Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Author

The two books attributed to Luke (Luke and Acts) make up about 28 percent of the Greek New Testament.

Luke is not mentioned by name in either book.

The only places where his name occurs in the New Testament are in Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11; and Philemon 24.

Luke also referred to himself directly in the “we” sections of Acts (16:10–17; 20:5–21:18; 27:1–28:16).

Luke must have been a Gentile for Paul differentiates him from the Jews (Col.

4:10–14).

Paul wrote that, of his fellow-workers, Aristarchus, Mark, and John were the only ones who were Jews.

The others (Epaphras, Luke, and Demas) were therefore probably Gentiles.

Paul referred to Luke as a physician (Col.

4:14), a fact which many try to corroborate from passages in Luke and Acts.

Until modern times church tradition uniformly has held Luke to be the author of Luke and Acts.

According to tradition Luke was from Antioch, but it is impossible to verify this claim.

Sources

Luke claimed to be a historian (Luke 1:1–4).

He carefully researched his material for specific reasons.

He consulted eyewitnesses for information (1:2).

He may have gathered certain details, such as facts on Jesus’ youth, from Mary herself (cf.

2:51).

Luke also seemed to have had contacts with the Herodian court (cf.

3:1, 19; 8:3; 9:7–9; 13:31; 23:7–12).

Scholars do not agree on which sources Luke used in writing his Gospel.

He may have reworked various source materials at his disposal in order to create a unified whole, written in his style, which reflected his purpose.

All this, of course, was done under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Date and Place

A number of dates have been suggested for the writing of Luke.

If Acts were written before the time of Nero’s persecution (A.D. 64)—which seems evident by the fact that Acts closed with Paul still alive and in prison—then the Book of Luke must have been written several years before that, for Acts was subsequent to Luke.

Though it is impossible to pinpoint a specific date, a time of composition between A.D. 58 and 60 fits well.

Luke gave no clues as to the place where he wrote his Gospel.

Thus any statement on the matter would be mere speculation.

Some suggest that Luke wrote from either Caesarea or Rome.

Purposes

Luke had two purposes in writing this book.

One was to confirm the faith of Theophilus, that is, to show that his faith in Christ rested on firm historical fact (1:3–4).

His other purpose was to present Jesus as the Son of Man, who had been rejected by Israel.

Because of this rejection, Jesus was also preached to Gentiles so that they could know the kingdom program of God and attain salvation.

Lk 1:1 Dear Theophilos:

Concerning the matters that have taken place among us, many people have undertaken to draw up accounts

2 based on what was handed down to us by those who from the start were eyewitnesses and proclaimers of the message.

3 Therefore, Your Excellency, since I have carefully investigated all these things from the beginning, it seemed good to me that I too should write you an accurate and ordered narrative,

4 so that you might know how well-founded are the things about which you have been taught.

The book of Luke is the first of 2 books written by Luke, an early follower of Yeshua.

The 2nd volume is Acts.

The 2 volumes cover the life of Yeshua in Luke and the birth and growth of the Messianic movement in Acts.

The book begins like a letter, with a greeting to the recipient, Theophilos.

Dr. Stern comments:

1 Theophilos, addressed in v. 3 as “Your Excellency,” was probably an upper-class Greek for whom Luke wrote this book and the book of Acts (see Ac 1:1N) with the purpose he himself states in v. 4. Alternatively, since the name means “lover of God,” Luke may be writing to a generic and typical disciple.

In this time it was common for wealthy individuals to commission books to be written and Theophilus may have been a wealthy man that had heard about Yeshua and wanted a full account written for him and he paid Luke to research and write a history of the life of Yeshua and the early Yeshua movement.

1:2.

“Handed down” was sometimes a technical term in the ancient world.

Disciples of rabbis normally passed down first-generation traditions carefully.

Oral storytellers were also adept at memorizing and passing on stories accurately.

Because Luke writes while eyewitnesses are still alive, and because they were accorded a place of prominence in the early church, we may be sure that his traditions are reliable.

(Eyewitness sources were accepted as the best.)

Jewish concept of tradition handed down.

Authority from previous sources.

5 In the days of Herod, King of Y’hudah, there was a cohen named Z’kharyah who belonged to the Aviyah division.

His wife was a descendant of Aharon, and her name was Elisheva.

1:5.

Historians customarily introduced a narrative by listing the names of reigning kings or governors, which provided the approximate time of the narrative.

