Luke Commentary

Luke 1

1-4. There are 80 verses in chapter 1, so I will hit the highlights instead of go verse by verse. The author does not identify himself, but he does identify his audience as a person named Theophilus with a title of "most excellent." Now, if there was a most excellent Theophilus anywhere in the early Christian history, we should know with certainty who this guy is, but Christians want to pretend like it is some code language, rather than admit it was the Most Excellent Bishop of Antioch named Theophilus in the late second century. Also in this section, the author expressly says he was not an eye witness to the events, but that he has carefully investigated what many people had written before him, so he could assure Theophilus of what he thought was correct. 

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5-7. John the Baptist is supposedly born during the reign of Herod the Great, sometime between 37 and 4 BC. Matthew says Herod the Great massacred babies upon the announcement of Jesus birth, but both the author of Luke and all historians fail to mention that event (because it didn't happen).  Zechariah and Elizabeth are identified as Jewish Priest's who were both descended from Aaron (tribe of Levi). 

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8-17. When Zechariah goes inside the Temple (alone) to burn incense, an angel appears to him and says Elizabeth will bear a son and they should name him John. John will go in the spirit and power of Elijah and do great things. John was forbidden to drink and would be filled with the Holy Spirit before he is born. 

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18-23. The angel identifies himself as Gabriel (19) and takes away Zechariah's voice (like the little mermaid) until John is born, because he didn't believe. When he exits the Temple everyone realized he saw a vision, because he played charades since his voice was gone. 

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24-25. Zechariah returns home and then Elizabeth gets pregnant. It doesn't say they had sex, but it is certainly implied. 

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26-33. In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, the angel Gabriel visits the betrothed virgin Mary in Nazareth. Joseph is said to be a descendant of David, but Mary's lineage is never mentioned. In verse 31, Gabriel tells Mary she WILL conceive and give birth to a son, to be named Jesus. Gabriel says Jesus will be called the son of the Most High, which is a title not a lineage. Gabriel tells Mary that Jesus will reign over Jacob's descendants forever. Now why do Christians think Jesus is king of everything, when the angel told Mary he would just be king of Jacob's descendants? 

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34-38. Mary reminds Gabriel that she is an unmarried virgin, but Gabriel says don't worry, the Holy Spirit will "come on you" and the power of the Most High will overshadow you and then you will conceive. The Christian interpretation is one of a miraculous sexless birth, but the Greeks had many stories of God's having sex with mortal women to create Demigods. This is a Greek story written in the Greek language, by humans who were trained and living in the Greek culture. Mary says she is the Lord's servant and gives her approval for God, LOL. Incidentally, her approval of this scheme would convict her of an accomplice to commit adultery, because she was betrothed to Joseph (Deut. 22:23-24). 

39-45. Mary goes to visit her relative Elizabeth, which is an indication that Mary is also a Levite, rather than a Judahite. When Mary arrived, Elizabeth's baby (John) leaped in her womb and was filled with the Holy Spirit (I wonder how Luke knew the Holy Spirit entered John at this point (mythology)). Elizabeth gives her famous line, Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, but I need a Greek scholar to tell me if this sentence says that Mary was currently pregnant or if it is referencing a future pregnancy that she will have.  

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46-56. Mary instantly improvises a beautiful song of great poetry for Elizabeth that gets recorded by Luke somehow (because this is literature, not history). What I find interesting about Mary's song is that she is praising God for blessing her with this baby, rather than praising the God whom she would eventually give birth to. Mary stayed with Elizabeth three more months, which indicates that she left when John was due to be born. I guess Mary wanted to help Elizabeth in her last trimester, but not after the baby was born. 

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57-66. John is born and circumcised on the eighth day and they were going to name him after his father but Elizabeth and Zechariah both said, no, we will name him John. The people asked why they wanted to name him John since no one in their family was named John, but when Zechariah agreed his voice returned to him (like the little mermaid). It is my suspicion that the reason Luke says they wanted to give him an unfamiliar name is because John the Baptist was mentioned by Josephus and they were trying to tie a real historical figure into this fictional story. 

