The Readable Bible: Luke

The Gospel of Luke

From Iron Stream Media

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The Gospel of Luke

The Gospel of Salvation

Translated and Edited by Rodney S. Laughlin Brendan I. Kennedy, PhD

Alabama

e Readable Bible: Luke

Iron Stream

An imprint of Iron Stream Media 100 Missionary Ridge Birmingham, AL 35242 www.ironstreammedia.com

Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin

e Readable Bible text may be quoted in any form (written, visual, electronic, or audio) up to and inclusive of ve hundred verses without express written permission of the publisher provided that (a) the verses quoted do not account for more than 25 percent of the total work in which they are quoted, (b) no more than 25 percent of a book of the Bible is quoted, (c) all quotations conform accurately to e Readable Bible text, and (d) one of the following credit lines appears on the copyright page or title page of the work:

Scripture quotations marked TRB are taken from e Readable Bible®. Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin, Leawood, Kansas. Used by permission of Iron Stream Media.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from e Readable Bible®. Copyright © 2022 by Rodney S. Laughlin, Leawood, Kansas. Used by permission of Iron Stream Media.

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2022938636

Cover design: twoline | | Studio

Interior designer/illustrator: Clyde Adams (www.clydeadams.com)

Map geographic features courtesy of Bible Mapper (www.biblemapper.com).

Typeface: Veritas AE from Altered Ego Fonts, a division of Aespire

Gospel

Jewish Calendar

in Luke

Temple

and Measures in the Gospels

on Quotations of Old Testament

on Time References in the New Testament

Jewish Day

on Dates of Events

Herod Family

Festivals of the Lord

Presentation

on Spurious Text

Words and Phrases

The Gospel of Luke

Part 1. Prologue

Part 2. Jesus’ Childhood

Birth of John the Baptist

Birth of Jesus

Elizabeth

Shepherds

Baptist

Baptism of Jesus

Part 3. Jesus Begins His Ministry

Is Tempted by the Devil

Is Rejected at Nazareth

Drives Out an Evil Spirit

Heals Many

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

Heals a Man with Leprosy

Heals a Paralyzed Man

Calls Levi............................................................................

Is Asked About Fasting

Wine Belongs in New Wineskins

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

Appoints the Twelve Apostles

Part 4. Jesus’ Healing and Teaching Ministry

Woes

Tree and Its Fruit

Foolish

Faith of the

Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son

Jesus and John the Baptist

Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman

Luke 8

Women Providing Support 20

Parable of the Sower

Why Jesus Spoke in Parables

Parable of the Sower

A Lamp on a Stand

for Measure

20

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers 21 Jesus Calms the Storm

22

Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Man 22

Jesus Heals Jairus’ Daughter and a Hemorrhaging Woman

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

23

Luke 9

23

Jesus Feeds Five Thousand 24

Peter’s Confession That Jesus Is the Messiah

24 Life Is Found in Death 24

The Transfiguration

25

Jesus Heals a Boy with an Evil Spirit 25 Jesus Predicts His Death Again

25

Whoever Is Least Is the Greatest 25 Unwelcome in Samaria

26

The Cost of Following Jesus 26

Luke 10

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two 26

Parable of the Good Samaritan

27

At the Home of Martha and Mary 28

Luke 11

Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer 28 A Divided House Will Not Stand

29 True Blessedness 29

The Sign of Jonah

30

The Lamp of the Body 30 Hypocrisy Denounced

30

Luke 12

Danger of Hypocrisy

Life Is Secure in God, Not

Be Ready to Face the Lord

Expect Peace on Earth

of the Rich Man)

Interpreting the Times...................................................................

Peace with God Now

Luke 13

Repent or Perish 34

Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

Healing Defended

of the Mustard Seed and the

Narrow Door

Mourns over Jerusalem

Jesus at a Pharisee’s House

Luke 14

36

Parable of the Great Banquet 36

Cost of Being a Disciple

37

Luke 15

Parable of the Lost Sheep

38

37 Parable of the Lost Coin 38 Parable of the Lost Son

Luke 16

Parable of the Shrewd Manager

Kingdom of God and the Law

Rich Man and Lazarus

Sin, Faith, Duty

Lepers Healed

Kingdom of God Is Among

How Jesus Will Return

Parable of the Persistent Widow

of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

Jesus Embraces the Little Children

Luke 17

39

Luke 18

The Rich Ruler

Zacchaeus

Part 5. Passion Week

The Triumphal Entry

of the Temple

Jesus’ Authority

of the Vineyard

Taxes

Resurrection and Marriage

Son Is the Messiah?

