Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Luke Chapter 1
Metaphysically Interpreting Luke 1:1-4
1:1Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to draw up a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, 1:2even as they delivered them unto us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, 1:3it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus; 1:4that thou mightest know the certainty concerning the things wherein thou wast instructed.
September 16, 1923: Luke 1:1-4
What is the inner meaning and office of Luke? Lucas, the Greek equivalent of Luke, means “light-bearer.” Luke represents the inner light of the Word, and Paul, his companion, represents the expressed light of the Word. The Logos, or Word, is described in the first chapter of John’s gospel under many phases, both subjective and objective: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” The Word expresses as light and substance, and enters into all real manifestation.
October 6, 1940: Luke 1:1-4
What is the meaning of the name Luke? Luke is a contraction of the Roman name Lucas, meaning intelligence or enlightenment.
What do the Greeks represent? They represent intellectual reasonings, chiefly those untouched by the inspiration of the Christ.
Who was Theophilus? This name is of Greek origin, but nothing definite is known of the man aside from the writings of Paul. Theophilus means “lover of God,” and the metaphysical meaning is “divine love” or “Spiritual unity.”
Why was the gospel according to Luke written? The purpose was to strengthen the faith of Theophilus. Instilling certainty was its aim.
What is the purpose for which the Acts of the Apostles was written? To tell the story of the beginnings of Christianity.
January 4, 1942: Luke 1:1-4
What is the meaning of the name Luke, and what is its significance in connection with the third Synoptic Gospel? The name means “luminous,” “enlightening,” “instructing.” The Book of Luke is a luminous record of events in the life of Jesus Christ, instructing and enlightening the reader in the way of Truth.
Did Jesus finish he work of expressing the Christ Spirit? Jesus finished the training of His disciples in the fundamental principles of expressing the Christ, but His work of expressing those principles was only begun. Luke tells of “all that Jesus began both to do and to teach”.
January 9, 1949: Luke 1:1-4
How is it that we can enter into the Christ consciousness when we were not eyewitnesses of the life that Jesus lived? We have the records that were made by eyewitnesses and by those close to the eyewitnesses in time. These men were moved by faith and love to perpetuate the perfect life of Jesus through the written word. We can prove the truth of these records and of the spiritual principles they embody by obeying the law of low ourselves, thereby seeing it verified in our experience.
Metaphysically Interpreting Luke 1:5-25
1:5There was in the days of Herod, king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah: and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.1:6And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 1:7And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
1:8Now it came to pass, while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 1:9according to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 1:10And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the hour of incense. 1:11And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of altar of incense. 1:12And Zacharias was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 1:13But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: because thy supplication is heard, and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 1:14And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 1:15For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. 1:16And many of the children of Israel shall be turn unto the Lord their God. 1:17And he shall go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to walk in the wisdom of the just; to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him. 1:18And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 1:19And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak unto thee, and to bring thee these good tidings. 1:20And behold, thou shalt be silent and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall come to pass, because thou believedst not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
1:21And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and they marvelled while he tarried in the temple. 1:22And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: and he continued making signs unto them, and remained dumb. 1:23And it came to pass, when the days of his ministration were fulfilled, he departed unto his house.
1:24And after these days Elisabeth his wife conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, 1:25Thus hath the Lord done unto me in the days wherein he looked upon me, to take away my reproach among men.
October 1, 1922: Luke 1:8-22
What does Zacharias represent? Spiritual consciousness. Zacharias means, “Remembered by Jehovah.”
What does Elisabeth represent? The soul in feminine or love consciousness.
What is meant by the statement that Zacharias and Elisabeth were stricken in years and had no child? The statement means that they had fallen into a belief in years; that they had failed to bring forth the fruit of mature spirituality, which is a consciousness of spiritual substance, life, and intelligence. The fruit of mature spirituality is symbolized by John, “the grace of the Lord.” And it sis this which every spiritual-minded individual is expected to bring forth.
