The Gospel of Luke

by Pablo T. Gadenz

  Mary remains with Elizabeth for three months—in other words, more or less until the birth of John. As Elizabeth’s “relative” (Luke 1:36), Mary is perhaps still among the “relatives” (1:58) who celebrate John’s birth. Since she is still only betrothed to Joseph, Mary then returns to her home. In this way, the narrative again emphasizes her virginal conception.

  Reflection and Application (1:39–56)

  Celebrating the gospel of life. St. John Paul II wrote, “The value of the person from the moment of conception is celebrated in the meeting between the Virgin Mary and Elizabeth, and between the two children whom they are carrying in the womb.”24 The Gospel passage invites us to ask the question: How can we foster a culture of life that cares for children in the womb and for those who, like Elizabeth, are “advanced in years” (1:18)?

  Familiarity with God’s word. Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “The Magnificat . . . is entirely woven from threads of Holy Scripture, threads drawn from the Word of God. Here we see how completely at home Mary is with the Word of God, with ease she moves in and out of it. She speaks and thinks with the Word of God; the Word of God becomes her word, and her word issues from the Word of God. Here we see how her thoughts are attuned to the thoughts of God, how her will is one with the will of God. Since Mary is completely imbued with the Word of God, she is able to become the Mother of the Word Incarnate.”25 How about us? Are we completely imbued with God’s Word? “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly” (Col 3:16).

  The Birth of John and Zechariah’s Benedictus (1:57–80)

  57When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. 59When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, 60but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” 61But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” 62So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. 63He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. 64Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. 65Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. 66All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.

  67Then Zechariah his father, filled with the holy Spirit, prophesied, saying:

  68“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel,

  for he has visited and brought redemption to his people.

  69He has raised up a horn for our salvation

  within the house of David his servant,

  70even as he promised through the mouth of his holy prophets from of old:

  71salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,

  72to show mercy to our fathers

  and to be mindful of his holy covenant

  73and of the oath he swore to Abraham our father,

  and to grant us that, 74rescued from the hand of enemies,

  without fear we might worship him 75in holiness and righteousness

  before him all our days.

  76And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High,

  for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,

  77to give his people knowledge of salvation

  through the forgiveness of their sins,

  78because of the tender mercy of our God

  by which the daybreak from on high will visit us

  79to shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow,

  to guide our feet into the path of peace.”

  80The child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the desert until the day of his manifestation to Israel.

  OT: Gen 17:9–14; 22:16–18; 2 Sam 7:11–16; Isa 9:1; 40:3; Jer 23:5; Mal 3:1, 20

  NT: Luke 2:21, 40, 52; 7:16; 19:44

  Catechism: John the Baptist, 523–24; God visits his people, 422, 717; God’s oath to Abraham, 706

  Lectionary: Luke 1:57–66, 80: Nativity of St. John the Baptist; Luke 1:57–66: December 23; Luke 1:67–79: December 24

  The second two-part panel in Luke’s infancy narrative now begins with the birth stories of John and Jesus.

  [1:57–58]

  The time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child as it had come for once-barren Rebekah (Gen 25:24). Elizabeth is thus among the first to experience the mercy spoken about in the Magnificat (Luke 1:50, 54). Her neighbors and relatives fulfill the angel’s words—“Many will rejoice at his birth” (1:14)—as they rejoiced with her.

  [1:59–61]

  God’s covenant with Abraham stipulated the eighth day as the day to circumcise a boy (Gen 17:12). The dispute about what to call him leads to another fulfillment of the angel’s words (Luke 1:13). Despite the objections raised by the others, Elizabeth calls him John, a fitting name since the Lord has been gracious and merciful to her (see Ps 116:5).

  [1:62–64]

  Not satisfied with Elizabeth’s response, they ask his father. They made signs because Zechariah was not only mute but deaf as well.26 This time Zechariah does not miss his opportunity. On a wooden tablet covered with wax, he writes John is his name. By his obedience to the angel’s word, his mouth was opened, and he speaks, blessing God in the words of the Benedictus (see v. 68).

  [1:65–66]

  The neighbors are filled with fear in the presence of this sign from God (see 7:16). They recognize that the powerful hand of the Lord was with John, as it had been upon prophets like Elijah (1:17; 1 Kings 18:46). They wonder what the future of this child will hold.

  [1:67]

  As the third member of his family filled with the holy Spirit (Luke 1:15, 41), Zechariah then answered their question as he prophesied the words of the Benedictus (from the first word in Latin). The canticle is organized in two parts, referring first to God’s salvation in the Messiah (vv. 68–75) and then to John’s role as his precursor (vv. 76–79).

  [1:68]

  Zechariah’s first words, Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, are basically the last words of several books of the psalter (Pss 41:14; 72:18; 106:48). They are also found in several prayers involving the royal succession from David to Solomon (1 Kings 1:48; 8:15; 2 Chron 2:11; 6:4). Here too the prayer involves a royal successor to David (Luke 1:69). Like a typical Jewish blessing, the initial statement is followed by phrases explaining the reasons for praising God.

