LUKE THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO LUKE This title has been associated with the third Gospel as long as it has been known. Its author was believed to be Luke, the first-century Christian physician who was a traveling companion of Paul. KEY TEXT: 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” KEY TERM: “SAVIOR” The saving activity of Jesus, both in His ministry and in His death, is the focus of this book. Because His mission was to save others, He did not save Himself (23:35). ONE-SENTENCE SUMMARY Jesus not only lived and ministered as the perfect human, but He also died and rose to new life as the Savior for sinners. The old Roman road from Jerusalem to Jericho was the setting for Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan (10:25–37). Those who heard Jesus knew well the hazards of traveling this route. 332 LUKE AUTHOR AND DATE OF WRITING Luke, Perhaps Around AD 60–61 The book is anonymous, but early Christian tradition uniformly affirmed that Luke composed this Gospel as well as Acts. See Author and Date of Writing for ACTS for reasons supporting Luke’s authorship of Acts. The dedications to Theophilus, the similar Greek style and vocabulary, and special shared emphases of the books (such as prayer and joy) all point to common authorship. Luke was a secondary figure in the book of Acts, known not by name but by his use of the pronouns “we” and “us” when he was present during the actions he was describing. Paul named him three times in his letters (Col 4:14; 2Tm 4:11; Phm 24). He was a Gentile, a medical doctor, and a loyal supporter of Paul. His home city and the nature of his con version are unknown. Most critical scholars believe the author of the third Gospel and Acts was someone other than the Luke of Paul’s letters or the “we” of Acts. The date of Luke must be after Mark, which Luke almost certainly used as a source, but before Acts, which was perhaps published around AD 61–62. If Luke researched his Gospel while Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea, then perhaps he wrote and published from Caesarea (c. AD 59) or possibly after he arrived in Rome with Paul after the famous shipwreck (c. AD 61). Other scholars have argued that Luke, like all the Gospels, must be dated later, from the AD 70s or 80s. FIRST AUDIENCE AND DESTINATION Theophilus, a Gentile Whose Residence is Unknown Luke explicitly dedicated this Gospel to Theophilus (“God’s friend”), whom he called “most honorable.” Mentioned only in the prefaces to Luke and Acts, he appears to have been a Gentile of high social status who had been “instructed” in Christianity but wanted more detailed information about Jesus. Theophilus may have provided financial patronage for Luke, underwriting his research expenses. OCCASION The needs of Theophilus provided the immediate prompting for Luke’s writing. Already “many” had written of Jesus’ life, and in his preface Luke said that he used sources, including eyewitnesses. Luke possibly used the two years Paul was impris- oned in Caesarea (Ac 24:26–27; 27:1) to research the Gospel. He had access to any number of witnesses to Jesus’ life, possibly including Jesus’ mother (Lk 2:19,51). Most scholars believe he was also aided by reading Mark’s Gospel plus a (now lost) record of Jesus’ teachings (sometimes called “Q”). There is much to commend the view that Luke interwove Mark, “Q,” and his own research findings into his own care- ful account. 333 Jesus’ Birth and Early Childhood. HOLMAN ILLUSTRATED BIBLE HANDBOOK HOLMAN ILLUSTRATED 334 LUKE PURPOSE The author explicitly stated his purpose in the preface (1:1–4). He wrote his Gospel to provide an orderly account of the beginnings of Christianity so the reader will have reliable information about Jesus Christ. Every fair understanding of this Gospel accepts this as a beginning point for understanding. FIRST PASS Luke’s Purpose: Certainty Of the four Gospel writers, Luke and John (20:31) expressly state their purpose in writing (1:1–4). Luke’s prologue is addressed to “most honorable Theophilus” for whom he intended to provide certainty regarding the matters in which he had been instructed. Luke acknowledged other narratives. He likely consulted these and supplemented these accounts with his own careful, firsthand research with “original eyewitnesses.” Drawing on these sources, Luke provided Theophilus with an orderly account. John the Baptist and Jesus Following his prologue, Luke launched into a unique comparison of John and Jesus by showing how both represent the fulfillment of promises made by God. John was like Elijah, but Jesus had Davidic roles to fulfill and possessed a unique supernatural origin. John was