Luke 1: 5-25
I learned a lot in my first Luke class last night. We discussed who Luke was, whether he actually wrote the book, who Theophilus was, and many other things.We also spent time looking at the great themes of the gospel and focusing our attention on Luke 1: 5-25. In this passage (this "pericope"...look at the new word I've learned!), we encounter most of Luke's major themes: The Holy Spirit...God at work...the salvation story set inside world history...joy, singing, and praise...attention given to the marginalized...and lots and lots of prayer.
The mathematician in me enjoys the symmetry of the text. At the beginning, we read about Zechariah's service, then about the temple, and then about the people outside. At the end, we read about Zechariah coming back to the people, then about the temple, then about his service. The passage points from both ends to the middle. It creates a focal point. And at the very center, we read this: "Many of the people of Israel will he bring back to the Lord their God." The focus of the text is God's desire to have His people back.
Nobody knows for sure what Zechariah was praying for when he was in the temple. A personal prayer would have been for a child. A dutiful prayer would have been for the Messiah. God answered both.
posted by Thurman8er @ 8:57 AM
4 Comments:
When are you going to start preaching? :)
Good stuff Math Bro.
Fear not. God has heard your prayer.
Again, you hit it spot-on. I love the compassion of Luke.
I love the book of Luke. His account of the birth of Christ is my favorite.
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