The Gospel According to Luke (Luke 1:1–24:53)

I. THE PREFACE

Among the three synoptic Gospels, the Gospel of Luke offers the richest information about its own origin. Its author, who does not name himself, begins with a literary introduction in which he sets out the purpose of his narrative, the methods he used, and his relationship to other contemporaries of his who had attempted to write similar Gospels (Luke 1:1–4):

1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught. (Luke 1:1–4)

This introduction is the key to the book, and also to the Acts of the Apostles, if we regard Luke and Acts as two parts of one single whole.

On the basis of the introduction, the following conclusions may be drawn:

1. By the time of the author, a number of works already existed that contained only partial — or perhaps distorted — descriptions of the life and work of Jesus. The author would not have written his own Gospel had he been fully satisfied with the contents of these writings known to him.

2. These writings had the aim of arranging systematically the facts that were already known (“many have undertaken to draw up an account” — 1:1).

3. The facts were already well known in the Christian world, and were recognized and accepted independently of these accounts. Luke speaks of “the things that have been fulfilled among us” (1:1).

4. The author felt himself to be at least as well informed as the other authors of Gospels, and at the same time considered himself able to take responsibility for writing his own account of Christ (“since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus” 1:3).

5. The author draws his information from well-informed, competent, and official sources (“those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word” 1:2).

6. The author was well acquainted with the facts, whether through personal observation or through the gathering of information, and he was certainly a contemporary of the main body of the events, in the sense that he lived among the generation of their eyewitnesses (“I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning” 1:3).

7. Luke’s knowledge extends over all the essential facts. His Gospel contains a number of features not mentioned in the other Gospels, and it presents the life of Christ most fully.

8. The author assures us that he writes accurately and in logical order. The phrase “to write an orderly account” (1:3) does not necessarily require writing in chronological sequence, but means that he had a definite plan to follow and intended to keep to it.

9. Luke’s addressee was most probably a man of the upper class, who here may have been called by the new name he received at his baptism. Theophilus means literally “one who loves God” or “one loved by God.” The epithet “most excellent” was usually used only for officials or for members of the aristocracy. He may have been a convert of Luke’s or his patron, who took upon himself the responsibility of circulating his writings.

10. Theophilus had already been instructed orally in the good news about Christ, perhaps through sermons he had heard, but he evidently needed further teaching to confirm him and to convince him of the truth.

11. The evident purpose of Luke was to offer his friend Theophilus a full knowledge of the truth.

Bearing in mind the conclusions above, we may conclude that the author was a man who possessed literary talent and knew how to employ it in order to set down in writing the good news about Christ. So then, who is he?

II. THE AUTHOR

Identifying the author depends on the connection between the Third Gospel and the book of the Acts of the Apostles. If they were written by one and the same person, then we may take Luke to be the author of the Gospel. In the Acts of the Apostles the author was undoubtedly a participant in many of the events he describes, for he often uses the pronoun “we,” which implies that he too took part in the action. The passages in which this pronoun is used have become a useful source for determining the interests, character, and probable identity of the author.

According to one of these paragraphs, found in Acts 11:28 in Codex Bezae (D) — a sixth-century manuscript in which exceptional readings often occur, as in this case — it says:

“And there was great rejoicing; and when we had gathered together, one of them named Agabus spoke, saying that a great famine was about to come upon the whole world…”

Since this reading occurs only in Codex Bezae (D), it is in principle rejected; but if it is genuine, it makes the author a participant in the first church in Antioch during the ministry of Barnabas and Saul there.

The first generally accepted reference is found in Acts 16:10, in connection with the departure of the Apostle Paul from Troas during his second missionary journey (Acts 16:8–12).

8 So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. 11 From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day we went on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. (Acts 16:8–12)

The author of the book accompanied Paul from Troas to Philippi, where the sentences in the first-person plural cease and the account of Paul’s imprisonment begins (16:17–34). He was probably in Philippi, but was not arrested. The “we” passages appear again at Paul’s return to Macedonia in Acts 20:6.

6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days. (Acts 20:6)

From this place onward the pronoun “we” continues to the end of the book, although it does not appear that the author was together with Paul during his imprisonment in Caesarea. Nevertheless, it is evident that he accompanied him on his voyage by sea to Rome and remained with him to the end of the narrative (Acts 27:1–2).

