Introducing the Gospel of Luke
Note: On December 1, 1996, I began an exposition of the Gospel of Luke at First Free in St. Louis, which lasted for almost 18 months. I do not recall exactly why I started that series in verse 5 of chapter 1, but I think it had to do with the desire to get through the birth narratives during Advent. Regardless of the reason, in retrospect I believe it is important to examine these first five verses because they inform us as to how and why the Author wrote this treatise.
So now in January of 2022, as I am preparing to put this series on the website, I am adding a sermon to serve as an introduction to the Gospel. It will be briefer than a normal sermon, but I trust it will set the stage for the rest of the series.
The author
It would undoubtedly be helpful to begin our study by investigating the life of the fascinating man who wrote this book, Dr. Luke. If a man’s vocabulary and writing style is any indication, Luke was one of the most intellectually gifted individuals in the whole NT. I believe that as his life and ministry unfold before our eyes, we will see how God took a gifted man and produced through him a work that has brought extraordinary blessing to the church of all ages.
At first glance our task to paint an accurate portrait of Luke seems difficult, as Luke is mentioned by name only three times in the Bible: Col. 4:14, 2 Tim, 4:11, Philemon 24. In the Colossian letter, Paul identifies Luke as one of his companions who sends greetings to the church at Colossae. In 2 Timothy Paul mentions Luke as the only one with him during his last days before execution in Rome. In Philemon he is called a fellow-worker with Paul. Notice that he is not named in either of the books that bear his name, Luke and Acts, though the church tradition that he authored them is extremely strong, and there is no doubt among Bible scholars that he wrote both of these books.
Nevertheless, we actually know quite a bit about Luke. He was a contemporary of the Apostle Paul, but he outlived Paul by a considerable number of years, dying at the age of 84, according to early church tradition. We know he was a Gentile (from Col. 4:11, 14), which makes him the only Gentile author of the NT. Chances are he had probably become a Jewish proselyte. Luke was not an apostle, nor a disciple of Jesus during his earthly life, but he was converted quite early, for he seems to already be a believer when Paul meets him. He was well-read and cultured, and the kind of man who would be widely respected in his community.
The Scriptures tell us that Luke was skilled with both scalpel and quill. In Col. 4:14 Paul refers to him as “the beloved physician,” or “the dear doctor.” This reference has led to some fanciful ideas about Luke’s place in the missionary journeys of Paul. Some suggest he was a ship’s doctor (due to his interest in ships and his knowledge of nautical terminology). Others think he was Pauls’ constant attending physician. It is impossible to know for sure.
The evidence for Luke’s being a doctor is not only the clear statement in Col. 4:11. He also shows great interest in medical issues and healing miracles. Of the four Gospel writers, he is the only one to write of the Good Samaritan (chapter 10), the casting out of the demons from the mute man (chapter 11), the healing of the man with dropsy (chapter 14), the healing of the woman with the unclean spirit (chapter 13), and the cleansing of the ten lepers (chapter 17). Likewise, in the book of Acts he tells of the healing of the lame man at the temple gate (chapter 3), the healing of Aeneas (chapter 9), the healing of the cripple at Lystra (chapter 14), the resuscitation of Eutychus at Troas (chapter 20), and the curing of Publius’ father on Malta (chapter 28).
Someone has added the observation, I assume somewhat with tongue in cheek, that the final proof that Luke was a doctor is found in his description of the woman who was healed by touching the fringe of Jesus’ garment. He describes her this way in Luke 8:43: “A woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years, and but no one could heal.” (Luke 8:43). Mark, on the other hand, offers a fuller account of the situation in his account. He tells us that “she had suffering a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse.” (Mark 5:26). It is alleged that only a doctor would avoid telling the full story!
Luke was also a writer. Though it is not common knowledge, Luke wrote more of the NT than anyone else, including Paul. True, Paul wrote thirteen books to Luke’s two, but his two books are longer than Paul’s thirteen. Not only was Luke prolific; he was also very scholarly. It is difficult to appreciate this from the English text, but the books of Luke and Acts are known as the Greek student’s graveyard. In fact, Luke uses over 800 words (other than proper names) which are not found elsewhere in the NT, a remarkable number when compared to 116 for Matthew and 79 for Mark.
We also get a hint at Luke’s scholarship from the first four verses of his gospel:
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:1-4)
Luke begins by drawing attention to those who had written previously about the advent of Messiah and his amazing life and death. He doesn’t tell us who these individuals were, but they undoubtedly included Mark, who wrote his gospel earlier.
Luke claims good authority for what he writes. Though he himself was not an eyewitness of Jesus’ life, he consulted with those who were. The eyewitnesses Luke interviewed were “servants of the word,” i.e., they saw, believed and then spread the good news. He is evidently referring to the early apostles, as well as lay disciples of Christ. He claims to go back to the very beginning of the movement, probably meaning back to the ministry of John the Baptist. But he did not just receive all the reports he could gather and automatically include them in his writing; he carefully investigated everything. He knows what he is talking about. He can be trusted.
Please note that Luke’s use of sources does not challenge the inspiration of Scripture, because that doctrine does not teach that the Scriptures were dictated by God but rather that the author was kept from error as he wrote. Inspiration affirms that whether he was writing from his own experience or from the research he conducted, he could be trusted because of the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
When Luke claims that his writing produces an “orderly account,” that does not necessarily mean a perfectly chronological account. Scholars see in the term the meaning of “logical and artistic arrangement.” The fact is Luke did a lot of thematic writing, in that he put events together to convey a certain theme or emphasis.
The man Theophilus who is mentioned as Luke’s literary patron, was probably the one who paid for the treatise to be published. The term used to describe him, “most excellent,” indicates that he was a person of title, perhaps a high official in the Roman government. The fact that Luke wants him to “know the certainty” of the things he has been taught, may indicate that Theophilus is an interested outsider with some knowledge of the Christian faith but not yet a follower of Christ.
From this introductory paragraph we learn that Luke’s purpose was to provide an historical account of the life of Christ which would provide a sound basis for the Christian faith, directed to those who had already heard about Jesus, but perhaps their knowledge was incomplete or inaccurate. As we proceed through the book of Luke, we will find our author to be a man of humility, compassion and faithfulness. He will also be shown to be a competent theologian, who writes clearly about God, Christ, sin, salvation, prayer, and the Holy Spirit.
Now please join me as we embark on this amazing journey, exploring the life of Jesus Christ, as told by one of his earliest followers.