GOD’S WORD FOR YOU
LUKE 1:1
In this chapter, Luke lays the groundwork for telling the story of Jesus Christ by recounting the prophecies given to the parents of his forerunner, John, and to the virgin Mary as well. These messages from God’s holy angels and the songs of praise sung in response established Jesus’ divinity even before his birth, and they prepare us for the true account of the incarnation of the Lord, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind. There are seven distinct parts to this chapter:
1:1-4 Introduction for Theophilus
1:5-25 The birth of John foretold by Gabriel
1:26-38 The birth of Jesus foretold by Gabriel
1:39-45 Mary visits Elizabeth in her sixth month
1:46-56 Mary’s song (the Magnificat)
1:57-66 The birth of John the Baptist
1:67-80 Zechariah’s song (the Benedictus)
Introduction for Theophilus
1 Since many have undertaken to write an account of the events that have been fulfilled among us,
“Since many have undertaken,” Luke begins. In a style that is comparable to many classical Greek authors, Luke states his reason for writing in clear and elegant terms. Luke writes because his associate Theophilus (more about him later) would like to know more about Jesus. By writing this Gospel for Theophilus, Luke provides a Gospel account written for a Gentile and from the perspective of a Gentile. That’s not to say that Luke doesn’t quote from the Old Testament. Quite the reverse. But Luke mostly quotes from the Old Testament as it was translated into Greek in a version called the Septuagint.
“Many,” Luke says, “have undertaken to write.” This “many” (polloi, πολλοί) may have included the Gospels of Matthew and Mark (John’s would not be written for several decades yet), but what others? We get the idea that there were quite a few of these gospels going around. The judgment of history is that most of them weren’t very good. Whether they were incomplete, or had falsehoods and elaborations, or were just poorly written, they weren’t worth keeping or using either by Jesus’ followers or by his critics. This is evident because no one at all kept them. Other “gospels” like the Gospel of Thomas and the Gospel of Peter and so forth were written centuries later, mostly in Egypt, and mostly in another language (Coptic). Those later Gnostic Gospels are valueless. Even the best (the Gospel of Thomas) is just a loose collection of sayings, many identical to passages from Luke.
Luke calls his book a diegesis (διήγησις), an account or narrative. Jesus had used the term “gospel” (good news) when he talked about the stories about his words and works (Matthew 26:13; Mark 8:35). Luke uses the word “gospel” a few times here (Luke 9:6; 20:1) and often in Acts (8:25, 40; 15:7; 16:10; 20:24). By calling his book an “account,” he puts it into the context of a public record; an account to be read and reread.
Luke’s public account describes “the events that have been fulfilled among us.” These were events that were carried out fully to their completion. This is the way a Greek perfect participle is to be understood, and Luke uses this important point of Greek grammar to assure us that what Jesus came to do was carried out to its ultimate conclusion; he did not leave anything to be finished or touched up later on. The followers of Jesus are those who put our faith in Jesus. He himself declared his work to be finished on the cross (John 19:30). Our faith in him is the means by which we are declared holy and righteous before God.
In his catechism “A Summary of the Christian Faith,” Professor David Chytraeus (1530-1600) says:
“Faith is the knowledge of the person and blessings of Christ and of the entire teaching which God has handed down; the assent by which we embrace the entire teaching and in it the promise of gracious reconciliation or the imputation of righteousness to be given for Christ’s sake; and confidence which rests on Christ, the Mediator, according to the promise, and which claims with certainty that sins are forgiven freely for Christ’s sake alone and not because of one’s own worth.” (A Summary of the Christian Faith, Repristination Press translation and reprint, p. 106-107).
Martin Luther (1483-1546) explained: “I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the virgin Mary, is my Lord. He has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver but with his holy, precious blood and with his innocent suffering and death. All this he did that I should be his own, and live under him in his kingdom, and serve him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, just as he has risen from death and lives and rules eternally. This is most certainly true.” (Small Catechism, Second Article).
What Jesus has fulfilled is fulfilled forever. What Jesus has fulfilled for our sakes can never be taken away from us, or denied to us. It is ours by faith, and so we put our trust in him. Through him, we have eternal life.
In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith
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Pastor Smith serves St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, New Ulm, Minnesota