Luke 1 NIV

Luke 1 starts off with Zechariah and Elizabeth who were both righteous and faithful in the sight of God. “Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly” (Verse 6). There was just one thing, Zechariah and Elizabeth had no child, and there was no possible way for them to have one in their minds because of their age. The story then delves into how an angel of the Lord named Gabriel appeared before Zechariah. When he saw Gabriel, he was instantly frightened and startled, but the angel comforted him with some news from God. “But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John’” (Verse 13). How amazing! God truly listened to Zechariah and Elizabeth’s prayer and answered it! One verse that really stood out to me about John was: “He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God” (Verse 16). This was a key point for me when reading because in John’s life throughout the Bible, that is exactly what his purpose turned out to be. The only thing was the fact that Zechariah doubted what Gabriel was saying to him even though this message was from God. Because of his doubt, Gabriel told Zechariah that he shall be mute and he will not be able to speak until John is born.

Sixth months go by during Elizabeth’s pregnancy and Gabriel then goes to the virgin, Mary. Mary was at first confused why Gabriel was speaking with her and what he could possibly be speaking to her about. Gabriel explained: “But the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus’” (Verses 30-31). When Mary heard this news from Gabriel she was astonished because of the fact that she is a virgin. Gabriel explained to her that this is possible because the Holy Spirit is with her. After hearing such things, Mary believed and had faith in the promise of what Gabriel stated. “‘I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May your word to me be fulfilled.’ Then the angel left her” (Verse 38).

When Elizabeth met up with Mary, she heard Mary’s greeting and immediately the baby “leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit” (Verse 41). After this occurrence, both Mary and Elizabeth were filled with the Holy Spirit and rejoiced in worship and praise. It was a lifechanging moment for both the women.

John was then finally born. “And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel” (Verse 80).

Luke 2 NIV

Because of the decree that was issued by Caesar Augustus, Joseph and Mary went to a little town of Bethlehem and when they arrived, it was time for the baby to be born. When Mary gave birth to little baby Jesus, he was placed in a manger because no rooms were available for the two to stay. Near the manger were shepherds and an angel of the Lord appeared to them. “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger’” (Verses 10-12). Immediately the shepherds headed to Bethlehem to see this miracle that was brought to their attention. As soon as they arrived and saw the baby in the manger, they went to go spread the news of what the angel of the Lord said to them. “And all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them” (Verse 18). When the shepherds returned, they praised God for the birth of Jesus and the miracle that they have witnessed.

“And the child grew and became strong; he was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was on him” (Verse 40).

I hope you all enjoyed the summary and analysis of the first two chapters of the book of Luke! Stay tuned for the next few chapters in the next blog post!

Amen.