The Widow’s Offering

of the End of the Age

How Jesus Will Return

from the Fig Tree

Should Keep Alert

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

The Last Supper

Establishes the Lord’s Supper

Serves Is Greatest

Predicts Peter’s Denial

for After the Crucifixion

In the Garden of Gethsemane

Prays

Arrested

Jesus’ Trial, Death, and Burial

Denies Knowing Jesus

Luke 19

Luke 20

Luke 21

Luke 22

Map: Jesus’

Where

Table: Jesus’

Guards

Jesus

Two

Luke 23

Jesus Before Pilate

Crucifixion

Part 6. Jesus’ Resurrection

Luke 24

The Resurrection

On the Road to

Appears to the Disciples

Ascension

To the Reader

One day I was standing in an airport bookstore looking for a book to read. I asked myself, “Why am I looking for something to read when I have a Bible in my briefcase?” I answered, “The Bible is hard to read. I want to read something easier.” Then I asked myself, “Why is it so hard to read? You’re a seminary graduate, a former pastor, a Bible teacher!” Thus began a quest that has led to The Readable Bible—the Bible as it would look if Moses, Joshua, Matthew, Mark, Paul, and the other writers had been sitting in front of a computer when God spoke through them

It seems to me that the Bible is hard to read because all material is presented in sentence format Today we use tables to present census information and charts for genealogies. When we want something built, we draw up a specification document. Law codes are organized in outline form. We use bullet points, bold text, and other aids to help us grasp information. Yet in today’s Bibles, all the information is still presented in sentence format in plain text. Surely those men of old would have used modern formats if they had known about them when God spoke through them. Modern formatting does not change the information; it simply presents it in a way that makes it easier to grasp. The Readable Bible brings you the biblical text in modern formats.

You may struggle with the idea of Scripture in modern formats. Actually, all of today’s Bibles present the text in a form much different from that of the original manuscripts. Consider how many format changes that were developed over the past two thousand years led to the format considered normal today. Each change was radical in its time:

• Vowels: The earliest Hebrew manuscripts have no vowels; they were added hundreds of years later.

• Capital Letters: The Hebrew Old Testament and the Greek New Testament manuscripts have no uppercase and lowercase letters.

• Punctuation: The original manuscripts have no punctuation (no commas or periods!)

• Chapter Numbers: These were not common in Bibles until the thirteenth century AD.

• Verse Numbers: The first verse-numbering system was developed over a thousand years after the last Bible book was written. It had one-third of today’s verse numbers, making verses three or four times longer. Today’s Christian Bible numbering system was not developed until the sixteenth century.

• Paragraphs: The first paragraphed King James Bible was published in the mid-1800s

So presenting the words of Scripture in tables, cascading the text of long, complex sentences, and using other modern formatting techniques is simply continuing the long-term trend of making the Bible easier to understand.

Our hope is that people who have never read the Bible will decide to read this version because it is so approachable. Please give a copy to someone who struggles to understand the Bible and, especially, to those who do not read the Bible.

Acknowledgments

My thanks to all the members of our editing team, our volunteer development team, and the many others who have donated funds and worked to bring The Readable Bible to completion.

A big “thank you” to my designer and partner in this project, Clyde Adams, for joining me in this faith venture. He has turned the translation into well-laid-out text and my formatting concepts into reality. The maps, tables, charts, book layout, and cover are all his work.

Most of all, I thank my wife, Rebecca, for her ideas, her love, and her strong support of this endeavor over the past twelve years Dedication

And now I dedicate to our Lord this translation of his holy Word, humbly asking him to grant that it may bring forth fruit to his glory and the building up of his people

Introduction to Luke

Luke, a physician,a wrote his account of the good news about Jesus to provide a more orderly and complete account of Jesus’ birth, childhood, ministry, death, and resurrection than what was available at the time. At first it was a single volume, but later its latter half was broken off to form what is now known as the book of Acts (or the Acts of the Apostles)

In the first two verses of his gospel, Luke stated many versions of the gospel story were in circulation, two of which were quite likely some form of the Gospels of Matthew and Mark That would explain the striking similarities between Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It is widely accepted among scholars that Luke used Matthew and Mark as sources and wrote much additional material (as almost all of chapters 6–7 and 10–17 appear only in Luke).

