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INTRODUCTION Meet Dr. Luke. Luke Was the Author of Both the Gospel Of INTRODUCTION Meet Dr. Luke. Luke was the author of both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts. Paul refers to him as "the beloved physician" (Col. 4:14) and one of his "fellow workers" (Philemon 24). He no doubt ministered to Paul's personal medical needs on his second missionary journey, and during Paul's imprisonment in Rome. He also helped in the work of preaching the gospel. He was the first medical missionary. Some scholars think that he was the first minister of the church at Philippi. Just before Paul's execution by the emperor Nero, Luke is mentioned for the last time in the Bible. Paul says, "only Luke is with me" (2 Tim. 4:11). Luke generally is thought to have been a Gentile. Early Christian tradition says that Luke came from Antioch of Syria, that he, like Paul, was single, and that he lived to the age of 84. Luke's Gospel. Luke wrote his Gospel for a Greek audience. He stresses more than the other three Gospels the humanity of Jesus. His favorite title for Jesus is "Son of man." He draws special attention to Jesus' concern for outcasts, the poor, children and women. More prayers of Jesus are recorded by Luke than the other Gospel writers. Listed below is an outline of the life of Jesus with the nineteen most important events. Those marked with * are described in Luke. A. Preparation Phase: 30 years (Matt. 1:1-4:11; Mark 1:1-11; Luke 1:1-3:21; John 1:1-51). *1. Birth. *2. Temple Visit (age 12). *3. Baptism (age 30). B. Obscurity Phrase: 1 year (Matt. 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 3:21-4:13; John 2:1-4:54). *4. Temptation. 5. First Miracle at Cana. 6. First Cleansing of Temple. C. Popularity Phase: 1 year (Matt. 4:12-9:35; Mark 1:14-5:43; Luke 4:14-9:17; John 5:5:1-47). *7. Twelve ordained. *8. Two resurrections. *9. Feeding of 5,000. D. Opposition Phase: 1 year (Matt. 9:36-18:35; Mark 6:1-9:50; Luke 9:18-13:21; John 6:1-10:39). 10. Feeding of 4,000. *11. Peter's Confession. *12. Transfiguration. *13. Sending forth the 72. E. Persecution Phrase: 3 months (Matt. 19:1-20:34; Mark 10:1-52; Luke 13:22-19:27; John 10:40- 11:57). *14. Resurrection of Lazarus. F. Final Week (Matt. 21:1-27:66; Mark 11:15-47; Luke 19:28-23:56; John 12:1-19:42). *15. Triumphal Entry. *16. Second Cleansing of Temple. *17. Crucifixion. G. Triumph Phase: 40 days (Matt. 28:1-20; Mark 16:1-20; Luke 24:1-53; John 20:1-21:25). *18. Resurrection. *19. Ascension. PREFACE Luke 1:1-4 I. Previous Efforts (1:1-2): 23 A. Their Number (1:1a): Many have undertaken to draw up an account : When Luke began to write in about AD 60 others had already written accounts of various aspects of the life of Jesus. None of them, however, had done what Luke aims to do. Most of those earliest written records of Jesus' life have not survived. We do, however, have the Gospel of Matthew, and possibly Mark, which had already been written at the time Luke took up the pen. B. Their Subject (1:1b): The things that have been fulfilled among us : For Luke history was no accident. It was the fulfillment of a divine plan. The coming of Christ had been predicted by the prophets of the Old Testament. C. Their Sources (1:2): 1. Eyewitnesses (1:2a): Just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses: Luke was not himself an eyewitness of the events of Jesus' life. He relied on the testimony of the eyewitnesses. During travels with Paul in Palestine he would have had abundant opportunity to interview those eyewitnesses. 2. Original teachers (1:2b): And servants of the word: The eyewitnesses had been willing to pass down to others that of which they had personal knowledge. They preached and taught the word or gospel. II. Luke's Intentions (1:3-4): A. Luke's Investigation (1:3a): I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning : Luke wanted his account of Christ's life to be both complete and accurate. B. Luke's Goal (1:3b): An orderly account: Luke aimed to record the events of Christ's life in chronological order. C. Luke's Patron (1:3c): Most excellent Theophilus : The name Theophilus means "lover of God." He probably was a wealthy Gentile Christian who provided the money to get the book of Luke published. It is thought that he lived in or near Rome. Luke writes this book with Gentiles like Theophilus in mind. D. Luke's Purpose (1:4): So that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught : Theophilus already was a believer, but he was in need of further grounding in the truth about Jesus. Many false teachers were twisting the facts of Christ's life. Theophilus need to have accurate facts upon which to build his faith. 1 PREPARATION FOR THE SAVIOR Luke 1:5-4:13 Annunciations Luke 1:5-56 I. Announcement of John's Birth (1:5-25): A. Time of the Announcement (1:5a): In the time of Herod king of Judea: Herod the Great ruled the Jews from 37-4 BC. He is not to be confused with his son Herod the tetrarch mentioned later in Luke. Though not a Jew himself, Herod had been appointed by the Romans to be the King of the Jews. 1 Why is it important for us to have accurate information about the life of Jesus? What are some problems which might arise when members of a church are not well taught about Jesus' life? 24 The area in which the Jews lived is called Judea. Herod is the monster who ordered the infants in Bethlehem to be killed as recorded by Matthew. B. Recipients of the Announcement (1:5b-7): 1. Their ancestry (1:5b): There was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah . His wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron : During the days of David the priests had been organized into 24 divisions (1 Chron 24:1-6). Twice a year each division was on duty in the temple in Jerusalem for one week. Under the Law of Moses all priests were required to be descendants of Aaron. The Law did not require a priest to marry a wife of the priestly family, but this was considered a special blessing. 2 2. Their character (1:6): Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord's commandments and regulations blamelessly : To be upright or righteous means to be obedient to the will of God. Zechariah and Elizabeth obeyed the rules and regulations of the Law of Moses. 3 3. Their problem (1:7): But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well along in years : A married woman who could not bear children was considered to be under a curse. She was looked down upon by other women. Through the years Elizabeth had endured this sorrow. She and her husband were at the stage of life when, humanly speaking, it was impossible for them to have children. C. Circumstances of the Announcement (1:8-10): 1. On duty at the temple (1:8): Once when Zechariah's division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God : A priestly division served for one week in the Jerusalem temple twice a year. 2. Chosen for special service (1:9): He was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense : The priests would divide the temple duties by casting lots. This was equivalent to the modern practice of drawing straws. Among the more desirable duties, was entering into the beautiful temple to offer up incense at the golden altar of incense that stood immediately in front of the curtain which divided the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. A priest was only allowed to have this privilege once in his lifetime. 3. Engaged in solemn ministry (1:10): And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside : Incense was offered twice a day, in the morning and in mid-afternoon. Worshipers actually did not enter the temple; they remained outside in the vast courtyards which surrounded the sacred building. 4 D. Agent of the Announcement (1:11-13a): 1. The appearance of an angel (1:11): Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense : Angels are ministering spirits. On occasion God permitted them to materialize so as to be seen by the eyes of man. 2. The reaction of Zechariah (1:12): When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear : It is natural that the sudden, unexpected appearance of a strong, holy, dazzlingly brilliant angel caused the old priest to tremble. 3. The reassurance of the angel (1:13a): But the angel said to him: Do not be afraid, Zechariah : Often in the Scriptures the Lord or his agents encourage people not to be afraid. This is another way of saying, Cheer up! Your prayer has been heard : The angel may be referring to the priestly prayer that Zechariah was making on behalf of God's people at that altar of incense.
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