Glimpses of Joy in the Beginning of the Lucan Gospel

Applying a narrative-critical method derived from Seymour Chatman's story/discourse distinction, this study examines the theme of joy in the infancy narrative of Luke's Gospel, focusing on the annunciation to Zechariah. Through analysis of the passage's chiastic structure, its social, spatial, and temporal settings, and its characterization of Zechariah and Elizabeth, the study shows how joy in Luke is both personal and corporate, rooted in God's covenant fidelity to Israel and its eschatological fulfillment. It contrasts Zechariah's doubt with Elizabeth's immediate praise, arguing that human hesitancy delays but cannot thwart the joy that flows from God's gracious initiative, and that Luke deliberately situates this joy within Israel's broader salvation history through pervasive Old Testament allusion.