WORD: OC's 60-Day New Testament PlanSample

This Changes Everything In Luke 1, the image of (embryo) John the Baptist leaping at the presence of the unborn Jesus stands out as a beautiful image for the new world order that comes with Jesus. John comes from a priestly line, and even in the womb fulfills the priestly role of recognizing the new king of Israel. (Luke even makes sure to include Jesus’ ancestral connection to David, the great king of Israel.) Only this time the king looks different and so does his kingdom. The pre-infant priest does not find the king winning battles or even tending sheep, but sitting in the womb of a virgin. At the time of Jesus’ birth, the Israelites were looking for a new king that was more like a super-version of their old kings, commanding with military authority and bringing glory and riches to all of Israelites. Countless times, I find myself looking for a king that brings glory, riches, and power, but that is simply not the kind of kingship that John recognized in Jesus. John trades his father’s robes in for animal skin, and he points others to the new king, warning them of the errors of their ways and then physically anoints Jesus by baptizing him. Instead of inheriting an army, Jesus the new king received the Holy Spirit at his anointing. Throughout the first four chapters of Luke, you can see many hints of the blueprint for God’s plan for the world. With Jesus, God offers better gifts and better promises than his old covenant. God sends a new priest to anoint a new King to rule a new kingdom. Reading Luke 1-4 makes it hard not to catch the excitement of the Good News Jesus preached: God came to Earth as King, and this changes everything. Written By Quinn Fields Student, Oklahoma Christian University