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THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

Lesson #01

INTRODUCTION

• Luke, One of the Synoptic Gospels:
  • The term “gospel”:
    • The word “gospel” literally means = good news.
      • Originally the word was used to describe an epoch-making event…an event that would change history.
      • Now the word is used to represent the good news of the birth of Jesus, His teachings, His crucifixion as payment for man’s sin, and His resurrection.
    • Therefore, the word gospel is not just the teachings of Jesus but represents everything about Jesus, who He is and why He came. And of course, how His coming changed history.
  • The term “synoptic gospels”:
    • The word, synoptic, means = having a common overall view.
    • The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the synoptic gospels.
  • Why were there four accounts of the birth, life, and earthly ministry of Jesus Christ?
    • Each of the four gospels gives us a different view of who Jesus is and what He came to do.
      • Matthew presents Jesus as the King of kings.
      • Mark presents Jesus as the bearer of man’s burdens…a servant unto death
      • Luke presents Jesus as the perfect and sinless man…the son of man.
      • John presents Jesus in his deity as the perfect Son of God.
    • Each of the four gospels was written to a different audience:
      • Matthew was written to the Jews and directed to the religious person.
      • Mark was written to the Romans and directed to a strong people that admired power.
      • Luke was written to the Greeks and directed to the intellectual person.
      • John was written to all men everywhere, and directed to needy persons.
    • The four gospels correspond to the four colors of the tabernacle curtains in the Old Testament:
      • Matthew represents the color purple of the tabernacle curtains in that purple is a royal color. (King of kings)
      • Mark represents the color red of the tabernacle curtains in that red is the color of blood (Servant unto death)
      • Luke represents the color white of the tabernacle curtains in that white is the color of perfection without sin. (the Perfect Son of Man)
      • John represents the color blue of the tabernacle curtains in that blue is the color of the heavens. (The Son of God come down from heaven).
    • The four gospels correspond to the four faces of the banners of the four leading tribes in the Old Testament as well as the four faces of the cherubim angels in the book of Ezekiel. (Eze 1:5-10)
      • Matthew corresponds to “the lion” that represented the tribe of Judah.
        • Jesus Christ came through the bloodline of the tribe of Judah.
        • The lion is considered the king of the beasts.
      • Mark corresponds to “the ox” that represented the tribe of Ephraim. The ox is used as a burden bearer.
      • Luke corresponds to “the man” that represented the tribe of Reuben. Remember that Luke presents Jesus as the perfect man.
      • John corresponds to “the eagle” that represented the tribe of Dan.The eagle flies higher than any other bird, and therefore is closest to heaven.
• What makes the book of Luke unique from the other 3 gospels?
  • What makes the gospel of Luke unique is his perspective?
    • Luke received much of his information from Mary, the mother of Jesus. He therefore used oral stories as his source.
    • Luke writes his gospel from Mary’s viewpoint.
    • As a physician with compassion for hurting people, Luke is the gospel of compassion.
  • Luke gives us detailed accounts that the other gospels leave out. This is why Luke is the longest gospel.
    • For example: Luke gives us the most detailed account of the virgin birth. Remember Luke was a doctor.
    • Luke gives us an account of 20 miracles. Six of these miracles do not occur in any other gospel.
    • Luke gives us 23 parables. Eighteen of these parables do not occur in the other gospels.
    • Luke gives us more of Jesus’ prayer life than the other gospels.
    • Luke gives us more details about the women that ministered to Jesus.
    • Luke tells us about the walk to Emmaus after the resurrection. This account tells us that Jesus was raised bodily. He was not just a ethereal spirit as some claim.
• Who was Luke, the author?
  • Luke wrote the gospel of Luke along with the book of Acts. In fact, he wrote it as one complete book, not two.
  • Luke was a gentile.
  • He was not one of Jesus’ disciples. He was probably a proselyte to Judaism and then converted by the Apostle Paul.
  • Luke was a physician.
    • That tells us that he was very highly educated.
      • He wrote the best Greek of any of the New Testament writers including Paul.
      • He was considered a top scientist of that era.
    • He used many medical terms in his writings, more than Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine.
