Luke 1:1-4 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto you in order, most excellent Theophilus, That you might know the certainty of those things, wherein you have been instructed.

Theophilus means a 'friend of the Creator' and it has been supposed that Luke did not refer to any particular individual, but to any man that loved the Creator ...comprised from Barnes New Testament Notes; 'most excellent' or 'most noble' can mean either one in the original Greek; it was a title of rank applied by this same writer twice to Felix and once to Festus (Acts 24:3; 26:25); comprised from Jamieson, Fausset, Brown's Commentary: It is likely therefore, that 'Theophilus' was chief magistrate of some city in Greece or Asia Minor; like we would use the title today of 'mayor'

Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea.(map), a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia. And his wife was of the daughters of Aaron and her name was Elisabeth.

Luke 1:6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.

Luke 1:7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren and they both were now well stricken in years. 

Luke 1:8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,

Luke 1:9,10 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.

Luke 1:11,12 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled and fear fell upon him.

Luke 1:13,14 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias. For your prayer is heard and your wife Elisabeth shall bear you a son and you shall call his name John.(Matthew 17:10-13). And you shall have joy and gladness and many shall rejoice at his birth.

They would sense a happy purpose in the future beginning with his birth. This was to be John the Baptist.

Luke 1:15 For he.(speaking of John the baptist).shall be great in the sight of the Lord and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb..(?)

John the baptist had a special purpose of preparing the way for Emmanuel, who was to come on the scene later. As regarding this particular special purpose, John the baptist took a Nazarite vow early in life, as the Old Testament practices were in effect until Christ abolished them.

Luke 1:16 And many of the children of Israel shall he.(verse 15 above).turn to God.

How does one turn to God?.Deuteronomy 4:29; Hebrews 8:12; Revelation 3:19.

Luke 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Luke 1:17 And he.(speaking of John the baptist:.Luke 1:13,14).shall go before him.(speaking here of Emmanuel; John's birth purpose was to prepare people for what Christ would do on Earth).in the spirit and power of Elias.(meaning here the power to reach one's heart. John the Baptist didn't do the miracles that ancient Elijah did {John 10:41} as he had power that worked differently than Elijah), to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just.(these are of the mind of a high consciousness individual), to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.(that is, being as He, the Lord is {Acts 17:28; 1Peter 2:21} and that for what's coming).

Malachi 4:5,6.

Luke 1:18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man and my wife well stricken in years.

Luke 1:19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God.(*).and am sent to speak unto you and to show you these glad tidings.

Luke 1:20,21 And behold, you shall be dumb and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because you believed not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. And the people waited for Zacharias and marveled that he tarried so long in the temple.

Comprised with.Matthew Poole's Commentary: While the priest was in the holy place, the people were in that part of the temple called the court of Israel or the court of the people, praying. When he was done, he came out and blessed them according to the ancient law:.Numbers 6:23-26. The people waited for these blessings before they went home. Whether the angel's discourse with Zacharias was longer or his amazement at the vision made him stay longer than the priest normally would stay, it is uncertain.

Luke 1:22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them. And they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. For he beckoned unto them and remained speechless.

Matthew Poole's Commentary: When Zacharias came out he was not able to pronounce the blessing (verses 20,21 above), nor to speak at all, only he beckoned to them, by which the people judged that he had seen some vision. Zacharias didn't have any great work in which he had to speak during his ministration, which was more the work of the hands, he accomplished the days he was to minister then departed to his house. In the days of their ministration of temple services they had their lodgings in buildings appertaining to the temple.

Luke 1:23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration.(Zacharias was a priest whose duty was services of the temple from Sabbath to Sabbath).were accomplished, he departed to his own house.

Luke 1:24,25 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived and hid herself five months, saying, Thus has the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.

Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 

Luke 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David and the virgin's name was Mary.

Luke 1:28,29 And the angel came in unto her and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 

Luke 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary. For you have found favour with God.

Re verses 30-35, prophesied 740 years before in.Isaiah 7:14.

Luke 1:31 And, behold, you shall conceive in your womb.(Psalms 2:7).and bring forth a son and shalt call his name Jesus.

