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Luke 2a: HG Bishop Youssef

Outline of the Chapter

  • 1-4: Prologue to the Gospel and Dedication to Theophilus
  • 5-25:7: Birth of StChrist
    • John
  • 8-20: Praise of the BaptistAngels announced to Zecharias
  • 26-38: Annunciation to St. Mary
  • 39-45:and Visit of Stthe Mary to ElizabethShepherds
  • 46-56: Magnificat
  • 56-58: Birth of St  John the Baptist
  • 59-66:21: Circumcision of StChrist
    • John
  • 22-24: Presentation in the BaptistTemple
  • 67-80:25-38: Zacharias'Simeon Prophecyand Anna
  • 39-40: Holy Family Returns to Nazareth
  • 41-50: Boy Jesus Amazes Scholars
  • 51-52: Jesus Advances in Wisdom and Favor

PrologueBirth of Christ

1 InasmuchAnd asit manycame haveto takenpass in handthose to set in order days that a narrativedecree ofwent those thingsout whichfrom haveCaesar beenAugustus fulfilledthat amongall us,the world should be registered. 2 justThis ascensus thosefirst who fromtook theplace beginningwhile were eyewitnessesQuirinius andwas ministersgoverning of the word delivered them to us,Syria. 3 itSo seemedall goodwent to mebe also,registered, havingeveryone hadto perfecthis understandingown city. 

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of allthe thingscity fromof Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the veryhouse first,and tolineage writeof to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus,David, 4 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was with child. 6 So it was, that youwhile maythey knowwere there, the certaintydays ofwere thosecompleted thingsfor her to be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in whichswaddling youcloths, wereand instructed.laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

  • St ExpositionLuke begins the story of the birth of Christ with "in those days" - which days?
    • The days mentioned in the previous chapter... around the time of the Annunciation of John and Annunciation of Christ and the birth of St LukeJohn
      • is
    • St sendingLuke's thisGospel gospeluses to"in those days" a person named Theophilus and telling him that many people wrote narratives about the life of Christ, but this narrative is very known to me, personally. 
    • It is known to him personally because he received it from eyewitnesses. Luke took upon himself the responsibility to understand perfectly the things that had happened since the very beginning and to write them accurately, so that Theophilus would know what was instructedlot
  • Luke Prologuesets the historical time for the birth of Christ
    • GospelDuring the reign of LukeCaesar isAugustus theas onlyRoman gospelEmperor to(31 startBC with- a14 prologue,AD)
      • and he followed the style of prologue that was common in the literature at
    • During the time of Quirinius as governor of Syria
  • Census "Manyof haveQuirinius taken
    • The rules of a census are that each person goes back to the land of their family/tribe and where they were born. The census was used by to appropriately tax each everyone in handthe empire
    • The journey from Nazareth in Galilee (north) to setBethlehem in Judea (south) is approximately 80 miles
    • Nothing happens haphazardly but all by the economy of God in order ato narrative"fulfill the prophecy of Micah:
      • St"But Lukeyou, seemsBethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, Yet out of you shall come forth to attestMe thatthe otherOne gospelsto existbe Ruler in hisIsrael, time,Whose whichgoings forth are notfrom asof accurate.
      • Some scholars estimate 30 or more gospelsold, from theeverlasting." first(Micah two centuries.
      • The Church only ever accepted four gospels.
      • Origen testifies that from the very beginning, the Church only acknowledged four Gospels as being inspired by the Holy Spirit.5:2)
    • Joseph's Thegoing beginningto
        Bethlehem
      • "justpublicly asdeclared thosethat whoboth him and Mary, his wife, are from the beginning were..."
      • The lifetribe of ChristJudah started byand the Annunciationlineage of theKing Birth of John to ZachariasDavid
    • Mary, Eyewitnesseshis andbetrothed ministers of the wordwife
      • ThoseJewish whotradition deliveredhad thesethree thingssteps toin Lukea marriage:
        • Proposal/Engagement
        • Betrothal
          • Civil marriage. The legal aspects - he provides for her and hisshe contemporariesprovides werefor eyewitnesses
          • Ministers of the word are the apostleshim
        • Perfect understanding of all thingsMarriage
          • StConsummation Luke is saying that he has tracedof the traditionsrelationship
            • to
          their very sources and will write them in their consecutive order, that Theophilus may be fully convinced in the truth he was instructed in.
      • St MostMary Excellentand TheophilusSt Joseph's marriage was not consummated, but St Mary was perpetually in her virginity
    • Obedience of Authority
      • St Joseph and St Mary teach us to obey the authority in their obedience of the census rules
      • "mostLet excellentevery Felix"soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God." (Romans 13:1-2)
      • We ought to obey the authority of the law and government unless it contradicts God
        • "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 24:5:29)
    • Firstborn
      • Title of rank and birth order of first male child, whether there are other children or not
      • Firstborn was to be dedicated to the Lord (Exodus 13, Numbers 3)
      • St Mary's Virginity remained sealed
        • “This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the Lord God of Israel has entered by it; therefore it shall be shut." (Ezekiel 44:2)
        • St Augustine describes it as Light passing through Glass
    • Swaddling & Manger
      • When a child was born they were washed and then swaddled - soin "mostthis, excellent"Christ mustwas implytreated like any ordinary Hebrew child
      • However, he was placed in a highmanger rank or public figure
        • Theophilus means "Lover of God"
        • TheophilusManger is a commonfeeding nametrough for animals. It was filled with hay. So St Mary placed Him in Greekthere -so noHe reasonwould tobe assume that Theophilus wasn't the name of someone that Luke knew
          • Some theorize that Theophilus was a sponsor of St Luke who sponsored him to author Luke and Actswarm.
          • Some theorize that TheophilusThere is a benefactorbeautiful whomeaning wantedhere which is that He is the Bread of Life, and He was placed in a feeding trough when He was born
          • We see their poverty in that they were not regarded by anyone and could not even find a place to stay anonymous, and so Luke called him "lover of God"
          • Some say that Theophilus is a noble of Antioch
          • Some suggest that Theophilus refers to all believers of Christsleep