  • Luke and Paul became close friends and often travelled together. Both men were intellectuals.
  • Luke was an accurate historian and a poet.
  • Luke was filled and guided by the Holy Spirit.
• When did Luke write this gospel?
  • The exact date is not known, though probably it was written around 60 AD.
  • He probably wrote this gospel and the book of Acts when he and Paul were in prison in Rome.
• To whom did Luke write this book?
  • Because the book is written in excellent Greek, the general audience is for the Gentiles.
  • Luke mentions writing to a man named Theophilus in Luk1:3. Who is this?
    • We do not know exactly.
    • His name means = friend of God.
    • Some think it does not refer to a specific person but to all who love the Lord.
    • Others think it refers to a specific person of governmental importance because Luke gives him a title of respect as he did for Governor Festus. (Act 26:5)
• What was Luke’s purpose for writing this book?
  • Luke had two purposes for writing his volume of Luke and Acts.
    • =1= He wrote to give a historical account of the life of Christ and the beginning of the church. Luke gives us more references to geography, customs, institutions, and history of that era than the other gospel writers.
    • =2= He wrote to give us a spiritual account of Jesus Christ as the perfect, divine man and savior of the world without sin. Why did Luke present Jesus in this way?
      • Luke was a gentile and very familiar with Greek culture and language.
      • The Greek culture was enamored by the beauty, the symmetry, and the perfection of the human body.
        • You can see this love for human perfection displayed in Greek art and statues.
        • The Greek Olympic Games were designed to demonstrate the perfection of the human body. The athletes performed in the nude.
• The Historical context of the time:
  • The fourth century BC had the most brilliant display of human genius in the world. This age was called the Periclean Age named for the philosopher Pericles.
  • The Greeks were striving for the perfection of man, both physically and mentally.
    • The literary works of Plato, Aristotle, Homer, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Thucydides all move man toward the goal of perfection.
    • Into this movement for the perfection of man, Luke drops his gospel to tell us that only God is perfect and that God came in perfect flesh as Jesus Christ. Therefore, Luke comes to the conclusion that Jesus of Nazareth was God in the flesh…the perfect man without sin, touched with the feeling of our infirmities.
  • The Greek language was the universal language of the time. This was accomplished by Alexander the Great that spread the Greek language and culture over much of the world.
    • Therefore, anyone that spoke, wrote, and understood Greek had a open door into many areas of the world system of that day.
    • It is this fact that made the Gospel of Luke a key addition to the gospel message for the spread of the Kingdom of God in the world.
• Our Purpose for Studying the Gospel of Luke:
  • We want to see and understand Jesus Christ as Luke presents Him.
  • We want to experience Jesus as the perfect Son of Man who understands what we suffer as humans in this world.
    • Because many people see God as distant, uncaring, and uninvolved in their lives, they have difficulty drawing close to God.
    • As a doctor very familiar with human suffering, Luke presents Christ in a very personal way as the Son of Man, our High Priest, touched by our physical and emotional pain; the God who cares for those who suffer.
• Brief Outline for the book of Luke:
  • Birth announcements of John the Baptist and Jesus (Luk 1-2)
  • The ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus’ Genealogy (Luk 3)
  • Testing of the perfect man (Luk 4)
  • Ministry of healing and parables by the perfect man around Galilee (Luk 5-9)
  • Preparation of the disciples of the perfect man on the way to Jerusalem (Luk 10-18)
  • Ministry of the perfect man in Jericho and Jerusalem (Luk 19-21)
  • Betrayal, Trial, and death of the perfect man (Luk 22-23)
  • Resurrection and ascension of the perfect man (Luk 24)
• Sources for our study:
  • Through the Bible Commentry Series: The Gospels: Luke by J. Vernon McGee
  • Matthew Henry’s Commentary by Matthew Henry
  • All the Parables of the Bible by Herbert Lockyer.
  • The Bible Knowledge Commentary by Walvoord and Zuck.
  • When Critics Ask; by Norman Geisler and Thomas Howe
  • Misc. Notes from various sources.

Homework
Luke 1:1-25

• Preparation for Luke 1:1-25
  • Read Luke 1:1-4
    • According to Luke, what was his purpose for writing this book?
  • Read Luke 1:5-25
    • Why did Zacharias ask for a son and then not believe when the angel told him his prayer was answered? Do you relate to this in your life?
• Memory Verse: Psa 83:1