Weeping Warrior offers Thoughts about Luke Chapters Two and Three in his First of Ten Read Throughs

 

Read Previous 

Today is a continuation of my ten times adventure of reading the Gospel of Luke ten times in a row to build discipline, get more from the Scripture and share. This is my first time (have nine more times to read the book) in this adventure however I've read it in the many times that I've now read the Bible through in a year. 

Luke Chapter Two (and Three)

For Chapter two, I listened to an audio version yesterday and today during my quiet time I read chapter three from my physical Bible.

It was probably most appropriate to hear verse two because we’ve all heard chapter two very often; even if we aren’t saved. My heart leaped when I heard the first few sentences explaining the Christmas Story; “In those days, Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.” Again, as things are since probably the beginning of time, man has his plans but God has His plans that over rule man’s plans. Caesar takes a census and God gives us His Son.

Next, in this reading, I think of Simeon. I’ve thought of him in past readings. He was moved by the Spirit that the Christ Child was there and he praised God and prophesied. The then spoke to Mary, prophesying again.

Then Anna, gets one paragraph. Here is a woman who “lived with her husband” for seven years; it states that she was a widow and she never left the temple and fasted and prayed worshipping night and day. In the past, I know that I’ve read about Anna, but will admit that I quickly glossed over it without giving it the attention it deserves.

Both Simeon and Anna did all of this in preparation of the coming of Jesus. Now that He has come and reigns in our hearts, what are we doing with what we have in our midst?

This chapter has what I would think of as many mini chapters or accounts within it. There is the birth of Jesus, and the visit of the Shepherds. Jesus is presented as a baby at the temple. And, Jesus is now a boy at the temple.

When Jesus is at the temple, I found it very interesting that written in the King James Version, Luke states, “And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions”. Is this because Luke was a doctor and he saw these men as doctors? And, why does other translations not refer to them as doctors? This motivated me to do an online search…

Why does Luke refer to these men as doctors (and not teachers) in Luke chapter 2 verse 46?

According to my research online, In Luke 2:46, "doctors" refers to teachers of Jewish law, not medical doctors. The term "doctor" in that era was used to describe those learned in the scriptures and Jewish traditions, who would be found teaching in the temple. The same Greek word, didaskalos, is also translated as "teachers" in other versions. 

Also, we understand that Luke was a doctor and a quick online search offered more detail. Yes, according to the Bible and tradition, Luke was a physician. Colossians 4:14 refers to him as "the beloved physician". Furthermore, his writings, particularly the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, show a detailed and accurate understanding of medical terminology and practices, further supporting his medical background. 

So, in my mind, it was appropriate to call these learned men doctors; especially from Luke’s perspective and we could probably surmise that some were not only educated men but also educated men who were also doctors; but that’s my opinion.

When Joseph and Mary found Jesus teaching in the temple, he told them that He must be about His Father’s business. This is the first record of His words. It’s interesting that, and you may know this already, His last words, written in John 19:30, Jesus says "It is finished".  What was finished? Certainly there is more for Jesus to do and will do. This was to say that His work as a man on earth was finished. Now, we as followers of Christ must pick up the cross, follow Him and do greater things than He.

After getting this far in the YouTube audio version of the chapter, I shared this on my Facebook page. One never knows who this Word may touch. To hear the Christmas Story in the middle of July I thought would be a very “cool” thing to do.

One thing of note about reading through the Gospel of Luke (this first time with the intention of continuing doing so for ten times consecutively) when I heard a pastor on a radio program mention the Gospel of Luke, my ears perked up. I believe that when we are in the will of God and seeking His will to stay in His will, absolutely nothing is accidental. Hearing this on the radio was meant to be for me.

I remember it being about Luke chapter nine. The comment was about Jesus sending people to a Samaritan village.

Before I leave this chapter, one other thing stuck out to me. After Jesus told his parents that He had to be doing His Father’s business, Mary “treasured all of these things in her heart”. In Luke 2:19 after the Shepherds amazed everyone with their words, Mary “treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart”. It seems Mary’s heart was indeed growing and changing.

Now I’ll move on to chapter three with my thoughts from this morning.

I can see that making note of my thoughts and then sharing them here requires a bit of time but I also see that the rewards in “hiding this in my heart” is well worth it. Knowing too that God’s Word does not return void, I trust that this is blessing all who read this as well.

Chapter three introduces the ministry of John the Baptist.

I read out of my physical Bible this morning. Here he tells people to repent and many people ask, “What should I do?” I think that we could follow everything he told these people to do and more. We should ask God that question daily. I asked God, “What can I give away today, what can I delete and how can I add value?”

The chapter is short, ending with the genealogy of Jesus, “He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph”.

I knew this but I looked it up anyway.  The phrase "He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph" means that while Jesus was publicly known as Joseph's son, and legally considered his son due to Joseph's marriage to Mary, the biblical narrative emphasizes that Jesus's biological origin was divine, through the Holy Spirit, and not through Joseph. 

Why was the genealogy of Jesus on Joseph’s side important and recorded in Scripture? What I found online was so good, I’m sharing it in its entirety.

The genealogy of Jesus traced through Joseph was important for several reasons, primarily because it established Jesus's legal right to the throne of David, fulfilling prophecy and demonstrating his royal lineage according to Jewish law.

Fulfilling Prophecy:

The Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah would be a descendant of King David. Both Matthew and Luke include genealogies to demonstrate Jesus's lineage through David, confirming his identity as the Messiah.

Legal Heirship:

In Jewish law, lineage was traced through the father, even in cases of adoption. Joseph, as Jesus's legal father, provided Jesus with the legal right to inherit David's throne.

Royal Lineage:

While Matthew and Luke have different genealogies, both connect Jesus to David through Joseph, establishing his royal heritage. Matthew traces the line through David, Solomon, and Jeconiah, while Luke traces it through David and Nathan.

Addressing the Jeconiah Curse:

A curse was placed on Jeconiah's line, stating that none of his descendants would ever rule over Judah. Because Jesus was not Joseph's biological son (due to the virgin birth), he was not subject to this curse and could inherit the throne through Mary's lineage.

Legal vs. Biological Lineage:

Some scholars suggest Matthew's genealogy is a royal or legal lineage, while Luke's is a biological one. This highlights that Jesus had both the legal and biological right to the throne.

In essence, the genealogies, particularly the one through Joseph, demonstrate that Jesus was both the legal and royal heir to David's throne, fulfilling prophecy and solidifying his identity as the Messiah.