1 When it was decided that we would sail for Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were handed over to a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment. 2 We boarded a ship from Adramyttium about to sail for ports along the coast of the province of Asia, and we put out to sea. Aristarchus, a Macedonian from Thessalonica, was with us. (Acts 27:1–2)

The connection between the Gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles is very close. Both documents are addressed to the same person — Theophilus. The introduction to the Acts of the Apostles coincides precisely with the content of the Gospel according to Luke when it speaks of “the former account of all that Jesus did and taught” (Acts 1:1–4).

1 In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach 2 until the day he was taken up to heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. 3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. 4 On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. (Acts 1:1–4)

The emphasis on the resurrection and the teaching ministry of Jesus during the forty days between His resurrection and His ascension coincides exactly with the content of Luke chapter 24.

The stress on the role of the Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles is the same as in the Third Gospel. The closeness in vocabulary, style, and choice of expressions in the two works is entirely evident. These similarities suggest that the facts that hold for clarifying the identity of the author of the Acts of the Apostles hold with equal force for the author of the Third Gospel, and may legitimately be used to identify him.

Consequently, the author of Luke–Acts could well have been a Gentile from Antioch, who came to faith there no later than fifteen years after Pentecost. He was a friend and fellow worker of the Apostle Paul, and accompanied him during his second missionary journey after their meeting in Troas (Acts 16:10). He remained in Philippi as pastor of the church while Paul continued his missionary work in Achaia. When the apostle returned to Philippi during his third missionary journey, the author once again joined his company (20:6). He went with him, and by way of Troas and Miletus he accompanied him to Jerusalem.

Nothing is mentioned about what the author did during Paul’s four years of imprisonment in Caesarea, but it is clear that at the end of this period he accompanied him to Rome, where Paul was to appear for trial before the emperor.

This man, whose diary represents the best source of information about Paul’s missionary journeys, must have been a close companion of the great apostle. Of the apostle’s known companions from that period, no one else fits the description except Luke. His identification is established chiefly by the method of elimination. The writer is not Timothy or any of those mentioned in Acts 20:4–6, because they evidently did not accompany Paul on his way from Philippi to Troas, but joined him later.

4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days. (Acts 20:4–6)

If we check the list of Paul’s companions in the letter to the Colossians (Colossians 4:7–14)

7 Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. 8 I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. 9 He is coming with Onesimus, our faithful and dear brother, who is one of you. They will tell you everything that is happening here. 10 My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. (You have received instructions about him; if he comes to you, welcome him.) 11 Jesus, who is called Justus, also sends greetings. These are the only Jews among my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have proved a comfort to me. 12 Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. 13 I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis. 14 Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. (Colossians 4:7–14)

and the one in the Letter to Philemon (1:23–24)

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends you greetings. 24 And so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas and Luke, my fellow workers. (Philemon 1:23–24)

it will be seen that:

• Tychicus, Aristarchus, and Timothy can be excluded, since they are part of the list in Acts 20:4;
• Mark is not the writer, since in Acts he is mentioned only in the third person singular;
• Epaphras did not work in Philippi, but in Asia Minor;
• Demas ended his spiritual course in disgrace (2 Timothy 4:10);
• Justus was a full-blooded Jew, which the author of the Third Gospel and Acts was not.

Only one person remains, and therefore only one possibility — Luke. This conclusion is supported also by the scanty evidence available. The author possessed great literary abilities and was probably well educated. His language betrays a distinctly Greek cast of mind. For example, he uses the word “barbarians” in Acts 28:2, 4 (in the 1938 Bulgarian translation, “natives”), which does not mean that the inhabitants of the island of Malta were truly uncouth savages, but simply that they were not a Greek-speaking people. The writer had the ability to observe carefully, as is evident from Acts chapter 27. Here he gives us the finest description of ancient seafaring that has come down to us from antiquity. A comparison of Mark 5:25–26 with Luke 8:43 helps us to see that he had the professional interest of a physician, which is what he is called in Colossians 4:14 — “Luke, the doctor.”

Incidental evidence supports the conclusion that Luke, the physician and friend of Paul, is the author of the Third Gospel. Justin Martyr of the second century used this Gospel (compare Luke 22:4 with the Dialogue with Trypho, CIII). Tatian used it in the Diatessaron. Marcion included a revised form of it in his canon. From the second century onward it was often cited as written by Luke. Tertullian alone quoted or referred to it more than 500 times.

