did you know that everything good and just has its origins from our God? Our God performs righteous deeds and judgments for all who are oppressed. Our God establishes mercy and justice, and desires that from those who fear him. But often we do not. Instead, we pervert his ways. We do what Romans chapter one says and distort his good gifts and his good intentions for us.
We don’t get what we deserve. We deserve death, or at the very least, a reprimand, like the one God gave through his prophet John the Baptist to the crowds coming to him to be baptized.
Luke 3:7-8 (NASB) 7…“You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 8 Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance.”
Psalm 103 tells us that our God 10 “has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities” (Psalm 103:10). If he did, none of us would be here.
Instead, 12 “as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103:12). We must remember that. He pardons, he heals, he redeems. He’s compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness. In our New Covenant, he does this through his son Jesus. That is the God we serve. But we must also remember that he will not strive with us forever.
Can you imagine the impact our modern Sanctuary Cities would have if they functioned with God’s definition of mercy and justice at the helm? One day they will, assuming we still need them, when our righteous ruler, King Jesus returns. In the meantime, we can be Jesus’s hands and feet to the oppressed by asking our Lord Jesus what we can do.
Before the people asked Jesus what they should do, they asked the one who prepared the way before him, John the Baptist, knowing that a man from God had the authority to teach them and tell them what to do. He responds with justice because he knew what to say through the holy spirit.
His responses sound very familiar, like the responses Jesus gives during his ministry. I believe this is because it is the same spirit that is within John the Baptist that is then placed fully upon Jesus at his baptism, but to an even greater measure than it was placed on the highly respected John the Baptist. It reminds me of Elijah, being full of the holy spirit, who went before Elisha, who received an even greater measure of spirit from his God. In fact, the word tells us that John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah. Jesus goes so far as to tell us that John the Baptist “is” Elijah who is to come. Of course, not literally; all in spirit.
The people were amazed by John. They, 15 “were in a state of expectation and all were wondering in their hearts about John, as to whether he was the Christ.” (Luke 3:15). Of course, he was not, and made sure the people knew that the one they were looking for would not baptize them with water, but with the holy spirit.
It is Jesus whom we should look to with our questions. In Jesus we find all the fullness of the spirit of God, without measure, because God gave all power and authority to his son, with whom he is well pleased, until all enemies are made his footstools for him in the end. It is Jesus who is our salvation, a man who is mightier than John the Baptist; A man who eventually gave us the holy spirit, the power and presence of God, so that we could “be Jesus” to those who are oppressed in our day.
Unfortunately, as we look to the perverted justice system in our society, we see that there is much work to be done before our life race ends. It will never be fully just until Jesus returns and makes all wrongs right, but if we have the power now, in an even greater capacity than even Jesus was given, because now the holy spirit is given through Jesus post his death on the cross, we can keep doing the work he left for us to do.
God told us what he desires from us throughout scripture. Everything he wants for us he wants because it is good for us, and it culminates in Jesus. If we are going to stop perverting God’s words and his will, we must repent and ask God through his son what we must do! He has made known his ways through Jesus in the New Covenant. Remember his precepts through Jesus Messiah and do them. Remember what he did through Jesus and remember what Jesus chose to do for you and I often. Jesus’s yoke is easy. Serve him by doing his will, which is God’s will. And bless the Lord oh my soul for his everlasting lovingkindness!
-Juliet Taylor
Questions
What does it mean to bear fruits in keeping with repentance?
Why do you think God chooses to work through his son? In turn, why do you think Jesus chooses to work through us?
What work do you think Jesus wants you to want to do for him in your life race?
As we read through Luke, Joshua, and Psalm, let’s continue to be like Luke in carefully examining scripture. Let’s take note of the important details so that we will know the exact truth about what we are learning, like in Luke, as he lays out the facts surrounding the birth of Jesus, including when he was born, where he was born, and who was ruling and present at the time. We are left with evidence that he is indeed the Lord’s Messiah, born under the law of Moses during the first census that was taken during the reign of Quirinius as governor of Syria.
Those details are important.
As we read Joshua, let’s look for parallels between what happens there and what happens in the New Testament, like the women, daughters in the line of Joseph, who came directly to Joshua to ask for an inheritance. He granted it to them. I relate it to all the passages about women in the New Testament who are always surrounding and supporting Jesus and his ministry. Jesus grants many of them their petitions, even the ones I assume were unspoken.
