Luke, a physician, writes with the compassion and warmth of a family doctor as he carefully documents the perfect humanity of the Son of Man, Jesus Christ. He emphasizes Jesus’ ancestry, birth, and early life before moving carefully and chronologically through His earthly ministry.
At the very beginning of his Gospel, Luke tells his audience that he wasn’t an original apostle or even an eyewitness to Jesus’ words and works. Many believe Luke came to faith in Christ through the ministry of the apostle Paul, whom he befriended and accompanied on some of his missionary journeys. Luke is the only non-Jewish writer of a New Testament book (he also penned the Acts of the Apostles). Luke has a fondness for parables; of the twenty-five he includes in his Gospel, seventeen appear nowhere else. He also describes seven of Jesus’ miracles not mentioned in the other two synoptic Gospels.
Luke’s Gospel includes many details of Jesus’ life omitted from the other three Gospels. Only Luke records a detailed account of Jesus’ birth and the events surrounding it, including the angelic announcement to Jesus’ mother, Mary, that she would give birth to the Messiah. He also records the story of the conception and birth of John the Baptist. Only Luke includes anything about the boyhood of Jesus.
Luke presents Jesus as a man of great compassion and intense emotions. Luke alone, for example, records how Jesus looked out over the holy city of Jerusalem and wept over its coming destruction. Luke also shows us that Jesus had a very sympathetic attitude toward women, the poor, the sinners, the sick, and the dying—and His resurrection ensures that His purposes will be fulfilled: “to seek and to save that which was lost” (19:10).
Kata Loukon, “According to Luke,” is the ancient title added to this Gospel at a very early date. The Greek name Luke appears only three times in the New Testament (Col. 4:14; 2 Tim. 4:11; Philem. 24).
Theme: Jesus is the Son of Man.
Authors: Luke
Time: Most scholars believe Luke wrote his Gospel a few years before he wrote the Acts of the Apostles, which he likely penned around A.D. 63 or 64.
Structure: Luke starts his Gospel by explaining that he had thoroughly investigated Jesus’ story and had written his account based on his careful investigations. The first two chapters of this Gospel contain several incidents unique to Luke that are related to Jesus’ birth and early life.
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As you read Luke, watch for several life principles that play an important role in this book: 26. Adversity is a bridge to a deeper relationship with God. See Luke 2:19, 35, 51. 22. To walk in the Spirit is to obey the initial promptings of the Spirit. See Luke 2:27; 4:1. 9. Trusting God means looking beyond what we can see to what God sees. See Luke 5:20; 7:9. 21. Obedience always brings blessing. See Luke 11:28. 30. An eager anticipation of the Lord’s return keeps us living productively. See Luke 17:20–37. |