Lessons From Luke

What do you do when you have a story to tell and a friend of yours thinks that story may not be true? Or maybe they want to believe you, but they need some sort of proof that it actually happened. What would you do to help that person to see the truth? We learn about this as we encounter the books of Luke and Acts, as Luke writes to his friend Theophilus.

We know Luke as the writer of the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. He is mentioned by name only three times in the New Testament. He appears in Col. 4:14 as Paul sends greetings on Luke’s behalf. This is where we learn that Luke is a physician, a doctor. Luke seems to have a relationship with the church in Colossae. He is mentioned again in Philemon 24 alongside some of Paul’s other coworkers, and in 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul writes that Luke is the only coworker with him. From this we know very little about one of the men who wrote most of the New Testament. We do know that he was a close friend of the apostle Paul, that he was a Gentile, and that he traveled with Paul on some of his journeys. This was a man familiar with the earliest Christian leaders.

Luke’s writing seems to be targeted to one man, someone named Theophilus. The opening of the gospel of Luke says:

Luke 1:1–4 NASB95

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

Not much is known about Theophilus. The name literally means a friend or lover of God. Some believe this name is not a proper name, but was used to address the general Christian reader. Some believe Theophilus is a title of the person Luke is writing to and his given name is unknown. Others suggest this is his real name. The words to describe him are “most excellent,” which has led many to conclude that he had an important position within the Roman government. What is evident is that Luke is writing to one person, whose name may be hidden to keep his identity a secret, to explain the truth of what he has been taught.

Here is a man who writes an entire book to explain the truth of what another man has been taught. To what lengths would you go to ensure someone else has the opportunity to know the exact truth about Jesus, his life, and the start of the greatest movement the earth has ever seen? Luke wrote two books for his dear friend and they became a major part of the New Testament.

The four gospels present four distinct, but also unified view of Christ’s life. While there is a lot of overlap in the gospels, each gospel contains passages unique to itself. Each gospel is written for a different purpose and with a different audience in mind. Matthew was written for a Jewish audience. We see that in the focus on fulfillment of prophecy. It also shows us a bit of his characteristics. Since he was a tax collector, it would make sense that weights and measures and money would be a particular interest. It turns out the book of Matthew has more references to money than all the rest.

The Gospel of Luke does something similar. Luke is the only writer to mention anything about Jesus’ early life and the birth of John the Baptist. But he also emphasizes themes of compassion and mercy, inclusivity, social justice, repentance, forgiveness, hospitality, and more. But as we take a look at the introduction of the book itself, we discover how and why he wrote both the gospel of Luke and Acts.

Luke wanted to go back to the eyewitness accounts, which he seemed to have access to since he was a close traveling companion with the apostle Paul. Verse three tells us that Luke carefully investigated everything from the beginning and then wrote it out in consecutive order. The Gospel of Luke is the closest thing we have to a chronological account of Jesus’ life. The why was to provide assurance for what Theophilus was already hearing.

One lesson we learn from Luke is this:

We should be thorough in our investigation of the faith.

Luke carefully investigated everything from the beginning. Luke may have been a physician by trade, but his skills as a historian are on display here. Through archaeological discoveries, so much of the New Testament has been validated. Between the Gospel of Luke and Acts, Luke makes mention of 32 countries, 54 cities, and 9 islands without a single error. It would be improper to immediately jump to the conclusion that Jesus is the Messiah, but what we can say is that the books of Luke and Acts are written from an informed historical perspective.

We are talking about the greatest truth in the entire world: the gospel of Jesus Christ. A gospel that says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. The gospel says that all of us are separated from God, but through Jesus, his death, burial, and resurrection, we can find new and eternal life through him. Everlasting life is the hope and the promise of God for those who believe. It is a simple gospel, but a costly one. Believing in Christ changes everything and we ought to be certain that we understand what we believe and why we believe it. That requires investigation.