III. TIME AND PLACE

There are two points that fix the limits of the time in which the Gospel was written: it must have been written before the Acts of the Apostles, and after Christianity had already developed sufficiently to attract the attention of a Gentile nobleman such as Theophilus. The book of Acts was probably written before the end of Paul’s first imprisonment in Rome, since the abrupt ending of the book suggests that the author had nothing more to say. The Gospel, of course, was written after the end of Jesus’ life, and its prologue shows that many others had already attempted to write Gospels about the facts that were believed by a Christian community that had grown considerably. Perhaps A.D. 60 might serve as a landmark, for by that time Luke could already have been a Christian for more than ten years and could have traveled throughout Palestine, where he could have met many of those who had known Jesus while He was still on earth. It is possible that he used the time while Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea to gather information about the life of Jesus, of whom he had heard so much and whose servant he himself was.

In the Gospel there is no indication whatsoever of the place of its writing. It was probably written somewhere outside Palestine, though it could also have been composed in Caesarea. Most of the suggestions — including Rome, Caesarea, Achaia, Asia Minor, Alexandria, and why not Philippi — are only conjectures. There is not a single good early tradition about the place of its writing. It can only be said that it was written somewhere in the Hellenic world, by a man who had worked among Gentiles.

IV. CONTENT

In its general arrangement and sequence, the Gospel according to Luke follows the main series of events as given by Matthew and Mark, but into it are incorporated many unique additions.

• The account of the birth of John the Baptist (1:5–25; 57–80);
• The account of the birth and childhood of Jesus (1:26–56; 2:1–52);
• The genealogy from Adam (3:23–38);
• The sermon in Nazareth (4:16–30);
• The special calling of Peter (5:8–10);
• Six miracles:

• The miraculous catch of fish 5:1–11;
• The raising of the widow’s son at Nain 7:11–17;
• The freeing of the crippled woman 13:10–17;
• The healing of the man suffering from dropsy 14:1–6;
• The cleansing of the ten lepers 17:11–19;
• The healing of the ear of Malchus, the servant of the high priest 22:49–51.

• Nineteen parables:

• The parable of the two debtors 7:41–43;
• The parable of the good Samaritan 10:30–37;
• The parable of the friend at midnight 11:5–8;
• The parable of the rich fool 12:13–21;
• The parable of the watching servants 12:35–40;
• The parable of the self-willed servant 12:41–48;
• The parable of the barren fig tree 13:6–9;
• The parable of the place of honor 14:7–11;
• The parable of the great banquet 14:16–24;
• The parable of the tower 14:28–30;
• The parable of the king going to war 14:31–32;
• The parable of the lost coin 15:8–10;
• The parable of the prodigal son 15:11–32;
• The parable of the unfaithful steward 16:1–13;
• The parable of the rich man and Lazarus 16:19–31;
• The parable of the unworthy servants 17:7–10;
• The parable of the persistent widow 18:1–8;
• The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector 18:9–14;
• The parable of the ten minas 19:11–27.

• The meeting with Zacchaeus (19:1–10);
• The humiliation of Jesus by Herod (23:8–12);
• The appearance of Jesus to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (24:13–35).

These are the main additions in the Gospel of Luke.

V. PLAN

Luke’s material is organized around the central idea that Jesus is a member of humanity, who lived the perfect life of the Son of Man through the power of the Holy Spirit. The development of this concept is rooted in Luke 2:11, where the newborn child is proclaimed “a Savior… the Messiah, the Lord.” The first of these titles describes His mission, while the second and third identify Him as the Jewish Messiah.

LUKE: THE GOSPEL OF THE SAVIOR OF MANKIND

1. Preface 1:1–4

2. Preparation for the coming of the Savior 1:5–2:52

• The annunciations 1:5–56;
• The birth of John 1:57–80;
• The birth and childhood of Jesus 2:1–52.

The section on the preparation for the coming of the Savior contains material that is not repeated in the other Gospels. Matthew, too, affirms that Jesus was born of a virgin, but he tells the story from Joseph’s point of view, while Luke conveys it from Mary’s point of view. Concerning the birth of John the Baptist there is no record in the other Gospels.

3. Presentation of the Savior 3:1–4:15

• The ministry of John 3:1–20;
• The baptism 3:21–22;
• The genealogy 3:23–28;
• The temptation 4:1–13;
• The return to Galilee 4:14–15.

