A Journey Through the Book of Luke

A Journey Through the Book of Luke- chapter by chapter

After a recent talk from one of our pastors, (watch the talk here) I was inspired to take a journey through the Book of Luke chapter by chapter.  Although this may seem boring on the outskirts, I was actually quite surprised how much was coming to life off of the pages of my seasoned study Bible.  Many of the stories I have heard a million times, but when I was actually paying attention to the details- it was that which was captivating!  Pastor Paul Black encouraged us to journal our journey (...say that 5x fast) so I started doing just that.  Then I thought- why not publicly post this for anyone else who may want to follow along.  The entries will be short and sweet but full of goodies.  I am not and never was, a history lover (if there was ever a way to get out of extra history courses in hs or college- trust me, I found a way!) but something about studying the history of biblical times is just inspiring, encouraging and it just helps you to kind of understand this thing called the bible a bit more- and we could alllllll use a little of that, right?  Oh and one more thing- I am also not a grammar lover- I mean, I want to love it, but I am just not a natural.  So I'll per-apologize if I have all kinds of grammatical errors in these post.  One of these days maybe I'll get an editor- HA!

So, let's begin! (disclaimer- this is going to totally be a copy of my notes therefore, very raw and probably a bit all over the place)

LUKE CHAPTER 1

*feel free to read this chapter on your own here (also, if you have a smartphone you can download the YouVersion app f which is an awesome free Bible app- check it out!)

I started to read the first few verses in Luke chapter 1 and thought wait a minute, I don't know much about the time, author or anything so I took a step back, flipped the page backwards and read the intro to the chapter.  (dork alert! But hey, it's part of the learning process.)  I guess I never knew that this book was written to Theophilus which is what first made me scratch my head. According to the intro to this chapter in my Bible "Theophilus, whose name means "one who loves God" and almost certainly refers to a particular person rather than to lovers of God in general.  The use of "most excellent" with the name further indicates an individual, and supports the idea that he was a Roman official or at least of high position and wealth.  He was possibly Luke's patron, responsible for seeing that the writings were copied and distributed.  Such a dedication to the publisher was common at that time." (Zondervan NIV Study Bible, 1985.) 

Ok, so the book of Luke was written to Theo- his main squeeze, got it!  Moving along. 

In verse 5 I also scratched my forehead and thought I can't believe I never knew that Zechairah was John the Baptist dad.  I may be foreshadowing a bit only because I knew what part of the story was coming next.  I certainly know the story of Elizabeth being barren as this story hits close to home to me.  I also thought it was cool that in verse 6 the text revealed "both of them were upright in the sight of God..." if I long for anything for my family, it is that right there.  To be upright in the eyes of God.  It is not easy living in the world today where it is often seen as uncool to be a believer and to really truly try your best to walk your life with Jesus.  Ignore the noise is what I tell myself and what I will teach my children.  Your identity is in Him, not Them.  Oh, how our priorities are often screwed up and our perceptions are messed up because of all of the pain in this world...but that is for a whole other post.  

In vs. 19 I smiled when Gabriel the angel appeared because Kaylee (my firstborn) is named after this angel with her middle name of Gabriella which means "The Lord is my strength."  I also love my mental notes that Kole's (my secondborn) middle name is Zachary which means "The Lord Remembers" and his name is parallel with Zechairah.  But those are obviously just very personal to me.

My next big forehead scratcher came about in vs. 36 when we learn that Jesus and John the Baptist are related...never knew!  Verse 36 quoted "Even Elizabeth, your relative is going to have a child in her old age."  This is the point where the Angel Gabriel was telling the virgin Mary she would bear a son and he would be named Jesus and even her relative, who was old and barren was also going to have a child.  Gabriel told Mary "For nothing is impossible with God" in vs. 37.  Can I get a giant big AMEN?!  Again, this phenomenon is close to home for me.  Oh and for the record, if anyone was wondering- I checked my study notes (study notes are at the bottom of every page in a study bible) and we do not know the exact relation between Mary & Elizabeth- just that they were relatives, but either way- I found that cool!  Especially thinking of how John the Baptist baptized Jesus- would be pretty awesome to have like a cousin or something baptize you.  Just sayin.

I also journaled that reading chapter 1 and the fragrant emphasis on the names of these babies (John & Jesus) hit home for me.  Phil and I really spent a lot of time choosing a name for both of our children.  Both of their middle names have significant meaning to us and they will always know why we chose those names for them.  If my mom is reading this- don't feel bad that all you can tell me about my name is that your sister like the cast star "Kristen" on the show Dallas in the 80's LOL LOL- it's all good!

I also took notes on vs. 73 where the covenant with Abraham is mentioned.  I have studied many covenants in the bible but this is one of my favs.  Simply because it is a reminder that God can change our children's future, and their children's future- for generations to come, all by our actions as parents and children of our Abba Father.  This is so important to me.  My most important job on this earth right now is for all of my descendents to not just know God, but to truly know him.  This doesn't just stop with my kids.  My family as a whole, which also includes my sisters in Christ who I study with every other Monday.

  

Finally, vs. 80 struck me because John was 30 years old when he started his ministry.  I realize folks lived a lot longer back in those day...but still, I am 30 years old today and have a strong heart for ministry.  Made me think I may not be to late to the game after all.