Saturday, May 5, 2012

INTRODUCTION TO LUKE

Brief Notes on Luke #1

Luke is the longest Gospel, in fact, the longest book in the New Testament. It is 1,151 verses long. He writes as a historian, producing the first two volume work on the history of Christianity covering the first 60 some years. The Gospel is the first volume. (His other volume is the book of Acts). The Gospel of Luke spans from the birth of Christ to His resurrection. That Luke, the companion of Paul (Col. 4:14), has been designated as its author springing from the earliest times. That identification has remained solid unto this day. In studying Luke there are three things to keep in mind:


1. Luke researched his subject carefully to present a historically accurate record. He tells us this up front (Luke 1:1-4). Luke was not one of the original followers of Jesus. He did not know Jesus and His earthly ministry from any personal knowledge. In many respects Luke is the first searcher for this historical Jesus. Thus, he did personal research before taking on the task of putting pen to paper.  His research consisted of:


·         Investigating existing accounts. These clearly included other written material. Most scholars would agree that this included the gospels of Matthew and Mark, but may not be limited to them only.  However, this does not discount existing unwritten accounts, such as oral tradition.


·         Eyewitnesses accounts. These no doubt included the Apostles, as well as others that experienced the ministry of Christ on a historical level. No doubt Luke’s association with Paul brought him into contact with many who became source material. We cannot rule out the immediate family of Jesus himself, since many scholars feel that Luke presents the genealogy of Mary and is written more from her perspective.


2. The Gospel of Luke is often referred to as the “Gentile” gospel. We know for sure this gospel was written to a Gentile—Theophilus. There is a strong likelihood that Luke was not a Jew, but a Gentile. Most scholars hold this view, based on the following:[1]


  • Colossians 4:10-11, 14. Luke is not listed with the Jews, but separate from them.
  • Acts 1:19 where a Semitic name is given, and it is spoken of as “their” language, indicating that the author is not Semitic.
  • His name Luke is a Greek form of a Latin name.
This makes Luke the only Gentile author in the New Testament.


It seems clear that Luke wrote for Gentiles. Luke dates from the reigning Roman Emperors and governor. There is not a strong emphasis on Old Testament confirmation or Jewish prophecy. He seldom quotes from the Old Testament. Hebrew words are given their Greek equivalent. There are common Jewish terms that never appear (ex. Rabbi, using the term Master instead). There is more universal approach to Luke. The gospel of the kingdom is for the world proclaimed through Israel (2:14, 32; 3:6). Barclay observes “There is nothing in the gospel that a Gentile could not grasp and understand.”[2]

3. Luke presents Jesus as Savior. Each Gospel writer presents Jesus in a unique way: Matthew shows Jesus as King; Mark shows Jesus as Servant; and now Luke presents the Son of Man as Savior and Redeemer. From the beginning Mary is told to name the baby as Jesus; i.e. Savior. The Angels announced at His birth: “A Savior, which is Christ the Lord” (Lk. 2:11). Simeon upon holding the child declares that in Him he had “seen salvation which God prepared” (4:16-32). The word salvation is absent from both Mark and Matthew. However, Luke uses the word 6 times (1:69, 71, 77; 2:30; 3:6; 19:9). Luke presents salvation that is available to all. “Luke…lays more stress on the fact that Jesus came to accomplish a universal redemption. He depicts Christ not so much as the Messiah of the Old Testament but as the Redeemer of the whole world.”[3]





[1]  Darrell Bock, LUKE, 1:6


[2]  William Barclay, DBS: LUKE, xv.


[3]  Norval Geldenhuys, NICNT: THE GOSPEL OF LUKE, 43.

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