This section begins by pointing to Christ’s direct connection with history, as if to show that Jesus is not some idealized religious image of an imagined hero, but a wholly real participant in human history with a birth date and place of birth. His genealogy is traced back to Adam and emphasizes His human origin rather than His membership in the royal line of David. In terms of content, the account of the temptation is similar to that in Matthew, only in a different order. In addition, Luke draws attention to the fact that the devil “had finished all this tempting” (4:13), by which he seems to wish to show that Jesus experienced every possible human temptation.

4. The ministry of the Savior 4:16–9:50

• Proclamation of the purpose 4:16–44;
• Manifestations of power 5:1–6:11;
• Calling of helpers 6:12–19;
• Declaration of the principles 6:20–49;
• Ministry of mercy 7:1–9:17;
• Revelation about the cross 9:18–50.

For the beginning of the fourth section, the evangelist has included the sermon in Nazareth, in which Jesus proclaims His connection with the prophetic writings. As the purpose of His ministry Christ sets the proclamation of “the year of the Lord’s favor.” The further biographical material is similar to that of the other synoptics, though Luke has inserted many separate details.

5. The mission of the Savior 9:51–18:30

• Challenges to follow Jesus 9:51–62;
• The sending of the seventy 10:1–24;
• Teaching about the kingdom of God 10:25–13:20;
• The rise of public conflict 13:22–16:31;
• Teachings to the disciples 17:1–18:30.

The fifth section, peculiar in kind, is characteristic of Luke. With the exception of occasional passages, very little of the text between Luke 9:51 and 18:30 is found in the other Gospels. Seventeen of the total nineteen unique parables in the Gospel are found here. Although at first glance they may seem to be gathered at random, in reality they clarify the meaning of Christ’s mission. Every parable, every account is a specimen of Luke’s mastery in using new, fresh information about the life of Christ, through which to explain to his Gentile readers the significance of Jesus’ person and mission.

6. The sufferings of the Savior 18:31–23:56

• Events on the way to Jerusalem 18:31–19:27;
• Arrival in Jerusalem 19:28–44;
• Conflict in Jerusalem 19:45–21:4;
• Predictions about Jerusalem 21:5–38;
• The Last Supper 22:1–38;
• The betrayal 22:39–53;
• The arrest and the trial 22:54–23:25;
• The crucifixion 23:26–49;
• The burial 23:50–56.

The account of Passion Week does not contain large separate paragraphs that differ substantially from the general pattern of the synoptic narrative as a whole. The order of the Last Supper (22:19–30), the account of how Jesus comforts Peter (22:31), the episode of the bloody sweat (22:43–44), the taking of Jesus to Herod (23:4–16), Jesus’ words to the women of Jerusalem (23:27–31), and the repentant robber (23:39–43) lend vividness and color to the narrative, but by no means alter its progress and significance. Luke emphasizes the human sufferings and compassion of Jesus, showing how the Son of Man endured the cross in obedience to His Father.

7. The resurrection of the Savior 24:1–53

• The empty tomb 24:1–12;
• The appearance at Emmaus 24:13–35;
• The appearance to the disciples 24:36–43;
• The Great Commission 24:44–49;
• The ascension 24:50–53.

The account of the resurrection is strikingly new and different. The event is real, as in the other evangelists, but the appearance of Jesus to the two men on the road to Emmaus lends even greater credibility to the narrative. It is full of irrefutable evidence that in the person of Christ something new has happened on earth. Such elements of proof are the fact of Christ’s death, the despair of the disciples, and then the unexpected and convincing appearance of Jesus, and the way in which He breaks the bread and interprets to them the Scriptures as referring to Himself.

VI. DISTINCTIVE FEATURES

1. A literary Gospel.

Compared with the other Gospels, that of Luke possesses the greatest literary merits. Its stories, taken from the mouth of Jesus or told by Luke himself, are pearls of expression. His vocabulary is rich and varied. Four beautiful songs or poems have found a place in his work and have been preserved to our own day as hymns of the church:

• The song of Mary in the house of Elizabeth — the Magnificat (1:46–50);
• The prophecy of Zechariah at the birth of John the Baptist — the Benedictus (1:67–79);
• The song of the angelic choir at the birth of Jesus — the Gloria in Excelsis (2:14);
• The prayer of Simeon at the presentation of the infant Jesus in the temple — the Nunc Dimittis (2:28–32).

