Intro To Luke
Notes
Transcript
Introduction to Luke
Introduction to Luke
I am excited to start this journey through the gospel of Luke with you.
The year before last we went through the gospel of John and it was a blast.
And now for the foreseeable future we are going to go through Luke.
I have had a blast over the last several weeks reading and studying this beautiful piece of literature that was inspired by our amazing God.
Now this first sermon I want to provide us with an overview of Luke’s gospel.
So think about it this way, we are going to take a 30,000 foot view of what Luke wrote 2000 years ago.
I want us to think about the themes, the stories, and the organization of Luke’s account.
I want us to see how through these 24 chapters, Luke writes a beautiful portrayal of Jesus as the savior of the world.
I want us to stand in awe of Luke’s masterful storytelling and ability to draw us in and make us feel like we are actually witnessing Jesus’ ministry.
Now before we look at Luke’s gospel we must first talk about Luke himself.
Who is this man?
And you may be asking why this is important?
Why do we need to know the history of Luke as a person.
Isn’t his gospel account enough?
And I would say yes, we could simply go into this gospel and understand what Luke is wanting to show us.
We could venture in and pull out the major themes and pictures that Luke paints.
And I would also say that knowing about Luke, helps us to get some more texture and appreciation for this account.
So who was Luke.
Luke is the author of both The Gospel of Luke and The book of Acts.
Acts is a continuation of Luke.
Meaning that they are best read when read together.
Combined these two books alone take up more space than any other author in the NT.
We have more letters by Paul and John, but Luke’s writings still account for more content than any other author in the NT.
As you read his books in the NT we can discern that he is highly trained and skilled in the art of history and story telling.
He has a gift for communication and a large vocabulary
Luke was also a travel companion with Paul on some of his missionary journeys.
We know this b/c of a language shift that happens in Acts.
As you read through the book of acts you will read in certain areas what are referred to as the “we” passages.
These “we” passages are where Luke is first-hand recording what happens with Paul.
We also read about Luke’s trained profession in Col 4.14
14 Luke, the dearly loved physician, and Demas send you greetings.
Luke was a doctor, which explains his training and education.
It also lends us to understanding why he speaks so much about the outsider.
The gospel of Luke highlights those who are on the outside of society.
This means that Luke highlighted those who were essentially powerless and saw as less than in the social order.
This includes women, children, the sick, and the poor.
Now this word poor in Luke doesn’t just mean those who weren’t wealthy.
It also refers to their social status and people from a different ethnic group.
Poor can also refer to those who had leprosy and other illness that would cast them on the outside of society.
Those who didn’t fit into the norm of the Jewish power structure and social order.
Now this is particularly interesting b/c Luke would have been on the outside of this Jewish society as well.
Why is that?
B/c he was not Jewish, rather he was a Gentile.
So to traditionally religious Jewish people, Luke would have been an untouchable.
He would have been seen as unworthy of God’s love.
As would many of these outcasts in their society.
Now I know that a lot of the words I just used have become buzzwords in our society.
Poor, powerless, outcast, ect.
But I want you to know that these categories do exist.
Not for political purposes.
Not for sway and influence over people.
But b/c we live in a broken and fallen world.
We cannot let our political biases blind us to this reality.
Instead, we need to see people as individuals.
We need to interact with, have compassion on, and love those who others would cast off.
We need to make sure that we don’t push people to the side, rather that we embrace people as those made in the image of God.
We need to see that Jesus has compassion on those who are hurting.
Those who are sick.
Those who are poor.
Those who are rejected by society.
And like him, we need to proclaim the good news of his new kingdom to them.
We need to provide for them both the gospel message to feed their soul and meet their needs to fill their belly.
They are both good and right.
And they need to be done in conjunction with one another.
That’s my soapbox for this morning.
Now that we’ve looked at the person Luke, let’s look at the first few verses of his gospel to get a grasp on what his mission and purpose is in writing this gospel.
Before we do let’s pray and ask for the Lord’s guidance.
1 Many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us,
2 just as the original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed them down to us.
3 So it also seemed good to me, since I have carefully investigated everything from the very first, to write to you in an orderly sequence, most honorable Theophilus,
4 so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed.
I love this introduction to Luke’s gospel.
It is jam packed with lots of good information.
You can’t tell in English, but I’m told by Greek scholars that this is one beautifully constructed sentence in Greek.
Though we divide it in English to help with the flow of reading, in the original language, once sentence is all Luke needed to convey his purpose and mission with this gospel.
Let’s dissect what he wrote to understand clearly what he wants us to understand.
