The Good News according to Luke, chapter 3
To: 36,527 subscribers we pray ‘God is making Temples of His Spirit’, 6/16/22, God’s 3rd month, Sivan 17, 5,782, (Day 5 until sunset.)
Paul understood and, reveals how we should reflect on our cleansing of heart, “a circumcision of the heart.” (Philippians 2:4-11; “Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well. You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, who though He existed in the form of God (as we His created people) did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped but emptied Himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. Jesus humbled Himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross! As a result, God exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow – in heaven and on earth and under the earth – and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.”) (When people decide for themselves, what is right, wrong, good, and evil; they in fact are, “regarding themselves as God’s equal.”)
It was all preplanned that the life of God the Father’s own, ‘begotten, (fathered) Son,’ the same one saying He was ‘Lord of the Sabbath’, and ‘let us make man in our image’, would come as the Messiah and give His life for the saving of those He’d call. This Son of God would grow and learn from things experienced, so He could be the Mediator of the called before God the Father. Jesus’ birth, life and suffering was, revealed to the prophets. (Study Isaiah 52 & 53:)
(Isaiah 52:13-15; “Look, My servant will succeed! He will be elevated, lifted high, and greatly exalted (just as many were horrified by the sight of You.) He was so disfigured He no longer looked like a man; His form was so marred He no longer looked human – so now He will startle many nations. Kings will be shocked by His exaltation, for they will witness something unannounced to them, and they will understand something they had not heard about.”) Let’s back up to chapter 11, (Isaiah 11:1-10; “A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s root stock, a bud will sprout from his, (Jessie’s) roots. The Lord’s spirit will rest on Him – a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom, a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans, a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the Lord. He will take delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by mere, appearances or make decisions on the basis, of hearsay. He will treat the poor fairly and make right decisions for the downtrodden of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth and order the wicked to be executed. Justice will be like a belt around His waist, integrity will be like a belt around His hips. “A wolf will reside with a lamb, and a leopard will lie down with a young goat; an ox and a young lion will graze together, as a small child leads them along. A cow and a bear will graze together, their young will lie down together. A lion, like an ox, will eat straw. A baby will play over the hole of a snake; over the nest of a serpent an infant will put his hand.” “They will no longer injure or destroy on My entire royal mountain. For there will be universal submission to the Lord’s sovereignty, just as the waters completely cover the sea.” “At that time a root from Jesse, (Jesus) will stand like a signal flag for the nations. Nations will look to Him for guidance, and His residence will be majestic. At that time the Sovereign Master will again lift His hand to reclaim the remnant of His people from Assyria, Egypt, Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath, and the seacoasts. He will lift a signal flag for the nations; He will gather Israel’s dispersed people and assemble Judah’s scattered people from the four corners of the earth. Ephraim’s jealousy will end, and Judah’s hostility will be eliminated. Ephraim will no longer be jealous of Judah, and Judah will no longer be hostile toward Ephraim. They will swoop down on the Philistine hills to the west; together they will loot the people of the east. They will take over Edom and Moab and the Ammonites will be their subjects. The Lord will divide the gulf of the Egyptian Sea; He will wave His hand over the Euphrates River and send a strong wind, He will turn it into seven dried-up streams, and enable them to walk across in their sandals. There will be a highway leading out of Assyria for the remnant of His people, just as there was for Israel, when they went up from the land of Egypt.”) (Jessie is David’s dad, and the next physical deliverance of God’s people will be greater than the one from Egypt.)
As reviewed in last study, Jesus is yet going, to miraculously restore scattered Israel, ‘similar, to His delivering from Egypt.’ Similar, to when He had Joshua lead them across the Jordan.
