[[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[Luke Overview]] [[Mark 16]] [[Luke 02]] # Luke 01 📖 > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] [[#🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application]] [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts]] [[#🔗 Related Passages]] [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NLT) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) ### Explanatory Preface **Principle**: God is not afraid of verification. [[#Verse 01.]] Now many have undertaken to compile an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,  [[#Verse 02.]] like the accounts passed on to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word from the beginning.  [[#Verse 03.]] So it seemed good to me as well, because I have followed all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,  [[#Verse 04.]] so that you may know for certain the things you were taught. ### Birth Announcement of John the Baptist **Principle**: God sees and rewards faithfulness. [[#Verse 05.]] During the reign of Herod king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah, and he had a wife named Elizabeth, who was a descendant of Aaron.  [[#Verse 06.]] They were both righteous in the sight of God, following all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly.  [[#Verse 07.]] But they did not have a child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both very old. [[#Verse 08.]] Now while Zechariah was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty,  [[#Verse 09.]] he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the Holy Place of the Lord and burn incense. [[#Verse 10.]] Now the whole crowd of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. [[#Verse 11.]] An angel of the Lord, standing on the right side of the altar of incense, appeared to him.  [[#Verse 12.]] And Zechariah, visibly shaken when he saw the angel, was seized with fear.  [[#Verse 13.]] But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you will name him John.  [[#Verse 14.]] Joy and gladness will come to you, and many will rejoice at his birth,  [[#Verse 15.]] for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.  [[#Verse 16.]] He will turn many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.  [[#Verse 17.]] And he will go as forerunner before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.” [[#Verse 18.]] Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is old as well.”  [[#Verse 19.]] The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.  [[#Verse 20.]] And now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, you will be silent, unable to speak, until the day these things take place.” [[#Verse 21.]] Now the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they began to wonder why he was delayed in the Holy Place.  [[#Verse 22.]] When he came out, he was not able to speak to them. They realized that he had seen a vision in the Holy Place, because he was making signs to them and remained unable to speak.  [[#Verse 23.]] When his time of service was over, he went to his home. [[#Verse 24.]] After some time his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, and for five months she kept herself in seclusion. She said,  [[#Verse 25.]] “This is what the Lord has done for me at the time when he has been gracious to me, to take away my disgrace among people.” ### Birth Announcement of Jesus the Messiah **Principle**: God doesn't check your status before calling you. [[#Verse 26.]] In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, [[#Verse 27.]] to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary.  [[#Verse 28.]] The angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you!”  [[#Verse 29.]] But she was greatly troubled by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting.  [[#Verse 30.]] So the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God! [[#Verse 31.]] Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.  [[#Verse 32.]] He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David.  [[#Verse 33.]] He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will never end.”  [[#Verse 34.]] Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?”  [[#Verse 35.]] The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God. [[#Verse 36.]] “And look, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age—although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month!  [[#Verse 37.]] For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 So Mary said, “Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. ### Mary and Elizabeth **Principle**: The Lord confirms His promises. [[#Verse 39.]] In those days Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill country, to a town of Judah, [[#Verse 40.]] and entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.  [[#Verse 41.]] When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. [[#Verse 42.]] She exclaimed with a loud voice, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child in your womb!  [[#Verse 43.]] And who am I that the mother of my Lord should come and visit me?  [[#Verse 44.]] For the instant the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.  [[#Verse 45.]] And blessed is she who believed that what was spoken to her by the Lord would be fulfilled.” ### Mary’s Hymn of Praise **Principle**: Celebrate opportunities to be used by God. [[#Verse 46.]] And Mary said, “My soul exalts the Lord, [[#Verse 47.]] and my spirit has begun to rejoice in God my Savior, [[#Verse 48.]] because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant. For from now on all generations will call me blessed, [[#Verse 49.]] because he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name; [[#Verse 50.]] from generation to generation he is merciful to those who fear him. [[#Verse 51.]] He has demonstrated power with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance of their hearts. [[#Verse 52.]] He has brought down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position; [[#Verse 53.]] he has filled the hungry with good things, and has sent the rich away empty. [[#Verse 54.]] He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy, [[#Verse 55.]] as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.” [[#Verse 56.]] So Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home. ### The Birth of John **Principle**: God's promises are a sure thing. [[#Verse 57.]] Now the time came for Elizabeth to have her baby, and she gave birth to a son.  [[#Verse 58.]] Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. [[#Verse 59.]] On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they wanted to name him Zechariah after his father.  [[#Verse 60.]] But his mother replied, “No! He must be named John.”  [[#Verse 61.]] They said to her, “But none of your relatives bears this name.”  [[#Verse 62.]] So they made signs to the baby’s father, inquiring what he wanted to name his son.  [[#Verse 63.]] He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.  [[#Verse 64.]] Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue released, and he spoke, blessing God.  [[#Verse 65.]] All their neighbors were filled with fear, and throughout the entire hill country of Judea all these things were talked about.  [[#Verse 66.]] All who heard these things kept them in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the Lord’s hand was indeed with him. ### Zechariah’s Praise and Prediction **Principle**: Celebrate God by acknowledging His faithfulness. [[#Verse 67.]] Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, [[#Verse 68.]] “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, because he has come to help and has redeemed his people. [[#Verse 69.]] For he has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, [[#Verse 70.]] as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago, [[#Verse 71.]] that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us. [[#Verse 72.]] He has done this to show mercy to our ancestors, and to remember his holy covenant— [[#Verse 73.]] the oath that he swore to our ancestor Abraham. This oath grants [[#Verse 74.]] that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, may serve him without fear, [[#Verse 75.]] in holiness and righteousness before him for as long as we live. [[#Verse 76.]] And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High. For you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, [[#Verse 77.]] to give his people knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins. [[#Verse 78.]] Because of our God’s tender mercy the dawn will break upon us from on high [[#Verse 79.]] to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” [[#Verse 80.]] And the child kept growing and becoming strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he was revealed to Israel. ## ==📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary== ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. ###### Verse 12. ###### Verse 13. ###### Verse 14. ###### Verse 15. ###### Verse 16. ###### Verse 17. ###### Verse 18. ###### Verse 19. ###### Verse 20. ###### Verse 21. ###### Verse 22. ###### Verse 23. ###### Verse 24. ###### Verse 25. ###### Verse 26. ###### Verse 27. ###### Verse 28. ###### Verse 29. ###### Verse 30. ###### Verse 31. ###### Verse 32. ###### Verse 33. ###### Verse 34. ###### Verse 35. ###### Verse 36. ###### Verse 37. ###### Verse 38. ###### Verse 39. ###### Verse 40. ###### Verse 41. ###### Verse 42. ###### Verse 43. ###### Verse 44. ###### Verse 45. ###### Verse 46. ###### Verse 47. ###### Verse 48. ###### Verse 49. ###### Verse 50. ###### Verse 51. ###### Verse 52. ###### Verse 53. ###### Verse 54. ###### Verse 55. ###### Verse 56. ###### Verse 57. ###### Verse 58. ###### Verse 59. ###### Verse 60. ###### Verse 61. ###### Verse 62. ###### Verse 63. ###### Verse 64. ###### Verse 65. ###### Verse 66. ###### Verse 67. ###### Verse 68. ###### Verse 69. ###### Verse 70. ###### Verse 71. ###### Verse 72. ###### Verse 73. ###### Verse 74. ###### Verse 75. ###### Verse 76. ###### Verse 77. ###### Verse 78. ###### Verse 79. ###### Verse 80. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights - coming soon. %% PRIVATE NOTES (only I see this) Write down things that are not straight from commentary but interesting facts that ground the text in history. %% ## 🧠 Chapter Summary - coming soon. %% PRIVATE NOTES (only I see this) Write a short paragraph (3–5 sentences) summarizing what happens in this chapter. - What is the main event or teaching? - How does this chapter fit the book’s overall story? - What stands out immediately? Anything Apologetic to point out? %% ## 🔎 Key Observations / 🛟 Life Application **Today, I can apply this chapter by:** - ✅ Application 1 - ✅ Application 2 %%Make these very practical: - "Trust God's timing in an uncertain situation." - "Speak truth even when it’s unpopular." Think: - What do we learn about God here? - What do we learn about people? - Are there promises, commands, or warnings? %% ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - coming soon. %% PRIVATE NOTES (only I see this) - 📖 [Verse Reference] – "Quote of important verse." - 📖 [Verse Reference] – "Quote of another important verse." (You can link to deeper notes if you want later.) %% ## 🔗 Related Passages - 🔗 coming soon. - 🔗 coming soon. %% Examples: - John 1:1 and Genesis 1 - Romans 5 and Genesis 3 %% ## 🙏 Devotional **Reflection** - coming soon %%Write 3–6 sentences reflecting on: - How this chapter encourages your faith, - Convicts your heart, - Reveals God's character. Optional format: "In light of this chapter, I am challenged to..." or "I am comforted by..."%% ##### 📂 Internal Links/Personal Notes