The Gospel of Luke was written in the period between AD 62 (the date of the latest event mentioned in the book of Acts) and about AD 85 (the latest date well accepted by current scholarship). Most likely it was written about AD 70. This is around forty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus and five to fifteen years after the probable date of Mark. Eyewitnesses to the events of the gospel story were dying out, and their memories needed to be preserved as comprehensively as possible.

The person to whom the Gospel is addressed is named Theophilus, which means “lover of God” in Greek. “Theophilus” was probably a nickname or a title given to an individual who earned it by his actions

Many Gentiles in New Testament times were attracted to Judaism as adults and studied and practiced Judaism without actually undergoing circumcision and becoming Jews They were known as “God-fearers” (i e , fearers of the God of Israel revealed in the Old Testament). Theophilus was probably a God-fearer who had recently converted to Christianity. Such a person would appreciate (1) an account that does not have the heavy emphasis on the Jewish law found in Matthew and (2) a more organized, complete account of the gospel story than what is found in Mark.

Luke had become an associate of Paul when the latter had stopped in the city of Troas (near modern Dalyan, Turkey) on his second missionary journey.b The apostle, a missionary to the Gentiles, may have encouraged Luke to write an account of Jesus’ life that would help them yield their lives to Jesus.

Before You Read

Before reading the text, please browse the glossary. You will find interesting information about words that appear frequently in this book, as well as important information regarding the words “Jesus” and “Christ.”

Words in italics are additions to the biblical text Text enclosed in brackets is spurious—not in the oldest, most reliable manuscripts Read “Note on Spurious Text” in the back of the book for more information Read lists in the text from top to bottom in the first column then the next column

In the context of commands, rules, and regulations, “shall,” “must,” and “are/is” are equal terms, all with the same strength of command.

We encourage you to read “Translation Notes” and “Format and Presentation Notes” in the back of the book. They are easy reading and will increase your understanding of the text.

Remember, Jesus was and is Jewish. The disciples and the women around him were Jewish. So “Jews” in the text oftentimes refers not to all Jews but only to those who opposed Jesus.

Last of all, each time you sit down to read the good news of Jesus the Messiah, pray Lord, open my eyes to see Jesus; open my mind to understand Jesus; open my will to obey Jesus; open my emotions to enjoy Jesus; open my whole being to trust that his death paid the price for my sin; and open my soul and spirit to serve Jesus as my Savior, my Lord

The Gospel of Luke

News About Jesus the Messiah as Reported by Luke

Part 1. Prologue

3b Most excellent Theophilus, 1 since many have undertaken to arrange a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,

3a so it seemed good to me, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, to write an orderly account for you 4 so that you might know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

Part 2. Jesus’ Childhood

Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

5 During the reign of Herod the Great, king of Judea, there was a priest of the division of Abijaha named Zechariah, and his wife, named Elizabeth, was also a descendant b of Aaron 6 Both of them were righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the Lord’s commandments and requirements 7 But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both very old.c

8 One day when his division was on duty d and he was performing his priestly duties before God, 9 Zechariah was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 The entire assembly of people was praying outside at the hour for burning incense. 11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the incense altar. 12 Zechariah was startled and fear gripped him when he saw him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; and you are to name him John 14 He will be joy and gladness to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord He must never drink wine or other alcoholic beverages, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before birth.e 16 He will turn many people of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children and turn the disobedient to the understanding f of the righteous and make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

a Twenty-four divisions of priests took turns serving in the temple When it was time for a division to serve, the men left their homes and lived in Jerusalem for a week

b Literally, “a daughter

c Literally, “very advanced in days.” And verse 18.

d Literally, “And it came to pass in the order of his division.”

e Literally, “yet from his mother’s womb

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How will I know this is true? I’m an old man, and my wife is well along in her years.”