  The first reason is that God has visited and brought redemption to his people. God’s visitation (1:78; 7:16; 19:44) means that he is present to bring assistance, such as when Sarah conceived (Gen 21:1) and in the exodus (Gen 50:24–25; Exod 3:16; 13:19). “Redeeming” means ransoming from captivity or slavery, and the redemption of individuals recalls God’s redemption of his people at the exodus (Exod 6:6; 13:13–16; Lev 25:47–55). Jesus is the one through whom God will now bring redemption (Luke 2:38; 24:21) through a new exodus (9:31).

  [1:69–71]

  The second reason for Zechariah’s praise of God is that he has raised up a horn for our salvation, which recalls David’s song when he was delivered from his enemies (2 Sam 22:18; Ps 18:18): “The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer, . . . / my shield and the horn of my salvation” (2 Sam 22:2–3 RSV; see Ps 18:3). “Horn” is symbolic of God’s power, like the powerful horns of a wild ox (Num 23:22; 24:8; Deut 33:17). Another verse, from Hannah’s canticle, refers to the power of the messiah: “May he give strength to his king, / and exalt the horn of his anointed!” (1 Sam 2:10). The “horn” here is within the house of David (see 2 Sam 7:11–16), so Zechariah is speaking about Jesus (Luke 1:27, 32), not about John, who is from the priestly line of Aaron. Like the holy prophets from of old, Zechariah is prophetically announcing that Jesus will be God’s powerful agent of salvation (2:11, 30; 19:9–10).

  [1:72–73]

  Besides David, the fulfillment also
involves Abraham and the patriarchs: to show mercy and to be mindful of (literally, “to remember”) the covenant and oath by which God’s blessings would extend to Abraham’s descendants and all the nations (Gen 22:16–18). The significance of the names Zechariah (“†YHWH has remembered”), Elizabeth (“my God” and “oath”), and John (“YHWH is gracious [or merciful]”) now becomes apparent.

  [1:74–75]

  The purpose of being rescued from the hand of enemies (see Exod 14:30) is to worship (latreuō) God, as it was during the exodus: “Let my people go to serve me” (Exod 7:16; 8:16; 9:1; 10:3, where the verb “serve” is translated with latreuō in the †Septuagint). God’s deliverance will also be transformative, leading to holiness and righteousness, as people “put on the new self, created in God’s way in righteousness and holiness of truth” (Eph 4:24).

  [1:76–77]

  The second half of the hymn (Luke 1:76–79) turns to Zechariah’s child John, describing him with phrases that echo Gabriel’s announcement and anticipate his mission. Whereas Jesus is “Son of the Most High” (1:32), John will be called prophet of the Most High (see 1:17). He will go before the Lord to prepare his ways through his proclamation of forgiveness (1:17; 3:3–4). Old Testament prophets spoke about preparing the way of the Lord God (Isa 40:3; Mal 3:1), but the “Lord” for whom John will prepare is Jesus as well (Luke 1:43; 2:11).

  [1:78]

  The Greek word translated daybreak, anatolē, literally means “rising.” It was also used in the †Septuagint to translate a Hebrew word meaning “branch” in prophecies that describe the messiah as a branch that sprouts up: “I will raise up a righteous branch for David” (Jer 23:5; see Zech 3:8; 6:12). Here, coupled with the image of light (Luke 1:79), it recalls messianic prophecies about the rising of “the sun of justice” (Mal 3:20) and “a star . . . from Jacob” (Num 24:17).27

  [1:79]

  The coming messiah will shine on those who sit in darkness and death’s shadow, in fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: “O you people who walk in darkness, . . . / and in the shadow of death, / light will shine on you!” (Isa 9:1 NETS; see Matt 4:16). He will bring peace (see Luke 2:14), as again Isaiah foretold about the “child” to be “born,” who is the “Prince of Peace” (Isa 9:5).

  On the lips of the Jewish priest Zechariah, the conclusion of the Benedictus, with the words “shine” and “peace,” may echo Aaron’s priestly blessing, which he earlier was unable to pronounce (Luke 1:22): “The LORD bless you and keep you! / The LORD let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you! / The LORD look upon you kindly and give you peace!” (Num 6:24–26 [emphasis added]). This peace is shalom, wholeness, resulting from harmony with God.

  [1:80]

  John grew and became strong in spirit, like Samson of old (Judg 13:24–25). His elderly parents may not have lived to see it, which may explain why John was in the desert though their home was in the “hill country” (Luke 1:39). He may even have spent some time at Qumran, with the Jewish community responsible for the †Dead Sea Scrolls. On the day of his manifestation, he will begin his ministry “in the desert” (3:2).

