Although the Gospels appear 2/3rds of the way into the Bible, they are the center of the story of scripture. Miss the Gospels, and you miss everything. And yet we often miss much of what the Gospels teach because we read them through Western eyes, ignorant of the Old Testament background and oblivious to much of what is being said.
I’m going to start in Luke, because it has many passages that are invisible to the modern, American Protestant church. That means Luke has a lot to teach us.
When John the Baptist was born, the Holy Spirit came upon his father, Zechariah, who said,
(Luk 1:68-79 ESV) 68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people
“Visited” recalls —
(Exo 4:31 ESV) And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.
“Redeemed his people,” of course, is an even more explicit reference to the Exodus, as “redeemed” is to free from slavery.
69 and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David,
This is a reference to the Psalm recorded in 2 Samuel near the time of David’s death —
(2Sa 22:2-4 ESV) 2 He said, “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, 3 my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge, my savior; you save me from violence. 4 I call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised, and I am saved from my enemies.”
Zechariah’s prophecy thus looks ahead to the coming of the Messiah (“house of David”), declaring that his coming will re-enact the Exodus, freeing God’s people from slavery and saving his people. Of course, at the time of the Exodus and David, “salvation” meant protection from Israel’s enemies. The “horn of salvation” is the trumpet sound of victory over the enemies of God’s people.
70 as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, 71 that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us;
This is a recurring theme of the prophets: when Israel returns from Exile, they will be safe from their enemies. For example,
(Zep 3:14-15 ESV) 14 Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! 15 The LORD has taken away the judgments against you; he has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst; you shall never again fear evil.
Notice how Zechariah speaks in terms that certainly sound like an earthly kingdom — and he spoke by the Spirit as recorded by Luke, who traveled with Paul and wrote Luke late in his career.
72 to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, 73 the oath that he swore to our father Abraham, to grant us 74 that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before him all our days.
Zechariah agrees with Paul in declaring that God will be acting as promised in his covenant with Abraham —
(Gen 12:3 ESV) 3 “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
(Gen 18:17-19 ESV) 17 The LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? 19 For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”
Zechariah recognizes that God blessed and made a covenant with Abraham for a purpose: so that the Jews would do righteousness and justice. He declares that God redeems his people for a purpose — so that they’ll holy and righteousness. It’s not because they are already holy and righteous and so merit God’s salvation, but because his forgiveness leads them to be holy and righteous. (And who says the Gospels don’t teach Pauline grace?)
76 And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
This is an allusion to —
(Mal 3:1 ESV) “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.”
John is to teach about salvation and forgiveness of sins.
77 to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins, 78 because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high 79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
John the Baptist, of course, baptized for forgiveness in response to repentance.
(Isa 9:2-7 ESV) 2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. … 6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
And so we see that Luke begins by planting its roots deeply in the Law and the Prophets, literally from Genesis to Malachi. Zechariah rehearses the story of God and Israel and the promises made long ago there were finally coming true. Luke makes it clear that this not a new story but the climax of the story that had been told for millennia.
Luke, you see, expects his reader to know his Old Testament, and by this means, he sets the reader up for a shock. The Old Testament prophets sometimes speak in terms that sound like the Messiah will bring a military victory. He’ll protect the people from their enemies the same way David did — with a sword and armies. But, of course, Luke knows that’s not how the story ends. He’s just setting us up, reminding us of what had been written, assuring us that these things will really and truly happen, but hinting that they just might not happen the way his readers expect.
You see, the Story has a surprise ending — and that’s the best kind of story.