      AnnunciationPraise of the Birth of John the Baptist

      5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron,Angels and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinancesVisit of the Lord blameless. Shepherds7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.

      • Setting the Stage
        • St. Luke sets the time period as being during the time of Herod
      • Herod, king of Judea
        • By the 1st Century, Judea was not a separate state, but was under Herod with Samaria, Galilee, Idumea, etc.
      • Zacharias
        • Name means "God Remembers"
      • Division of Abijah
        • Aaron, the High Priest, had four sons - Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar
        • Nadab and Abihu offered profane fire in Leviticus 10 and were consumed by fire
        • Eleazar and Ithamar would spring up 24 families: 16 from Eleazar and 8 from Ithamar
        • At the time of King David, the number of priests became too much... so King David divided them into 24 divisions and each would  serve one week (1 Chronicles 24)
        • Abijah is the 8th Division
      • Elizabeth
        • Name means "The Oath of God"
        • Direct descendant of Aaron - this is a great honor to have both husband and wife as descendants of Aaron the High Priest
      • Righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
        • Righteous before God: not just before men, but before God, who sees the heart
        • Walking in all the commandments and ordinances: this is the evidence of their righteousness
          • Commandments were known (like the 10 commandments)
          • Ordinances are duties ordained for us to follow and fulfill (fasting, prayer, etc.)
        • Blameless: Doesn't mean they are without sin, but that they are living a life of repentance
          • If I wash my clothes every day and someone sees me with clean clothes it doesn't mean the clothes were never dirty... it means that they've been cleaned.
          • Origen: "Our Lord Jesus referred to the Church in Ephesians 5:22 as 'glorious church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.' This does not mean that the son of the Church has never sinned, but rather he leads a life of repentance."
      • They had no child
        • A family without child was considered reproach because it cuts off all hope of having the Messiah from that family
        • The Lord deigned to bring St John the Baptist in this remarkable way overcoming the two obstacles:
          • Elizabeth is barren
          • Elizabeth and Zacharias are both advanced in years

        8 SoNow itthere was, that while he was serving as priest before Godwere in the ordersame ofcountry hisshepherds division,living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And 10 [c]And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 Thenbehold, an angel of the Lord appearedstood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. 10 Then the angel said to him,them, “Do standingnot onbe afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11 For there is born to you this day in the right side of the altarcity of incense.David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And whenthis will Zachariasbe saw him, hethe sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

        13 And suddenly there was troubled,with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and fearsaying:

        fell

        14 “Glory to uponGod him.in the highest,
        And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”

        15 So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16 And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. 17 Now when they had seen Him, they made [f]widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. 18 And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. 19 But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.

