18 Once when Jesus was praying alone, with only the disciples near him, he asked them, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 19 They answered, “John the Baptist; but others, Elijah; and still others, that one of the ancient prophets has arisen.” 20 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Messiah of God.” 21 He sternly ordered and commanded them not to tell anyone, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.”
HOPE’S KEY
Who Is Jesus? We have a habit of making judgments about one another. This is especially true when someone begins to emerge as a celebrity, and Luke wants us to know that most people were very taken by Jesus. However, there had been impressive people before and we sense that people thought Jesus belonged to the special group of heroes in Israel’s history (9:18–19).
But, Jesus was not content with this, and so he asked a more focused question of his disciples: ‘Who do you (plural) say that I am?’ (9:20). He reckoned that they had been with him long enough to form an opinion about him. By that time they had seen him day-in and day-out for over two years. They had listened to him and come to know him. And, while they seemed dissatisfied with the views of others, such as the Pharisees, Herod and even the crowds, they themselves still seemed to be uncertain about him. Jesus now challenged them to clarify their thoughts.
In this context, the picture cleared, at least for Peter. No doubt he had thought about the question before, but the idea had seemed impossible: ‘You are the Christ of God,’ he said (9:20). His response is as mind-blowing as it is significant. He was saying that Jesus was God’s long-promised ‘anointed one’ (Messiah). These men who had been in close proximity to Jesus, who had enjoyed the privilege of observing his every move and every look, confirmed Luke’s record of the words and events surrounding the birth of Jesus: Jesus is the Christ of God (also, 4:18–21).
THE MESSIAH
This is the first human testimony to Jesus being the Messiah, the Christ of God. Until now this kind of public witness had come only from supernatural sources – angels (1:31–35, 2:11), God the Father (3:22), and demonic spirits (4:41).
Prayer. It is easy to overlook that Peter’s testimony also had a supernatural origin, for the flow of Luke’s narration implies that Peter’s insight occurred as an outcome of Jesus’ prayer (9:18). It suggests that we too need to pray that people around us will come to this same statement of faith.
The radical solution for our need (9:21–22). Having recognized him the Messiah, Jesus knew his disciples would need a re-education program. Clearly they thought of the Messiah as a warrior king, like king David, a supernatural leader who would purge the country of the Roman scourge. They thought of God’s Messiah as the leader who would establish the glory of the kingdom of David across the whole world. This was their dream, their desire and their hope. Indeed, we get the impression that they saw themselves as having a role as courtiers in the coming kingdom (for example, 9:46–48).
But Jesus commanded them to tell no-one about what they now understood (9:21). His command for silence echoes his words to the demons (4:40–41), but his reasons here are different: ‘The Son of man must suffer many things…,’ he said (9:22). He needed to teach them that his path to glory would involve suffering and a cross. He would be rejected and would be put to death, but on the third day he would rise to life. With Luke’s arrangement of these two verses we feel the force of Jesus’ injunction for silence and the reason for it. However, the full significance of these events would only become clear to the disciples once they had taken place.
It is most important that we understand what Jesus is saying here. Most people reckon that what is needed to make the world a better place, is a new government, better education, better law enforcement. But Jesus knew that power, wielded by legitimate governments in the cause of justice could, at best, only limit evil. He knew the greed, the hatred and the selfishness of our human hearts could not be rooted out by better laws, better education or still less, by warfare, though these things have their place.
There was only one weapon that could finally defeat the power of evil and that was the weapon of innocent suffering and voluntary sacrifice. It required him, innocent man before God that he is, to tread a path to a cross. If Jesus had said the world could be rescued through education, social action, better government, or even armed revolution, many would follow. But he had to hang and suffer on a tree. And we might be tempted to ask, ‘You can’t really change the world like that, can you?’ The extraordinary thing is that he did.
You may want to consider:
1. the significance of Jesus’ questions of the disciples; 2. the place of prayer in people’s response to Jesus; 3. the implications for us to Jesus’ resolution to our human need.
16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
PROMISE AND FULFILLMENT
Fulfillment. Beginning his public ministry in the region of Galilee, it was not long before the impact of Jesus’ presence carried well beyond the immediate region. News about him spread like a wildfire, in the towns and the villages, where he was well received. On one memorable occasion Jesus attended his home-town synagogue in Nazareth where a crowd was present. Following a reading from Isaiah 61:1–2, Jesus astonished everyone, saying: ‘This text of Isaiah is now fulfilled’. He was claiming to be God’s anointed one!
The profound implications of his words cannot be overstated. They summarize the substance of his teaching in a way that is not found elsewhere. They lay the foundation for his later teaching (7:21–22); further, they form a mission statement, detailing how Jesus would fulfill his calling. To whom was Jesus referring when he spoke about the poor, the oppressed, and the captives? Suggestions are numerous and the issues are hotly debated.
