The Gospel The Gospel According to According to Luke

150 Pages·2014·3.3 MB·English

by  Maurice West1

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Teaching Series Conducted At
West Side Church of God in Christ
Rockford, Illinois

© Maurice A. West
February 2007 – December 2007
INTRODUCTION
Blessings upon you, people of the most
high God! As you prepare to read this
study in the Gospel of St. Luke, it is my
prayer that it will be a blessing to you.
This study was conducted from
February 2007 – December 2007 at
West Side Church of God in Christ in
our Friday evening teaching services. I
hope this study is a blessing to you and
gives you the encouragement you need
to dig deeper into the Word of God. I
speak blessings into your lives in the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Pastor Maurice A. West – December 2007

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THE
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 DISCLAIMERS

There will be various translations of the Scriptures used in our study. If we depart from the King James
Version, which will be our standard, what follows are the typical translations used:
• Amplified Bible – The Amplified Bible. Copyright © 1965, Zondervan Publishing House.
• Net Bible – The Net Bible. Copyright © 1996-2003, Biblical Studies Press
• NIV – The New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.
• NKJV – The New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
• NLT – The New Living Translation. Copyright © 1996.
At various times in this study, you may also find the following designations referring to reference material
used to assist in putting together this study. Direct quotations will be shown in italicized text.
• {Adam Clarke} Adam Clarke’s Commentary on the Whole Bible
• {JF&B} The Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown Commentary
• {Matthew Henry} Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible in One Volume
• {Dake} Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible
• {MacArthur} The MacArthur Study Bible
• {Thompson} The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible.
• {McGee} Thru the Bible Commentary Series by Dr. J. Vernon McGee
If other references, commentators, or Bible translations are used they will be identified in the text.

