Luke 1:1-80 NIV
Introduction
1Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilleda among us, 2just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of The WORD.
3With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
3With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold
5In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6Both of them were righteous in The Sight of GOD, observing all The LORD'S Commands and Decrees blamelessly. 7But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.
8Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before GOD, 9he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the Temple of The LORD and burn incense. 10And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.
12When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear. 13But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.14He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15for he will be great in The Sight of The LORD. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with The HOLY SPIRIT even before he is born. 16He will bring back many of the people of Israel to The LORD their GOD.
17And he will go on Before The LORD, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for The LORD.”
18Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”
19The angel said to him,
“I am Gabriel. I stand in The Presence of GOD, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.
20And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
“I am Gabriel. I stand in The Presence of GOD, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.
20And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
21Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the Temple.22When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the Temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.
23When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion.
25“The LORD Has Done This for me,” she said. “In these days HE Has Shown HIS Favor and Taken Away my disgrace among the people.”
The Birth of JESUS Foretold
26In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, GOD Sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said,
“Greetings, you who are highly favored!
The LORD Is With you.”
“Greetings, you who are highly favored!
The LORD Is With you.”
29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with GOD.
31You will conceive and give birth to a SON, and you are to call HIM JESUS. 32HE Will Be Great and Will Be Called The SON of The MOST HIGH. The LORD GOD Will Give HIM The Throne of HIS father David, 33and HE Will Reign over Jacob’s descendants Forever; HIS KINGDOM Will Never End.”
34“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
35The angel answered,
“The HOLY SPIRIT Will Come on you, and The Power of The MOST HIGH Will Overshadow you. So The HOLY ONE To Be Born Will Be Called The SON of GOD.
36Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.
37 For No WORD From GOD Will Ever Fail.”
38“I am The LORD'S servant,” Mary answered.
“May your word to me be fulfilled.”
Then the angel left her.
“May your word to me be fulfilled.”
Then the angel left her.
Mary Visits Elizabeth
39At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea,
40where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with The HOLY SPIRIT. 42In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and Blessed Is The Child you will bear! 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of MY LORD should come to me? 44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45Blessed is she who has believed that The LORD Would Fulfill HIS Promises to her!”
Mary’s Song
46And Mary said:
“My soul glorifies The LORD
47and my spirit rejoices in GOD my SAVIOR,
48for HE Has Been Mindful
of the humble state of HIS servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49for the MIGHTY ONE Has Done Great Things for me—
HOLY Is HIS NAME.
50HIS Mercy Extends to those who fear HIM,
from generation to generation.
51HE Has Performed MIGHTY DEEDS with HIS Arm;
HE Has Scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52HE Has Brought Down rulers from their thrones
but Has Lifted Up the humble.
53HE Has Filled the hungry with good things
but Has Sent the rich away empty.
54HE Has Helped HIS servant Israel,
Remembering to be Merciful
55to Abraham and his descendants forever,
Just As HE Promised our ancestors.”
56Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.
The Birth of John the Baptist
57When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. 58Her neighbors and relatives heard that The LORD Had Shown her Great Mercy, and they shared her joy.
59On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60but his mother spoke up and said, “No! he is to be called John.”
61They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”
62Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. 63He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” 64Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising GOD. 65All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. 66Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For The LORD'S Hand Was with him.
Zechariah’s Song
68“Praise be to The LORD, The GOD of Israel,
Because HE Has Come To HIS people and Redeemed them.
in the house of HIS servant David
70(As HE Said through HIS holy prophets of long ago),
71salvation from our enemies
and from the hand of all who hate us—
72to Show Mercy to our ancestors
and to Remember HIS Holy Covenant,
73the Oath HE Swore to our father Abraham:
74to Rescue us from the hand of our enemies,
and to Enable us to serve HIM without fear
75in holiness and righteousness before HIM all our days.
76And you, my child, will be called a prophet of The MOST HIGH;
for you will go on before The LORD to prepare the Way for HIM,
77to give HIS people the knowledge of salvation
through the forgiveness of their sins,
78because of the Tender Mercy of our GOD,
by which the Rising Sun Will Come to us from Heaven
79to Shine on those living in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to Guide our feet into the path of peace.”
80And the child grew and became strong in spiritd ; and he lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel.
Who was Theophilus at the beginning of Luke and Acts?
The fact is that we really do not know who Theophilus was, which is why there are several different theories as to who he might be. No matter how much evidence there may or may not be for each theory, the simple fact is we do not know who Theophilus was because the Bible does not identify who he was.
The name “Theophilus” literally means “loved by God,” but carries the idea of “friend of GOD.” This has led some to believe that “Theophilus” is just a generic title that applies to all Christians. However, from the context of Luke and Acts, it seems clear that Luke is writing to a specific individual, even though his message is also intended for all Christians in all centuries. While both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts have applications for all Christians, they were probably written to a specific individual whom Luke addresses as “most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:3).
Since it seems clear that Theophilus was an actual person, we will look at what we do know about him from the Bible and then discuss a few of the many theories as to who he might have been. First, it is important to note that Luke addresses him as “most excellent,” a title often used when referring to someone of honor or rank, such as a Roman official. Paul used the same term when addressing Felix (Acts 23:26;Acts 24:3) and Festus (Acts 26:25). Therefore, one of the most common theories is that Theophilus was possibly a Roman officer or high-ranking official in the Roman government.
Another possibility is that Theophilus was a wealthy and influential man in the city of Antioch. There are second-century references to a man named Theophilus who was “a great lord” and a leader in the city of Antioch during the time of Luke. Such a man would fit the description, as many scholars believe that Theophilus could have been a wealthy benefactor who supported Paul and Luke on their missionary journeys. That would account for Luke’s wanting to provide an orderly and detailed account of what had happened.
Yet another theory about the identity of Theophilus is that he was the Roman lawyer who defended Paul during his trial in Rome. Those who hold this theory believe that Luke’s purpose in writing Luke and Acts was to write a defense of Christianity, somewhat akin to a legal brief. If this theory is correct, Luke’s writings were designed to defend Paul in court against charges of insurrection and, at the same time, to defend Christianity against the charge that it was an illegal, anti-Roman religion.
While each of these theories holds possibilities, it seems most likely that Theophilus was a high-ranking or influential Gentile for whom Luke wanted to provide a detailed, historical account of CHRIST and the spread of the gospel throughout the Roman Empire. Whether this Theophilus was a wealthy relative of Caesar, an influential government official, a wealthy benefactor who supported Paul or Paul’s Roman lawyer does not really matter. We cannot know for sure who Theophilus was, but we can know what Luke’s intentions for writing were. His stated reason for writing to Theophilus was “that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:3-4).
Luke wrote an historical account of the life, death, and resurrection of JESUS CHRIST and detailed the spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire. His intention was to give Theophilus certainty that the “things he had been taught” were indeed true and trustworthy.