1 Many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us,
Greatest Story Ever Told
Greatest Story Ever Told
In the Holy Bible, we have 4 Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Of these gospels accounts we Matt, Mark, and Luke are called the synoptic gospels.
They all tell similar stories in a similar way.
Synoptic is a compound word from “syn” meaning together, and “optic” meaning to see.
So the first 3 gospels see together the ministry of Jesus.
And prior to Luke writing his gospel, he knew that “many” had taken to the task of writing about Jesus.
How many?
We don’t know.
We do know that we have the 4, and there may have been more, but through dedication and direction from the Lord, these four are the ones we have that tell about the life and ministry of Jesus.
Most scholar’s agree that out of the 3 synoptic gospels Luke was most likely the last one.
It was written probably around 60 ad, so roughly 30 years after Jesus’ resurrection.
And probably while Luke was traveling with Paul on his missionary journey.
Now why 4 gospels?
Why not just one? or two?
Why four?
That’s a good question.
Each one of the authors were writing about Jesus’ life to a specific audience for a specific purpose.
These gospels are like holding a diamond in your hand.
The diamond being the life of Jesus.
And as you examine the diamond you turn it in your hand and you see the complexity, beauty, and clarity of the diamond from different angles.
The way the light hits the diamond from different angles highlights the complexity and beauty.
And each one of the gospels does just that.
They shine a light on the life and ministry of Jesus, but in a different aspect and for a different purposes.
Matthew was written by a Jewish man for a Jewish Audience.
Matthew focuses on the fulfillment of prophecy and Jesus as king
He focuses on Jesus’ fulfilment of the law.
Mark’s gospel was written to the Roman Church.
He writes in a way that is fast paced and for an audience that likes action.
Mark wants his audience to see the power of Jesus.
John was written for the church as a whole and written to demonstrate the divinity of Jesus.
So that people will believe in the message of Jesus.
John wants his audience to see the glory of Jesus.
So what about Luke?
What does Luke want to convey.
Luke was writing to a mostly Greek Audience.
Luke focuses on the grace and wisdom of Jesus.
So how does Luke do this?
Well as I said earlier, Luke focuses on the compassion of Jesus toward the outsiders.
He includes teachings that would intrigue and challenge his mostly Greek audience.
The Greek audience were attracted to wisdom.
So Jesus’ ability to confound the wise and learned in the gospel of Luke would have really appealed to them.
One of the cool things about Luke’s teaching is that though it is considered one of the synoptics it does vary widely from Matt and Mark.
To demonstrate the wisdom of Jesus, Luke includes tons of parables especially when compared to the other gospels.
If you’re new to the teachings of Jesus a parable is a simple story used to illustrate a lesson.
Luke includes 18 parables that are not found in any other gospel.
Each of the gospels give us a unique and unified picture of Jesus.
So in order to get the fullest picture it is important that we look at all of them.
We dive into each one and find their purpose for writing and compiling the stories.
Here’s the beauty of having these 4 gospels.
We see God using unique individuals to convey his truth to people for all generations.
God chose to reveal to us his son through these men.
He used each of their personalities, upbringings, and histories to provide us with the most beautiful portrait of Jesus.
Now you may have a favorite gospel author, but I will encourage you to read and study them all to see the beauty of Jesus.
Luke also tells us that somethings have been fulfilled among them.
This is in reference to the OT fulfillment of prophecy.
That Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and ascension are fulfill the OT promise of redemption.
What also is fulfilled is that Gentiles like Luke and Theophilus are now invited into the promised redemption too.
Luke ends his gospel talking about this fulfillment.
The road to Emmaus
27 Then beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted for them the things concerning himself in all the Scriptures.
44 He told them, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
46 He also said to them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead the third day,
47 and repentance for forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed in his name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 You are witnesses of these things.
Speaking of witnesses let’s look at Luke 1:2
2 just as the original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed them down to us.
Witnesses
Witnesses
Here we see that Luke and Theophilus have recieved instruction.
From eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
This means that both Luke and Theophilus are second generation believers.
They are not a part of the original disciples and apostles.
They are those who have been taught and instructed.
They have heard and believed.
Luke The Precedents (1:1–2)
Luke makes a key point—the tradition about Jesus had roots in the experience of those who preached about him. These witnesses were with Jesus from the beginning
The Christian faith, our faith is based upon Eyewitnesses testimony.
Based on the reality that these events actually took place in history.
And that people talked about these events and told others.
We who sit here today are beneficiaries of these accounts.
Too often we can take for granted the reality of the gospel message.
We can neglect to think about the fact that many believers died so that we could hear the message.
