The Gospel Of Luke

Luke was a companion of St. Paul on his missionary journeys. (IITim: 4: 11, Philemon 24) As such he was well aware of what Paul was preaching and realized that he represented more than just another Jewish sect. From the book of Acts we can see that Luke joined Paul at Philippi and reported on his activities there. Luke worked at Philippi and then at Caesaria during Paul's time in prison. He was with Paul on his final trip to Rome.

In Luke's preamble to the Gospel he states his purpose. "Many people have done their best to write a report of the things that have taken place among us. They wrote what we have been told by those who saw these things from the beginning and who proclaimed the message. And so, Your Excellency, because I have carefully studied all these matters from their beginning, I though it would be good to write an orderly account for you." (Luke 1: 1-3)

Whereas Luke became a participant in the later parts of Acts, his work on the gospel is based on research and interviews. Luke is an educated gentile convert to Christianity who edited much of the available material into his Gospel. He may have had Mark's version as a reference as well as what he heard from Paul and others.

Luke makes more references to women and children than any other Gospel writer does. His concern was for the black sheep of society. The famous teachings of The Prodigal Son and The Good Samaritan are found only in Luke's record of Jesus' life. He emphasizes prayer, the Holy Spirit, the role of women and forgiveness of sins.

Following his opening statement of purpose, Luke goes right into the angel's announcement to Zechariah of John the Baptist's coming birth. Zechariah's wife, Elizabeth was an older woman who had never been able to conceive. Immediately following this account is the description of the angel Gabriel's announcement to Mary that she would bear a Son. Mary, a virgin, was impregnated by the Holy Spirit. Luke is obviously stressing the miraculous here.

Luke's story of the birth of Jesus is one of the most well known and repeated scripts in the world. Only Luke goes into such detail about the birth of Jesus. The story of the manger, the shepherds and angels, and Jesus' circumcision are only in Luke's Gospel. He gives us the only glimpse into Jesus' boyhood with his story of Jesus as a boy in the temple. From here on Luke's Gospel is synoptic with Mark and Matthew as many of the same events are recorded. Luke also adds episodes that the others either didn't know or didn't think essential to the message.

"Jesus grew both in body and in wisdom, gaining favor with God and people." (Luke 2: 52) In chapter 3 Luke pinpoints the time period by listing the current political structure and leaders under the Romans. Jesus steps out into the world by first visiting John the Baptist. He is baptized and the Holy Ghost, in the form of a dove, comes down upon Jesus as the Father says "You are my own dear Son, I am pleased with you." (Luke 3: 22) Theologically, we see the presence of the Trinity and God's approval and blessing of his Son.

If the appearance of the dove and the voice of God the Father were not enough credentials, Luke gives us the genealogy of Jesus. Luke gives the family tree of Mary, whereas Matthew give's Joseph's. They both show Jesus as the Son of David. Matthew traces Jesus back to Abraham and Luke goes all the way back to Adam, the first Son of God. Jesus also has to prove himself in the desert. While fasting there for forty days he is the target of an onslaught of temptation from Satan. The Lord is victorious over sin, of course.

Jesus' preaching is rejected in his hometown of Nazareth and leaves for Capernaum, a town in Galilee. He begins by exorcising evil spirits, healing the sick, and preaching in the synagogues. As he travels around the country he starts calling out his disciples. Jesus is invited to the home of Simon, the Pharisee, where he encounters a prostitute. His love and compassion for this woman is stirring and encouraging. The Pharisee focuses on what this woman does for a living. Jesus' attention is on her love, devotion and humility.

Many parables told by Jesus in Luke show God's priorities in living. His focus is on prayer, forgiveness and the right attitude. Women and children are included in his circle of followers and as objects of his ministry. Jesus continues to preach, teach and heal as we near the end of this Gospel. The plot to kill him is revealed and Judas betrays him. After the Last Supper and the agonizing prayer in the garden at Gethsemane, He is arrested, tried and crucified.

Luke gives a thorough accounting of the reappearance of Jesus after His death. The women who visit the tomb on Sunday are the first to know that He is risen. He shows himself to two disciples on the road to Emmaus and to the other disciples later. Luke records the Ascension of Jesus bodily into Heaven. Luke will start the book of Acts on this note.

This Gospel is an apology for Christianity. Luke's aim was to show off the supernatural qualities of Jesus as God in the flesh. Each Gospel writer has his own emphasis and target audience. Matthew wrote to the Jewish community in Jerusalem and emphasized how Jesus fulfilled scripture. Mark wrote to the new Christian community in Rome. John's Gospel was probably addressed to the Church in Ephesus, or Christians in general. Luke's audience is thought to have been educated Greeks.

Sources:

Scripture quotations from The Good News Bible, Canadian Bible Society, 1992

William Neil's One Volume Bible Commentary, Hodder & Stoughton, 1962

Halley's Bible Handbook, Zondervan, 2000