Herod the Great was officially king of Judea from 37 to 4 b.c.

Twenty-four “orders” (NRSV, TEV) or “divisions” (NIV, NASB) of priests (, especially v. 10) took turns serving in the temple, two nonconsecutive weeks a year.

Priests could marry any pure Israelite, but they often preferred daughters of priests (“daughters of Aaron”).

5 Herod the Great.

See Mt 2:1N.

Cohen, priest (see Mt 2:4N).

The cohanim were partitioned into 24 divisions, the names of which appear at 1 Chronicles 24:7–18; the Aviyah division was the eighth.

Each served for a week at a time; thus the members of a division did Temple duty twice a year.

All divisions were present for Sukkot (see Yn 7:2N, 7:37N, 8:12N).

His wife was a descendent of Aharon.

A cohen must marry a woman from a family of cohanim.

Elisheva was not only from a priestly family but descended from Moses’ brother, the first cohen gadol.

6 Both of them were righteous before God, observing all the mitzvot and ordinances of ADONAI blamelessly.

6 Mitzvot.

See Mt 5:19N.

Adonai.

See Mt 1:20.

Contrary to some Christian theologians, the New Testament teaches that the Torah of Moses offers righteousness.

To be considered righteous before God, Z’kharyah and Elisheva had to love God and fellowman, trust God and believe his word.

As evidence of this love and trust they observed all the rules of behavior God had revealed, including those which demanded repentance and a blood sacrifice as a sin offering when they fell short of full obedience.

For more, see Ro 9:30–10:10&NN.

7 But they had no children, because Elisheva was barren; and they were both well along in years.

Reminiscent of Abraham and Sarah being old without a child.

Reminiscent of Abraham and Sarah being old without a child.

1:7.

To be childless was economically and socially disastrous: economically, because parents had no one to support them in old age (cf.

comment on 1 Tim 5:4, 8); socially, because in the law barrenness was sometimes a judgment for sin, and many people assumed the worst possible cause of a problem.

Most people assumed that barrenness was a defect of the wife, and Jewish teachers generally insisted that a man divorce a childless wife so he could procreate.

“Aged” may suggest that they were over sixty (Mishnah Abot 5:21); age itself conferred some social status and was sometimes listed among qualifications or virtues.

5:21 A He would say, “(1) At five to Scripture, (2) ten to Mishnah, (3) thirteen to religious duties, (4) fifteen to Talmud, (5) eighteen to the wedding canopy, (6) twenty to responsibility for providing for a family, (7) thirty to fullness of strength, (8) forty to understanding, (9) fifty to counsel, (10) sixty to old age, (11) seventy to ripe old age, (12) eighty to remarkable strength, (13) ninety to a bowed back, and (14) at a hundred— he is like a corpse who has already passed and gone from this world.”

8 One time, when Z’kharyah was fulfilling his duties as cohen during his division’s period of service before God,

9 he was chosen by lot (according to the custom among the cohanim) to enter the Temple and burn incense.

10 All the people were outside, praying, at the time of the incense burning,

1:8–9.

There were many more priests and Levites than necessary (perhaps eighteen thousand) for any given function in the temple, so they were chosen for specific tasks by lot, during their appointed time of service (besides service on the three major festivals, they served about two weeks out of the year).

Given the number of priests, a priest might get the opportunity in 1:9 only once in a lifetime; this would have been a special occasion for Zechariah.

Incense offerings (Ex 30:7–8) had been standard in ancient Near Eastern temples, perhaps to quench the stench of burning flesh from the sacrifices in the closed buildings.

This offering in the temple preceded the morning sacrifice and followed the evening sacrifice.

It is said that the officer who ministered regularly in the temple signaled the time to begin the offering and then withdrew; the priest cast incense on this altar, prostrated himself and then withdrew himself—normally immediately (cf.

1:21).

1:10.

The hours of morning and evening sacrifices were also the major public hours of prayer in the temple (cf.

Acts 3:1).

Except during a feast, most of the people praying there would be Jerusalemites; unable to enter the priestly sanctuary, they were presumably men in the Court of Israel, and some women outside that in the Court of the Women.

11 when there appeared to him an angel of ADONAI standing to the right of the incense altar.

12 Z’kharyah was startled and terrified at the sight.

13 But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Z’kharyah; because your prayer has been heard.

Your wife Elisheva will bear you a son, and you are to name him Yochanan.