19 The angel answered, “I am Gabriel, the one who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And mark this, because you didn’t believe my words, which will come true at the proper time,a you will be silent and unable to speak until the day these things happen.”

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering about his delay in the temple. 22 When he came out, he was not able to speak to them. They realized that he had seen a vision in the temple, because he kept making signs to them but was speechless.

23 When his days of service were completed, he returned home. 24 After these days his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and kept herself in seclusion for five months, saying, 25 “The Lord has done this on my behalf b In these days he has looked on me with favor and taken away my disgrace of barrenness c among the people ”

Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothedd to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David The virgin’s name was Mary 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, favored one The Lord is with you [Blessed are you among women ]”

29 When Mary heard this,e she was perplexed and wondered what it meant.f

30 The angel continued, “Don’t be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And listen, now you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus.g 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestral father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob h forever, for his kingdom will never end.”

34 Mary asked the angel, “How can this happen, since I am a virgin?”i

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 And listen to this: Your relative Elizabeth has conceived a son in her old age. She who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God!” j

38 Mary replied, “Look, I am a servant of the Lord May it be done to me as you have said ”k Then the angel left her

a Literally, “in their time.”

b Literally, “has done for me ”

c “Barrenness”: not producing or not capable of producing children

d “Betrothed”: to be pledged to marry Though the marriage ceremony and sexual union had not yet happened, betrothal could only be broken by divorce

e Literally, “And at the statement ” f Literally, “and thought about what kind of greeting this might be ” g See “Jesus” in the glossary.

h “House of Jacob”: a synonym for the Israelite people i Literally, “since I have not known a man ” In the Bible, “to know” is a common euphemism for “to have sexual intercourse.”

j Or “no word from God will ever fail ”

k Literally, “according to your word ”

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 At that time Mary got up, hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 went into Zechariah’s home, and greeted Elizabeth. 41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and cried out in a loud voice, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear!a 43 But how is it that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 Listen, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who believed that what the Lord told her would be fulfilled!”

Mary’s Outpouring of Praise (“The Magnificat”)

46 And Mary said, “My soul extolsb the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked upon the humble state of his servant. Listen: From now on every generation will call me blessed, 49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me.

Holy is his name.

50 His mercy is upon those who fear him, from generation to generation. 51 He has done mighty deeds with his arm:c scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 brought down rulers from their thrones and lifted up the humble; 53 filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful 55 to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.”d 56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned to her home.

Birth of John the Baptist

57 Now the time had come e for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her his great mercy, and they rejoiced with her 59 Then on the eighth day they went to circumcise f the child They were going to name him after his father g Zechariah, 60 but his mother intervened, “No! He is to be called John ”

61 They responded, “Not one of your relatives is called by that name,” 62 and they made signs to his father to see what he wanted to name the child.

63 He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And everyone was astonished. 64 Immediately, Zechariah’s mouth was opened, his tongue loosed, and

a Literally, “the fruit of your womb ” b “Extols”: lifts up and/or praises highly, enthusiastically, lavishly c “Arm”: an Old Testament metaphor for strength d See Genesis 17:7; 22:17.

e Literally, “the time was fulfilled.”

f “Circumcise”: cut off the foreskin of a male Leviticus 12:3 specified that this be done on the eighth day g Literally, “after the name of his father

he began to speak, praising God 65 Fear came upon all those living around them, and throughout the hill country of Judea people talked about all these matters 66 Everyone who heard about these events kept them in their hearts, wondering, “So what will this child be?” For indeed, the hand of the Lord was with him.

Zechariah’s Praise and Prophecy

67 Then John’s father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied: 68 “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people. 69 He has raised up a powerful savior a for us in the house of his servant King David 70 (just as he said he would do by the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago), 71 to bring salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, 72 to show mercy to our ancestors, and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath he swore to our ancestor Abraham,b 74 having rescued us from the hand of our enemies, to grant us the privilege of serving him without fear 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. 76 And you, my child, will be called the prophet of the Most High. For you will go on before the Lord to prepare his ways, 77 to give his people the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins 78 (that comes because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the sunrise from heaven will come to us), 79 to shine upon those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,

to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he lived in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly in Israel.