INTRODUCTION

WRITER: The writer of the book is important because the Gospels are intended to give us eyewitness
accounts of the actions of Jesus Christ and, more importantly, personal insights into His character so that we
can walk like He walked. It is a well-established fact that Luke, the beloved physician, was the author of this
book. He was probably Greek by birth and may have been a proselyte to Judaism.
• {Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown} “The writer of this Gospel is universally allowed to have been Lucas (an
abbreviated form of Lucanus, as Silas of Silvanus), though he is not expressly named either in the Gospel
or in the Acts. From Col 4:14 we learn that he was a ‘physician’; and by comparing that verse with Col
4:10, 11, we gather that Luke was not a born Jew. Some have thought he was a freed-man, as the Romans
[delegated] the healing art on persons of this class and on their slaves, as an occupation beneath
themselves. His intimate acquaintance with Jewish customs, and his facility in Hebraic Greek, seem to
show that he was an early convert to the Jewish faith. On the other hand, his fluency in classical Greek
confirms his Gentile origin. Eusebius makes him a native of Antioch. If so, he would have every
advantage for cultivating the literature of Greece and such medical knowledge as was then possessed.”
• {McGee} “Luke was the beloved physician of Colossians 4:14, ‘Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas,
greet you.’ The choice of Luke by the Holy Spirit to write the third gospel reveals that there are no
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accidental writers of Scripture. There was a supernatural selection of Luke. There were ‘not many wise’
called, but Luke belongs to that category. He and Paul were evidently on a very high intellectual level as
well as a high spiritual level. This explains partially why they traveled together and obviously became
fast friends in the Lord. Dr. Luke wrote the best Greek of any of the New Testament writers, including
Paul. He was an accurate historian, as we shall see. Luke was a poet—he alone records the lovely songs
of Christmas. Luke was an artist; he sketches for us Christ’s marvelous, matchless parables. A great deal
of tradition surrounds the life of Dr. Luke. He writes his gospel from Mary’s viewpoint, which confirms
the tradition that he received his information for his gospel from her. Surely he conferred with her.”
DATE: Dake places the writing of this book around 58-63 AD. JF&B puts it between 50-60 AD. By
comparison, the commentators and theologians say that Matthew was written around 40 AD, about 8-10 years
after the Lord’s ascension. The Gospel of Mark was written about the same time as Luke or a little later. By
this period of time, the church was fairly well established and there was room for a clear and concise
historical narrative like Luke’s Gospel. Let’s combine Dake and JF&B and put the writing around 60 AD,
very close to the imprisonment of Paul.
STATISTICS: {Dake} The Gospel of Luke is the 42nd book of the Bible. It contains 24 chapters and 1,151
verses. There are also 9 Old Testament prophecies mentioned in this book as compared to 11 in Mark, 15 in
John, and 25 in Matthew.
WHY THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN: What is the key theme of the book? Each Gospel has a theme. They
are not intended to be biographical sketches but rather character sketches written to different audiences.
Before getting too far into that, though, some facts important to studying the Gospels need to be brought out:
1. There are three “Synoptic” Gospels or Gospels with similar points of view. These three are Matthew,
Mark, and Luke. (In spite of being a synoptic Gospel, Luke brings out things in his Gospel that none of
the other writers do: he is the only writer to give details of the events leading up to the birth of Christ
including the conception and birth of John the Baptist, he includes more parables than any other Gospel,
he includes six miracles that are recorded no where else, and he gives us details about the events after the
resurrection that are recorded no where else.)
2. When studying the Gospels, the “harmony” of the Gospels, or how they all fit together in timelines and
events, is important. (Most decent study Bibles will include this in their reference material.)
All of the Gospels had a unique audience. Matthew portrays Jesus Christ as the Messiah to the Jewish people.
In his book we will find many references to Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah. Because his
was the first Gospel written, he wrote it to strengthen the new believers, who at the time were, for the most
part, Jewish, and to use it as a tool to win other Jews to Christ. Mark targeted a Gentile audience that was
particularly Roman. The theme of Mark was that Jesus Christ came as a servant. John wrote his Gospel to
the church to reveal Jesus Christ as the Son of God. Luke targeted a Gentile audience also (specifically a man
named, Theophilus) as well as a more generic audience of Greeks. His theme was that Jesus Christ was a
man. As a learned man, who was not only a physician but also a historian, his writings are said to be the best
literary documents of the New Testament. Luke brought out historical details and references in his Gospel
that are found nowhere else.
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As we prepare to begin, we will have a three-fold purpose in this study, which we’ve used in our studies in the
Gospels. While going through this Gospel, it is our intention to:
• EXPOSE MYTHS – There are some fables and “nice” ideas that are not Scriptural which well-
meaning people have taken from the Gospels. We will highlight those using the Scriptures.
• UNCOVER TRUTHS – There is key information in the Gospels that are sometimes missed in
other studies. We won’t get them all but we want to make sure we get as many as possible.
• Find out who the Lord Jesus Christ really is according to the Scripture.
Finally, throughout the text, I have added what I call “Saints’ Principles.” The intention of these principles is
to point out truths, strictly as I see them, based on something that has occurred in the Scriptures.
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Chapter 1
Everything in this chapter is unique to the Gospel of St. Luke. Nowhere else do we learn of the parents of John the Baptist, the actions of
the angel Gabriel prior to the birth of John or Christ, or of the announcement to Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus.
1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most
surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were
eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of
all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou mightest
know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed. By the time of the writing of this
Gospel, the Gospel of St. Matthew was already written and well circulated. However, Luke wanted to make
sure one of his converts had all of the information necessary to “know the certainty of those things, wherein
he had been instructed”. Judging from his title (most excellent Theophilus), he was probably a Roman
official of a high rank. According to {JF&B}: “[Most excellent was] a title of rank applied by this same
writer twice to Felix and once to Festus (Ac 22:26; 24:3; 26:25). It is likely, therefore, that ‘Theophilus’ was
chief magistrate of some city in Greece or Asia Minor.”
5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of
Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. We start the Gospel of St.
Luke with an introduction to the parents of John the Baptist. This passage is unique to this Gospel. They
were both of the tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe. Zacharias was of the course of Abia (or Abijah). David
divided the priests into 24 divisions or courses so that they could serve in the Temple without running over