Luke is an example of what it is like to study the truth of these events and report them. We have more access today to research into the truth of Christianity than we have ever had. God does not want us to believe blindly. The historical accuracy of the New Testament can be validated for those who seek the truth. What it comes down to is whether we can believe what Jesus said about himself., and we can. The stories of Jesus come from eyewitnesses or those close to eyewitnesses. The claims of Jesus are validated by the miracles he performed. Those who witnessed these things reported to us what they had seen and heard, and spent the rest of their lives in service to the risen Christ.

We need to be thorough in our investigation of the faith.

The gospel is for everyone.

The gospel of Luke and the book of Acts help us see that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel for everyone. It is not just a gospel for Jews. We see statements all over the book of Luke demonstrating God’s desire to bring salvation to the whole world. The most clear story in Luke comes from a parable Jesus told in chapter 14.

Luke 14:15–24 NASB95

When one of those who were reclining at the table with Him heard this, he said to Him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” But He said to him, “A man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; and at the dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, ‘Come; for everything is ready now.’ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first one said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of land and I need to go out and look at it; please consider me excused.’ “Another one said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me excused.’ “Another one said, ‘I have married a wife, and for that reason I cannot come.’ “And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head of the household became angry and said to his slave, ‘Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.’ “And the slave said, ‘Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ “And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my house may be filled. ‘For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner.’ ”

In this parable we see the man already had a guest list, but when the time came, everyone had excuses for why they couldn’t come. This made the master of the house angry, so he sent his servant to go invite the poor, lame, crippled, and blind. These were the least likely to be invited to a dinner party such as this. All of a sudden, those who were on the outside were invited in. Then the master of the house told his servants to go even further, to the highways and hedges. Find as many as you can and compel them to come in.

These were not the people who were already religious. These were not the rich and powerful. These were not those who had earned a spot at the table or could repay the master of the house in any way. Jesus came to invite the whole world to repentance of sin, believe the gospel, and receive eternal life. The gospel is for every man, woman, and child. Therefore, we must preach to as many as we can.

Emulating Jesus means compassion for the marginalized.

One of the prominent features of Luke’s writing, which gives us insight into the things Luke cares about, is his emphasis on compassion to marginalized people. If we think about it, what would be missing from the Bible if the book of Luke was not present? Do we really need four gospels? Though much of the contents overlap, there is much that is unique to the book of Luke. All of chapter 15 is unique to Luke, and this is where we see the parables of the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost son (also known as the prodigal son). In all three of these stories, the object that is lost is the thing that the owner obsesses over until found. All these stories place a value on the thing that was lost that drives the owner to pursue it. Likewise, we who were lost were so valuable in the sight of God that he sent his Son to redeem us by dying on a cross, was buried in a tomb, and rising from the dead three days later.

The parable of the good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 tells us about a man who was traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho and was attacked by robbers and left for dead. Help came from the most unlikely source: a Samaritan. The priest wouldn’t help and the Levite wouldn’t help. The most religious lacked compassion. Rather, it was the one perceived as the enemy that was the most helpful.

The gospel of Luke portrays over and over again, the Lord’s care for the poor, the sick, and those who are in vulnerable positions. He cares for the orphan, the widow, and those who have nothing. These are included in the gospel of Luke not just because Jesus cares about them, but it also gives us insight into the things Luke cared about. No other gospel writer recorded these stories, and while the other gospels are not void of depicting Jesus’ compassion for the outcast, it is a major theme in the gospel of Luke. So many stories would be lost to history if the Holy Spirit had not prompted Luke to record them. From these stories we learn that we ought to emulate our Savior in how he modeled compassion for those society tried to forget.

We need to remember to carefully consider the truth of Christianity. There are numerous false claims out there and we can be swayed if we are not grounded in the truth God has revealed to us through the Bible. Luke inspires us to be thorough in our studies, knowing why we believe what we believe.

We must remember that the gospel is for everyone. It is not just for the Jew, but for each man, woman, and child as we are all made in God’s image. We have to remember that we witness to everybody, even those who are hard to love.

Finally, Christianity is a call to reflect Jesus Christ to the world around us. He modeled compassion for the marginalized and we must do the same. It was the poor, the blind, the lame, and crippled who were invited when everyone else said no. So let us go out and invite everyone we can in the hopes they will accept the invitation.