Luke 2

Birth of Jesus

1 In those days Caesar Augustus decreed that a census be taken of all the Roman world. 2 This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 So everyone went to their own town to register. 4 Joseph went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the town of David, called Bethlehem,c because he was

a Literally, “a horn of salvation,” a common Old Testament figure of speech for “great power ”

b See Genesis 22:16

c “Bethlehem”: a small village about six miles south of Jerusalem. Bethlehem is a transliteration of a Hebrew word that means “House/Place of Bread/Food ”

a descendant of David a 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was betrothed to him and expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the days of her pregnancy were completed, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger,b because there was no room for them in the lodging place.c

The Shepherds and the Angels

8 There were shepherds staying in the fields in the region, keeping watch over their flock at night. 9 And suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.d 10 But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Listen! I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For today a Savior has been born to you in the town of David. He is Christ the Lord.e 12 And this will be a sign for you: You’ll find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

13 And suddenly a huge heavenly army was with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth may there be peace to everyone with whom he is pleased ”f

15 When the angels left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem now and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us ” 16 So they quickly left and located Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger

17 When they had seen him, they revealed to Mary and others what they had been told about this child. 18 All who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them, 19 but Mary treasured these things and considered them carefully in her heart. 20 And the shepherds returned to their fields, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told by the angel.

Jesus Presented in the Temple

21 When eight days were completed and he was circumcised,g he was named Jesus, the name given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb. 22 When the days of the purification of Mary h according to the law of Moses were completed, Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord 23 (as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male shall be called holy to the Lord”i ) 24 and to offer a sacrifice to complete Mary’s purification in accordance with what is said in the law of the Lord: “If she cannot afford a lamb, she is to bring a pair of doves or two young pigeons.”j

a Literally, “was of the house and line of David ”

b “Manger”: a trough, rack, or open boxlike container designed to hold feed for cattle and/or horses

c “Lodging place”: A small village like Bethlehem was unlikely to have an inn, and no innkeeper is mentioned in the Gospels Some villages had an arborlike shelter or a structure of stalls for travelers, and some people took in relatives and, perhaps, a traveler from time to time.

d Literally, “they feared with great fear ”

e Or “the Messiah, the Lord ” See “Christ” in the glossary

f Traditionally, “Glory to God in the highest, and good will toward men on earth ”

g See Leviticus 12:3.

h A woman was unclean for forty days after the birth of a son. See Leviticus 12:2 4.

i See Exodus 13:2, 12

j See Leviticus 12:8

Simeon and Anna Prophesy

Now listen: There was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon. This man was righteous and devout and expecting Israel to be comforted, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. 27 And in the Spirit, he went into the temple court. When the parents of baby Jesus were bringing him in to do for him what was customary according to the law, 28 Simeon received him into his arms, blessed God, and said, 29 “Lord, now I can die in peace as you have promised,a 30 for my eyes have seen your salvation, 31 which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples: 32 a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of your people Israel.”

25

33 Mary and Josephb were amazed at what was said about Jesus. 34 Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary, “Listen, this child is destined to cause the fall and rise of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be opposed 35 so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed And a sword will pierce even your own soul ”

36 And there was also in the temple a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher She was very old c She had lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage 37 and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped there night and day, fasting and praying. 38 At that very moment, she came up to them and began to give praise to God and to speak about the childd to everyone who was waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Jesus as a Boy

When Joseph and Mary completed everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to their own town of Nazareth in Galilee. 40 And the child grew and became strong, being filled with wisdom. And the grace of God was upon him.

39

41 Every year his parents went to Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. 42 When Jesus was twelve years old, they went up to the festival as usual. 43 After it was over,e while they were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was somewhere in the caravan, they traveled a day’s journey. Then they began to look for him among their relatives and friends 45 When they didn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him

46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and questioning them 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished His mother asked, “Child, why have you done this to us? Look, your father and I have been very worried, searching for you.”

49 He responded, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” 50 But they didn’t understand what he meant.f

a Literally, “Lord, now you are dismissing your servant in peace according to your word ”

b Literally, “His father and mother ”

c Literally, “She had become very advanced in years.”

d Literally, “about him.”

e Literally, “Having completed the days ”

f Literally, “understand the word he spoke to them

Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was subject to them, and his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and people.