What is meant by the priest’s entering into the temple? This represents spiritual meditation - called in metaphysics, “going into the silence.”
What is meant by the burning of incense? The refining of the body, and the laying of a foundation for a body of permanent character - the “celestial body,” spoken of by Paul. The refining process takes place whenever the I AM makes union in the body with the Lord, or higher self.
What is represented by the angel? The thought of the Lord.
What does John symbolize? John symbolizes the fruit of the union of the soul with spiritual consciousness. The union of soul and spiritual consciousness brings forth an ego that prepares the way for one greater than itself, the Christ of God, the highest expression of Divine Mind in man.
What is the meaning of, “And he shall go before his face in the spirit and power of Elijah”? Force, energy, power, simplicity, and naturalness are characteristic of the ego that is developed by the devotion of man to God.
Why was Zacharias made unable to speak? Because he did not believe the words of the angel. The work of the Spirit goes so far beyond what the mortal consciousness can grasp, that man is rendered dumb when the nature of spiritual life and its ways are proclaimed to him for the first time.
October 4, 1930: Luke 1:5,6
In individual consciousness, what does Zacharias represent? Zacharias represents the spiritual phase of consciousness. Zacharias means “remembered by Jehovah.” His work is in the temple. He is wedded to Elisabeth, who may be compared to the soul in the exalted state that it attains through living an entirely blameless, devoted life.
What is the literal meaning of Elisabeth? The literal meaning of Elisabeth is “my God is my oath,” or “a worshiper of God.” The soul, in its adoration of God, is blameless, and its world is a world of innocence and peace.
October 27, 1940: Luke 1:13-16
What do the names Elisabeth and Zacharias represent? Elisabeth (worshiper of God) reprints the soul in the feminine or love consciousness. Zacharias (Jehovah has remembered) represents spiritual consciousness.
Does the parentage of John the Baptist account for the statement that he would drink no wine or strong drink but would be “filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb”? It does in this respect, that when the soul is united with the spiritual consciousness the result of the union is dedication or consecration to God. John was so consecrated from before his birth. Consecration implies a concentration of all the thoughts and energies on the subject. Win and strong drink scatter man’s forces, making concentration impossible. It was therefore foreign to John’s experience.
October 31, 1943: Luke 1:13-16
What is the first requirement for answer to prayer? Faith or absence of fear that we shall not be heard. “Fear not, Zacharias: because thy supplication is heard.” As we believe that we are heard we know joy and gladness.
Can anyone be “great in the sight of the Lord” and still be addicted to “strong drink”? No, for the “Lord” is the law of right living, and this is forgotten where there is drunkenness or alcoholism.
Is abstinence an asset in one’s relations with others? Yes, it gives others confidence and trust in the one who practices it.
Metaphysically Interpreting Luke 1:26-38
1:26Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 1:27to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 1:28And he came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored, the Lord is with thee. 1:29But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this might be.1:30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. 1:31And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 1:32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 1:33and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 1:34And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 1:35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: wherefore also the holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God. 1:36And behold, Elisabeth thy kinswoman, she also hath conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her that was called barren. 1:37For no word from God shall be void of power. 1:38And Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
December 16, 1945: Luke 1:26-33
How is the eternal nature of the Christ indicated in this lesson? By the prophecy of enduring peace under the reign of love (David) when justice and righteousness become universal, and by the further prophecy that the kingdom of peace and love shall have no end.Metaphysically Interpreting Luke 1:39-45
1:39And Mary arose in these days and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Judah; 1:40and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elisabeth. 1:41And it came to pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit; 1:42and she lifted up her voice with a loud cry, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 1:43And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come unto me? 1:44For behold, when the voice of thy salutation came into mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 1:45And blessed is she that believed; for there shall be a fulfilment of the things which have been spoken to her from the Lord.
