Luke, Gospel of
LUKE, GOSPEL OF
Of the four Gospels, Luke is the longest and most orderly. It gives a greater overall coverage of the life of Jesus than the other Gospels, though like them it does not attempt to provide a biography of Jesus. The author has gathered and arranged his material with a certain purpose in mind, and with much skill has produced a book that contains more well known stories of Jesus than any other.
Writing the book
In his opening statement, Luke mentions briefly how he prepared his Gospel. Since he himself had never seen or heard Jesus, he obtained the material for his book from careful research of existing records and from the accounts of eye-witnesses (Luk 1:1-4). He followed his Gospel with a second volume, known to us as the Acts of the Apostles (Act 1:1-3; see ACTS, BOOK OF).
Though a doctor by profession (Col 4:14), Luke was also an accurate historian, and he liked to date biblical events according to secular history (Luk 1:5; Luk 2:1-2; Luk 3:1-2). In addition he was a reliable Christian worker who spent many years of Christian service with Paul. (For further details see LUKE.) Luke probably assembled much of the material for his book while he was helping Paul during the two years of Pauls imprisonment in Palestine (cf. Act 21:17; Act 23:31-33; Act 24:27).
Later, Luke travelled with Paul from Palestine to Rome (Act 27:2; Act 28:16). There he met Mark (Col 4:10; Col 4:14; Philem 24). Mark also had been preparing a Gospel, and Luke was able to take some of Marks material, combine it with his own, and so bring his book to completion. (For further details see GOSPELS.)
Purpose and characteristics
Luke prepared his Gospel for a person of some importance (probably a government official) named Theophilus, to give him a trustworthy account of the life of Jesus (Luk 1:1-4). In his second volume, written for the same person, Luke traced the spread of Christianity (Act 1:1).
However, Luke was concerned with more than just recording history. He wrote with a distinctly Christian purpose. He wanted to show that God in his love had a plan of salvation for the human race, that the Saviour according to that plan was Jesus, and that Jesus followers then spread his message of salvation worldwide (Luk 1:17; Luk 2:11; Luk 3:4-6; Luk 4:18; Luk 4:21; Luk 19:10; Luk 24:44-48; cf. Act 1:8). This salvation was not for Jews only, but for people everywhere, regardless of nationality or race (Luk 2:32; Luk 3:6-8; Luk 4:25-27; Luk 7:9; Luk 10:29-37; Luk 17:11-18).
In a society where many were disadvantaged, Luke showed that Gods salvation was available equally to all. Many of the socially despised would receive it, but many of the socially respectable would miss out (Luk 7:29-30; Luk 10:30-37; Luk 16:19-31; Luk 18:9-14; Luk 19:1-9). Among the disadvantaged people that Luke wrote about as being blessed by God were slaves (Luk 7:2-7; Luk 12:37), aliens (Luk 10:30-37; Luk 17:16), lepers (Luk 4:27; Luk 17:11-18), the poor (Luk 1:53; Luk 2:7; Luk 6:20; Luk 7:22) and women (Luk 2:36-38; Luk 7:37-48; Luk 8:2; Luk 13:11-13), in particular, widows (Luk 4:25; Luk 7:12-15; Luk 18:1-7; Luk 21:1-4).
Summary of contents
The Gospel of Luke falls naturally into major sections, the first of which covers the birth and childhood of Jesus. After an introduction (1:1-4), Luke records the prophecy of Johns birth (1:5-25), the prophecy of Jesus birth (1:26-38), Marys visit to Elizabeth (1:39-56), Johns birth (1:57-80), Jesus birth (2:1-20), temple ceremonies after his birth (2:21-40) and a visit to Jerusalem when Jesus was twelve years old (2:41-52).
A short section deals with the beginning of Jesus public ministry. It includes the preparatory preaching of John the Baptist (3:1-20), the baptism of Jesus (3:21-22), Jesus genealogy (3:23-38) and the devils temptation of Jesus in the wilderness (4:1-13).
Luke then gathers together, in one section, material relating to the work Jesus did over a period of about three years, mainly in Galilee. This material includes Jesus sermon in the synagogue at Nazareth (4:14-30), various healings (4:31-44), the call of his first disciples (5:1-11), further healings (5:12-26), the call of Matthew (5:27-32) and explanations of the nature of true religion (5:33-6:11). After the appointment of twelve apostles (6:12-19), there are further teachings (6:20-49), miracles of compassion (7:1-17), explanations to Johns disciples (7:18-35) and demonstrations of forgiveness and devotion (7:36-50). Jesus teaching in parables (8:1-21) is followed by demonstrations of his power over storms, demons and sickness (8:22-56). The section concludes by recounting the work of the twelve (9:1-27), the transfiguration of Jesus (9:28-36) and some failures by the apostles (9:37-50).