forerunner, but Jesus was fulfillment (1:5–2:52). This section nar- rates the birth announcements of John and Jesus as well as their births. Jesus’ own self-awareness concludes the introductory overture in the Gospel. Here the young boy declared to religious leaders in the temple that He must be about the work of His Father in the temple. Preparation for Ministry . Only Luke contains the section where the ethical dimensions of John’s call to repen- tance in terms of compassionate response to others is made clear. John also warns about judgment, calls for repentance, and promises the coming of One who brings God’s Spirit. John baptized Jesus, but the main feature of the baptism is one of two heavenly testimonies to Jesus (9:35 has the other). The universal character of Jesus’ relationship to humankind is highlighted in the . list of His ancestors. He is “son of Adam, son of God.” (3:23–38). Jesus not only has connections to heaven but also connections with those created from the dust of the earth. Following Jesus’ baptism, Jesus’ first actions were to overcome temptations from Satan, something Adam had failed to do. So this section shows Jesus as anointed by God, representative of humanity and faithful to God (4:1–13). Galilean Ministry Luke turns to Jesus’ 18-month public ministry in Galilee (4:14–9:50). The account of this ministry is shared by Matthew, Mark, and Luke; however Luke provides a unique 335 . HOLMAN ILLUSTRATED BIBLE HANDBOOK perspective on these months. Only Luke includes Jesus’ declaration of the fulfill- ment of God’s promise in His hometown synagogue and the Sermon on the Plain (6:17–49). His interpretation of Isaiah 61 in the synagogue represents Jesus’ self- description of His mission, while the sermon sets forth His fundamental ethic pre- sented without concerns for Jewish tradition that Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount possesses. Jesus’ ability to bring salvation is pictured in a series of miracles. These miracles show His total authority by exhibiting sovereignty over nature, over demons, and over disease and death. Beyond deliverance is mission. Disciples are called to be fishers of men. Unlike fishermen, who catch fish to devour them, dis- ciples fish to snatch people from the grip of death and damnation. At this point the narrative moves from Jesus’ teaching and demonstration of authority to confession and call to discipleship. Peter confessed Jesus to be the Christ. Then Jesus explained what kind of Messiah He would be: He would suffer. Those who follow Jesus must have total and daily commitment in order to survive the path of rejection that comes with following Him. Mount Precipice in Nazareth. “When they heard this, everyone in the synagogue was enraged. They got up, drove Him out of town, and brought Him to the edge of the hill that their town was built on, intending to hurl Him over the cliff. But He passed right through the crowd336 and went on His way”(4:28–30). LUKE Journey to Jerusalem This section is often referred to as the “travel narrative” since it roughly outlines the final journey of Jesus to Jerusalem (9:51–19:44). Luke 10:38–42 and 17:11 seem to indicate that the narrative is only broadly chronological, and this may account for some of the variations with the settings in Matthew, though it is also possible Jesus repeated these teachings on multiple occasions. A significant amount of material in this section is unique to Luke and can be seen as an extended opportunity for Jesus to prepare His disciples for their mission following His death and resurrection. Jerusalem In this concluding section Luke explained how Jesus died and why apparent defeat became victory (19:45–24:53). Luke showed how God revealed who Jesus was. In addition, the task of disciples in light of God’s acts becomes clear. Luke mixed fresh material with that present in the other Gospels. The final battles in Jesus’ earthly ministry occur here, recalling earlier confrontations in Luke 11–13. Jesus cleansed the temple, signaling His displeasure with official Judaism. In light of the nation rejecting Him, Jesus predicted the fall of the temple and of Jerusalem—events that themselves are a foretaste of the end. The fall of Jerusalem would be a terrible time for the nation, but it was not yet the end, when the Son of Man returns on the clouds with authority to redeem His people (Dn 7:13–14). The Zacchaeus’s sycamore tree in Jericho. As Jesus came to Jerusalem for the last time, He came through Jericho where he encountered Zacchaeus who had climbed a sycamore tree to better see Jesus, per- haps without being seen. Zacchaeus’s response to Jesus’ invi- tation was life-changing (Lk 19:1–10).