The reason I have chosen Luke the 3rd book of the New Testament is, I have always been attracted with 2 characteristics of this book. First of all this book is a report, the intent is to clarify and remove a lot of noise that started to circulate after Jesus resurrection, by providing a clear account backed up by eye witness interviews. The second characteristic is the demonstration of compassion high lighted not only by the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, but by the very life he lived in his 3 years of ministry. We will explore this compassion as we move through later posting in this blog.
Right now lets get started with the first 4 verses of this Gospel:
1 Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.
I think this is great, Luke could have been talking right to us today. Luke comes across as a real person. We know that he was a physician and a traveling companion of Paul. He does not start out with flowery greetings or tries to sound spiritual, but instead wants us to know right away why he wrote this Gospel. Many people have tried to create a narrative of what Jesus had said and done. These things were a fulfillment of God's promises to us. Maybe some of those narratives were accurate, maybe not, maybe they were orderly, maybe not. But Luke feels that he has an obligation to create an accurate and orderly account.
Luke is in a unique position:
- Luke was with people who were eyewitnesses to the events
- He also was very close to those who were ministers of the word, especially Paul.
- He had received perfect understanding of things from the very beginning.
Make no mistake Luke's Gospel is not a dry, fact listing and plodding report, but one that explores the thoughts and reactions of those who witnessed the events. For instance when Jesus as a young boy was found talking to the teachers of the Law, we see Mary's reaction in Lk 5:21 "but His mother kept all these things in her heart" (Lk 2:51).
You might be surprised to learn that the Gospel of Luke is the longest book in the New Testament. I was surprised because its the easiest to read and understand that the time just flies by reading it.
Lastly who is the book of Luke written to: Theophilus appears to be a gentile Christian, of some importance. Like us it would appear that Theophilus had some questions and needed more information to be certain in his faith. This sounds a lot like us and we can certainly benefit from Luke's desire to set the record straight, with the result of strengthening our faith.
I hope that you will join me each week as we work through this Gospel. I hope that it will trigger questions in your mind that you will post as comments that we can explore. As always feel free to post questions that are meaningful to you, even if they are off topic for this weeks posting.
My prayer is that you may know Him more fully as we journey together "Searching for the Savior".
Pastor Keith