Luke 1:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home.

NIV: When his time of service was completed, he returned home.

NASB: When the days of his priestly service were concluded, he went back home.

CSB: When the days of his ministry were completed, he went back home.

NLT: When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over, he returned home.

KJV: And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

NKJV: So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.

Under Old Testament Law, priests came exclusively from the tribe of Levi, and only from the lineage of Aaron (Exodus 40:15; Numbers 25:13). Aaron's descendants were organized into 24 "divisions," who rotated through week-long periods of service in the temple (Luke 1:8). One such priest is Zechariah. He was recently chosen to offer one of the two daily sacrifices of incense (Exodus 30:1–8; 40:26–27). While performing the rite, alone in the Holy Place, he was visited by the angel Gabriel and given happy news: he and his wife (Luke 1:5–7) will finally have a child of their own (Luke 1:11–17).

Zechariah's first response to this news, unfortunately, was doubt it could be true (Luke 1:18). As a result, he was temporarily rendered mute (Luke 1:20) and apparently deaf, as well (Luke 1:62). Scripture does not say how much he was able to tell others about his encounter (Luke 1:21–22). Most likely, he told his wife, Elizabeth, as much as he possibly could when he completed his term of service and he was able to return to her.

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 5/10/2024 4:33:26 AM