A Jewish Bible Companion (Part 11 of 0)

A Reading Plan for the Gospel of Luke(2) – Part twelve

In last month’s article, we gave a reading plan for the gospel of Luke. In this month’s article, we begin listing parallels between the readings in Luke and the weekly Torah readings. Many of the parallels are verbatim allusions to the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament. Some of the parallels are in precisely the right place; in these cases the reading plans line up exactly. The other parallels are off by only a week or two. In fact, there are so many parallels that this slight imprecision should not cause concern about the basic hypothesis. It would be like having one of our speakers refer to the daily readings from a week or two ago; even with the delay, the ideas would still be fresh in our minds.

In this article, we look at the parallels to Genesis.

In the second week, there is a reference to the flood (see Lk. 21:25-26), but otherwise there are few if any parallels in the first three weeks of the year — Passover themes dominate these readings in Luke. So we will begin with the readings for the fourth week and work our way through the twelfth week. For nine weeks in a row Luke has allusions to the Torah readings in Genesis.

Week 4: Resurrection Appearances Parallel Angelic Appearances to Abraham and Lot

Luke’s fourth weekly reading of the year, Luke 24:13-53 resurrection appearances, is no doubt designed to be read alongside the fourth weekly Torah reading, Genesis 18-22.

  • 4a. The Lord appeared — The fourth Torah reading begins, “The LORD appeared unto [Abraham]” (Gen. 18:1; cp. 17:1). Similarly, Luke’s fourth weekly reading records several resurrection appearances of our Lord. “Jesus himself drew near, and went with them…And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon…And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them” (Lk. 24:15,33,36).
  • 4b. They constrained him — Lot constrained the angels: “[Lot] said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant’s house, and tarry all night…And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. And he pressed upon (constrained, LXX) them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house” (Gen. 19:2-3). And the disciples constrained Jesus: “They drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them” (Lk. 24:28-29).
  • 4c. He did eat — Abraham and Lot each fed the angels: “[Abraham] took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them…and they did eat…and [Lot] made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat” (Gen. 18:8; 19:3). Likewise, the disciples fed Jesus: “It came to pass, as [Jesus] sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them… [Jesus] said unto them, have ye here any meat? And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And he took it, and did eat before them” (Lk. 24:30,41-43).
  • 4d. They believed not for joy — Sarah doubted the promise that her “dead” womb could bare fruit: “Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After! am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” (Gen. 18:12).

Similarly, the disciples doubted whether Jesus had risen from the dead: “Then he said unto them, 0 fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken…they yet believed not for joy, and wondered” (Lk. 24:25,41).

Week 5: Zacharias and Elisabeth Parallel Abraham and Sarah

Luke’s fifth reading, Luke 1:5-25 Announcement of John, is filled with parallels between Zacharias and Elisabeth and Abraham and Sarah, which would have been read in the Torah readings for weeks three through five (Genesis 12-25:18).

  • 5a. Righteous, blameless, commandments — “[Zacharias and Elisabeth] were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless” (Lk. 1:6) points back to Abraham: “The Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am thy God, be well-pleasing before me, and be blameless” (Gen. 17:1 LXXK); and “Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws” (Gen. 26:5).
  • 5b. No child, barren — Elisabeth and Sarah were both barren. “And [Zacharias and Elisabeth] had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren” (Lk. 1:7). “Sarai was barren; she had no child” (Gen. 11:30).
  • 5c. Well-stricken in years — “[Zacharias and Elisabeth] both were now well stricken in years” (Lk. 1:7; cp. 1:18) parallels “Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age” (Gen. 18:11; cp. 17:17).
  • 5d. An angel appeared unto him– “There appeared unto [Zacharias] an angel of the Lord” (Lk. 1:11) just as “The Lord appeared unto [Abraham]…three men stood by him…And there came two angels to Sodom at even” (Gen. 18:1-2; 19:1).
  • 5e. Thy wife shall bear thee a son —The announcement of John the Baptist to his father, “The angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias…thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John” (Lk. 1:13), parallels the announcement of the birth of Isaac to his father, “And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac” (Gen. 17:19).
  • 5f. Whereby shall I know? — Zacharias asked the angel, “Whereby shall I know this?” (Lk. 1:18), just as Abraham had asked God, “Whereby shall! know that I shall inherit it?” (Gen. 15:8).

Parallels in Luke’s Sixth Week

  • 6a. Thou hast found grace with God — “The angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found grace with God” (Lk. 1:30 RVm) refers back to “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord” (Gen. 6:8).
  • 6b. With God nothing is impossible — “The angel answered and said unto [Mary]…For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Lk. 1:35,37) parallels “The Lord said to Abraham…Shall anything be impossible with the Lord?” (Gen. 18:13,­14 LXX).
  • 6c. The babe leaped in her womb — “It came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb” (Lk. 1:41) mimics “The babes leaped within her (i.e., Rebekah)” (Gen. 25:22 LXX).