2. A historical Gospel.

The Gospel according to Luke is predominantly historical. None of the other evangelists gives dates as Luke does in 1:5; 2:1; and 3:1–2. None of them presents so fully the life of the God-Man from His birth to His death. In the way he presents Christ there is no narrowness whatsoever. He contemplates Him with the eyes of a cosmopolitan for whom there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither barbarian, nor slave, nor free. Luke is impartial in the best sense of the word. His account is not a dull chronicle of events, but a living interpretation, set into the whole through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

3. A doctrinal Gospel.

Teaching is emphasized in the Third Gospel. Luke would hardly have traveled with Paul and worked as a pastor and missionary if he himself had not been clear about the importance of teaching the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Although he does not treat theology by topics, his vocabulary reveals his knowledge of and interest in theology. Christ, the Son of God, who was acknowledged by the angels (1:35), by the demons (4:41), and by God the Father (9:35), is presented both as God and as man. The doctrine of salvation is one of the fundamental ones for Luke. He describes Jesus as having come “to seek and to save the lost” (19:10). Several parables, and in particular those presented in chapter 15, illustrate the meaning of salvation. The verb “to justify” (Greek “dikaio”), used very frequently by the Apostle Paul, occurs several times in the two-volume Luke–Acts, though not always in a theological sense. In one instance, however — in the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector (18:14) — it is undoubtedly used to describe the spiritual condition of a man before God. Like the other evangelists, Luke lays a foundation for theology rather than developing it as a subject, but the teaching about the person of Christ and the nature and significance of repentance, salvation, sin, justification, redemption, and much else are evident to the reader.

4. The Gospel of the Holy Spirit.

Special stress is placed on the teaching about the Holy Spirit. In fact, the mentions of the Holy Spirit in Luke are more numerous than those in Matthew and Mark taken together. All the more important figures in the Gospel — John the Baptist (1:15), Mary (1:35), Elizabeth (1:41), Zechariah (1:67), Simeon (2:25–26), and the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (4:1) — were equipped for their activity with the Holy Spirit. The whole life of Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit. He is conceived by the Holy Spirit (1:35), baptized with the Holy Spirit (3:22), tested by the Spirit (4:1), equipped by the Spirit for His ministry (4:14, 18), filled with the joy of the Spirit (10:21), and expecting His disciples to carry out their mission with the power of the Holy Spirit (24:49). The book of Acts, of course, develops this theme still further, showing the nature and extent of the work of the Holy Spirit in the church.

5. The Gospel of the defenseless and the oppressed.

Certain categories of people receive special attention in the Gospel. For example, Luke has much to say about women. The word “woman” occurs in his Gospel 43 times, against 49 in Matthew and Mark together. The figure of Mary, the mother of Jesus, has received far more attention in the Gospel according to Luke than in the Gospel according to Matthew. Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist (1:5, 6, 39–45, 57), the prophetess Anna (2:36–38), the group of women who supported the ministry of Jesus and traveled with Him (8:2–3), the women who wept for Him as He carried His cross (23:27–28), and the women present at the crucifixion and at His tomb (23:55–56; 24:1–11) all receive the attention they deserve. Children, too, have received from Luke more attention than is usual in ancient chronicles. The birth and childhood of Jesus and of John the Baptist are not mentioned at all in the Gospel of Mark, while Luke devotes three chapters to them. Three times Luke records that Jesus performs a miracle even for the sake of a single child (the widow’s son at Nain 7:12; the daughter of Jairus 8:42; the boy possessed by an unclean spirit 9:38).

On the other hand, Jesus is presented as the patron of the poor and the advocate of the oppressed. Seven or eight of His parables deal with the contrast between poverty and wealth, or emphasize class inequality (the moneylender and the debtors 7:41–43; the friend who has bread and the one who has none 11:5–8; the rich fool 12:13–21; the poor woman who sweeps the house and searches carefully for the lost coin 15:8–10; the rich man and the steward 16:1–13; the rich man and Lazarus 16:19–31; the wronged widow and the heartless judge 18:1–8). All of these parables occur only in Luke. The portrayal of the rich is not flattering, but neither is it malicious. Although Luke himself belonged to the class of well-to-do people, he associated freely with the lower classes as well, and his Gospel presents Christ as ready to respond to their needs.