Jesus means 'Savior' and the name Emmanuel means 'God with us':.Matthew 1:23.

Luke 1:32 He shall be great and shall be called the Son of the Highest and God shall give unto him the throne of his father David.

Revelation 3:7.

Luke 1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

About 'He shall reign'. Word 'shall' not in original. And about 'reigning':.Revelation 20;6; 11:15.

Barnes Notes: The house of Jacob means the same thing as the family of Jacob or the descendants of Jacob, that is, the children of Israel.

Christ's leadership will be everlasting.

Luke 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon you and the power of the Highest shall overshadow you. Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of you shall be called the Son of God.

Luke 1:36 And, behold, your cousin Elisabeth.(verses 13,14 above), she has also conceived a son in her old age and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.

Luke 1:37 For with God nothing is impossible.

How great is God?

Luke 1:38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to your word. And the angel departed from her.

Luke 1:39,40 And Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elisabeth.

Luke 1:41 And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost..(?)

Luke 1:42-48 And she spake out with a loud voice and said, Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of your salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she that believed, for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the Lord. And Mary said, My soul does magnify the Lord, And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden, for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

Luke 1:49 For he that is mighty has done to me great things and holy is his name.

Luke 1:50 And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

Luke 1:51 He has showed strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

Luke 1:52 He has put down the mighty from their seats and exalted them of low degree.

Luke 1:53-55 He has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent empty away. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy as he spake to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed for ever.

Luke 1:56 And Mary abode with her about three months and returned to her own house.

These ladies were extremely happy together that they both were going to have a child.

Luke 1:57-63 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered and she brought forth a son. And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her and they rejoiced with her. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so, but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of your kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.  And he asked for a writing table and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marveled all.(it was unusual that he wouldn't be named after his father).

Luke 1:64 And his mouth was opened immediately and his tongue loosed and he spake and praised God. 

Luke 1:65,66 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him. 

Luke 1:67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesied, saying,

Luke 1:68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel.(today it's a spiritual Israel), for he has visited and redeemed his people. 

Luke 1:69 And has raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

Luke 1:70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began;

Luke 1:71 That we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all that hate us.

The true and only God always wanted us to live peacefully, being protected from any enemies. And that's why Christ:.2Corinthians 3:16.

Luke 1:72,73 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant.(a covenant is an agreement), the oath which he sware to our father Abraham.

Comprised with Barnes Notes: This oath is recorded in.Genesis 17:1-10; Genesis 22:17,18. It was an oath in which Creator-God swore by himself, because he could swear by no greater (Hebrews 6:13,14) that he would surely bless Abraham and his posterity. That promise was entirely fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah and today applies to those who may be a part of the family:.Psalms 105:8 "He has remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations."

Luke 1:74 That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear.(as compared to enemies {who are the enemies of good people today?} who rule over others, keeping them in control using fear). 

Original for word 'serve' is similar to the original for word 'worship', that is, 'to give attention to' as a matter of 'showing respect toward'.

Original for word 'fear' also says 'boldly', so without fear of any enemies, the time of the cleaning up of enemies is upon us in prelude to the great kingdom of God).

Luke 1:75,76 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. And you, child, shall be called the prophet of the Highest, for you shall go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

Luke 1:77 To give knowledge.(Luke 24:47).of salvation unto his people.(*).by the remission.(means 'taken away from us').of their sins..(*).(*)

Trust in what Christ did to remove all causes for any guilt we may still be feeling.

John 15:3.

Luke 1:78 Through the tender mercy of our God whereby the dayspring from on high has visited us.

The 'dayspring' or 'day star'.(2Peter 1:19) is able to be effective in purpose because it is the essence of Creator-God, the invisible grid through which the Holy Spirit flows.

Luke 1:79 To give light to them that sit in darkness.(connotes alone and no hope and those sitting there in in the dark and quiet of meditation).and in the shadow of death.(living in fearful times), to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 1:80 And the child grew and waxed strong in spirit and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.
 

...continues to Chapter 2