STUDY THEME: ONE SOLITARY LIFE: THE LIFE OF JESUS.  12-3-00
UNIT 2: "BORN TO SAVE-NEW BEGINNING"
LUKE 1: 5-7, 8-13, 14-17, 57-60.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO LUKE 1.

God has a plan for all His children and specific purposes for each of
them as well. In the Bible, He has revealed attitudes, behaviors, and
tasks that He expects to characterize all Christians. For example, God
expects all believers to be His witnesses and to grow in grace. He also
calls individuals for specific tasks in life. 

God appointed John the Baptist to his life's work before John was born.
The angel Gabriel revealed God's plan for John to his father Zechariah
when Gabriel announced that Zechariah and Elizabeth would have a son.
That announcement and its fulfillment form the focal point of this study.
God's using Zechariah and Elizabeth in His redemptive purposes can assure
us that God will use us in His service.

Because John the Baptist plays such an important part in the life of
Jesus' ministry we begin our N.T. study of the life of Jesus by looking
at the announcement and birth of John. The Biblical Truth is that God
uses faithful people to achieve His purpose of redemption. This fact
should help us to be available for God's use in achieving His purposes.
We must accept the fact that God wont open greater opportunities for us
until we become faithful in dealing with the opportunities now open to
us.

God does have a purpose for each believer. He would have each of us have
a part in God's redemptive purpose. God calls us and equips us to do His
will. When we do what God wants us to do, that which we do is significant
in God's sight. 

God in His wisdom gave us four inspired accounts of the life of Jesus.
All tell the same basic story of the coming, life, death and resurrection
of Jesus; however, each has some distinctives. Mark is the shortest
Gospel and focuses on the actions of Jesus. Matthew contains much of what
is in Mark, along with more of Jesus teachings. Luke has material not
included in Matthew or Mark but follows the same basic outline. John is
the most distinctive of the four Gospels. In this year's study of the
life of Jesus, we will be using some passages from all four Gospels.

Luke was a physician and traveling companion of the apostle Paul. He
wrote two books of our N.T.,  the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. To
most people living in the Roman Empire during the first century, Judea
was a remote and alien province. It is clear that Luke wrote primarily
for Gentiles. Theophilus was a Gentile, as was Luke himself, and there is
nothing in the Gospel that a Gentile could not grasp and understand.
Unlike Matthew, he is not greatly interested in the life of Jesus as the
fulfillment of Jewish prophecy. He very seldom quotes the O.T. at all. He
has a habit of giving Hebrew words in their Greek equivalent so that a
Greek would understand.       
When he is tracing the descent of Jesus, he traces it not to Abraham, the
founder of the Jewish race, as Matthew does, but to Adam, the founder of
the human race. It is just because of this that Luke is the easiest of
all the Gospels to read. He was writing, not for Jews, but for people
very like us. 

The Gospel according to Luke has been called the loveliest book in the
world. An American once asked Dewey if he could recommend a good "Life of
Christ", and Dewey answered "Have your tried the one that Luke wrote."
In Luke 1:3 he said he wrote his Gospel to give an "orderly account" of
God's fulfilling His promise to provide a Deliverer. Luke began his
account of the Delivers' coming with John the Baptist's birth. The
account quickly makes clear that God was behind the ministry of John, the
promised Deliverer's appointed forerunner.

A book that will be a valuable aid in studying these next 12 lessons is
A.T. Robertson's "Harmony of the Gospels". It lays the four Gospels side
by side in a chronological manner and thus replaces the need to turn from
one to others of the Gospels to get the complete story. Some of you would
enjoy reading the two novels about Jesus, written by Marjorie Holmes:
"Two from Galilee-a love story of Mary and Joseph." The sequel "Three
from Galilee -The young Man from Nazareth, Jesus."

In today's lesson we begin our study by looking at Zechariah and
Elizabeth. 

1. PLEASE READ LUKE 1: 5-7.

Four centuries passed between Malachi and Matthew. These are often
referred to as "the four hundred silent years," because in those years we
have no record, so far as inspired history is concerned, of God's
speaking audibly to man, either directly Himself or through angelic
ministrations. They were years of waiting.      

The O.T. ended with the Jews under Persian rule. When the N.T. opens, the
Jews were ruled by the Romans. What happened during those four centuries?
Alexander the Great, the Greek world-conqueror, occupied Palestine in 323
B.C. When he died, his empire was divided among his generals. The Jews
were caught between the rulers in Egypt, the Ptolemies, and the rulers in
Syria, the Seleucids. During the intertestamental period, the Greek
language and culture spread throughout the Mediterranean world. Antioch
Epiphanes, a Syrian leader, defiled the Jewish temple. The Jews rebelled,
led by a family called the Maccabees. By 167 B.C. the Jews were able to
establish their independence, which lasted until 63 B.C. when the Romans
conquered them. 

Our lesson takes place "in the days of Herod", called "The Great", a
monster of cruelty, a vassal of Rome; who ruled the Jews with savage
tyranny. He was an Idumean, a descendant of Esau, not Jacob. The Roman
Senate named Herod the Great King of Judea in 40 B.C., he died in 4 B.C.
Both John and Jesus were born prior to Herod's death. And this brings us
to our study of Zecharia.  

