Luke : Saving a Fallen World (Welwyn Commentary Series | WCS)

Top Highlights

“He wanted everyone to know that they could hear the message of God if only they had ears to listen. Jesus often pleaded for people to hear, understand and put into practice what he said. In addition to the nine times this command to hear is mentioned, Luke also repeats these words of Jesus in 14:35. And John takes it up in the last book in the Bible. He tells us that the Lord said, ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches’ (Rev. 2:7, 11, 29; 3:6, 13, 22).” (Page 122)

“‘Will he find in those believers faith that perseveres in prayer and loyalty?” (Page 243)

“Whenever a king announced that he was going to undertake a long journey, servants would be sent before him to prepare the way. They would literally mend the roads, or see that someone else repaired them. And they would make sure that every member of each local population showed enthusiasm for the ruler when he passed by. John the Baptist had a similar task. He was to ‘prepare the way of the Lord’. He had to prepare the people to receive the Messiah.” (Page 43)

“This is a song of hope. Elizabeth’s song (1:42–45) was a song of love. Mary’s song (1:46–55) was a song of faith; and now Zechariah sings a song of hope.¹⁰ This was not a vague hope. It was not just a wish for the future. Zechariah sang of a confident hope which was sure and certain. It was something he looked forward to, because it was the fulfilment of God’s promise to, and for, his people.” (Page 28)

“He was called to be a herald of the King, a voice calling in the desert to ‘prepare the way for the Lord’ (3:4). John was the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophecy which had been made some 700 years earlier (Isa. 40:3–5). His task was to make straight paths for the Lord. People’s lives were wrong; they were crooked. They needed to be put right, and John’s task was to call people back to moral ways.” (Page 45)