Metaphysically Interpreting Luke 1:46-56
1:46And Mary said,
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
1:47And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
1:48For he hath looked upon the low estate of his handmaid:
For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
1:49For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;
And holy is his name.
1:50And his mercy is unto generations and generations
On them that fear him.
1:51He hath showed strength with his arm;
He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart.
1:52He hath put down princes from their thrones,
And hath exalted them of low degree.
1:53The hungry he hath filled with good things;
And the rich he hath sent empty away.
1:54He hath given help to Israel his servant,
That he might remember mercy
1:55(As he spake unto our fathers)
Toward Abraham and his seed for ever.1:56And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned unto her house.
January 5, 1936: Luke 1:46-58
What is one of the chief powers possessed by the soul? The soul has power to magnify whatever enters it. Since it is the seat of the emotions, which control man’s happiness, it is important that we learn to magnify only that which is good and wholesome.
Does the soul in its undisciplined state magnify the good? As a rule the opposite is true. The undisciplined soul naturally magnifies trouble, disaster, and other trains of negative thought and emotion. The Spirit of power and love and discipline is required to insure that only the good will be magnified.
What does Mary, the mother of Jesus represent? Mary represents the soul that magnifies the Lord or the creative principle of the I AM.
How do we magnify Christ in our bodies? By exalting the Christ in mind, making Him manifest in our thoughts and actions, and thinking of our body as a temple dedicated to Him and occupied by Him, we quicken into action the law that magnifies Him in the body.
Through what avenue do we first enter the Christ consciousness? We enter through faith, which is a faculty of the soul rather than the intellect.
Is the good magnified in anticipation? Anticipation is one of the easiest of all methods of magnifying the good. To expect good to come to us and to enlarge upon that expectation as we meditate and pray, is to become increasingly conscious of the good.
More than anything else, what cause us to magnify evil? The unreasoning emotion fear causes us to magnify evil. It does this by taking possession of us when we are off our guard, and by increasing in our mind the expectation of evil.
Do we ourselves open the paths by which good or evil come to us? By imagining in our heart either good or ill fortune, we make it possible for good or evil to reach us.
Name some other ways in which God is magnified? The soul magnifies God through anticipating health instead of disease; claiming wisdom and understanding instead of admitting ignorance; remaining poised and joyous under all circumstances; realizing the blessings of spiritual understanding, and acknowledging all that comes to it as good either actually or potentially. “Let them say continually, Jehovah be magnified.”
August 27, 1950: Luke 1:46-48
In what way does the soul receive and express impressions from Divine Mind? The soul receives and expresses impressions from Divine Mind as divine ideas, which when fully manifest become Truth incarnate.
In this lesson what represents the soul? Mary, the mother of Jesus. A great soul gives forth great thoughts and ideas, and those in turn elevate the consciousness of the entire race.
December 23, 1951: Luke 1:46-55
What faculty endows the soul of man with magnifying power? The creative faculty of imagination. We habitually exercise this faculty either consciously or unconsciously. Imagination makes the soul the fertile side of our nature, out of which spring the issues of life.
Does the soul magnify both good and evil impartially? It magnifies whatever is held in the conscious mind. In sense consciousness the soul magnifies trouble, disaster, and other negative thoughts, taking the good as a matter of course and leaving it to pass unacknowledged. In higher levels of consciousness the soul magnifies the good.
What is magnified by the one in spiritual consciousness? God. My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” In this state the soul experiences spiritual ecstasy, than which it can know nothing higher while in the body.
How can we magnify Christ in our body? By exalting Him first in mind and expressing Him in both our thoughts and actions, not only when conditions are favorable but also with equal faithfulness when they are adverse.
In what other and more specific ways can we “magnify the Lord”? In anticipation, through expecting the good to come to us; by expecting health instead of disease, and by resolutely beholding and claiming the good.