The poor? Of the many views that are held concerning the meaning of the poor in Luke 4 two especially stand out – the spiritually poor, and the economically (or even politically) poor – people who are disadvantaged for some reason. It may be lack of education, lack of power, position in the workplace, or social standing in general.
Others suggest that by saying that he had come to preach good news to the poor, Jesus was speaking primarily about spiritual poverty. The spiritually poor of the old covenant, the non-Jewish people, as well as Jewish people, could now be beneficiaries of God’s grace. But there is a deeper purpose – Jesus had come to rescue all people who had no status, honor or glory before God. The reference to the poor is a metaphor for those who lack honor or glory before God: it crosses the barriers of class, education, religious association, race and nation. ‘Now’, Jesus was saying, ‘there is good news for all. God’s grace has been opened to everyone’. The coming of God’s king makes it possible. He would use his position and power in the service of all men and women. People from all places would be able to hear and benefit from the good news.
Release to the captives? It is worth noting that Jesus did not literally release any prisoners, not even those who were incarcerated for religious or political reasons, such as John the Baptist (3:20). God had a bigger plan. The events of Jesus’ cross had yet to occur, and God’s final day of judgment has yet to occur before God’s lasting peace would reign. And yet, this announcement does, very clearly, inaugurate His kingdom. Today, said Jesus, these things are fulfilled in your hearing.
There were times when Jesus did directly intervene in individual lives – there were the times when he gave sight to the blind and released the demonically possessed. His miracles were also parables, revealing God’s compassion and his ultimate purpose – releasing men and women from their bondage of sin and restoring them to their true humanity. With Jesus’ words in your hearing, he was saying that his hearers needed to make a decision, for a day would come when God would ask everyone of us, ‘What did you do with my Son?’
Clearly many of Jesus’ first hearers welcomed him and his news of God’s grace. While they did not even begin to understand the real significance of what he was saying, we should understand their words, Is not this Joseph’s son? (4:22) in a positive, not a negative light. They were encouraged.
You may want to consider:
your own response to Jesus’ astonishing claim here;
the implications of Jesus’ preaching good news to the poor and releasing the captives;
8 In that region there were shepherds living in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for see—I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: 11 to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” 13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!”
ANOTHER PROMISE FULFILLED
Why did the angel announce Jesus birth to shepherds? Given the resources of heaven there could have been a spectacular announcement, a public event. To find an answer we need to go back to the history of ancient Israel. There we discover a prophet in Israel, Samuel, looking for a king and finding him, the boy David, keeping sheep. In Ezekiel 34 we read of the rise another David, a new and perfect king— a shepherd-king. The announcement of Jesus’ birth to shepherds symbolized this. Their poverty and lowly state illustrated the way God so often uses the lowly, instead of the powerful, to fulfill his purposes.
So it was that in the ordinary course of these shepherds’ nighttime duty, an angel, sensitive to their fear (2:9), announced good news of a great joy which will come to all the people. Good news was the ceremonial term usually associated with the announcement of the birth of a son to the Roman emperor. The good news here has its origin in God. Its purpose is to bring great joy (compare 1:14) for all the people.* Furthermore, the cause of the good news and the joy was the birth in the city of David of one who is Savior, Christ and Lord (2:11). The shepherds are not told the baby’s name, but they are introduced to his royal heritage and office.
Titles: Savior in the Old Testament generally refers to God’s work in rescuing his people in times of need (for example, Psalm 25:5; Isaiah 25:9). The title Christ means anointed one: the baby is anointed as kings were anointed. Mary’s son is of royal descent, being of David’s house and born in David’s town. The baby is born to be king, a king who saves or rescues his people and brings peace. This is a special kind of King, though, because the Greek word Christ is the translation of the Hebrew term Messiah. The Messiah was the expected ruler and rescuer of Israel, who would be the definitive, perfectly just and powerful King. We also hear the prophetic words of Isaiah 9:1–7 that announced: Unto us a child is born, a Son is given… Further, the title Lord, is striking. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint (LXX), which was the most commonly used version of the Hebrew scriptures in Jesus’ day the word Lord is most frequently used to translate the name of God, YHWH. The title Lord set the scene for what was to follow. Here was a baby full of exceptional promise. Would he realize his potential and actually fulfill all these expectations?
AUTHENTIC
The angel authenticated his words with a sign. The shepherds would find the baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger (2:12). New revelation from God is often accompanied by signs. But the sign here is a conundrum. The baby is of royal blood, born to be king and yet he would be found wrapped in simple clothing, lying in a cattle feeding-trough. What a sign it is. Humanity has always expected royalty to have the trappings of royal heritage from birth. This king is so different – he is born into a world of poverty.