each other. Each course was to serve a week each year. {McGee} “Zacharias means ‘God remembers,’ and
Elisabeth means ‘His oath.’ Together their names mean, ‘God remembers His oath.’ When did God take an
oath? God swore an oath to David that one of his descendants would have an eternal reign. Christ is that
descendant. ‘God remembers His oath!’ God is ready to break through into human history after 400 years of
silence.”
6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord
blameless. The term “commandments and ordinances” implies that Zacharias and Elisabeth took care to
exercise personal holiness (blameless in the Lord’s commandments) and were among those that were faithful
in their service to the Lord (blameless in the Lord’s ordinances). SAINTS’ PRINCIPLE: The starting point for
the Lord’s blessings is to live right before God and man.
7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
We’ve seen their spiritual and religious integrity but, in spite of that, they have a natural problem – no
children and the biological clock had stopped ticking.
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course,
9 According to the custom of the priest’s office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of
the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. 11 And
there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And
when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. Zacharias had the same response that you
or I would have if you were in church by yourself and suddenly somebody was there – he was startled and
then afraid.
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13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall
bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many
shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor
strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And many of the
children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power
of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to
make ready a people prepared for the Lord. At this point, the angel should be shouting at Zacharias because
he should be shouting and praising God. There are four words that should make his day, his year, and his life
– thy prayer is heard. Not only did God hear his prayer, He’s going to bless this child in such awesome
manner. Look at the promise of God regarding this child:
 He shall be great in the sight of the Lord. Who cares what people think about you if God views you as
great?
 He shall be a Nazarite. He shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. The highest level of consecration to
God in the Old Testament was the vow of the Nazarite. Let’s uncover some truths about this out of
Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary:
“[A Nazarite was a] person who took a vow to separate from certain worldly things and to
consecrate himself to God (Num. 6:1–8) [for a 30, 60, or 90 day period]. Samson, Samuel,
and John the Baptist were the only ‘Nazarites for life’ recorded in the Bible. Before they
were born, their parents took their vows for them. Once a person decided to make himself
‘holy to the Lord’ (Num. 6:8) for some special service, he then agreed to abstain from wine.
This prohibition was so strict that it included grapes, grape juice, and raisins. Perhaps this
was to guard the Nazarite from being controlled by any spirit other than God’s (Prov. 20:1;
Eph. 5:17–18). While under the Nazarite vow, a person also refused to cut his hair,
including shaving (Num. 6:5). The purpose of this long hair was to serve as a visible sign of
the Nazarite’s consecration to the Lord (Num. 6:7). A Nazarite also refused to touch or go
near a dead body because this would make him ceremonially unclean. The Nazarite could
not even help to bury his own relatives. The Nazarite vow was a part of the old law and is
not imposed on modern Christians. But because it was personal and voluntary, we do have
much to learn from this Old Testament practice. God wants us to live a separated, holy life
and to abstain from things of the world. Christians must be dedicated to God’s service not
just for 30 days or one year but for a lifetime.”
Only Samson, Samuel, and John the Baptist were Nazarites all of their lives. {JF&B} “It was fitting that
the utmost severity of legal consecration should be seen in Christ’s forerunner.” Shouldn’t this same
level of consecration be in Christ’s ambassadors?
 He will be filled with the Holy Ghost before he is born. John the Baptist is also a testimony to the evil of
abortion. We’ll see later in this chapter that God declared him as a babe in the womb…not a fetus…and
that babe was filled with God’s Spirit.
 He shall turn the people back to God in the spirit and power of Elijah. He will not be Elijah but he will
come with the same spirit and the same power. This is in fulfillment of the words of the Lord Jesus in
Matthew 11:14 And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. The Jewish people were
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fooled by Malachi 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and
dreadful day of the Lord. They didn’t realize that this verse had a double meaning for Elijah will yet
come.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well
stricken in years. SAINTS’ PRINCIPLE: When you allow circumstances to dictate how you respond to
the Word of God, this is unbelief. Zacharias chose to focus on his circumstances and make them bigger
than God. SAINTS’ PRINCIPLE: It doesn’t matter what medical science says, in spite of how awesome it
is God has the final say!
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to
speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to
speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall
be fulfilled in their season. Zacharias has managed to upset Gabriel! He missed the whole point in Gabriel’s
beginning words – GOD HAS HEARD YOUR PRAYER! That should have been the time for excitement.
Instead, he focuses on his circumstances. Don’t you think that God knew how old Zacharias was before He
dispatched Gabriel? Don’t you think God knew what was going on in your life before He sent His Word?
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when
he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for
he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. 23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his
ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus hath the
Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. Didn’t the
angel tell Zacharias that his prayer was heard? Now WE also see the results.
26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name
was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with
thee: blessed art thou among women. {McGee} “There is a tendency among Protestants to play down the
role of Mary, but this verse tells us that she was highly favored. In the same breath, however, let me say that
she was blessed among women, not above women. She is not lifted above women; she lifted up womanhood.”
29And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation
this should be. 30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. This is
another saying that should get us excited. Just as Zacharias should have been excited over, “Your prayer is
heard”, Mary should have been excited by the words, “You have found favor with God.”
31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the
throne of his father David: 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom
there shall be no end. The typical Jew of that day knew exactly what the angel was saying – Mary was to be
the mother of the long awaited Messiah.
34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? Mary’s question differs
from Zacharias’ question. She asked a “process” question – in other words, what steps will be involved in
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