Zechariah, the central character in this scene was a priest who lived in
the hill country of Judea, south of Jerusalem. He belonged to the section
of Abia or Abijah who was descended from Eleazer, the eldest son of
Aaron, the brother of Moses. Every direct descendant of Aaron was
automatically a priest. That meant that that for all ordinary purposes,
there were far too many priests. One estimate is that the lower priests
numbered at least 20,000. King David, back in Chronicles, divided them
into 24 sections. Zechariah was in the 8th section. 

Only at the Passover, at Pentecost, and at the Feast of the Tabernacles
did all the priest serve. For the rest of the year each course served one
week twice a year. Priests who loved their work looked forward to that
week of service above all things; it was the high-light of their lives. 

A priest might only marry a woman of absolutely pure Jewish lineage. It
was especially meritorious to marry a woman who was also a descendant of
Aaron, as Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah, was. There were as many as
20,000 priests altogether and so there were not far short of a thousand
in each section. So within the sections all the duties were allocated by
lot. Every morning and evening, sacrifice was made for the whole nation.

It was quite possible that many a priest would never have the privilege
of burning incense all his life; but if the lot did fall on any priest
that day was the greatest day in all his life, the day he longed for and
dreamed of. On this day the lot fell on Zechariah and very certainly he
would be thrilled to the core of his being. It was the supreme hour of
his life.

But in Zechariah's life there was a tragedy. He and Elizabeth were
childless. They were nobodies in the eyes of the world; but in the eyes
of God, this simple priest and his wife were highly favored people. They
were both righteous before God. The Jewish Rabbis listed seven reasons
why people  were excommunicated from God and the list began, "A Jew who
has no wife, or a Jew who has a wife and who has no child." Childlessness
was valid grounds for divorce.

2. PLEASE READ LUKE 1: 8-13. 

Not unnaturally Zechariah, even on his great day, was thinking of his
personal and domestic tragedy and was praying about it. And then the
wondrous vision came and the glad message that, even when hope was dead,
a son would be born to him. The first happy surprise of the day for
Zechariah was to be chosen to burn the incense. Now came a second
unexpected surprise. He was to have a son and his name was to be John. 

The incense was burned and the offering made in the innermost court of
the Temple, the Court of the Priests. While the sacrifice was being made,
the congregation thronged the next court, the Court of the Israelites. It
was the privilege of the priest at the evening sacrifice to come to the
rail between the two courts after the incense and had been burned to
bless the people. It was probably on the Sabbath because there was a
multitude of people attending which ordinarily was not true on a week
day. 

The people marveled that Zechariah was so long delayed. When he came he
could not speak and the people knew that he had seen a vision. So in a
wordless daze of joy, Zechariah finished his week's duty and went home;
and then the message of God came true and Elizabeth knew that she was
going to have a child. One thing stands out here. It was in God's house
that God's message came to Zechariah. We often wish that a message from
God would come to us. Zechariah was in the Temple waiting on God. God's
voice comes to those who listen for it-as Zechariah did-in God's house.

The appearance of an angel was not a common thing. Zechariah's fear was a
normal response to a messenger of God. Zechariah's was gripped with fear.
That the angel of the Lord was standing on the right side of the altar of
incense near the Holy of Holies makes clear the angel spoke for God.
After the angel tried to calm Zechariah's fears, the angel, Gabriel,
said, thy prayer is heard. Zechariah, the prophet was the last in the
O.T. to be conversant with angels, and Zacharis the priest was the first
in the N.T. 

As ministering priest, Zechariah surely felt the need to join the people
in praying that the Messiah would come soon. At the same time, he often
had prayed for a son. God's answer surely included both. A son was
promised to the old couple, and that son played a significant part in
God's redemptive plan. Zechariah was told to name their son John. 

Later we find Zechariah doubting that God really could do what the angel
had promised-even that for which he had been praying for so many years.
But God can do far more than we ask or think. 

God does not operate on a human time schedule. From our point of view, we
may feel that he is not ever going to use us in any significant way. Then
at an unexpected time and in an unexpected way God calls us to some task.
Older people, for example, may feel that their days of service are over
but God still may have something for us to do.

Three more characteristics of people God uses are: God reveals His will
to people who are willing to be used by Him. He does this in His own time
and in His own way. God uses people of prayer. God uses people who
persevere in spite of things they do not understand. 

William Booth spent his life telling the good news in the worst parts of
London. His converts were the outcasts of society, but they were won and
helped by Booth and his Salvation Army. Late in life the old warrior of
the cross went blind. His response to this plight was: "I have done what
I could for God and for the people with my eyes. Now I shall do what I
can do for God and for the people without my eyes." 

2. PLEASE READ LUKE 1: 14-17.

When the announcement concerning the birth of John was made, it was to
the Temple that the angel came and not to the outer courts. The angel
appeared in the Holy Place, not the Holy of Holies, for the altar of
incense stood in front of the veil. Luke gives us a graphic suggestive
picture of the time and the conditions as he introduces the forerunner.
The king is there degenerate, The Temple is there, desecrated. The
priesthood is there debased. The people are there, defeated.