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67-75. Then Zechariah is filled with the Holy Spirit and he improvises another song on the spot (like Mary did). He praises God because he has "come to his people and redeemed them." This is before Jesus was born and Zechariah is saying that God has already come to visit. Zechariah proceeds to prophesy about the future birth of Jesus in his song. He says God has sent us a horn of salvation, from the house of David, who will save us from all our enemies and show mercy to our ancestors. Oddly enough, Jesus neither saved the Israelites from their enemies, nor showed mercy to their ancestors. Jesus said he did not come to bring peace but a sword and he rebuked the Jews for killing all the prophets. Zechariah must have been singing about some savior other than Jesus. 

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76-80. Zechariah sings about John being called a prophet of God who would prepare the way for their Lord Jesus (king of the Jews). Jesus will bring knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of sins because of the tender mercy of God. That sounds nice, but Zechariah's prophecy was not fulfilled. Jesus didn't bring peace and mercy, in reality he brought judgment and war to the Jews. Then John grew and lived in the wilderness until he appeared publicly to Israel. 

Luke 2

1-3. Buckle up for the ride! Caesar Augustus didn't order a census of the whole Roman world, nor did he require that everyone go to their "family town" to register. Luke is just making this up because he needs some excuse for Jesus to be born in Bethlehem, instead of Nazareth. Caesar Augustus' reign (27 BCE-14 CE) did overlap the reign of Herod the Great (who died in 4 BCE), but the governorship of Quirinius (beginning in 6 CE) did not overlap with Herod the Great (because he was already dead), so Luke is confused about history. 

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4-7. Luke reiterates that Joseph was of the house of David, which is why he was traveling to Bethlehem. Note: Mary is never said to be of the house of David. Mary was nine months pregnant at this time, but there is no reason to conclude that Jesus was six months younger than John the Baptist. Mary might not have even been pregnant when she visited Elizabeth during her pregnancy. We will see evidence of that in this chapter. Now, imagine a young Jewish pregnant girl who is not even married yet, traveling with her future husband for a census that didn't even happen in history. Don't you think someone would ask who the father of this baby was and why she was traveling with a man who wasn't even her husband yet? What would they write in this fictional census, that Jesus was a bastard child born out of wedlock to an unknown father? This is a dishonorable scene that would have gotten Mary and Joseph both stoned to death under Jewish Law. 

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8-12. Luke mentions shepherds in the fields nearby, but Matthew tells of wise men who see a star and travel a great distance to worship the king of the Jews. Matthew's story is far more outlandish, which supports my suggestion that Matthew was developed after Luke. An angel appears before the shepherds and tells them to go find their Lord, the Messiah who would be wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger. 

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13-20. Suddenly a great company of angels appeared before the shepherds and praised God. When the angels went back to Heaven, the shepherds decided they should go see this thing the Lord told them about. The shepherds find Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus and tell them about the angels they saw, but Mary just ponders these things in her heart. 

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21-32. On the eighth day, they circumcise the boy and give him the name Jesus as the angel told them to do before he was conceived. Verse 21 says Mary had not yet conceived when the angel Gabriel came to her. Luke does not say when she actually conceived. The only possible clue is whether she had conceived when she visited Elizabeth or not. Mary and Joseph then go to Jerusalem to offer the purification rites for every firstborn male. While in Jerusalem, a man named Simeon was waiting to see the Messiah before he could die. In verse 29, Simeon holds baby Jesus and thanks his God for allowing him to see the Messiah before he died. Christians today don't seem to have a clue of the difference between God and a Messiah. A Messiah is simply a human who God works through to bring blessings. Christians have completely lost their minds today. 

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33-35. It says the child's FATHER and mother marveled at what was said about their baby. Now hold up! Who was his father and why would his parents marvel if they already knew this was a miracle baby sent from Heaven? Simeon blesses the Jesus. 

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36-38. Old lady Anna from the tribe of Asher had been a widow for 84 years and it says she lived with her husband 7 years from her virginity. I think this means her husband died 7 years after they got married and she never remarried. So, randomly assuming she was 13 when she got married, her husband would have died when she was 20, and she was 104 years old when Jesus was born. Anna gave thanks to the Lord (in heaven, not baby Jesus) and spoke of redemption for Jerusalem. The Jews expected physical redemption of Jerusalem, but Christianity only offers forgiveness of sins, depending solely on whether they believed God forgives only those who believe this story. And if redemption was for Jerusalem, what does that have to do with us today? 