3 Luke

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,a when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod Antipas was tetrarch of Galilee, Philip (Herod’s brother) was tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, 2 and Annas and Caiaphas were the chief priests,b the word of God came to John (son of Zechariah) in the wilderness 3 He traveled all around the region of the Jordan River, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 4 This was to fulfill the words writtenc in the book of the prophet Isaiah:d

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord; make his pathways straight.

5 Every valley shall be filled; every mountain and hill brought low. Crooked roads will become straight, and rough roads will become smooth.e 6 And everyone f will see the salvation sent from God.’ ”g

7 John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of snakes! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 So produce fruit consistent with repentance, and don’t think that you are special, telling yourselves, ‘We’re the children of Abraham ’h For I say to you, God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones 9 And the ax is already aimed i at the root of the trees Every tree that does not produce good fruit is to be cut down and thrown into the fire ”

a About AD 29.

b Annas was the high priest emeritus, having served from AD 6–15.

c Literally, “As the words written ”

d See Isaiah 40:3–5

e Verse 5 is a metaphor meaning that all obstacles will be removed so that verse 6 can become true

f Literally, “all flesh.”

g Literally, “the salvation of God.”

h Literally, “We have Abraham as our father ”

i Literally, “laid,” depicting a woodcutter laying his ax at his target before his stroke

10 The crowds asked, “What then should we do?”

11 John answered them, “The person who has two tunics should share with whoever has none, and whoever has food should do likewise.”

12 Even tax collectors came, also to be baptized. And they asked him, “Teacher, what should we do?”

13 He told them, “Collect nothing more beyond that which you have been ordered to collect.”

14 And soldiers also asked him, “What should we do?”

He said to them, “Don’t shake downa or falsely accuse anyone. Be content with your pay.”

15 As the people were in a state of expectation, even wondering in their hearts about John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered them all: “I baptize you in water But one who is more powerful than I am is coming, and I am not worthy to untie the thongs of his sandals He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire 17 His winnowing forkb is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean his threshing floor He will gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn the chaff with unquenchable fire ”

18 And John preached the good news to the people with lots of other exhortations.c 19 But when he rebuked the tetrarch Herod Antipas for marrying Herodias, his brother Philip’s former wife,d and about all of the other wicked deeds he had committed, 20 Herod added this sin to all his others: He jailed John.

Part 3. Jesus Begins His Ministry

Baptism of Jesus

21 When all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized too. As he was praying, the heavens e opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; in you I am well pleased.”

23a Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry.

a Literally, “Do not oppress.” Shaking down, threatening someone with harm unless money is paid, was perhaps the most common oppression practiced by individual soldiers

b “Winnowing fork”: a long-handled fork similar to a pitchfork used to throw wheat up into the air so the grains will separate from the chaff

c “Exhortations”: urgent calls for action

d Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21 forbid a man from marrying his brother’s former wife (with the exception of levirate marriage, marrying a childless dead brother’s wife to provide protection and propagate the next generation)

e Or “heaven

Genealogy of Jesus

He was, in the people’s minds, the son of Joseph,

God Adam Seth Enosh

Kenan Mahalalel Jared Enoch Methuselah

Lamech Noah Shem Arphaxad Cainan

Shelah Eber Peleg Reu Serug

the son of Heli, as below

Nahor Terah Abraham Isaac Jacob

Judah Perez Hezron Ram Amminadab

Nahshon Salmon Boaz Obed Jesse

King David Nathan Mattatha Menna

Melea

Eliakim

Jonam Joseph Judah Simeon

Levi Matthat Jorim Eliezer

Joshua 28 Er Elmadam Cosam Addi Melki

Neri Shealtiel Zerubbabel

Rhesa Joanan

Joda Josech Semein Mattathias Maath

Naggai Esli Nahum Amos Mattathias

Joseph Jannai Melki Levi Matthat

Heli Joseph Jesus

The genealogy in the manuscripts begins with Joseph and ends with God and says “son of” after each name For example, it begins: “Joseph the son of Heli, the son of Matthat ”

Literally, “being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph