One of the things which has, for a long time, been of great concern to me when we are reading the Scriptures, is that we learn to read and understand them in context. Whether we are reading about Jesus or of events which happened long before his time, we are reading of things which took place in a different age from that in which we live today, and within cultures far removed from our own.

As we explore Scripture, within its many contexts, we’re going to begin with the writings of Luke. I suppose this will be something of a study of Luke-Acts, but hopefully we’ll address some useful matters of what we might want to call ‘Biblical interpretation’ along the way. And I’ve chosen the writings of Luke, not only because I particularly enjoy them, but because I find them to be so terribly useful.

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Luke 1:1–4. Luke is the only one of the four Gospel writers to include a ‘Prologue’ of this nature to his work. And it’s really rather revealing as it offers a unique insight into his process as an author. There is a strong emphasis on the power and vitality of the word of God throughout these volumes – it will always triumph over every opposition it encounters.

We consider a number of significant themes which permeate the Gospel, and which must surely have been central to his purposes in writing. These include:

• The arrival of salvation as a fulfilment of the promises of God.
• The universality of the Gospel – inclusion of the marginalised.
• Hints of a new community of believers – developed much further in Volume Two.
• The inclusion of Gentiles .. developed much more fully again in Acts.
• The plan and purposes of God.

The very existence of these volumes bears witness to the mission of God. Not only is the message profoundly missional, but the means by which the message has been written and made known to us today is itself a crucial part of the working out of mission of God.

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Luke 1:5–25. The action begins! Luke is a master storyteller, he is a first-rate theologian – but he is also every bit as much an historian and sets his narrative within a framework of world events.

The initial action begins at the very heart of the city of Jerusalem – within the Holy Place of the temple itself. This is not insignificant. Beginning in Jerusalem, at the heart of the nation of Israel, Luke’s work eventually concludes in the city of Rome, at the heart of the Roman empire.

Luke will speak a great deal about the Holy Spirit, particularly in these opening chapters, and certainly throughout his second volume. He is certainly a very significant player in the mission of God.

Here was a decisive act of mission – an act of sending into the world – into the very heart of the temple in Jerusalem – a messenger from God to make known the first good news the nation had heard for many a century!

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Luke 1:26–45. Far from the busyness, and splendour, and pomp and circumstance of the temple, this birth announcement takes place in the country, and is given to one who appears to be no more than an ordinary maiden of no particular consequence.

Mary’s response was not one of disbelief, as had been that of Zechariah, but more one of logistics – she simply didn’t understand how this could happen – (she obviously hadn’t read to the end of the book!). Again, the Holy Spirit was to play a critical role in “coming upon” Mary and “overshadowing” her. This is truly incredible – the coming together of God and mankind in such a way that had never before been known.

Perhaps one of the most striking things concerning the virgin conception of the baby Jesus is that God and mankind had joined together in such a profound and decisive manner. Such an invasion of humanity – such an intimate incursion into the world of humanity was truly outrageous! Never before had such a thing happened – never had such an idea even been conceived!

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Luke 1:46–56. Following the visit from Gabriel, Mary headed south into the Hill country of Judaea to visit Elizabeth, and to share with her in the joy of the Lord, that he should have blessed them in such a way as this. The focus of Luke has been on the presence of the Holy Spirit and the assurance of fulfilment of all that has been spoken by the Lord. And then Mary speaks.

The Magnificat, or the song of Mary, is recognised as being one of the most beautiful hymns or poems in the pages of Scripture. And its beauty is only magnified when considering the context in which it was first spoken. Here, within the rural surroundings of the hill country of Judaea, at the home of this elderly couple, are these two women who had found such favour with Almighty God.

Both have been blessed in order that that they might be a blessing to so many others through the two sons they would bring into the world. One to be a prophet who would prepare the way for the other – the very Son of God himself. Rarely has history witnessed or recorded such a prestigious and monumental meeting as that of these two women – Mary and Elizabeth.

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Luke 1:57–80. At the beginning of this infancy narrative the attention had been on Zechariah, the priest, whilst he was in the temple. Now it is upon Elizabeth, the mother – and maybe this isn’t particularly surprising when recording a birth, but the emphasis seems to be on the fact that “the Lord had shown great mercy to her.”

Luke has much to say about mercy, and though word counts can be useful, the theme of mercy and compassion runs deep throughout his writings – even when those words are not specifically used. Of the ten times Luke specifically uses the word for ‘mercy’ – half of these are in the first chapter alone!

We cannot help but notice the significance of the work of the Spirit of God in these pages. Here, the Spirit led Zechariah to prophesy … and he does so in poetic fashion. Where Mary’s Song had been personal, and full of praise for what God had done, this Song of Zechariah is universal and more forward looking. The plan of God is seen as coming to fulfilment through both the Messiah, and also through the prophet who will “go before the Lord to prepare his ways.”

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Luke 2:1–20. A child has been born, but unlike any other child that has ever come into this world – this was the very Son of God – and we’re simply told: “… she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger.” Never before had God and mankind been so intimately acquainted in such a profound and absolute manner. Never before had heaven and earth been so connected as at that moment.

The vivid contrast between the birth narrative of Jesus and that of John is surely not accidental. Where the latter was publicly announced in the capital city and involved a priest of the temple, that of Jesus was far more subdued and of particularly humble circumstances. Indeed, there are very few details given about the physical circumstances of the birth – tradition seems to have supplied us with far more!

And then there were the shepherds – the first of many characters whom Luke introduces into his narrative showing us that God is more than happy to be at home among ‘ordinary’ people. And it is to them that this great announcement is made.

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Luke 2:21–40. We’ve come to a particularly beautiful scene in Luke’s infancy narratives, though not without a degree of trepidation. Simeon is a remarkable character and I’ve often wondered whether he had witnessed the rather unusual events that had taken place at the temple just over a year earlier. He was here at the temple awaiting the fulfilment of the hope of all hopes: “the consolation of Israel.”

Simeon’s involvement here is as one who represents “the best of expectant Israel” – a role he shares very shortly with Anna who was “to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.” His hymn, or song of praise, is particularly well known, though generally not within its context. The ‘Nunc Dimittis,’ as it is known, is one of the most beautiful hymns within the Scriptures.

The inclusion of Anna, the elderly prophetess, is just one of many instances in Luke’s writings where the marginalised outcasts of society are favoured by God. We have already seen this in his choice of Mary, as the young woman through whom his Son will enter the world, and in his announcement to mere shepherds “keeping watch over their flock by night.”

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