Gabriel came to a simple priest fulfilling his service. Gabriel is
declaring what the office of John, the forerunner, was to be. He quotes
the very last words of the prophets with which the Hebrews were familiar.
Four hundred years before the coming of the Messiah, four hundred years
before John, Malachi was the last of the great messengers, and these were
his final words: "Behold, I send you Elijah, the prophet, before the
great and terrible days of Jehovah come."

It is significant that the angel ended with the last words of hope from
the Hebrew prophet. Four hundred years, no voice, and then the final
words that had come from an authentic prophet were spoken in the Temple
to a listening priest. 

What a wonderful thing for a heavenly messenger to give the name for a
child! We have several instances like that in Scriptures. God told
Abraham that he was to call his son "Issac." Here the angel named the
child that he said would be born, "John." It simply means "The Grace of
Jehovah."      

The angel told Zechariah that his and Elizabeth's son would bring joy to
them and to many others and that their son would be great in the Lord's
sight. God would set him apart and empower him with the Spirit. He would
fulfill the role of the greatest prophet, call people to repentance, and
prepare the way for the Lord. Elizabeth secluded herself for the first
five months of her pregnancy. By this time others became aware of the
good news.

 It seems that John was destined to be a Nazarite. He would drink neither
wine nor strong drinks. He would be filled with the Holy Spirit even from
his mother's womb. In a sense, the new age of the Spirit's permanent
residence, began with John. His ministry would be to call people to
repentance. For this he would be hated and persecuted by Herod, even as
Elijah was by Ahab and Jezebel.       

John's role would be that of a prophet who would go before the Lord in
the Spirit and power of Elijah. Thus he would fulfill the prophecy of
Malachia in Mal. 3:1 made over 400 years before. Elijah has already come
in the person of John the Baptist. John was so much like Elijah that many
thought he was Elijah returned to earth. John's call for repentance would
be designed to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. 

Thus not only did Zechariah and Elizabeth play a vital role in God's
redemptive plan, but John the Baptist played a more vital role. We learn
from the prophecy about him, that God uses people who find His purpose
for their lives. God has a purpose for every life. His mission for John
was in God's plan even before John was born. God can use godly parents
who dedicate themselves and their children to Him. God uses people who
keep their lives free from such things as alcohol and other intoxicants.
God uses Spirit-filled people. God uses courageous proclaimers of His
truth. 

Elizabeth conceived and when the time came, she gave birth to a son. Her
neighbors and relatives rejoiced with her. They assumed that the child
would be named Zechariah, but Elizabeth insisted that he be called John,
even as Gabriel had directed. 

3. PLEASE READ LUKE 1: 57-60.

After the angel Gabriel's announcement to Zechariah the priest had
expressed doubt about the birth of a child to them at their age. For
this, he was told he would not be able to speak until the promise was
fulfilled. Elizabeth did conceive and hid herself for 5 months. During
that time in Vs. 26-56 she had a visit from her cousin Mary from
Nazareth. When Elizabeth's full time came she brought forth a son. The
work of John the Baptist and of Jesus is thus linked closely together
from before either was born. For Zechariah and Elizabeth the stigma of
barrenness was removed, and a miracle was performed comparable to the
birth of Isaac to the aged Abraham and Sarah.

In Palestine the birth of a child was an occasion of great joy,
especially if the child was a boy. When the time of the birth was near at
hand, the friends and the local musicians gathered near the house. When
the birth was announced, if it was a boy, the musicians broke into music
and song, and there was universal congratulation and rejoicing. If it was
a girl the musicians went silently and regretfully away! There was a
saying, "The birth of a male child causes universal joy, but the birth of
a female child causes universal sorrow." So in Elizabeth's house there
was double joy. At last she had a child and that child was a son. On the
eighth day the boy was circumcised and on that day he received his name.
Girls could be named any time within thirty days of their birth.

Neighbors and relatives assumed that the new son would be named
Zechariah. Elizabeth, however, said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
Apparently Zechariah had written for her his experience in the temple. At
any rae, she knew that the angel had said to name their son John. Vs.
6l-63 show how Zechariah, who had beenunable to speak, confirmed thename
in writing. Then his speech returned and he praised the Lord. In Vs.
65-66 all that dwelt about said, "What manner of child shall  this be!
And the hand of the Lord was with him. As for Johnk he ws in the
wilderness until the timme his mission arrived. Jesus said there was no
man born of woman greater than John the Baptist. 

Finding and doing the will of God brings great joy. The praise of
Zechariah sounds the two fold note of praise to God and of joy that runs
through the Gospel of Luke. And so another characteristic of people God
uses is God uses people of praise and joy.  

NEXT WEEKS' LESSON FROM THE FIRST CH. OF LUKE AND MATT. ASKS THE QUESTION
"WHAT SHOULD JESUS BEING THE SAVIOR MEAN TO ME?"   A.V. DAUGHERTY 
SS12-03-00

          
    
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