Glory to God. With these words the angel, together with a large assembly of angels burst into the night sky, singing praises to God (2:13). It was the testimony of the supernatural world, and of the members of God’s court and army, to the birth of the baby. The contrast of the shepherds carrying out their work in the darkness of night and the angels doing their work in the brilliant light of God’s glory, could not be more vivid. Glory to God in the highest, they sang, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased (2:14). Three themes are set in parallel: Glory and peace, highest and earth, and God and men and women with whom he is pleased.The supernatural realm echoes with joy and honor at the outward manifestation of God’s love (glory). Now everyone to whom God comes can experience the reality of the peace they long for, the comfort of His love as their Father, and the glory of His rule as their King.
You may want to consider:
the context of the announcement to the shepherds;
the content of the announcement;
the significance of the titles, savior, messiah, lord.
26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
GREAT EXPECTATIONS
With these words Luke leads us into one of the most breath-taking moments in history. So much so that though secular historians cannot deny the life of this man, they must deny the circumstances of his birth; if these things happened as they are recorded, then everything is different; history itself hinges on this birth. However, it is generally agreed that stories about Jesus’ birth were in circulation in the first century, and Luke insists that he has carefully verified his references (Luke 1:1–4). Further, assuming that Luke was a physician, details about Jesus’ birth would be of greater interest to him and perhaps more available to him. The question we have to ask is one of philosophical and theological presuppositions: whether the God who created all things can do what is described here – and whether he would if he could.
Once again Gabriel is involved. He is sent from and by God (1:26) to a virgin.Significantly, she is the beneficiary, not the bestower, of God’s favor. She is to be a special recipient of grace that God has initiated. God will be with her (future tense) in the events that are to unfold.
God’s ancient promises concerning his kingdom and his salvation are about to be fulfilled. Notice that the greater emphasis is on the son rather than the mother (compare, 1:28–31 and 1:32–33). He is to be called Jesus. The angel’s announcement in 1:32 and 33 compares with Nathan’s prophecy to King David in 2 Samuel 7:9–16. It is also worth comparing the following: Luke 1:32, he will be great with 2 Samuel 7:9, a great name; Luke 1:32, throne of his father David with 2 Samuel 7:13, the throne of his kingdom; Luke 1:32, Son of the most High with 2 Samuel 7:14, he will be my son; and, Luke 1:33, king over the house of Jacob forever with 2 Samuel 7:16, your house and your kingdom. If you have time you might want to read Psalm 7:17 and Daniel 4:24.
Clearly Jesus is more than a prophet: he not only stands in the tradition of the kings, he is the King God had promised long ago (2 Samuel 7:9–16; Psalm 89:14, 19–29, 35–37). Jesus’ connection with David is very important. While he will be recognized as David’s descendant after his death and resurrection (for example Acts 2:29–36), there would be times when he is recognized as such during his ministry (18:39; 19:38). Moreover this royal figure is also the Son of the Most High (1:32). His rule is over Israel (Jacob) and is eternal (1:33).
Once again we see that that from his conception in Mary’s womb Jesus is truly man and truly God. It means that God’s kingdom is being established in a new way – God was coming to earth as a man from the family of kings, the “house of David.” Luke also suggests that Jesus is of the ‘family’ of another King, the great King – He is also the Son of the Most High, God himself (1:32).
‘How can this be, since I have no husband?’ (1:34), Mary responded. The angel’s reply is one of the most stunning statements about Jesus in the whole of Luke. He clarifies for Mary just why this baby can be described as human and the Son of God. God’s Holy Spirit will come upon you, he says, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. They are words that reflect the life-giving work of God in creation (Genesis 1:2; Psalm 104:30) and in salvation (Ezekiel 37:14). The references are not sexual but metaphorical. God’s Spirit will come and his presence, even glory (as at Mt Sinai [Exodus 40:35]), will be with Mary. The child… will be called holy – set apart for God, the Son of God.
Mary’s response is the model of humility and obedience: she was still unmarried, and did not know how Joseph would react to the news of her pregnancy. Nevertheless, she understood that, strange and even terrifying though it all may be, it was God (the Lord) who had spoken (1:38). She had heard his word and would say yes to it– and though she says yes so freely, still her yes, her fiat, is another gift of God, who permitted this young Jewish girl to say yes to His word where Eve had said no. Her confidence in God is a model for all of us who would follow the Lord.
You may want to consider:
the breath-taking nature of the announcement to Mary;
the significance of the links between Jesus and David;
18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. 20 But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son.