Much of the next, very long, section is found only in Luke. The section deals mainly with Jesus ministry in Samaria and around the Jordan Valley, and leads to his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. It begins with Jesus reminder of the cost of discipleship (9:51-62) and his sending out of an additional seventy disciples to hasten the spread of the gospel into all regions of Palestine (10:1-24). Then come teachings and stories about love (10:25-42), prayer (11:1-13), inward cleansing (11:14-36), hypocrisy (11:37-12:3), anxiety (12:4-34), readiness for the crises ahead (12:35-13:9), the nature of Christs kingdom (13:10-14:24), true discipleship (14:25-35), repentance (15:1-32), wealth (16:1-31), forgiveness, faith and gratitude (17:1-19), the coming of the son of Man (17:20-18:8), self-sufficiency (18:9-30), the Messiahs ministry (18:31-43) and the responsibilities of the Messiahs servants (19:1-27).
At last Jesus reached Jerusalem, and a short section deals with his few days there before his crucifixion. After his triumphal entry into the city and his cleansing of the temple (19:28-48), he came into conflict with the Jewish leaders (20:1-21:4) and spoke of coming judgment (21:5-38).
Finally, Luke deals with events relating to the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus prepared for his last Passover with his disciples (22:1-13), then spent some time with them in the upper room (22:14-38) before going to Gethsemane, where he was arrested (22:39-53). He was brought before the Jewish leaders (22:54-71), then before the Roman governor (23:1-25), and afterwards taken outside the city and crucified (23:26-56). On the third day he rose from the dead (24:1-12) and appeared to his disciples in various places (24:13-43). Six weeks later, after giving further teaching and a final blessing, he departed from them (24:44-53).
Fuente: Bridgeway Bible Dictionary
Luke, Gospel of
It has often been declared that this gospel was gathered by the writer from various sources, especially from the apostle Paul, because he was so much with that apostle. This was an early opinion. Irenaeus and Tertullian asserted that we have in Luke the gospel that Paul preached. Eusebius referred the words ‘according to my gospel’ ( 2Ti 2:8 ) to the gospel of Luke; and Jerome agreed with this. Many modern writers repeat the same. In this theory there are two grave errors. The one is endeavouring to account for the Gospel of Luke by mere human agency, instead of recognising that the writer was led and guided by the Holy Spirit. The other is ignoring the unique character of the gospel taught by Paul, which he declared he had received by the revelation of Jesus Christ, and which is called “the gospel of the glory of the Christ.” It associated the believer with Christ in the glory. 2Co 4:4.
On the other hand, it is evident that Luke’s presentation of the service of Christ on earth is in correspondence with the service of ‘the apostle of the Gentiles,’ whose fellow-labourer and companion Luke was. Grace to man – ‘to the Jew first, and also to the Greek,’ as Paul expresses it – is the key-note of Luke’s gospel.
The Gospel of Luke sets the Lord before us in the character of Son of man, revealing God in delivering grace among men. Hence the present operation of grace and its effect are more referred to, and even the present time prophetically, not the substitution of other dispensations, as in Matthew, but of saving, heavenly grace. At first no doubt (and just because He is to be revealed as Man, and in grace to men), He is presented (in a prefatory part in which there is the most exquisite picture of the godly remnant) to Israel, to whom He had been promised, and in relationship with whom He came into this world; but afterwards this gospel presents moral principles which apply to man generally whosoever he may be, whilst yet manifesting Christ, for the moment, in the midst of that people. This power of God in grace is displayed in various ways in its application to the wants of men.
After the transfiguration ( Luke 9), which is recounted earlier, as to the contents of the gospel, than by the other evangelists, we find the judgement of those who rejected the Lord, and the heavenly character of the grace which, because it is grace, addresses itself to the nations, to sinners, without any particular reference to the Jews, overturning the legal principles according to which the latter pretended to be, and as to their external standing were originally called at Sinai to be, in connection with God. Unconditional promises to Abraham, etc., and prophetic confirmation of them, are another thing. They will be accomplished in grace and were to be laid hold of by faith.
After this (Luke 19, Luke 20, Luke 21), details are given as to that which should happen to the Jew according to the righteous government of God; and, at the end, the account of the death and resurrection of the Lord, accomplishing the work of redemption.
Luke morally sets aside the Jewish system and introduces the Son of man as the Man before God, presenting Him as the One who is filled with all the fulness of God dwelling in Him bodily, as the Man before God, according to His own heart, and thus as Mediator between God and man, centre of a moral system much more vast than that of Messiah among the Jews. While occupied with these new relations (ancient in fact as to the counsels of God), Luke nevertheless gives the facts belonging to the Lord’s connection with the Jews, owned in the pious remnant of that people, with much more development than the other evangelists, as well as the proofs of His mission to that people, in coming into the world – proofs which ought to have gained their attention, and fixed it upon the child who was born to them.
That which specially characterises the narrative, and gives peculiar interest to this gospel, is that it sets forth what Christ is Himself. It is not His official glory, a relative position that He assumed; neither is it the revelation of His divine nature in itself; nor His mission as the great Prophet. It is Himself, as He was, a man on the earth – the Person one would have met every day had one lived at that time in Judaea or in Galilee.
A remark may be added as to the style of Luke. He often brings a mass of facts into one short general statement, and then expatiates at length on some isolated fact, where moral principles and grace are displayed [Adapted from the “Synopsis of the Books of the Bible.”]