God’s Word defines the characteristics of the patriarchs, prophets, Jesus’ apostles, believers, and unbelieving people, who subscribe to traditionalism. Characterizing bad people aren’t withheld. (Believers have in common, “a mind to wait on God’s promises.”) (We will see most of Jesus’ promises after His second coming and our resurrection.) As revealed in Hebrews 11: “All these Believers were commended for their faith, yet they did not receive what was promised, for God had provided something better for us, so that they would be made perfect together with us.“ See Heb 11:39-40)
Jesus teaches; “His followers are gifted with faith in His promises, that they will receive an inheritance, a city with firm foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”
“By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place he would later receive as an inheritance, and he went out without understanding where he was going.” Like followers of Jesus are called to separate from this world’s system of things.
(Doctor Luke confirms, this is the good news, “gospel” each follower of Jesus is led to believe and confirms a fulfillment of all the prophets foretold about Him. Believers know we can’t separate the restoration of Israel from Jesus’ good news. (Continue in Luke’s inspired second chapter.)
(Luke 2:25-35; “Now there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon who was righteous and devout, looking for the restoration of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. So, Simeon, “directed by the Spirit” came into the temple courts, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for Him what was customary according to the law, Simeon took Him in his arms and blessed God, saying, (Now, according to Your word, Sovereign Lord, permit Your servant to depart in peace. For my eyes have seen Your salvation that You have prepared in the presence of all peoples: a light, for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to Your people Israel.) So, Jesus’ parents were amazed at what was said about Him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Jesus’ mother Mary, (Listen carefully: This child is destined to be the cause of the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be rejected. Indeed, as a result, of Jesus, the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul as well!”)
These prophetic things revealed to Simeon are basically the same things Jesus had revealed through Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel, about Himself. We have record of the world rejecting Jesus in this current age.
(Luke 2:36-40; There was also a prophetess, “Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.” She was very old, having been married to her husband for seven years until his death. She had lived as a widow since then for eighty-four years. She never left the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment, she came up to them and began to give thanks to God and to speak about the child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
So, when Joseph and Mary had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. And Jesus grew and became strong, filled with wisdom, and the favor of God, (the Father) was upon Him.”)
Jesus’ gospel defines Redemption as; “the act of saving something or somebody from a declined, dilapidated, or corrupted state and restoring it.” Followers of Jesus are waiting for, the redemption of Jerusalem and Israel. Remember, the word, (Israel) meaning, “God fights or fights for.” Spiritual Israelites are, neither Jew, Greek, slave nor free, neither male nor female – for all of you are one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:28-29)
NOW, Luke’s account of Jesus’ life jumps about twelve years.
(Luke 2:41; “Now Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem every year for the feast of the Passover.” (Passover is the fourteenth day of God’s first month, called Nisan or Adar on Israel‘s, calendar.) The fifteenth day of God’s first month starts the first of seven annual Sabbaths, the twenty first is God’s second of seven annual Sabbaths. The feast of Passover begins the feast of Unleavened Bread: the season Jesus and His parents were attending.
Only Pentecost of the seven annual Sabbaths comes on a particular day of the week, on the second day of the week because the count of fifty days is from the Wave Sheaf weekly Sabbath, during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. All other annual Sabbaths are counted from first of months ‘the New Moon’ to designated dates. (The annual Sabbath on the fifteenth day of Nisan is the Sabbath they were hurrying to bury Jesus before its beginning.) So accordingly, occasionally an annual and weekly Sabbath comes on the same day. Today’s professing Christian establishment caters to the pagan Roman calendar and desires to keep their parishioners blinded to these facts. During Jesus’ millennial kingdom, the whole world will have this knowledge and be obedient to it.
(Luke 2:42-52; “When Jesus was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. But when the feast was over, as they were returning home, Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, but (because they assumed that Jesus was in their group of travelers) they went a day’s journey. Then they began to look for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for Him. After three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them, and asking them questions. And all who heard Jesus were astonished at His understanding and His answers. When Jesus’ parents saw Him, they were overwhelmed. His mother said to Him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.” But Jesus replied, “Why were you looking for Me? Didn’t you know that I must be in My Father’s house?” Yet His parents did not understand the remark He made to them. Then Jesus went down with them, came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. But His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with people.”)
Perhaps some of what the angel Gabriel had said to Mary had not yet jelled in her mind.