A PROMISE FULFILLED
The announcement to Joseph was really quite extraordinary: It is saying that God was taking on human form. How did Joseph come to believe something that was so much out of the ordinary? He could have continued with his plan to end his engagement to Mary, but he didn’t. The truth of the announcement is verified by the most astounding set of events that followed. They speak of:
An Extraordinary Baby (1:21–23). Matthew wants us to know that while Jesus was conceived in a way that no other human has ever been conceived, he was nevertheless born in the same way we are. Jesus wasn’t the an angelic messenger, less than God, nor a spirit creature, not quite man; rather, he was one hundred percent human and one hundred percent divine — or as the creed puts it: Very God of very God; begotten not made…
Consider the man the baby grew up to be. Everywhere Jesus went he displayed a unique power and authority that pointed to the fact that divinity had come amongst us. This fact speaks of a God who is not just approachable, but who is willing to humble himself, to shrink his immense power and awesome glory to become a weak, crying human baby, taking on human form. These themes are consistent with the God who had made men and women in his image, as we read in Genesis 1.
Extraordinary Names (so verse 21b). The name Jesus literally means, ‘God saves’. When we think about this, it really is the most confronting thing God could say to the world. We can tell ourselves otherwise– that we don’t need a ‘savior;’ we just need to be recognized. But this is to ignore the reality that we are seriously morally compromised; we have betrayed God, we have betrayed truth; we have betrayed each other. Like the original two in the Garden we want to make our choices without reference to God. Putting it bluntly, we divorce him. And there will be a day when God will call each one of us to account. It is from slavery to our own treachery, from the results of that treachery in our own lives; and from the judgement which it justly calls for, that He has come down to rescue us. God saves.
And there is the name: Emmanuel. It means, God with us. Isaiah the prophet had spoken of Emmanuel as a sign of God’s judgment and of God’s salvation. Isaiah had gone on to speak of the child this way: For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulders. These words point to Jesus’ words after his resurrection from the dead: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…” (Matthew 28:16). This is God coming to be with us as one of us, and to reign over us as our King.
In his very first chapter, Matthew is making some extraordinary statements. We see God’s approachableness and his humility. In the naming of the baby, Jesus and Emmanuel, we see God’s passionate commitment to rescue and restore us. More than anything else God is looking for faith – not faith in faith, but faith in the one who is both God and man—Jesus, Emmanuel.
You may like to consider:
the significance of God’s active and direct involvement on the stage of history;
the circumstances of the birth of the One who was to be king;
Others suggest that by saying that he had come to preach good news to the poor, Jesus was speaking primarily about spiritual poverty. The spiritually poor of the old covenant, the non-Jewish people, as well as Jewish people, could now be beneficiaries of God’s grace. But there is a deeper purpose – Jesus had come to rescue all people who had no status, honor or glory before God. The reference to the poor is a metaphor for those who lack honor or glory before God: it crosses the barriers of class, education, religious association, race and nation. ‘Now’, Jesus was saying, ‘there is good news for all. God’s grace has been opened to everyone’. The coming of God’s king makes it possible. He would use his position and power in the service of all men and women. People from all places would be able to hear and benefit from the good news.
Titles: Savior in the Old Testament generally refers to God’s work in rescuing his people in times of need (for example, Psalm 25:5; Isaiah 25:9). The title Christ means anointed one: the baby is anointed as kings were anointed. Mary’s son is of royal descent, being of David’s house and born in David’s town. The baby is born to be king, a king who saves or rescues his people and brings peace. This is a special kind of King, though, because the Greek word Christ is the translation of the Hebrew term Messiah. The Messiah was the expected ruler and rescuer of Israel, who would be the definitive, perfectly just and powerful King. We also hear the prophetic words of Isaiah 9:1–7 that announced: Unto us a child is born, a Son is given… Further, the title Lord, is striking. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint (LXX), which was the most commonly used version of the Hebrew scriptures in Jesus’ day the word Lord is most frequently used to translate the name of God, YHWH. The title Lord set the scene for what was to follow. Here was a baby full of exceptional promise. Would he realize his potential and actually fulfill all these expectations?
Clearly Jesus is more than a prophet: he not only stands in the tradition of the kings, he is the King God had promised long ago (2 Samuel 7:9–16; Psalm 89:14, 19–29, 35–37). Jesus’ connection with David is very important. While he will be recognized as David’s descendant after his death and resurrection (for example Acts 2:29–36), there would be times when he is recognized as such during his ministry (18:39; 19:38). Moreover this royal figure is also the Son of the Most High (1:32). His rule is over Israel (Jacob) and is eternal (1:33).
Consider the man the baby grew up to be. Everywhere Jesus went he displayed a unique power and authority that pointed to the fact that divinity had come amongst us. This fact speaks of a God who is not just approachable, but who is willing to humble himself, to shrink his immense power and awesome glory to become a weak, crying human baby, taking on human form. These themes are consistent with the God who had made men and women in his image, as we read in Genesis 1.