Luke Intro

Brothers and sisters, peace be with you! Let’s begin our study of the Gospel of Luke. This study will take the next two months as we carefully explore the life of Jesus through this Gospel. Now, let me introduce the author of this Gospel—Luke. Luke was a doctor, and although he was not one of the apostles, he had a very close working relationship with Jesus’ disciples, particularly Paul and other apostles. He traveled with Paul and spent much of his life preaching and establishing churches, thus he had access to firsthand information about the Apostle Paul and the process of evangelism. Luke was a Gentile, without a Jewish cultural background. Therefore, in contrast to the other three Gospels, he wrote from a non-Jewish perspective, which makes this Gospel especially suitable for Gentile readers. He did not use many Jewish terms or language but instead adopted the most common Greek language of the time, the "common tongue" that everyone could understand. Hence, for those without a Jewish background, this is the easiest Gospel to read. In the Gospel of Luke, we can observe several distinct characteristics. Firstly, the years mentioned in Luke are based on the official Roman calendar, not the Jewish calendar. Additionally, Luke does not place heavy emphasis on Old Testament Jewish prophecies being fulfilled in Jesus, so there are fewer Old Testament citations in his writing. This is in contrast to Matthew’s Gospel, which emphasizes how Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies, while Luke focuses more on the universality of the Gospel. Secondly, most of Luke’s writing is in the commonly spoken Greek language of the time, rather than Hebrew, which was the language traditionally used by the Jews. This approach made it easier for readers unfamiliar with Hebrew to understand his account. His writing style helped Gentiles engage with and comprehend the life and teachings of Jesus. Another noteworthy detail is that when recording Jesus' genealogy, Luke traces it not only back to Abraham (the father of the Jewish people) but all the way back to Adam—the ancestor of all humankind. This shows that Luke's perspective is not limited to the Jewish people but places Jesus within the broader context of human history, indicating that the Gospel is meant for all people. Therefore, in the Gospel of Luke, we see that Luke intentionally avoids focusing too much on Jewish traditions and culture and instead emphasizes the universal nature of the Gospel, making it accessible to all people, not just a privileged few. This is crucial because it highlights the core message of the Gospel—Jesus came to save all of humanity, not just one particular nation. Moreover, Luke was a highly literate doctor. His Greek is elegant and complete, demonstrating exceptional expressive ability. He was also an excellent historian, recording in precise detail everything that occurred during his time. As a result, the Gospel of Luke is not only a Gospel but also a valuable historical document. Subsequent archaeologists, in their studies, have referred to Luke’s accounts and found them to be highly accurate, greatly contributing to the advancement of biblical archaeology. Thus, Luke was not only an outstanding collaborator but also a skilled historian. In addition, we know that after completing the Gospel of Luke, he wrote his second book—Acts of the Apostles. He first fully recorded the life of Jesus, then detailed the missionary journeys of Paul and the other apostles. By reading both books together, we gain a clear historical timeline: from the ministry of Jesus, to the continuing work of the Holy Spirit, and how the Gospel gradually spread throughout the Roman Empire. This gives us an extremely accurate and complete historical record, witnessing how the Gospel changed the world. Spiritual Reflection for Today: Do I truly understand the life of Jesus? His ministry on earth lasted only three and a half years, yet it has influenced countless generations and transcended cultu