Luke 1:1-25

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE
Luke 1:1-25
First written on 9/7/07.
My bible reports that Luke was a physician and that they are not very sure who Theophilus was. Luke was a logically minded person just from his opening note you can see that he intended to write a historically accurate record. I think that when we read we should take into consideration that there was a writer who intended or not, lent their own personality to the events they were recording. Luke starts his account with John the Baptist. I think that to Luke that is where Jesus story started. In this passage, it tells us about God sending Gabriel to tell Zechariah that he would have a son that he was to name John, "he will be great before the Lord and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even in his mother's womb". Okay let us reflect a little bit here on how you would feel if you were told this about your child. I would be praying every day "Lord don't let me mess him up!” This really would scare me and I think it scared Zechariah. I think that his disbelief had to do with the laws of physiology and the awe of being blessed with a child that God recognized as a great man. God chose to teach a lesson thru Zechariah and not the one most often associated with his story. God was teaching us there are no bounds to his power and generosity. Therefore, there is Zechariah coming out of the temple and he cannot speak, despite that, he was somehow able to make people understand that he had a vision. I wonder what that must have looked like and would I have gotten the message Zechariah was trying to convey if I had been there? When Elizabeth found out that she was pregnant, she immediately started praising God, which is not unusual, but she praised him for the child and for lifting her disgrace. How often when God does something do we thank him for every aspect of the outcome? Do you every say thank you God for helping me not to worry, bringing me joy, or allowing me to be your light? I am guilty of that but I hope to remember Zechariah and Elizabeth next time and give God all of the praise he deserves.
Interpretation today 6/5/10
I think on this now and first to say that I would be terrified to raise a child that was announced to me by Gabriel would be an understatement at the same time I think on my first born and I can remember begging God not to totally mess him up. I cannot imagine the pressure that both Zechariah and Elizabeth must have been under and maybe God did not silence Zachariah because he questioned his plan but to prepare him to carry out that plan. I have never stopped to think that maybe to do this properly God needed to prepare Zechariah and Elizabeth just like he prepare us for our individual task. I have been tested and sometimes fell short but maybe it is not the outcome of the testing that we should be looking at but the fact that God is testing us to prepare us. What if he knew that we would come up short and learning to pick ourselves up from failure was the real lesson. Dear Lord thank you for testing us and may we learn what you would have us learn. Amen

Introduction

Have you ever wondered how our interpretation of the Bible changes as we grow? Do you think how different would my view be after a tragedy? I have so we will explore this together. I am Jamie Luther and you will soon learn that I wrote most of this bible study before my husband had an unexpected complication that left him paralyzed. He was paralyzed at first below the waist but now he has recovered a few muscles in his thighs and buttocks that help him with balance. He works hard every day to learn to walk again and to increase his stamina, which was severely crippled. It takes much more energy when you have to consciously tell each muscle to fire. I have not always handled this journey well but I have never wavered in my love for my husband and my family, which I thank God for making sure that unlike so many, my family survived intact. We had a lot of help from a church family that stepped up to the plate and provided everything that we needed emotionally, spiritually and financially. I hope by allowing you insight into my life and my faith that it helps you find a deeper understanding of God’s Love and Devotion to all of us. Thank you for allowing me to share all that I am and I hope that you are blessed by my story.