Episode Details

Luke Was Not a Disciple: An Introduction to the Gospel of Luke

We're starting our fall study of the Gospel of Luke, and before we open the text, it's worth knowing who wrote this book and why. Luke was a physician, a careful historian, and the only non-Jewish author in all of Scripture. He wasn't one of the twelve. He never met Jesus. And he wrote for someone who had already heard the stories but needed something solid underneath them.If you have ever felt like an outsider in church, or found that your own faith has gotten a little shakier than you'd like to admit, this is your gospel.

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Why are we studying Luke and Acts together?

Because that's how they were written. Luke was originally the first of two books, with Acts as the second. Treating them as one continuous work is the way they were meant to be read, and together they make up roughly a quarter of the New Testament. Luke gives us the birth, life, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus. Acts picks up with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the formation of the early church, and the work of the apostles.

Who wrote the Gospel of Luke?

The book itself doesn't name its author, but the consensus is unanimous and uncontested. Early Christian tradition, along with the writing style and structure, all point to Luke. This isn't one of the books scholars argue about.Here's what surprises most people: Luke was not one of the disciples. He never knew Jesus personally. He was a Gentile who later became a follower of Jesus, which makes him the only non-Jewish author of any book in the Bible. Paul calls him a dear friend and tells us he was a physician. He was educated, careful as a historian, and a theologian.

Who was Theophilus?

The name means one who loves God, which has led some to read it as a title for any believer. That's a fair application, but it's probably not what it meant originally. Luke calls him most excellent, and that same phrase is used elsewhere in Scripture for Roman officials. Most scholars land on Theophilus being a Roman official or at least a man of real wealth and status, quite possibly Luke's sponsor, the person who funded the writing and distribution. Either way, this was a letter written to a specific man for a specific reason.

Why did Luke write a fourth gospel?

Because there was a gap. Matthew wrote for a Jewish audience. Mark wrote a short account for the church in Rome. But Greek-speaking Gentiles had only oral accounts and brief written summaries. They had no complete story of Jesus from a perspective that made sense to them. Luke saw the need, and the Lord led him to fill it. Most of his research was likely done while Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea, and he probably finished soon after arriving in Rome.You can see that Gentile focus in the text itself. Matthew traces the genealogy of Jesus back to Abraham, which is what a Jewish audience would want. Luke traces it all the way back to Adam, because his readers needed to know that Jesus came for all of humanity, not one nation.

What makes Luke different from the other gospels?

Luke's writing (Luke and Acts toge