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39-41. Prepare for a contradiction with Matthew. Luke says Mary and Joseph and Jesus RETURNED to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth and Jesus grew up there. 41 says they went every year to Jerusalem to observe Passover. They were supposed to go to Jerusalem 3 times every year according to Jewish Law, but Luke thought once was enough. The contradiction with Matthew is that Matthew says they went to Egypt and stayed in Egypt until they heard news that Herod died. It is impossible to live in Nazareth and travel to Jerusalem every year according to Luke, while also fleeing Israel to Egypt for many years according to Matthew. You can either admit the contradiction or defend lies. Which do you prefer?

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42-52. When Jesus was 12 years old, he stayed in Jerusalem as Mary and Joseph started their trip back to Nazareth after Passover. They found Jesus after 3 days and he was in the Temple listening and asking questions of the Jewish Rabbis. Apparently he was answering his own questions, because Luke says all who heard Jesus were amazed at his answers. In 48, Mary asks Jesus why he disrespected his parents by staying in Jerusalem when he knew they were returning to Nazareth. Mary even tells Jesus that his father and her were looking for him. Mary seems to think Joseph is the father, but Jesus answers, "didn't you know I would be in my father's house?" Luke says they didn't understand what Jesus meant. Now why would Mary misunderstand Jesus if she knew he was a miracle baby whose literal father was the almighty God? 51 says Jesus obeyed his parents and Mary kept these things in her heart. If Mary kept them in her heart, how do we know about it? Luke is not telling his eye witness testimony. Luke is just relaying a story, and the story is not a true one. 

Luke 3

1-3. Luke is establishing a specific year for Jesus ministry. The fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar would be 29-30 CE, since Tiberias began to reign over the Roman Empire in September of the year 14. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea from 26-36 CE, so that fits the timeline. Herod Antipas was Tetrarch (not King) of Judea and Perea from 4 BC to 39 CE, and that also fits Luke's timeline. Luke is saying John the baptist started preaching in the year 29-30 CE, which Luke also associates with the Priests Annas and Caiaphas. 

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4-6. John the baptist is supposedly fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy of the "voice crying in the wilderness saying make ready the way of the Lord." Verse 6 says all flesh will see God's salvation. Does that mean everyone would see God save all humanity, or does it mean all flesh will see the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jews (because that is what really happened). The Christian narrative would be that all flesh would see Jesus crucified, which just makes it possible for you to be saved if you just believe Jesus died for you. That's crazy. 

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7-9. John the baptist (JTB) rebukes the Jews and asks them who warned them to flee from the wrath to come. So was JTB preparing the way for salvation from the Lord or was he proclaiming the destruction of the Jews? The wrath to come is certainly a reference to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. When you realize this was written after 70 CE, you can realize this is not a prediction of the future, but rather a story being told concerning a destruction that already happened. In 8, JTB makes it clear that he is rebuking Jews, because he says you can't claim special privileges because Abraham is your father. JTB warns them about the ax at the root and cutting down all the bad trees and burning them in fire. This is certainly a veiled reference to when the Romans burned the Temple and "cut out" the rebellious Jews. 

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10-17. JTB gives instructions on living perfect lives. In 16, JTB says he is not worthy to lose the sandals of the one coming after him. He will baptize you with fire. Now Christians think this is a pleasant reference to metaphorical fire for worshipping God, but it is really a reference to the one who is coming who will literally burn his enemies in a fire. Jesus is an alias for Caesar Titus. Titus was the one who came to burn up the chaff in unquenchable fire. 

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18-22. Herod Antipas throws JTB in prison because JTB didn't approve of Herod's marriage to his brothers wife. Then we go back in time to when JTB baptized Jesus and the Holy Spirit descended onto Jesus like a dove and a voice from the sky said, "you are my son, in you I am well pleased."

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23-38. Luke says Jesus was "about 30 years old" and this is why the Romans tried to reset the calculation of years in accordance with the birth of Jesus. Anno Domini was not accepted as the method to count years until the 9th century CE. Luke gives a contradictory genealogy to Matthew's genealogy and a contradictory year of the birth of Jesus. Luke says Jesus was born after Herod the Great died, but Matthew says Herod the Great was not dead yet. Luke says Joseph was the father (as was supposed) of Jesus. Christians don't understand what a huge problem this presents for their case. If Joseph was not literally the biological father of Jesus, then Jesus was an illegitimate son and he could not claim to be the son of David, as the prophecies require. Luke says Joseph was the son of Heli, while Matthew says Joseph was the son of Jacob. Christians try to reconcile this by saying one of the genealogies is really about Mary, but that is not true either. Read here for more on the genealogies. When there are lies and contradictions all throughout the Christian story, you should be able to realize that this is not some Divine truth.