Is it possible to win wisdom without study and instruction? It is possible through prayer and meditation to learn to heed “the testimony of Jehovah,” which makes wise the simple. Prayer and meditation preceding and following study and instruction are the ideal method of gaining wisdom and understanding.
Metaphysically Interpreting Luke 1:57-66
1:57Now Elisabeth's time was fulfilled that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 1:58And her neighbors and her kinsfolk heard that the Lord had magnified his mercy towards her; and they rejoiced with her.
1:59And it came to pass on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zacharias, after the name of the father. 1:60And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. 1:61And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 1:62And they made signs to his father, what he would have him called. 1:63And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. 1:64And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, blessing God. 1:65And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. 1:66And all that heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, What then shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was with him.
October 4, 1930: Luke 1:57-66
Define the verse, “Now Elisabeth’s time was fulfilled that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.” The fruit of spiritual consciousness in the innocent soul is a new idea, or outward expression, of grace and mercy. The new concept of grace and mercy frees the consciousness from undesirable thoughts habits, and the soul overflows with joy. This freeing thought has come from one’s own mind; it is one’s own son.
“And they would have called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.” Explain. The first thought is that the offspring of wisdom and love (Zacharias and Elisabeth) should be, like the father, an exponent of the divine law only, but mother love (Elisabeth) determines that John, meaning grace and mercy, shall be the dominant characteristic of their offspring.
“What then shall this child be?” Explain. The understanding that grace and mercy are inseparable from the redeeming action of the higher law opens up a realm of boundless expectation. Nothing but a realization of the immutable connection of mercy with the law of life brings entire acceptance of the fact that “The merciful man doeth good to his own soul; But he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.”
Metaphysically Interpreting Luke 1:67-80
1:67And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,
1:68Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel;
For he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people,
1:69And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of his servant David
1:70(As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old),
1:71Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
1:72To show mercy towards, our fathers,
And to remember his holy covenant;
1:73The oath which he spake unto Abraham our father,
1:74To grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies
Should serve him without fear, 1:75In holiness and righteousness
before him all our days.
1:76Yea and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High:
For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways;
1:77To give knowledge of salvation unto his people
In the remission of their sins,
1:78Because of the tender mercy of our God,
Whereby the dayspring from on high shall visit us,
1:79To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death;
To guide our feet into the way of peace.1:80And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.
June 4, 1916: Luke 1:57-75
What point in this lesson should be especially emphasized? The importance of correctly naming new states of consciousness.
Why does the mortal fear the changes that come in regeneration? Because it does not understand them and looks upon them as having a destructive tendency.
What should be our attitude toward all conditions that come up in mind and body after we have consecrated ourselves to follow Jesus Christ in regeneration? We should have faith that all things are working together for good, that is for the redemption of mind and body.
June 3, 1945: Luke 1:68
What is the “redemption” that the exaltation of reality brings? It is a quickening of the Christ concept in the heart. The expression of this concept leads to the establishing of peace among men of good will.
Is the establishing of peace in the heart an individual duty? It is the duty of everyone whose vision of the kingdom of heaven is a vision of the heart transformed. This transformation cannot take place in a heart that is disturbed or in a state of unrest.
June 3, 1945: Luke 1:77,78
Under what law was the Son of God born? The law that “that is not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; then that which is spiritual.” Evolution from sense to Spirit is under law, otherwise the command “Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind” would be meaningless. Perfection creates after its kind, sometimes immediately, at other times by a gradual process; but in every case the divine will is that the race with its individuals shall “receive the adoption of sons.”
June 27, 1948: Luke 1:76-79
Is it possible for us to become our own prophet? Yes. As we learn to recognize causes and relate them to their effects we can tell what will follow the setting in motion of a cause.
Can we by our own efforts develop clearer understanding? Yes. The desire and the will to do right brings enlightenment. The “sun of righteousness” makes the way clear to those who habitually walk by it’s light.
Transcribed by Tracie Louise on 11-21-2013
