Luke 1:57-80

57 When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son.

58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very kind to her, and they shared her joy.

59 When the child was eight days old, they went [to the temple] to circumcise him. They were going to name him Zechariah after his father.

60 But his mother spoke up, "Absolutely not! His name will be John."

61 Their friends said to her, "But you don't have any relatives with that name."

62 So they motioned to the baby's father to see what he wanted to name the child.

63 Zechariah asked for a writing tablet and wrote, "His name is John." Everyone was amazed.

64 Suddenly, Zechariah was able to speak, and he began to praise God.

65 All their neighbors were filled with awe. Throughout the mountain region of Judea, people talked about everything that had happened.

66 Everyone who heard about it seriously thought it over and asked, "What does the future hold for this child?" It was clear that the Lord was with him.

67 His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,

68 "Praise the Lord God of Israel! He has come to take care of his people and to set them free.

69 He has raised up a mighty Savior for us in the family of his servant David.

70 He made this promise through his holy prophets long ago.

71 He promised to save us from our enemies and from the power of all who hate us.

72 He has shown his mercy to our ancestors and remembered his holy promise,

73 the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham.

74 He promised to rescue us from our enemies' power so that we could serve him without fear

75 by being holy and honorable as long as we live.

76 "You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High. You will go ahead of the Lord to prepare his way.

77 You will make his people know that they can be saved through the forgiveness of their sins.

78 A new day will dawn on us from above because our God is loving and merciful.

79 He will give light to those who live in the dark and in death's shadow. He will guide us into the way of peace."

80 The child John grew and became spiritually strong. He lived in the desert until the day he appeared to the people of Israel.

Luke 1:57-80 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LUKE

The writer of this Gospel, Luke, has been, by some, thought, as Origen {a} relates, to be the same with Lucius, mentioned in Ro 16:21, but he seems rather to be, and without doubt is, Luke the beloved physician, who was a companion of the Apostle Paul in great part of his travels in the Gentile world: he came with him to Jerusalem, and from thence accompanied him to Rome, and continued with him when in prison, and was with him to the last; see Ac 16:10,11 \Col 4:14 2Ti 4:11 Phm 1:24\. Jerom {b}, and others, say, he was a physician of Antioch in Syria; where it may be the Apostle Paul met with him, and might be the happy instrument of his conversion; so that he seems to be, by nation, a Syrian, as Jerom {c} calls him. Grotius thinks his name is Roman, and that it is the contraction of Lucilius. It is not an Hebrew name, but might be in common use in Syria; for though the Jews reckon owqwl, "Lukus", among foreign names, yet say {d} a it was a very illustrious one, and well known to them, as it may well be thought to be if Syriac, the language being spoke by them: and many Jews lived in Syria, and particularly in Antioch. Some say that this Gospel was written by the advice, and assistance, and under the direction of the Apostle Paul, as the Gospel according to Mark was by that of Peter; though the following preface does not seem so well to accord with this. Eusebius says {e} that it was the sense of the ancients, that whenever the Apostle Paul makes mention of his Gospel, he intends this according to Luke. The time of the writing of it is not certain; some say it was written in the fifteenth year after the ascension of our Lord; others in the twenty second; and others in the twenty seventh. It is commonly thought to have been written after the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, according to the order in which it stands; but this is rejected by some learned men, who rather think that Luke wrote first of all: and indeed, there are some things in his preface which look as if there had not, as yet, been any authentic account published, at least which was come to the knowledge of this evangelist. The place where he wrote it is also uncertain. Jerom says {f}, he wrote it in the parts of Achaia, perhaps at Corinth: according to the titles prefixed to the Syriac and Persic versions, he wrote it in Alexandria: the former of these runs thus;

``the Gospel of Luke, the Evangelist, which he spake and published in Greek in Alexandria the great.''

And the latter thus;

``the Gospel of Luke, which he wrote in the Greek tongue in Alexandria of Egypt.''

However, it is agreed on all hands, that it is genuine, and of divine inspiration. Eusebius {g} relates, that it was affirmed by some, that this Gospel, together with those of Matthew and Mark, were brought to the Apostle John, who approved of them, and bore witness to the truth in them.

{a} In Rom. xvi. 21. {b} Catalog. Script. Eccles. sect. 17. fol. 91. Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 3. c. 4. {c} Praefat in Luc. {d} T. Bab. Gittin, fol. 11. 2. & Gloss. in ib. {e} Ubi supra. (Hist. Eccl. l. 3. c. 39.) {f} Praefat in Luc. {g} Eccl. Hist. l. 3. c. 24.