THE GOSPEL OF LUKE - Bible Church of Little Rock | Make ... - Luke.pdf · The Gospel of Luke In Matthew we see Jesus as Son of David, ... Luke depicts the continuity and fulfillment

THE GOSPEL OF LUKEDUST TO DESTINY

Dust 2 DestinyThe Gospel of Luke

◦ Luke-Acts

◦ Longest book in NT

◦ The combination of Luke’s Gospel with Acts makes Luke the writer of more content in the NT than any other author.

◦ About half its material is not found in the other gospels

◦ The words of Christ are prominent in Luke’s gospel. About half of the account’s verses are Christ’s words (586 of 1,151 verses).


◦ In Matthew we see Jesus as Son of David, Israel’s King; in Mark we see Him as the Lord’s Servant, serving others; in Luke we see Him as the Son of Man, meeting man’s needs, a perfect man among men, chosen from men, tested among men, and supremely qualified to be the Savior and High Priest.

◦ In Matthew we see groupings of significant events, in Mark we see the snapshots of significant events, but in Luke we see more details of these events by the physician/historian.


◦ The Man: LUKE

◦ Birth and early life

◦ Conversion

◦ Occupation

◦ Col. 4:4

◦ Luke 4:38-39; 8:43-44; 13:11; 16:20-32


◦ The Man: LUKE

◦ Historian

◦ 1:5, 26, 56; 2:1-2, 21-22, 36-37, 42; 3:1-2

◦ Evangelist

◦ co-laborer on Paul’s missionary journeys (2 Tim. 4:11; Philem. 24)

◦ Death


◦ The Author: LUKE

◦ Paul’s influence (175 words and expressions unique to Luke and Paul) – “a light to the Gentiles”

◦ “We” sections (Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-21:18; and 27:1-28:16)

◦ Eye witness account

◦ “Theologian of Redemptive History” – NT Isaiah

◦ Pure Greek (312 words that are peculiar to Luke)


◦ Place & Date of Writing

◦ Caesarea or Rome?

◦ While Paul was imprisoned at Caesarea before his voyage to Rome is likely

◦ Around 59-63 A.D.

◦ Compare Luke 1:1-4 and Acts 1:1


◦ Audience / Readers

◦ Theophilus (Theos + phileo) – “loved of God” or “lover of God”

◦ “most excellent” – c.f. Acts 23: 26; 24: 3 (Felix) and Acts 26: 25 (Festus)

◦ Luke spent a great deal of time and effort digging up just such evidence to present to Theophilus. Luke did the research necessary to assure Theophilus of the certainty and reliability of the things he had been taught.



◦ Luke’s procedures in Luke 1:1-4

◦ Gathering information

◦ Checking evidence

◦ Verifying the sources —in this case, eyewitnesses and accredited servants of the Word

◦ Critical evaluation

◦ Orderly arrangement of the material



◦ Luke carefully informs his Greek readers about even the simplest points on the geography of Palestine is in sharp contrast to his assumption of geographical knowledge on their part for the Greco-Roman world.

◦ He deliberately avoids items that would be puzzling to Gentile readers such as the word “rabbi” that occurs four times in Mark and the same in Matthew (also no emphasis on Messianic prophecy fulfilled).

◦ Another example is the avoidance of the Semitic “hosanna” in connection with the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.


◦ Purpose / Theme

◦ Luke depicts the continuity and fulfillment of salvation history to Theophilus and a primarily Gentile audience of believers in order to reassure them of the ancient foundations of their faith and their rightful participation in God’s promises to Israel.


◦ Purpose / Theme

◦ Stated in Luke 1:1-4 - to write a consecutive, chronological account of the full and exact truth of Jesus’ ministry

◦ The theme of Luke concerns “Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people” (Luke 24:19). Luke presents Jesus as the Son of Man among men (19:10), the perfect God-man (cf. 1:35) who alone offers to all nations (24:47) the salvation of God (3:6).

◦ Luke 19:10: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and save that which was lost.” (24:19, 4:18-19)


◦ Purpose / Theme

◦ Luke emphasizes the universality of salvation, and the word faith appears often in his gospel.

◦ Faith is also a key truth in Paul’s writings, and the close relationship of Paul and Luke might partly account for Luke’s emphasis of this foundational doctrine.