Jacob, Israel, Abraham, and the Covenant

Luke’s sixth and seventh readings have a number of allusions to the patriarchs whose lives were being read from the Torah. “[Jesus] shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever…He hath holpen his servant Israel…As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever…Blessed be the Lord God of Israel…To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham” (Lk. 1:33,54,55,68,72-73).

Week 7: Parallels to the Names of the Sons of Jacob

The seventh Torah reading, Genesis 28:10-32:2, records the births of the sons of Jacob. Luke has several allusions to these.

  • 7a. Elisabeth refers to the births of Reuben and Joseph — Elisabeth refers to the births of Leah’s firstborn and of Rachel’s firstborn. In particular, “After those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men” (Lk. 1:25) alludes to “Leah conceived, and bare a son, and she called his name Reuben: for she said, Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction” (Gen. 29:32) and to “[Rachel] conceived, and bare a son: and said, God hath taken away my reproach: and she called his name Joseph” (Gen. 30:23-24).
  • 7b. Mary refers to the births of Reuben and Asher –When Reuben was born, Leah said, “Surely the Lord hath looked upon my affliction” (Gen. 29:32). And when Asher was born, Leah said, “Happy am I, for the daughters will call me blessed” (Gen. 30:13). Mary alludes to both of these when she sings, “For he hath looked upon the low estate of his handmaiden: For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed” (Lk. 1:48 RV).

Allusions to the Eighth Torah Reading

  • 8a. Benjamin and Jesus born at Bethlehem — Among other things, the eighth Torah reading, Genesis 32:3-36:43, records the birthplace of Benjamin, “They journeyed from Beth-el; and there was but a little way to come to Ephrath: and Rachel travailed, and she had a hard labor…His father [Jacob] called him Benjamin. And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem” (Gen. 35:16-19).

Likewise, “Joseph also went up from Galilee…into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem…with Mary his espoused wife…And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son” (Lk. 2:4-7).

  • 8b. Flocks — Luke continues, “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night” (Lk. 2:8), alluding to Genesis 35:21, “Israel journeyed, and spread his tent beyond the Tower of the Flocks” (cp. Mic. 4:8 AVm).
  • 8c. Simeon and Anna parallel Jacob at Peniel — The eighth Torah reading also contains the episode of Jacob wrestling with the angel. After wrestling with the angel, “Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” (Gen. 32:30). Simeon and Anna refer back to this episode. “And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon…then took he [Jesus] up in his arms, and blessed God, and said…Mine eyes have seen thy salvation. ..and there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel (i.e. Peniel)” (Lk. 2:25,28,30,36).

Week 9: Mary Kept These Sayings in Her Heart

In the ninth Torah reading, Genesis 37-40, we read that when Joseph told his family about his dreams, “his brethren envied him, but his father observed the saying” (Gen. 37:11). Likewise, in Luke’s ninth reading, we read that “his mother [Mary] kept all these sayings in her heart” (Lk. 2:51; cp. 2:19).

Week 10: The Spirit of God

John the Baptist’s reference to Christ in Luke’s tenth reading, “He shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Lk. 3:16), alludes to Pharaoh’s reference to Joseph in the tenth Torah reading, “Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?” (Gen. 41:38).

Week 11: My Beloved Son

In Luke’s eleventh reading, we read that when Jesus was baptized, “a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased” (Lk. 3:22), which parallels “Israel loved Joseph more than all his children” (Gen. 37:3; cp. 37:4).

In addition, the name Joseph is key in the genealogy of Jesus (Lk. 3:23,24,26,30; 4:22). Jesus is not the natural son of Mary’s husband Joseph, but he is the spiritual son of Jacob’s son Joseph.

Parallels in Luke’s Twelfth Reading

Luke’s reading for the twelfth week reports the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. The first two of these refer back to the power and authority that Joseph had during the years of famine.

  • 12a. Man shall not live by bread — Jesus’ response to the first temptation, “Man shall not live by bread alone” (Lk. 4:4 RV), refers back to “When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread: and Pharaoh said unto all the Egyptians, Go unto Joseph; what he saith to you, do…Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons…get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die…God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt” (Gen. 41:55; 42:1-2; 45:7-8).
  • 12b. To thee I will give this authority and glory — The second temptation in Luke, “The devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it” (Lk. 4:5-6), recalls “Pharaoh said unto Joseph…thou shalt be over my house, and according unto thy word shall my people be ruled…I have set thee over all the land of Egypt…and he made him ruler over all the land of Egypt…tell my father of all my glory in Egypt” (Gen. 41:39-43; 45:13; cp. 45:8).