Gospel of Luke (Bible)

Gospel of Luke. Chapter 1

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1 As many have already begun to compose narratives about events that are completely known among us, 2 as they were handed down to us by those who were eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word from the very beginning,[2] 1Jn. 1:1. Heb. 2:3. 3 Then it was decided for me, after carefully examining everything first, to describe to you in order, venerable Theophilus, 4 so that you would know the solid basis of the teaching in which you were instructed.

5 In the days of Herod king of Judah, there was a priest from the order of Abius, whose name was Zechariah, and his wife, from the family of Aaron, whose name was Elizabeth.[5] 1 Par. 24:10. Neh. 12:17.

6 They were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord blamelessly.

7 They had no children, for Elizabeth was barren, and both were already advanced in years.

8 One day, when he served in the order of his turn before God, 9 by lot, as was usual among the priests, he got to enter the temple of the Lord to burn incense, [9] Ex. 30:7. A lion. 16:17. Heb. 9:6. 10 And all the multitude of the people were praying outside during the incense burning, 11 then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.

12 When Zechariah saw him, he was troubled, and fear came over him.

13 The angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John.” 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, [14] Lk. 1:58. In. 5:35. 15 For he will be great before the Lord; He will not drink wine or strong drink, and will be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb; 16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God; 17 And he will go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to restore the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the minds of the righteous, to present to the Lord a prepared people.[17] Is. 40:3. Small 4:6. Mk. 1:3; 9:12. In. 1:23.

18 And Zechariah said to the angel, By what means do I know this? for I am old, and my wife is advanced in years.

19 The angel answered and said to him: I am Gabriel, who stands before God, and was sent to speak with you and bring this good news to you; 20 And behold, you will remain silent and will not be able to speak until the day when these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will come to pass in due time.

21 Meanwhile the people were waiting for Zechariah and were amazed that he was lingering in the temple.

22 But when he went out, he could not speak to them; and they understood that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he communicated with them by signs, and remained mute.

23 And when his days of service were ended, he returned to his house.

24 After these days Elizabeth his wife conceived, and hid herself for five months, and said, 25 Thus did the Lord do unto me in these days, in which he looked upon me, that he might remove from me the reproach of men.

26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David; the name of the Virgin is Mary.[27] Mf. 1:18.

28 The angel came to her and said: Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with You; Blessed are You among women.

29 When she saw him, she was troubled by his words and wondered what kind of greeting this would be.

30 And the Angel said to Her: Do not be afraid, Mary, for You have found favor with God; 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus.[31] Is. 7:14. Mf. 1:21.

32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of His father David;[32] 2 Sam. 7:12. Ps. 131:11. Is. 9:7. 33 And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.[33] 1 Par. 22:10. Ps. 44:7; 88:37. Is. 9:7. Jer. 23:5. Dan. 2:44; 7:14. Mich. 4:7.

34 Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I don’t know my husband?”

35 The angel answered and said to her: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.[35] Dan. 9:24.

36 Here is Elizabeth, your relative, who is called barren, and she conceived a son in her old age, and she is already in her sixth month, 37 for no word will fail with God.

38 Then Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your word. And the Angel departed from Her.

39 And Mary arose in those days, and went with haste into the hill country, to the city of Judah, 40 and went into the house of Zechariah, and greeted Elizabeth.

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child in her womb leaped; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and cried with a loud voice and said: Blessed are You among women, and blessed is the fruit of Your womb!

43 And where do I come from, that the Mother of my Lord came to me?

44 For when the voice of Your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped joyfully in my womb.

45 And blessed is she who believed, for what was spoken to her by the Lord will be fulfilled.

46 And Mary said, My soul magnifies the Lord,[46] Isa. 61:10. Avv. 3:18. 47 and My spirit rejoiced in God My Savior, 48 because He looked upon the humility of His Servant, for from now on all generations will bless Me; 49 that the Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is His name; 50 and His mercy endures throughout all generations of those who fear Him;[50] Ps. 102:17. 51 He showed the strength of His arm; scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;[51] Ps. 32:10; 76:15. Is. 52:10. 52 He brought down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the humble;[52] Job. 5:11. Is. 66:2. 53 He filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty;[53] 1 Sam. 2:5. Ps. 33:11. Mf. 5:6. 54 He received His servant Israel, remembering mercy, [54] Ps. 97:3. Is. 41:8. 55 As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his seed forever.[55] Life 17:19; 22:18. Ps. 131:11.

56 And Mary stayed with her about three months, and returned to her house.

57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son.

58 And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had magnified His mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her.

59 On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child and wanted to name him, after his father’s name, Zechariah.

