Luke 1:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,

NIV: He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.

NASB: And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.

CSB: He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

NLT: And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.

KJV: And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

NKJV: And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

The Old Testament predicted a prophet would arise to herald the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1). This prophecy will be fulfilled in the life of John the Baptist. An angel has just predicted John's birth to Zechariah (Luke 1:11–15), an aging, childless priest (Luke 1:5–7). The angel has noted that John will be called "great" for his spiritual strength (Luke 7:24–28). Before he is even born, the child will be sensitive to the influence of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:43–45; 80).

Here, the angel notes that John's call for repentance (Luke 3:2–3) will be effective. Before Jesus begins His earthly ministry, John's preaching will "make his paths straight," introducing ideas which will make others more receptive to the preaching of Christ (Mark 1:4). Even after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, John's message will be a point of reference for evangelists (Acts 13:24–25; 19:4). However, his message will not be the final word in God's plan for mankind's salvation—this is a point John himself will fully understand (John 3:28–30).

Luke 1:5–25 explains how Elizabeth, the childless wife of a priest, learns that she will give birth to a prophet. This child will eventually be known as John the Baptist. Her husband, Zechariah, learns this from an angel but doubts due to his advanced age. As a result, he is rendered temporarily mute, and likely deaf as well (Luke 1:62). As predicted, he and Elizabeth conceive and await the birth of their son. This occurs several months before Elizabeth's relative, Mary, receives even more amazing news from an angel.

The angel Gabriel predicts two miraculous births. The first is a son born to Zechariah and Elizabeth: an older, childless priest and his wife. Because Zechariah initially doubts this message, he is temporarily made unable to speak. Their child will be known as John the Baptist, a powerful herald of the Messiah. The Promised One whom John will proclaim is the second birth predicted by Gabriel. He tells an engaged virgin, Mary, that God will miraculously conceive His Son in her. The two women meet and rejoice over their blessings. John's arrival sets the stage for Luke's familiar account of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Luke was a travelling companion of the apostle Paul (Acts 16:10); his book of Acts is a direct "sequel" to the gospel of Luke (Acts 1:1–3). Those two books make up more than a quarter of the New Testament. Luke begins by explaining how his orderly approach is meant to inspire confidence in Christian faith. His work is based on eyewitness interviews and other evidence. The first chapter details the miraculous conceptions of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. Chapter 2 continues with Jesus' birth.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.

Accessed 5/12/2024 10:19:34 AM