A Jewish Bible Companion (Part 18 of 0)

A Reading Plan for the Gospel of Luke(9) – Part nineteen

Last month we began a study of Luke’s parallels to the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings). This month we continue where we left off, starting this time with Luke’s reading for week 7.

Week 7: The Birth of John

Luke’s reading for week 7 is Luke 1:57-80, the birth of John the Baptist. Luke composed this reading so that it has parallels to the Former Prophets readings for weeks 7 and 9.

Parallels to Samson

The Former Prophets reading for week 7 is Judges 13-16 about Samson. Last month we noted that Samson was a type of John the Baptist. In his reading for week 5, Luke patterned the announcement of the upcoming birth of John after the announcement of the upcoming birth of Samson. Here in week 7, Luke continues the parallels between Samson and John.

  • 7a. A son born and named by his mother — “Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son…He shall be called John…His name is John” (Lk. 1:57,60,63), just as “the woman [Manoah’s wife] bare a son, and called his name Samson” (Jdg. 13:24).
  • 7b. He will deliver us from the hand of our enemy — Samson’s mother was told that he would “begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines” (Jdg. 13:5). Likewise, John began the Messianic era in preparing the way for Jesus, of whom Zacharias sang, “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us…that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us…being delivered out of the hand of our enemies…to give knowledge of salvation” (Lk. 1:68,69,71,74,77).
  • 7c. The child grew — “The child [John] grew” (Lk. 1:80), just as “the child [Samson] grew” (Jdg. 13:24).
  • 7d. Strong in the Spirit — “The child [John]…waxed strong in spirit” (Lk. 1:80) fulfilling the type of Samson, “The Spirit of the Lord began to move him…the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him” (Jdg. 13:25; 14:6,19; 15:14).

Parallels to Hannah-Samuel

Last month, we also noted that Samuel was a type of John the Baptist. In his reading for week 5, Luke’s account of the announcement of the upcoming birth of John was based on the miraculous birth of Samuel to Hannah. Here in week 7, Luke continues the parallels in his description of the birth of John.

  • 7e. Jo-Hannah — John’s name in Hebrew is Yo-Hanan (Greek – Ioannes), so he was named after Hannah, the mother of Samuel.
  • 7f. End of period with no revelation — Because Zacharias did not believe the angel, the angel said, “Thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed…when he came out, he could not speak unto them…he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless” (Lk. 1:20,22). Once John was born, Zacharias’ “mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country” (Lk. 1:64-65). In short, the vision of the Lord was not spread about until after the birth of John. This parallels the rarity of the word of the Lord and the lack of a vision that was “widely spread,” until after the birth of Samuel (I Sam. 3:1 RVm).
  • 7g. The horn of salvation — Zacharias’ “The Lord God of Israel…hath raised up an horn of salvation for us” (Lk. 1:68,69) echoes Hannah’s “Mine horn is exalted in the Lord…because I rejoice in thy salvation…he shall…exalt the horn of his anointed” (I Sam. 2:1,10).

Week 8: The Birth of Jesus

Luke’s reading for week 8 is Luke 2:1-40, the birth of Jesus. Luke has several echoes from the Former Prophets reading for week 8. But he also has parallels to the birth of Samuel which would be read the following week.

Parallels to Former Prophets reading for week 8

The Former Prophets reading for week 8 is Judges 17-21 about the wickedness of the Danites and Benjamites. There are two minor parallels in Luke’s reading for the week.

  • 8a. Bethlehem — The city of Bethlehem is mentioned in both Luke and Judges (Lk. 2:4; Jdg. 19:18).
  • 8b. No room for lodging — “There was no room for them in the inn” (Lk. 2:7) is similar to what happened at Gibeah, where “there was no man that took them into his house to lodging” (Jdg. 19:15,18).

Parallels to Hannah-Samuel

Last month we gave parallels between Hannah-Samuel and Mary-Jesus. In his reading for week 6, Luke patterned the announcement of the upcoming birth of Jesus to Mary on the story of the birth of Samuel to Hannah; this included the well-known connections between the songs of Mary and Hannah. Here in week 8 Luke continues the parallels in his record of the birth of Jesus.

  • 8c. A son born and named — “The days were accomplished that [Mary] should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son…his name was called Jesus” (Lk. 2:6-7,21) paralleling “it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel” (I Sam. 1:20).
  • 8d. The prophetess Anna — The prophetess Anna (Lk. 2:36) has the same name as Hannah.
  • 8e. The child grew before the Lord — “The child [Jesus] grew…and the grace [Hannah = grace in Heb.] of God was upon him” (Lk. 2:40) just as “the child Samuel grew before the Lord” (I Sam. 2:21).

Week 9: Jesus at Age Twelve

Luke’s reading for week 9 is Luke 2:41-52, the child Jesus left at the house of God going about his Father’s work. Luke intended this to be read alongside the Former Prophets reading for week 9, I Samuel 1-3 about Samuel being left at the house of God to minister unto the Lord.

  • 9a. Every year — “[Jesus’] parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast” (Lk. 2:41-42). Elkanah and his family also made this annual pilgrimage, “This man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh…And as he did so year by year…the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly sacrifice…his mother made him a little coat, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice” (I Sam. 1:3,7,21; 2:19).
  • 9b. The son left behind — “When they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem” (Lk. 2:43) is patterned after Samuel, who was left behind by his parents (I Sam. 1:22,24-28).
  • 9c. Ministering unto the Lord — The child Jesus stayed behind to minister in his Father’s house, “[Jesus’ parents] found him in the temple…wist ye not that I must be in my Father’s house?” (Lk. 2:46,49 RV), just as the child Samuel “did minister unto the Lord” (I Sam. 2:11,18; 3:1).
  • 9d. Favor with God and man — “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Lk. 2:52) just as “the child Samuel grew on, and was in favor both with the Lord, and also with men” (I Sam. 2:26).