◦ In the New Testament, the word faith appears more than 240 times, and only 53 times outside of Paul’s and Luke’s writings.


◦ Purpose / Theme

◦ The use of a specific passage from Isaiah 53 in 22:37, supported by numerous instances of the influence of the verbiage of Isaiah 40-66, suggests - when taken with 24:27, 44, 46 - that Luke seeks to emphasize the redemptive mission of the Lord.

◦ Luke stresses Jesus’ awareness of that mission as His appointed task (4:43; 13:33; 22:37; 24:44).

◦ Luke alone of the Evangelists binds the sacred narrative to secular history (2:1-2; 3:1).


◦ Distinctives

◦ Luke places emphasis on the universal or comprehensive nature of God’s dealings with the Gentile world:

◦ It is Luke alone who records Jesus’ references to the Old Testament Gentiles who experienced the grace of God—the widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian (4:25-27; see 1 Kgs 17:8-24 and 2 Kgs 5:1-14).


◦ Organization

◦ Main Divisions - 4:14; 9:51; and 19:28

The Advent of the Son of Man (1:1-4:13)

The Work of the Son of Man for the Jews (4:14-9: 50)

The Work of the Son of Man for the Gentiles (9:51-19:27)

The Sacrifice of the Son of Man for all Mankind (19:28-23 :49)

The Son of Man, Savior of all Nations (24)


◦ Organization (4:14-9:50)

◦ Miracles: chap. 4: unclean demon, Simon’s mother-in-law; chap. 5: fishes, leper, palsy; chap. 6: withered hand; chap. 7: centurion’s servant, widow’s son; 8:1-9:50; sea calm, man in tombs, twelve-year issue, Jairus’ daughter, 5,000 fed, unclean spirit; chap. 11: dumb devil; chap. 13: eighteen-year infirmity; chap. 14: man with dropsy; chap. 17: ten lepers healed; chap. 21: ear healed.

◦ Twenty miracles are reported in this gospel, six of which are not in the other gospels.


◦ Organization (9:51-19:27)

◦ Parables: chap. 7: two debtors; chap. 8: sower; chap. 10: Good Samaritan; chap. 11: friend at midnight; chap. 12: rich fool; chap. 13: fig tree, mustard seed, leaven; chap. 15: lost sheep, lost coin, lost son; chap. 16: unrighteous steward; chap. 17: unprofitable servants; 18:1-19:27: unjust judge, Pharisee and publican, pounds; chap. 20: wicked husbandman; chap. 21: signs of fig tree.

◦ In the entire gospel thirty-five parables are recorded, nineteen of which are unique to Luke’s account.


◦ Organization

◦ Concerning the deeds (miracles) and words (parables) of Jesus:

◦ 1 Corinthians 1:22: “For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom.”


◦ Portraits of Christ

◦ “Son of Man” - found twenty-five times in this gospel. It was Jesus’ favorite title for Himself, used only by Him, with one exception in the New Testament, Stephen referred to Jesus this way (Acts 7:56).

◦ The genealogy of Jesus as recorded by Luke (3:23-39) also identifies Jesus intimately with the human race, by tracing the descendants back to Adam (3:38). Luke had all mankind in mind when he wrote this gospel, which is one reason the title of Jesus, “Son of Man,” appears throughout the book. As such, he traces Jesus’ genealogy back to Adam.



◦ The humanity and compassion of Jesus are repeatedly stressed in Luke’s Gospel.

◦ Luke gives the most complete account of Christ’s ancestry, birth, and development.

◦ He is the ideal Son of Man who identified with the sorrow and plight of sinful man in order to carry our sorrows and offer us the priceless gift of salvation. Jesus alone fulfills the Greek ideal of human perfection



◦ Luke’s Christology is focused on the word “Lord” and “Savior.”

◦ Jesus is kurios and Jesus is soter.

◦ “I bring you tidings of good joy. Unto you is born a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

◦ For Luke, Jesus is the Messiah, the long-awaited Messiah of the Jews, and the Lord of all the nations.



◦ Luke alone among the Synoptic Gospels gives Jesus the title of Savior (Luke 2:11, 30; 3:6).