That lives were traumatically impacted to get the message to us.
Here in Luke we know that there is at least one generation between his belief and the one before him.
But have you ever taken the time to think about all the generations since Jesus walked this earth that lead to you sitting in here today.
The faithfulness of the eyewitnesses is a testimony to your salvation.
The grand arch of God’s story, of all of history is the story of redemption, the story of salvation.
Those who witnessed Jesus’ walking the earth.
That touched his resurrected body.
That saw him ascend into heaven.
It is b/c of their faithfulness that you sit here today.
It is b/c of the generations and generations of people telling and retelling the gospel message that you are saved.
And here’s the rub.
When we forget about the faithfulness of these people.
When we neglect thinking about the reality that people laid down their lives for the gospel message, we get comfortable and complacent.
We don’t see the importance of telling other the message of the gospel.
We don’t see the power of God in all of history.
We can look at our friends and neighbors and think that they don’t deserve or won’t respond to the gospel.
We need to imitate those who have gone before us.
We need to tell others about the good news of Jesus.
We need to let others know about the kingdom of God and the love of our savior.
We cannot and must not sit back and think that someone else will do it.
We need to pass it on.
To our kids, our grandkids, our friends, family, neighbors.
Everyone.
We need to be the witness of the good news of Jesus.
Just like those who handed these stories down to Luke and Theophilus.
We aren’t eyewitness to the resurrection of Jesus.
But we are eyewitness to the transformation he brings.
We are eyewitness to his goodness, grace, and peace.
We are eyewitness to his saving power.
We have witness that God can and does change the lives of those who believe.
So we do have a story to tell.
We have the good news to tell to all.
And like Luke our stories will be different from person to person, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth telling.
3 So it also seemed good to me, since I have carefully investigated everything from the very first, to write to you in an orderly sequence, most honorable Theophilus,
Luke’s Investigation
Luke’s Investigation
Okay, I love Luke.
Luke listened to those who told him about Jesus and he’s like, I need to go out and do this for myself.
I need to hear the stories from these eyewitnesses.
And I’m going to record what I learn.
Luke acts like an investigative journalist and goes out to get the facts.
He’s following after the leads.
He goes out and interviews people concerning the life of Jesus.
And he’s doing this at the instruction of Theophilus.
Not only is Luke curious about the things he has been taught so is this Theophilus guy.
Who is Theophilus?
Truth is we don’t know exactly.
We do know that Luke and Acts are both addressed to him.
We also believe that through the title “most honorable” Theophilus was someone of great wealth and influence.
He most likely funded Luke’s research.
Providing him with the means to travel and compile the information we read in the NT.
Now we read that Luke investigated.
He studied.
He interviewed.
He wanted to get the information.
And he wanted to compile it so that it could be understood.
I think about in high school and college, when we are given an assignment to do a research paper.
What do we do?
We go to the sources.
We read what others said about the information.
We gather then we compose.
This is what Luke is doing.
He gets the information.
Then he writes about what he has gathered.
Luke is thorough in his writing.
He makes sure to include historical references to both dates and rulers.
He wants the reader to again understand that the events of Jesus’ life are rooted not in mythology but in reality.
And he does so while also adding his own spin and character to the narrative.
This doesn’t distract from the fact that it’s all true, but like that diamond he presents Jesus in a way that is receptive to his audience.
That means that as Luke is writing his account he is telling the story of Jesus’ life, choosing the parts that fit the story he is trying to tell.
He is selective in what he includes and doesn’t include.
During this process he is guided by the HS and again adds texture, complexity and beauty to the life of Jesus.
Luke tells Theophilus that he is writing “an orderly sequence or account” of the life of Jesus.
But when Luke talks about his gospel being orderly he doesn’t necessarily mean the same thing that we would mean.
Luke presents the gospel in a logical way.
Remember, each of the gospel authors are presenting an argument for the life of Jesus.
Luke’s argument is to help Theophilus have certainty of the things he was taught v.4.
So Luke wants to present his gospel in a way that helps aid this purpose.
So the way that Luke organizes his gospel is pretty easy to decipher.
Luke 1-4:13 is the prologue.
This includes the birth narratives of both John and Jesus.
Drawing the connection between John being the Last prophet of the law and OT, before the covenant of grace steps on the scene in the person and work of JC.
Luke 4:14-9:50 is about the early ministry of Jesus.
Most of this ministry takes place in the geographic area of Galilee and is highlighted by the miracles of Jesus.
Though there are miracles throughout the gospel, the overwhelming concentration is found here in this section.
