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New Testament in a Year

Read the New Testament from start to finish, from Matthew to Revelation.

Duration: 365 days

Luke 1:1-20

Prologue^[a]

Chapter 1

¹Since many different individuals have undertaken the task to set down an account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, ²in accordance with their transmission to us by those who were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word from the beginning, ³I too, after researching all the evidence anew with great care, have decided to write an orderly account for you, Theophilus, who are so greatly revered, ⁴so that you may learn the unquestioned authenticity of the teachings you have received.

The Infancy Narrative^[b]

Announcement of the Birth of John.^[c] At the time of the reign of King Herod of Judea,^[d] there was a priest named Zechariah, a member of the priestly order of Abijah. His wife Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron. ⁶Both of them were righteous in the eyes of God, observing blamelessly all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. ⁷But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren and both were advanced in years.

⁸On one occasion, when his division was on duty and he was exercising his priestly office before God, ⁹he was designated by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and offer incense.^[e] ¹⁰At the hour of the offering of incense, all the people were outside, praying. ¹¹Then there appeared to him the angel of the Lord, standing to the right of the altar of incense.

¹²When Zechariah beheld him, he was terrified and overcome with fear. ¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear for you a son, and you shall name him John. ¹⁴He will be a source of joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth, ¹⁵for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.

“He will never imbibe wine or any strong drink. Even when he is still in his mother’s womb, he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, ¹⁶and he will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷With the spirit and power of Elijah he will go before him, to reconcile fathers with their children and to convert the disobedient to the ways of the righteous, so that a prepared people might be made ready for the Lord.”

¹⁸Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be assured of this? For I am an old man and my wife is well past the stage of giving birth.” ¹⁹The angel replied, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to convey to you this good news. ²⁰But now, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their appointed time, you will lose your power of speech and will become mute until the day that these things take place.”

Footnotes

Luke 1:1 Like the Greek historians of his time, Luke begins his book with a prologue. He dedicates the work to a distinguished person, Theophilus (otherwise unknown to us), who has already been taught the good news. Some scholars believe that the name is symbolic for it means “lover of God,” hence all Christians.
Luke 1:5 The Gospel is first and foremost a proclamation of what Jesus did and taught and, above all, of his Death and Resurrection for the salvation of humankind; everything that the preachers of the mission and message of Jesus proclaimed led toward the mystery of Easter. But, like Matthew, Luke decided to preface all that with a description of the period preceding the public appearance of Jesus, because the Church wanted to know the mystery of Jesus back to its very beginnings.
⁵
The events described by Matthew, however, are not focused on the birth, which is recounted for us through the experiences of Joseph; Luke speaks directly of the birth through the experience of Mary. Regarding Mary, the opening pages of the third Gospel have provided the Church down the centuries with an abundant, and still flowing, wellspring for its faith (Marian teachings), its devotion (the “Hail, Mary”), and its art. Some points emerge with utter clarity: Mary is the Mother of Jesus; the birth took place at Bethlehem; and the newborn child was placed in a manger. The primary statement made is undoubtedly this: that Jesus was born not by the will of human beings but by the initiative of God, and that he was born of a virgin mother.
Luke 1:5 The time is toward the end of the reign of Herod the Great (37–4 B.C.). A faithful and devout couple have been praying for the salvation of the people (v. 13). The husband belonged to the eighth class of priests (1 Chr 24:10) and had the joy of entering every so often into the sanctuary. In the midst of the service, an angel—Gabriel, the messenger of the time of salvation (Dan 9:21-27)—appears to him and tells him of an unexpected birth. Like Isaac (Gen 21:2), Samson (Jdg 13:3-7), and Samuel (1 Sam 1), this child will be the result of a miracle, and, even before his birth, he is destined for the service of God; he will live as an ascetic, a “Nazirite” (see Num 6:3-4; Jdg 13:4-5); he will be the mysterious forerunner of the last times, the new Elijah whom the people expected in accordance with an old tradition (Mal 3:23-24). His name will be John, which means: “The Lord is gracious.”
Luke 1:5 Judea: meant here is the entire territory of Palestine.
Luke 1:9 Incense was offered in the Holy Place, the room in front of the Holy of Holies or innermost part of the temple. The rite of incense was performed morning and evening at the time of sacrifice.

New Catholic Bible (NCB)