As we read through Psalm 102, let’s consider what was going on in David’s life at the time of his writing. Let’s remember that although it was prophesied from an early time in his life that he would be king, he spent most of his life on the run for his life. When he finally became king, he committed one (or two) of the gravest sins with grave consequences, yet, he was still known for being a man after God’s own heart. I imagine this was due to the constant love and respect he had for God in loving and respecting the LORD’s first anointed king, King Saul, as we see him time and time again showing mercy to him.
Think of a time in your life as a Christian when you were so distraught that you forgot to eat, or drinking your wine mixed with your tears, before getting up, and carrying on, praising God for his compassion, graciousness, and consistency in your life with fear (reverence). Remember that our Lord Jesus told us that in this life, we will have trouble. If you haven’t experienced distress in this way, praise God! But know that we can expect it, especially if we’re doing our part in God’s plan of salvation, serving the word. We’re promised the age to come after enduring this age and all that that entails for the sake of the salvation of others. If we’re working for him, we may also have a target on our backs like David did. But we can take courage. Jesus has overcome the world, and so can we through him, by imitating him when met with hardships.
Notice now in Joshua that even though the children of Israel were promised the land they were conquering, with Joshua as their leader, that they still had much work to do before they were able to rest in the land that was promised to them. In order to even step foot in the land promised them, they had to drive the current residents out. Many times they failed to drive them out completely and dwelt among people who were not God’s people. Often this caused many of them to stumble.
I relate this to sin under our new covenant through Jesus. Although we are promised the kingdom of God at the end of our life race, we still have much work to do. For one, we must drive out the sin from our lives completely, not allowing it to dwell with us. If we don’t, we may end up with a snare that costs us our lives. Thank God for repentance and forgiveness of sins.
Now let’s switch gears back to Luke chapter two. There is so much detail that shouldn’t be ignored. These details, along with the parallels between both of the major covenants, can grant us an even greater understanding of what this life is all about if we go through it all carefully. But again, the result of all the knowledge gained should lead us into new creatures, people who are made in the image of God, who become new in the image of Christ, to the glory of God if we belong to him.
The second chapter of Luke is full of people who I admire for their Godly character. I have no doubt that God hand selected them all to receive the best gift, being eyewitnesses of their Messiah Jesus.
Like unto Mary, the angel of the Lord came to a group of highly favored shepherds, bringing good news of great joy for all people. Not only one angel, but a multitude of heavenly hosts came, praising God before them for what he had done. If I am understanding their message correctly, I would say that they were among the men with whom God was pleased. It is my strive at the end of this life to hear those words from my Lord Jesus when I get the chance to meet him face to face.
When the shepherds heard these words, they went straight away to see what was made known to them. That is faith. After they fellowshipped with the new parents, they went away with the response that we should all endeavor to have after an encounter with our Messiah, which was to glorify and praise their God for all that they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.
Next comes Simeon, the man looking for the consolation of Israel, a devout and righteous man, with holy spirit upon him. He got what he was hungering and thirsting for when he held the Lord God’s Christ in his arms. His response was to bless God, the one who gave him what he promised him, for eyes to see God’s salvation in the face of Jesus, who would be a light of revelation to the gentiles and the glory of God’s people Israel.
Then we’re told about Anna, the prophetess, who chose to remain devoted to God’s work in the temple. Day and night she served the Lord God with fasting and prayers, after being widowed for years. At the age of 84, she met her Messiah Jesus. At that very moment, her response was to give thanks to God. She then continued speaking of Jesus to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Looking at the child Jesus, we can see how he grew in wisdom. He didn’t know what he didn’t know. He had to seek it and obtain it. When he was only 12, he spent his time listening to teachers in the temple and asking them questions. He made it his business to be about his father’s business. That’s the heart of someone thirsty for the word.
The result of Jesus’s studying was a young child who had great understanding of the word, someone who had an answer that I can only assume was correct when corresponding with those well versed in the word, as they were astonished by his answers. He continued to increase in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
And finally, there is my favorite person, save Jesus, Mary, his mother. Her response to all of those Godly people and their words, including her son, was to treasure the things spoken about her son in her heart.
-Juliet Taylor
Questions
What are some petitions or unspoken prayers that Jesus grants to the women during his earthly life?
What else could we relate the work of the children of Israel to with the work we must do under our New Covenant through Jesus besides driving out the sin in our lives?
What characteristic do you admire the most about those who got to witness Jesus in the flesh, face to face before their death?