◦ No ransom passage in Luke, though -- Mark 10:45; Matthew 20:28

◦ Why? Luke is less concerned with the philosophy of the crossthan with the mission of Christ as a whole, as the outworking of the saving purpose of God.



◦ Servant of the Lord

◦ Luke 15;

◦ Luke 19:9-10;

◦ Luke 22:37;

◦ Luke 24:47



A: Jesus quotes Isaiah 61 to provoke questions (Luke 4:18-19).B: Elijah resurrects widow’s son (Luke 4:24-26; cf. 1 Kgs 17).

C: Elisha ministers to foreign soldier because of Hebrew servant (Luke 4:27; cf. 2 Kgs 5).

C’: Jesus ministers to foreign soldier because of Hebrew servant (Luke 7:1-10).

B’: Jesus resurrects widow’s son (Luke 7:11-17).

A’: Jesus quotes Isaiah 61 to answer questions (Luke 7:22; cf. Isaiah 29:18-19; 35:5-6; 61:1-2).


◦ Prayer and Praise

◦ In the four gospels fifteen occasions of Christ praying are reported, eleven of which are found in Luke. Much teaching about prayer also is given in this third gospel (e.g. 11:5-13; 18:1-8; 21:36). Luke contains three parables on prayer not found in the other gospels.



◦ Jesus is shown to be praying at His baptism (3:21), after busy days of ministry (5:16), and before selecting the disciples (6:12).

◦ Parables of Jesus are recorded on prayer (11:5-13; 18:1-8).

◦ Jesus’ expression of prayer concern for Peter is included (22:31-32).



◦ Notice Luke’s emphasis on praise at the beginning and end of this gospel (1:9, 24:52).

◦ The tone of praise and blessing that pervades the first chapter of Luke reappears now at the last chapter. “He is not here, but He has risen” (24:6).

◦ References to men glorifying God abound in Luke (2:20; 5:25, 26; 7:16; 13:13; 17:15; 18:43). The word blessed appears throughout this gospel.



◦ Note the following passages, found only in Luke, which are the source of great psalms/hymns of the church, the last of the Hebrew Psalms, and the first of the Christian hymns:

Ave Maria 1:28-31

Magnificat 1:46-56

Benedictus 1:68-79

Gloria in Excelsis 2:14

Nunc Dimittis 2:29-32


◦ The Kingdom of God

◦ Luke rivals Matthew in laying emphasis on Jesus as King and on the kingdom of God. It is noteworthy that in two places (4:43 and 9:2) he mentions the heralding of the kingdom where the other Gospels are silent.

◦ Luke 17:21


◦ The Holy Spirit

◦ The Holy Spirit is referred to more in Luke than in Matthew and Mark combined (1:15, 35, 41, 67; 2:25-26; 3:22; 4:1, 14, 18; 10:21; 24:49).

◦ It is the Holy Spirit who overshadows Mary at the conception of Jesus (1:35). John the Baptist is to be filled with the Holy Spirit (1:15), as was his mother Elizabeth (1:41) and his father Zechariah (1:67). Simeon, in the temple, was guided by the Spirit as he recognized the infant Jesus as the Messiah of God (2:25-27).


◦ The Holy Spirit

◦ Jesus was to be the supreme mediator of the Holy Spirit to the world (3:16) and was endowed by the Holy Spirit in a special way at His baptism (3:22). From then on Jesus’ life was characterized by the power and the presence of the Holy Spirit at work in Him.

◦ Jesus left the scene of the baptism filled with the Holy Spirit (4:1)

◦ The Spirit led Him into the wilderness (4:1)

◦ Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit (4:14)


◦ The Holy Spirit

◦ Jesus began His ministry as the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy about the Spirit of the Lord who would anoint God’s special Servant (4:18; see Is. 61:1-2).

◦ Jesus lived his life “full of joy through the Holy Spirit” (10:21).

◦ Jesus promised the Holy Spirit as God’s supreme gift, who will supply our deepest needs (11:13; 12:12).

◦ Jesus warns of the dire consequences of blaspheming the Holy Spirit (12:10).

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THE GOSPEL OF LUKE - Bible Church of Little Rock | Make ... - Luke.pdf · The Gospel of Luke In Matthew we see Jesus as Son of David, ... Luke depicts the continuity and fulfillment