60 To this his mother said, “No, but call him John.”

61 And they said to her, There is no one in your kindred who is called by this name.

62 And they asked his father by signs what he wanted to call him.

63 He demanded a tablet and wrote: John is his name. And everyone was surprised.

64 And immediately his mouth and his tongue loosened, and he began to speak, blessing God.

65 And there was fear on all those living around them; and they told about all this throughout the hill country of Judea.

66 All who heard it laid it on their hearts and said, “What will happen to this child?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.

67 And Zechariah his father was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying: 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, that he hath visited his people, and brought deliverance unto them,[68] Matt. 1:21. 69 And he raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, [69] Ps. 131:17. Ezek. 29:21. 70 As He declared by the mouth of His holy prophets who have been from the ages, [70] Ps. 71:4. Jer. 23:6; 30:8. 71 that will save us from our enemies and from the hand of all those who hate us; 72 He will show kindness to our fathers and remember His holy covenant, [72] Gen. 22:16; 26:3. A lion. 26:42. Jer. 31:33. 73 the oath which He swore to Abraham our father to give us, [73] Heb. 6:13. 74 without fear, after being delivered from the hand of our enemies, [74] Rom. 8:15. Heb. 2:15. 75 to serve Him in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives.[75] 1 Pet. 1:15. Eph. 4:24.

76 And you, little child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, [76] Lk. 1:17. 77 to make His people understand His salvation in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 according to the gracious mercy of our God, by which the East from above visited us, [78] Jer. 23:5. Zach. 3:8. 79 to enlighten those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the wilderness until the day of his appearing to Israel.

Gospel of Luke

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Addressee - “friend of God”

Evangelist Luke is the only one of the apostles who began his Gospel with an explanation of why he wrote the Gospel: so that you would know the solid foundation of the teaching in which you were instructed (Luke 1 :4). The evangelist addresses the venerable Theophilus (cf. Luke 1 :3). Who this Theophilus is is not known exactly, but his name translated from Greek means “friend of God.” The Apostle Luke addresses all of us, all who have been instructed in Christian teaching. Each of us must have a solid foundation - the Gospel of Christ. Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and does them, I will tell you who he is like. He is like a man building a house, who dug, went deep and laid the foundation on the rock; why, when the flood happened and the water came against this house, it could not shake it, because it was founded on stone. But he who listens and does not do is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, which, when water came upon it, immediately collapsed; and the destruction of this house was great (Luke 6 :47–49).

Gospel of Repentance

The theme of repentance, begun by the sermon of St. John the Baptist, is heard throughout the entire Gospel of Luke. And this reveals another most important liturgical meaning of this Gospel. Four weeks before the beginning of Great Lent, on Sundays, we hear in churches readings from the Gospel of Luke: about the publican Zacchaeus, the parables of the publican and the Pharisee, about the prodigal son.

Publicans are tax collectors, hated by everyone. Why were publicans hated? Taxes were collected in favor of the Roman power - the power of invaders and enslavers. Therefore, the publican was perceived as a traitor. But often the tax collectors took more than they were supposed to, simply robbing their fellows. The author of the first Gospel, the Apostle Matthew, was a tax collector. Hearing the call of Christ, Matthew left everything and followed the Lord (see: Matthew 9 :9). Evangelist Luke talks about another repentant publican, Zacchaeus. Imagine how Zacchaeus, a short man, climbs a tree to see Christ passing - something made him forget his position as the chief of tax collectors and a rich man (cf. Luke 19 :2). Christ saw Zacchaeus and entered his house to announce that now salvation had come to this house, because he too was the son of Abraham (Luke 19 :9). The Jews considered themselves descendants of Abraham, with whom God made a Covenant. Christ addresses his words not only to Zacchaeus, but to everyone: the sinner you despise is also the son of Abraham - your brother, why do you hate your brother? Zacchaeus promises Christ: Lord! I will give half of my property to the poor, and if I have offended anyone, I will repay him fourfold (Luke 19 :8).

The parable of the publican and the Pharisee... The first does not dare to raise his eyes to heaven, but, striking himself on the chest, says: God! be merciful to me, a sinner! (cf. Luke 18:13 ). The Pharisee, on the contrary, standing in front, thanks God for the fact that he is not like other people, robbers, offenders, adulterers, or like this tax collector (Luke 18:11 ). But the publican went to his house justified more than the Pharisee, for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 18:14 ). It is not pride that elevates a person before God, but humility associated with repentance. The publican asked for nothing else, but only mercy...

