Luke

Author: Luke
Date of Writing: 1st Century AD
Type of Book: Gospel
Theme: Jesus Christ, the Man

The gospel of Luke is one of only two books in the New Testament that was written by a Gentile. Luke was a physician who never met Jesus, and was not an eyewitness of the events of the gospel account. He was a dear friend of the apostle Paul and probably traveled with him on his last two missionary journeys.

Luke was writing as a historian who had compiled the accounts of others after careful research. He addressed this book and its sequel, the book of Acts, to Theophilus, who was probably an early Greek believer. Luke's intent was to confirm to Theophilus that the events recorded were absolutely true.

While Matthew presented Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and King, and Mark painted the picture of Jesus as a Servant, Luke emphasized the humanity of Jesus, and presented Him as the perfect Man. And who would be better qualified to bear witness to the humanity of Jesus than a physician?

Luke wrote in a very high form of Greek, with a very sophisticated vocabulary. He used numerous medical terms, as one might expect. The Greeks were obsessed with humanity and the quest for perfect humanity, and Luke wanted to show them Jesus, the perfect Man.

It is quite likely that Luke interviewed Mary, the mother of Jesus. He included details of her story that no one else would be privy to. While Matthew's gospel gives the legal genealogy of Jesus (Matt. 1:1-16) through His stepfather Joseph, Luke gives the actual biological genealogy of Jesus through His mother Mary (Luke 3:23-38). Many heresies would arise in the early church concerning the biology of Jesus, including the gnostics who denied the humanity of Jesus. Luke clearly demonstrated to a Greek audience that these philosophical heresies were unfounded and that Jesus was in fact a man, fully God and fully man.

Some think the gospel of Luke was written at a later date than the gospels of Mark and Matthew, but that isn't necessarily true. Liberal scholars have dated it after the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 since Luke, quoting Jesus, gives such detailed and accurate predictions of the destruction of Jerusalem. Of course, if you believe in prophecy, and you believe that Jesus could foretell the future, you come to a different conclusion.

Luke provides a unique perspective of the life of Christ, and along with the other three gospel writers, helps us to see who Jesus really is, and what He said and did.

-from Pastor Chuck Smith from The Word for Today Bible