  Reflection and Application (1:57–80)

  Praying the Gospel canticles. Continuing the Jewish practice of prayer at regular hours (Ps 119:164), the Church unceasingly praises the Lord and sanctifies the whole day through the Liturgy of the Hours, consisting of psalms, Scripture readings, hymns, and prayers. The hinges of the day are Morning Prayer (Lauds) and Evening Prayer (Vespers), and the climax of these are the Benedictus and the Magnificat, respectively. This practice of praying the Gospel canticles is already attested in the sixth century in the Rule of St. Benedict (chs. 12, 13, 17). By praying the Gospel canticles, we join with Christians of all ages in praising the Lord unceasingly.

  1. François Bovon, Luke, trans. Christine M. Thomas, Donald S. Deer, and James Crouch, 3 vols., Hermeneia (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2002–13), 1:30: “The author intends to be counted among the legitimate successors of the Scriptures.”

  2. Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, trans. Philip J. Whitmore (New York: Image, 2012), 15, 17.

  3. Karl A. Kuhn, Luke: The Elite Evangelist (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2010), 47–49.

  4. Raymond E. Brown, The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, rev. ed. (New York: Doubleday, 1993), 156.

  5. Josephus, Life 1.2; Jewish Antiquities 7.365–66.

  6. Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 14.65.

  7. Mal 4:5–6 in the RSV and many other English versions. The NABRE instead follows the Hebrew numbering (as does the NJB).

  8. Jean-Noël Aletti, L’art de raconter Jésus Christ: L’écriture narrative de l’évangile de Luc (Paris: Seuil, 1989), 70.

  9. Andrés García Serrano, The Presentation in the Temple: The Narrative Function of Lk 2:22–39 in Luke-Acts (Rome: Gregorian & Biblical Press, 2012), 224–26.

  10. m. Tamid 6:3; 7:2.

  11. Ecclesiastical History 1.7.14, citing the earlier historian Julius Africanus.

  12. m. Ketubbot 4:4–12; 5:2.

  13. Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives, 17.

  14. Early Church Fathers considered Mary, like Joseph, to be in the line of David (see also Rom 1:3): perhaps already Ignatius of Antioch, Ephesians 18.2, and more clearly Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho 45.4, 100.3, and Irenaeus, Against the Heresies 3.16.3. As a relative of Elizabeth (Luke 1:36), she could also be from a priestly line.

  15. Mitch Pacwa, The Holy Land (Cincinnati: Servant Books, 2013), 166.

  16. See Luigi Gambero, Mary and the Fathers of the Church, trans. Thomas Buffer (San Francisco: Ignatius, 1999), 157, 221.

  17. Bargil Pixner, Paths of the Messiah, ed. Rainer Riesner, trans. Keith Myrick, Sam Randall, and Miriam Randall (San Francisco: Ignatius, 2010), 24–26.

  18. Gary A. Anderson, “Mary in the Old Testament,” Pro Ecclesia 16 (2007): 50: “Her body remains holy forever thereafter as a result of housing the Holy One of Israel.” Thus, “if one could turn to the temple and say, ‘how lovely is [your] dwelling place,’ . . . why would one not do the same with” Mary?

  19. John Paul II, Gift and Mystery (New York: Doubleday, 1996), 29.

  20. Luke 1:6, 9, 11, 15–17, 25, 28, 32, 38.

  21. See Richard B. Hays, Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989), 29–32, for seven tests—including volume, recurrence, and thematic coherence—for evaluating possible allusions to Old Testament passages.

  22. Benedict XVI, homily, August 15, 2006, in Maria: Pope Benedict XVI on the Mother of God (San Francisco: Ignatius, 2009), 79.

  23. Richard J. Dillon, The Hymns of Saint Luke: Lyricism and Narrative Strategy in Luke 1–2 (Washington, DC: Catholic Biblical Association of America, 2013), 2–3, 13, 38–45.

  24. John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae (On the Value and Inviolability of Human Life) 45.

  25. Benedict XVI, Deus Caritas Est (On Christian Love) 41.

  26. Greek kōphos, Luke 1:22; 7:22.

  27. In the Septuagint, these two prophecies use the related verb anatellō (“rise”).

  A Savior Is Born

  Luke 2:1–52

  Christians worldwide celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas, and it is Luke who relates many familiar details of the Christmas story: the swaddling clothes, the manger, shepherds keeping night watch, and angels singing “Gloria!” The historical setting during the reign of Caesar Augustus is significant, as there is an implicit comparison between the emperor and Jesus, whom the angels announce as Savior, Messiah, and Lord. After Luke recounts the birth of Jesus, he caps the infancy narrative with two events in which Jesus comes to the Jerusalem temple, where the story all began.

  The Birth of Jesus (2:1–20)

  1In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. 2This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3So all went to be enrolled, each to his own t
own. 4And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. 6While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, 7and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

  8Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. 9The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. 10The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord. 12And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” 13And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

  14“Glory to God in the highest

  and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

  15When the angels went away from them to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go, then, to Bethlehem to see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us.” 16So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger. 17When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child. 18All who heard it were amazed by what had been told them by the shepherds. 19And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart. 20Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, just as it had been told to them.