Luke 9:51-19:27 is Jesus’ later Judean Ministry
The focus here is mostly on the teaching of Jesus and his journey to Jerusalem
This is where most of the parables are told.
Luke 19:28-24:49 Jesus is in Jerusalem
The focus here is on his trial, sacrifice, and resurrection.
The big chunk of text in the middle of Luke from 4:14-19:27 is a joint measure.
This section proves that Jesus was both mighty in his works of miracles and in his words or teachings.
That’s why Luke can pen this in Luke 24:19
19 “What things?” he asked them. So they said to him, “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet powerful in action and speech before God and all the people,
This was part of Luke’s overarching theme in his gospel.
By proving that Jesus was a powerful teacher of wisdom and a powerful worker of miracles.
Why would Luke want to include this in his gospel account?
Though he was writing for a Greek audience he would want his account to appeal to a wider audience as well.
Listen to what Paul says about people in the 1st century.
22 For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek wisdom,
So Luke is appealing to both the Jews and the Greeks.
Miracles and Wisdom.
Another major theme of this investigative report is the perfect humanity of Jesus.
In Luke’s gospel, we get the fullest picture of his birth, childhood, and social life of Jesus out of all the gospels.
We read about the extensive birth narrative in Luke 2.
We read about his interaction as a pre-teen in Luke at the end of chapter 2 as well.
Luke also includes an extensive genealogy for Jesus.
That concludes not with Abraham, as Matthew’s does, but concludes with this phrase
Luke 3:38 (CSB)
38 ...son of Adam, son of God.
Luke wants the reader of his account to know that Jesus is both Son of Adam and Son of God.
Demonstrating that Jesus isn’t just for the Jewish people, but that he is in fact for all people who believe.
Both the Jew and the Gentile.
He is the truest and best human to ever live.
B/c he is fullness of humanity and divinity on full display.
Truly God and Truly man.
So Luke isn’t just concerned with telling the story of Jesus, he also is building a theology around Jesus and his ministry.
B/c Luke understands that though the story about Jesus and his ministry is important, it doesn’t really amount to anything if it isn’t rooted in the divine work of God.
And to close out his introduction we read this
4 so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed.
Certainity
Certainity
Theophilus has been taught and told about the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus.
He has heard the news about this divine man who came to dwell on earth.
He has heard stories about his miracles and his teachings.
We don’t know who has told him these things, but he has been instructed in this way.
And maybe he has a lot of questions.
Maybe he believes and he is struggling.
Luke here wants us to know that we can be certain about the life and ministry of Jesus.
We can be certain that he fulfilled the OT.
We can be certain that the events of Christian Orthodoxy are rooted in history.
That Jesus actually taught these truths
That Jesus actually healed the lame, blind, sick and broken.
That Jesus actually had compassion on the outcast, the poor, the low in spirit.
That Jesus was innocent, yet he was put to death.
That he was treated as a criminal, though he was righteous.
That he died and was buried.
And that after he died, he rose again.
Spent time with his disciples.
And he wasn’t a ghost, but he ate with them.
And Luke knows this b/c he did all the work.
He interviewed people.
He talked to Mary.
He spoke with the Apostles.
He traveled with Paul.
He investigated the claims about Jesus and found that they were all true
And thankfully, 2000 years ago, he wrote them down and now we are beneficiaries of his hard work.
We get to read these accounts about Jesus.
We get to read about his love, compassion, teachings, and authority.
We get to study Jesus Christ the redeemer and savior of the world.
I don’t know where you are this morning, but I want you to be certain, that the things about Jesus are true.
Luke didn’t conspire to fool Theophilus.
He wanted to present the truth.
And he has.
And through the providence of the Lord, we get to read these same scriptures.
We get to read these same stories.
You may be naturally a skeptic, and I want you to know that Jesus is real.
That he really lived.
That he really died.
And that his followers really did believe they saw him risen from the grave.
They believed so much that most of them died for their belief.
You may be a believer, but you are struggling.
I want to encourage you to read this gospel.
I want you to see the lengths that Jesus went to so that he could demonstrate his love for those who would believe.
I want you to be comfortable knowing that you don’t have to have all the answers.
That you can still have questions.
That you can still struggle.
And Jesus will still be there.
Like Luke, if you feel like the outsider.
If you feel abandoned by your family, by your friends, and by the world.
Know that Jesus loves you deeply.
That he knows you fully.
And that he is were the ultimate comfort and rest lies.
He came to save people just like you.
He came to mend broken hearts.
He came to seek and save the lost.
He came. He lived. He died. He rose again.
To restore us back into a relationship with him.
And he is coming back to rule and reign forever and ever. Amen.
Let’s pray.