        • Shepherds
          •  

        Circumcision of Christ

        21 And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

        • dd

        Presentation of Christ in the Temple

        22 Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), 24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”

        • Offering of Incensess
          • To offer incense was a great occasion in the life of a priest because it may never happen. With over 20,000 priests, the odds that it falls on any given one are low
          • Every evening, there was an evening incense - and the Levites would go into the holy place and they would prepare it (dump ashes from last time, trim the wicks of the candles, etc.) in preparation for the priest. Then they would go outside and pray until the priest came out of the Holy Place. There would be one priest at the altar of offering outside and one priest at the altar of incense. And once the priest outside offered the lamb on the altar, the priest inside would dump incense on the fire of the altar of incense.
            • This symbolizes many things:
              • the aroma going up at the same time as the death of the lamb symbolizes the death of Christ on the Cross as a sweet aroma to the Father
              • The raising of incense is a raising up of the prayers of all the people outside
        • The angel's appearance
          • It had been 400 years since the last Divine Communication... God went 400 years without any prophecies, angels, etc. But now that the Father is going to send His only-begotten Son, He sends an angelic messengers to announce His intention; the prepare the mind of the people to receive such great news.
          • The appearance of the angel was sudden and unexpected, so Zacharias was fearful
          • The angel stood on the right side of the altar of incense

        13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. 15 For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you [d]these glad tidings. 20 But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”

        • Do not be afraid
          • When the angel says these words, there is a power associated with them to cast away any fear from the heart
        • Your prayer is heard
          • The prayer for offspring ("and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son")
        • John
          • Name means "God is gracious"
          • God made an oath/promise to Adam and Even ("Elizabeth" = Oath of God) and in the fullness of time ("Zacharias" = God Remembers), God fulfilled the promise by sending us Grace through His only-begotten Son ("John" = God is gracious)
        • "Many will rejoice at his brith"
          • Until now, we rejoice at his birth
        • "Great in the sight of the Lord"
          • All of us want to be great... for some it is to be rich, for some it is reputation and honor, for some it is prestige and position... but true Greatness is to be "Great in the Sight of the Lord"
          • Christ said about John that He is "the greatest among those born of women"
          • He shall drink neither wine nor strong drink
            • No lover of wine or strong drink can be great in the sight of the Lord
          • Filled with the Holy Spirit
            • John is filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother's womb
            • Zacharias is filled with the Holy Spirit when John is born
            • Elizabeth is filled with the Holy Spirit at the visit of St. Mary to her
        • He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God
          • John was an instrument to turn many of the Israelites who verbally worshipped Christ but denied Him in error, superstition, etc.
          • "those who turn many to righteousness [shall shine] like the stars forever and ever" (Daniel 12:3)
        • John and Elijah
          • John is granted the spirit of Elijah and resembles him
            • Celibacy
            • Dress: Camel hair cloak and leather loincloth
            • Mission: Sent by God to call the covenant people to repentance
            • John stood before King Herod as Elijah stood before King Ahab
          • The Jews believed (and still do) that Elijah would come before the Messiah. We believe that Elijah will come at the Second Coming of Christ 
          • "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet Before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse." (Malachi 4:6)
        • Zacharias demands a sign
          • "How shall I know this"
          • Gabriel reminds him of who he is - "I am Gabriel" the second archangel!
          • Zacharias had the honor of being the first one to whom the news of salvation is announced, and the first one to whom the Lord spoke in hundreds of years... and yet he asks for a sign.
            • Asking for a sign shows spiritual weakness... doubt, lack of faith.
            • Especially as coming from an angel and coming to a priest
        • Archangel Gabriel
          • Name means "The hero of God" or "The might one of God"
          • One of the seven archangels who is responsible for being the messenger of good news
          • He came to Daniel to tell him about the restoration of Jerusalem
          • He came to Zacharias to declare the glorious office of St John the Baptist
          • He came to St Mary to announce the Birth of Christ

        21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. 22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. 23 So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. 24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.”

        • It happened before that some priests died while making their offerings (i.e. because of their sins), so they got worried when he didn't come out
          • Leviticus 10
          • Numbers 16
          • Numbers 40
          • 2 Chronicles 26
        • Days of his service = one week (Sabbath to Sabbath)
          • 2 Kings 11:5
        • Elizabeth hid herself five months
          • Maybe she was amazed at the angelic announcement and went into isolation in order to meditate on the wonderful goodness of God and to praise God in rejoicing
          • Maybe she considered how she could best do her part to train this child and be the best mother
          • Maybe she kept herself hidden lest she exposes herself to ridicule before knowing for certain it was reality
        • Take away my reproach among people
          • In those days, having children was a blessing from God... the Messiah could come from these children!
          • Rachel, mother of Joseph, said "God has taken away my reproach" when she was barren and gave birth to Joseph
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