The parable of the prodigal son (see: Luke 15 , 11-32) is a real pearl of the third Gospel. St. Ambrose of Milan, a great saint of the 4th century, called the parable of the prodigal son the Gospel within the Gospel. Father! I have sinned against heaven and before you and am no longer worthy to be called your son (Luke 15 :18-19) - we hear the words of the prodigal son, who left his father’s house and squandered his property. These are words of repentance. We do not hear a single word of reproach from the lips of a loving father, who waited every day for his son’s return. The father’s words are amazing: bring the best clothes and dress him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf, and kill it; Let's eat and have fun! for this son of mine was dead and is alive again, he was lost and is found (Luke 15 :22-24). Repentance becomes for the prodigal son a new birth, a resurrection from sinful death, a return to life with a loving father. Zacchaeus was saved, the publican was justified, the prodigal son was dead and came to life. Does each of us seek salvation, justification and resurrection to a new life?

Gospel Song

The Gospel of Luke can be sung. Of course, not the entire text, but some parts of it are possible. By the way, this is exactly what happens at almost every service. If you come to the church for the all-night vigil, which takes place on Saturday evening, and stay until the end, you can hear the choir, and often the whole people, singing fragments of the third Gospel.

First, we will hear the prayer of the righteous Simeon, who met the Infant Christ in the Temple of Jerusalem: Now, Lord, you are releasing Your servant, according to Your word, in peace, for mine eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all nations, a light for the enlightenment of the Gentiles and the glory of the people. Your Israel (Luke 2 :29–32). Then - the solemn praise of the Angels, who announced to the Bethlehem shepherds about the birth of the Savior: glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will towards men! (Luke 2:14 ). The angelic doxology will be repeated once again at the end of the vigil. The touching Song of the Mother of God - My soul magnifies the Lord (see: Luke 1 , 46-55) - is accompanied by censing of the entire temple. The fragrant smoke of incense is a symbol of God's grace. Each believer, together with the Blessed Virgin, sings a song of gratitude to God for the accomplished salvation. Another hymn that can be heard in churches during Lent is the song of Zechariah, the father of the holy Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord John: Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, who has visited His people and created deliverance for them, and has raised a horn of salvation for us in the house of David, the youth His own (Luke 1: 68–69).

Holy Fathers on Prayer

“Prayer is a great weapon, an unfailing treasure, wealth that never runs out, a serene haven, a foundation of peace; prayer is the root, source and mother of countless blessings and is more powerful than royal power.” St. John Chrysostom.

“Prayer in its rank is higher than alms.” St. Isaac the Syrian.

“Prayer is the emergence in our hearts of one after another reverent feelings towards God.” St. Feofan, the Recluse of Vyshensky.

“During prayer, let our speech and supplication be combined with decorum, calmness and modesty. Let us think about the fact that we stand before the face of God and that we must please the eyes of God both by the position of the body and the sound of the voice.” Sschmch. Cyprian of Carthage.

“You must abstain from marital affairs in order to engage in prayer; to abstain from worries about wealth, from the desire for earthly glory, from the enjoyment of pleasures, from envy and every evil deed against our neighbor, so that when our soul is in silence and not disturbed by any passion, in it, as in a mirror, God’s purity and uncloudedness will be insight." St. Basil the Great.

“When starting a prayer, leave yourself, your wife, your children, part with the earth, pass through heaven, leave every creature visible and invisible, and begin by praising Him who created everything, and when you praise Him, do not wander your mind here and there, do not talk about fabulous things. pagan, but choose words from the Holy Scriptures.” St. Basil the Great.

“Every place and every time is convenient for us to pray.” St. John Chrysostom.

Orthodox prayers to the holy saints. Holy saints of God.

Orthodox prayers for those in need for various needs and infirmities.

Gospel of Joy

Archangel Gabriel announces to Zechariah joy and gladness (Luke 1:14 ) about the birth of John the Baptist. And then he greets the Virgin Mary with the same words: Rejoice, O Blessed One! (Luke 1:28 ). When the Mother of God came to Zechariah’s wife, the righteous Elizabeth, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41 ). The angels announce to the Bethlehem shepherds the great joy that will come to all people (Luke 2:10 ). The people who heard the words of Christ and saw His miracles rejoiced over all His glorious deeds (Luke 13:17 ). They rejoice in the house of a loving father about the return of the prodigal son (see: Luke 15 , 23). The publican Zacchaeus received the Lord into his home with joy (see: Luke 19 :6). During the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem, the entire multitude of disciples began to praise God loudly and joyfully for all the miracles that they saw (Luke 19:37 ). On the way to Emmaus, two disciples do not at first recognize the Risen Lord, but their hearts burn (Luke 24:32 ) with inexpressible joy: they heard about the Resurrection and the empty tomb, but their minds could not understand and believe - but their hearts felt, burned with joy ...

This is the fullness of joy for a Christian, as the Evangelist Luke portrays it - the joy of angelic good news, the joy of repentant sinners, the joy of all who have seen the works of God performed by Christ, and, finally, the joy of the Risen Savior.

Newspaper "Orthodox Faith" No. 23 (499)