Luke 4

1-13. The previous chapter told of the baptism of Jesus by JTB in the river Jordan, then it inserts the genealogy, and picks back up with Jesus leaving the river Jordan to be tempted in the wilderness 40 days by the devil. It seems the genealogy is inserted in the middle of the baptism story. The stated purpose for Luke writing in chapter 1 was to put things in the right order, yet he told of John's arrest prior to telling of Jesus baptism, then he inserts a genealogy in the middle of the baptism story. Either Luke is a jumbled mess or there is a hidden agenda about the order of things. Joseph Atwill suggests there is reason to the madness in Caesar's Messiah. The story of Jesus going into the wilderness is just a parallel story with Moses wandering in the wilderness for 40 years. Jesus fasting 40 days, is just a parallel with Israelites eating manna 40 years. Luke is clearly telling a fictional story, by duplicating the story of Moses and Israel. The devil tempts Jesus with food, glory, and power and Jesus passes the test of faith. This is just a fictional story of proving merit and worth and establishing credibility for the main character in a story. 

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14-21. Jesus became a famous teacher in Galilee, then he went back to his home town of Nazareth and taught in the synagogue. The mention of a synagogue in Nazareth is proof that this is referencing a time after 70 CE, because synagogues were the Jewish response to the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. Jesus reads from Isaiah 61, but he quotes the Greek Septuagint, and this is another indication that this was written after 70 CE. Prior to 70 CE, the Jews in Israel were holding on to their Hebrew culture to the point of death, but Luke is suggesting that Jesus was reading Greek in the Jewish synagogue (that didn't even exist yet).  Jesus dramatically says he is the fulfillment of Isaiah 61. 

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22-30. Even though Jesus just quoted Isaiah 61 about healing, Luke has not talked about Jesus performing healing miracles yet. I am starting to see how Luke could be trying to correct Matthew, because Matthew is constantly saying Jesus was healing everybody. Luke is emphasizing the wise teachings of Jesus. They ask Jesus to perform miracles in Nazareth like he did Capernaum, but Luke hasn't said anything about Capernaum yet. Then Jesus tells about how many widows and lepers were not helped in the past, as a justification as to why Jesus didn't want to perform miracles in Nazareth. They get mad at Jesus and take him to a cliff to throw him off, but he escapes through the middle of them. Josephus tells several stories about he himself escaped many attempts on his life in "Wars of the Jews." 

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31-37. Then Jesus goes to Capernaum (as if he hadn't been there yet, but we just read about how he supposedly performed miracles in Capernaum). It seems Luke put things out of order again. Jesus even performs a miracle by casting a demon out of a man in Capernaum and then news spread all throughout the region about Jesus. 

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38-44. Jesus goes to Simons house, but we have not even been introduced to this person yet. Is it Simon who was later called Peter, the famous Apostle? Simon's mother-in-law was sick with a fever and Jesus healed her. Then as the sun was setting everyone brought all their sick and demon possessed and Jesus healed them all. All the sudden Jesus is healing everyone. The demons were even testifying the Jesus was the son of God. I am far more inclined to believe this is a story about how Titus (the son of Caesar) was  "casting demons" out of rebellious Jews in war in Galilee, as Joseph Atwill suggests in Caesars Messiah. Jesus then leaves the city but people follow him. Jesus said he needed to preach the good news of God's Kingdom in other cities also. What good news could he have been preaching? Was Jesus saying, "God has sent me to liberate Israel from Rome" because that would have been good news to them. That is what they wanted to hear. That is what they wanted a Messiah for. What good did Jesus do for Israel? According to history, Israel was destroyed within one generation after Jesus preached his good news. Jesus surely wasn't preaching that he was going to die on a cross to pay for sins. The real gospel that Jesus stood for was the destruction of the rebellious Jews in 70 CE. This was written after 70 CE and the good news for the Roman Empire was that the rebellious Jews were desimated. Christianity was not good news for Jews, but it was good news for Rome.

Luke 19

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Luke 20

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Luke 21

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Luke 22

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Luke 23

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