Luke

AUTHOR:

Luke, a Gentile doctor

AUDIENCE:

Theophilus and other Gentiles

PURPOSE:

To present an accurate account of the life of Christ, and to present Christ as the perfect human and perfect Savior.

No other Gospel captures Jesus’ heart for hurting, needy people as well as the book of Luke. Luke vividly reveals God’s heart as seen in the tenderness of Jesus, who took time to relieve suffering and teach genuine faith. Five of the six miracles that Luke records are about healing. With great compassion, Jesus healed many, including a man with leprosy (5:12-13), a man unable to walk (5:18-26), those who are blind (7:21; 18:35-43), and a demon-possessed boy who had seizures (9:37-42).

Suffering is no match for an all-powerful Savior who loves people and moves heaven and earth to defeat sin, Satan, and death—the sources of human suffering—forever.

SUFFERING AND DISABILITY THEMES

  floral bullet  Jesus confronts religious views on suffering. Luke’s Gospel declared that the Jewish leaders had the message of God’s Kingdom completely backwards. Luke’s Gospel announces Jesus as both the Son of God and the Son of Man who humbled the religious piety of the proud and honored the lowly with seats in high places.

  floral bullet  God’s power heals physical and spiritual disabilities. In Jesus’ healing ministry, the boundary between the physical and the spiritual was often nearly indistinguishable (4:18-19). While his physical healings were more visible, Jesus was equally concerned about the spiritual blindness that he encountered among people who otherwise might have seemed to be healthy.

  floral bullet  God decides our place in his Kingdom. As Jesus walked the earth and ministered to the needy, he demonstrated the Father’s nature as the King, the Host of the banquet who has reserved a place of honor for those who have been rejected, marginalized, and cast out (13:29-30).

  floral bullet  Jesus gives the church a mandate. By specifically including a place for Gentiles at the Messianic Banquet, Jesus gives the worldwide church a mandate to include people with disabilities into the life of the church (14:16-24). The “Luke 14 Mandate” is more than an open invitation to church. It is a definition of God’s Kingdom on earth, where the doors are open to all, including those who are suffering and have disabilities.