As I carefully investigate Luke’s narrative, I take note of the encounter between Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, and the angel of the Lord, including where the angel stands, and what he says.
I take note of Zacharias’s position and heritage, being a Levitical priest under the Division of Abijah, meaning that it is his duty to serve in the temple in Jerusalem in the 8th division, which was at the conclusion of the Feast of Passover.
I take note that Zacharias and Elizabeth are living in the hill country, perhaps the same hill country described in our reading in Joshua wherein Jabin prepared the way for Joshua’s coming as conqueror, in the same land that became Judah’s inheritance, where Mary, the mother of our Messiah Jesus, dwells (with them) for the first 3 months of her pregnancy with her baby Jesus.
I take note of the life of John the Baptist, sent by God to prepare the way for the Messiah Jesus, relating it to Moses, preparing the way in the wilderness for Joshua to take over and lead his people into the promised land.
After all that detail, likely there to teach us that Jesus is indeed the Christ, born under the law, in the way that God prophesied, with all the Old Testament parallels, I take note of where I think Luke wants our focus, after all the knowledge is obtained.
It is the character of the two women of God that causes me to pause.
God chose to prepare the way for the Lord Messiah through two birth miracles, because two women of God chose to be faithful and humble in the presence of Yahweh God through his agent angel Gabriel.
The details are so important, but it is the character of the women of God, Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, and Mary, the mother of our Lord Messiah, that we should rest our focus on after knowledge is obtained.
There is a stark contrast between the character displayed by the priest, who should have been first to bear the image of God in his response to the word of God, and the women of God in God’s presence.
Zacharias the priest is slow to be faithful, despite the significant circumstance he found himself in (despite a miracle). The angel Gabriel reminds Zacharias that he is one who stands in the presence of the Lord God, reiterating to him that his position deserves reverence and faith because of who he works for and of whose words he’s reiterating to him.
But to the woman, the angel of Yahweh, Gabriel, found the response that God desires from his people. From Elizabeth, we see faith and thankfulness. From Mary, we see faith and humility. We then see what follows women favored by God. When the two meet, Elizabeth is filled with the holy spirit after her baby, filled with the holy spirit, leaps in her womb! She prophesies regarding Mary’s response to the word of God:
Luke 1:45
“Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”
Mary’s response to this is praise to God her Savior, magnifying her Lord God through song and prophesy. Her response sounds familiar, much like some of the psalms of David, her likely ancestor.
What follows the people of character, the character of the people that God has always wanted, is exalting the Lord God, the receiving of the holy spirit (and all that comes with that), and joy!
But I take note still. There were consequences for the servant priest’s character flaw. Because of his unbelief to the angel’s words, which were God’s words, he was made unable to speak until the day when the things spoken by God’s agent angel were fulfilled.
This gave opportunity for Elizabeth to continue her faithful stance as servant to the words God spoke. It may be difficult for us to imagine how hard it would have been for her to oppose those in the temple, who chose to disrespect Elizabeth by clinging to tradition in naming the child over her words, which were God’s words. She stood firm in her faith. The people diverted their attention and respect to Zacharias, her priest husband instead.
Thankfully, the consequence from the angel led Zacharias to repentance and faithfulness. When he told the people that the child would be called John (Yahweh gives grace), the name given to him by God through his agent angel, his consequence ceased and his tongue was loosened. His response after repentance was praise to God. He too received the gift of the holy spirit and prophesied, speaking words of salvation.
But fear overtook all those in the hill country of Judea who heard of these things, perhaps due to unbelief. I imagine the fear being like the fear that overtook the people living in the hill country centuries prior, when King Jabin proclaimed the fearful news that Joshua was coming to conquer.
The details are so important, but if they don’t lead people to change, to conform to people bearing the image of God, which becomes conforming to the image of his Christ, all knowledge gained is null and void.
Let our character be the character that God has always desired, like the women, and be faithful and humble servants of the word, to believe in all the words the Lord God has spoken, which are eventually spoken through his Messiah Jesus.
-Juliet Taylor
Questions
What are other important details that Luke gives us in chapter 1?
In Luke 1:7, an Old Testament scripture is applied to John the Baptist. What did John do to “7…turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”?
My favorite part of Mary’s response, after Elizabeth prophesies to her is, “My soul exalts the Lord” (Luke 1:46). What characteristics of the Lord did Mary find worthy of exalting? What’s your favorite part of Mary’s response?
Seek Grow Love 