Review of Luke’s Readings for Weeks 5-9

Luke’s readings for weeks 5 through 9, which cover the first two chapters of his gospel, have a number of impressive features. First, this is Luke’s own material; that is, the record here is not found in the other gospels. Consequently, Luke has control over how he presents this new material. His inspired presentation drives home the fact that the gospel story is a fulfillment of the law and the prophets.

Second, the five readings have a simple alternating structure capped with Jesus in the temple:

  1. Luke 1:5-25 The announcement of John’s upcoming birth
  2. Luke 1:26-56 The announcement of Jesus’ upcoming birth
  3. Luke 1:57-80 The birth of John
  4. Luke 2:1-40 The birth of Jesus
  5. Luke 2:41-52 Jesus in the temple at age 12

This pattern helps us to remember the story.

Third, Luke designed these readings to be read alongside the corresponding readings from the Torah (Tidings, 12/93). The divine birth of John to Zacharias and Elisabeth parallels the divine birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah, and the divine births of Jacob and Esau to Isaac and Rebekah. Jesus is born in Bethlehem just like Joseph had been. Mary kept the angel’s sayings in her heart just as Jacob had kept Joseph’s dreams in his.

Fourth, Luke also intended these readings to be read alongside the Former Prophets. He has woven the gospel story together so that multiple types are highlighted. It is impressive how many of these line up perfectly with the readings for the Former Prophets. The angelic announcement to Zacharias aligns with the angelic announcement to Gideon. Mary, a virgin who had known no man, aligns with Jephthah’s daughter, also a virgin who had known no man. The birth of John aligns with the birth of Samson. Joseph and Mary visiting their “hometown” Bethlehem where there was no room in the inn aligns with the visitors to Gibeah who came from Bethlehem and found no one to take them in. And Jesus being left behind in the house of God aligns with Samuel being left behind in the house of God.

Luke was a master craftsman. Anyone who asks why there are four gospels should just read them — each of them has made its own inspired contribution to our understanding.

Weeks 10-14

The parallels between Luke and the Former Prophets continue through week 14, after which there is a gap to week 36. Here we list parallels for weeks 10 through 14. Lord willing, next month we will continue with parallels that occur later in Luke’s gospel.

  • 10. Wicked priests — Luke’s reading for week 10, Luke 3:1-20 about the preaching of John, was designed to be read at Pentecost (Tidings, 1/94). Nevertheless, the reference to the two wicked priests Annas and Caiaphas (Lk. 3:2) may allude to the two wicked priests Hophni and Phinehas who had been in the readings from the Former Prophets, and were killed in the reading for week 10 (I Sam. 4-6).
  • 11a. Anointing — Luke’s reading for week 11 is Luke 3:21-38, Jesus’ bap­tism and genealogy. The Former Prophets reading for week 11 (I Sam. 7-9) includes the anointing of Saul as the first savior-king of Israel, “Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear a day before Saul came, saying, To morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over my people Israel, that he may save my people out of the hand of the Philistines…this same shall reign over my people” (I Sam. 9:15-17). This would be an appropriate backdrop for the baptism of Jesus, by which he was anointed the “true” savior-king of Israel.
  • 11b. Eli — Joseph’s father-in-law, Hell, has the same name as Eli, who has been in the readings from the Former Prophets for the previous two weeks.
  1. The Spirit of the Lord upon him — Luke’s reading for week 12 is Luke 4:1-13, Jesus tempted in the wilderness. The Former Prophets reading for week 12 is I Samuel 10-12, Saul as king. Luke’s reading for this week and the two surrounding weeks repeatedly refer to the Holy Spirit coming upon Jesus. “Je­sus also being baptized…the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him…Jesus being full of the Holy Spirit returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Being forty days tempted of the devil…Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee…He came to Nazareth…The Spirit of the Lord is upon me” (Lk. 3:21-22; 4:1-2,14,16,18). This parallels Saul, of whom it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord will come mightily upon thee [Saul], and thou shalt prophesy with them…the Spirit of God came mightily upon him, and he prophesied among them” (I Sam. 10:6,10; 11:6 RV).
  1. Rejection of the king — Luke’s reading for week 13, Luke 4:14-30, describes the rejection of Jesus in Nazareth: “Is not this Joseph’s son?…No prophet is accepted in his own country” (Lk. 4:22,24) recalls “What is this that is come unto the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?” (I Sam. 10:11), read a week earlier.
  2. Casting out evil spirits — In the Former Prophets reading for week 14 (I Sam. 16-18, Rise of David) David heals Saul of the evil spirit that troubled him: “The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him. And Saul’s servants said unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth thee. Let our lord now command thy servants, which are before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on the harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and thou shalt be well…It came to pass, when the evil spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him” (I Sam. 16:14­16,23).

Parallel to this, in Luke’s reading for week 14 (Lk. 4:31-37) Jesus heals a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon: “In the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean demon…Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no hurt” (Lk. 4:33,35 RV).

The connection is obvious: David the healer is a type of Jesus the healer.