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Introduction to the Book of Luke
I.
Writer
The names of the authors of the Gospels are hidden
however
all the early historical materials show that the author of this Book
is Luke the physician. The contents and features of this book also prove that
it is written by Luke the physician and the reasons are as follows:
1) We could know that this Book and Acts are
written by the same author according to the beginnings of these two books (See
1:1
Acts. 1:1).
2) And the author of Acts should be the
fellow-worker and assistant to Paul who came newly to him when Paul the Apostle
was on his second journey of preaching. Because in the narratives of the
sixteenth chapter of Acts
the third person “they” was suddenly replaced by the
first person “we” (See Acts. 16:6-10) and then “we” is used to replace “they”
in most occasions (See Acts. 16:12-13
15-16; 20:5
13-14; 21:1
7 and etc.).
3) Medical expressions are commonly seen in this
book and Acts
for example: “But Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a ‘high’
fever” (4:38
cf. Matt. 8:14; Mark. 1:30); “a man who ‘was full of’ leprosy”
(5:12; cf. Matt. 8:1; Mark. 1:40); “a certain man before Him who had dropsy”
(14:2); “His sweat became like ‘great drops of blood’” (22:44); “immediately
his feet and ankle bones received strength” (Acts. 3:17); “the father of
Publius lay sick of ‘a fever and dysentery’” (Acts. 28:8) and etc. These show
that the author of this book must be fully aware of common sense of medicine.
4) The last chapter of Acts shows that the author
himself had accompanied Paul the Apostle on the way to Roman (See Acts. 28:14);
when Paul was in prison
he may still accompany Paul. Among the fellow workers
and assistants of Paul the Apostle
the one who was fully aware of medical
knowledge and accompanied him when he was in prison must be “Luke
the
physician” (See Col. 4:10
14; Philem. 23-24).
II.
It is also called “the Gospel of
Paul”
Since Luke was not a witness of the deeds of
the Lord Jesus all His life
how could he fully and comprehensively narrate His
words and deeds? First of all
it should ascribe to what Luke had written in
the foreword in the book
“having had perfect understanding of all things from
the very first”------it means that he had used all kinds of opportunities to
investigate
inquire and collect all materials concerning the life of Jesus.
Undoubtedly
“the Gospel of Mark” must be the firsthand material to Luke and
therefore the general outlines of these two books are similar and the general
structures of them are exactly like. The difference is that the content of this
book is more luxuriant and the circumstance of this book had been retouched
more than that of the Gospel of Mark.
In addition to this
if we compare this book with the epistles of Paul the Apostle
we could find
that the train of thinking and tone of them are similar. This again shows that
when Luke wrote this book
he may get help from Paul with his instruction and
teaching. Therefore this book is also called “the Gospel of Paul” as many
Biblical exegetes call “the Gospel of Mark” “the Gospel of Peter”. Here there
are some examples to prove their similarities:
1) “Men
always ought to pray” (18:1); cf. “pray without ceasing” (1Thess. 5:17).
2) “Watch
therefore
and pray always…” (21:36); cf. “Let us watch and be sober” (1Thess.
5:6).
3) “The
Lord is risen indeed
and has appeared to Simon!” (24:34); cf. “He rose again
the third day and He was seen of Cephas” (1Cor. 15:4-5). Please note that other
Gospels had not mentioned that the Lord appeared to Peter on the day He rose
from the dead and only the Gospel of Luke and Paul’s epistles had specially
recorded this.
4) “The
Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (19:10); cf.
“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1Tim. 1:15).
5) Matthew
and Mark recorded the Lord’s words towards the disciples when He broke the
bread as “this is My body” (Matt. 26:26; Mark. 14:22) and they did not record
His following words. However
Luke and Paul wrote the Lord’s following words
“This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me” (22:19;
1Cor. 11:24).
6)
“Assuredly
I say to you
today you will be with Me in Paradise” (23:43); cf.
“For with the heart one believes unto righteousness
and with the mouth
confession is made unto salvation....whoever calls on the name of the LORD
shall be saved” (Rom. 10:10
13).
III.
Luke
We know very little about the life of Luke.
“Luke” was a Gentile name and therefore he was obviously a Gentile. Paul the
Apostle also separated him from “the circumcision” (See Col. 4:10-14)
showing
that he was not Jewish. It is said that he was of
Luke was in close contact with Paul the Apostle.
Paul called him as “the beloved physician” (Col. 4:14) and also admitted him as
a fellow-laborer (Philem. 24).
There seem to be traces in Acts and Paul’s epistles
for us to surmise the whole story that how he met and accompanied Paul the
Apostle: before Paul went to Troas
he preached in the region of Galatia (Acts.
16:6
8). At that time
he was very weak and in infirmity (Gal. 4:13). Then he
went to
IV.
The Time and Location the Book was Written
General Bible scholars held that in the
synoptic gospels (i.e. the Gospel of Matthew
the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel
of Luke)
the Gospel of Mark was written the earliest and the Gospels of
Matthew and Luke were rewritten according to the Gospel of Mark
with others
materials added to the two Gospels. Therefore the time that the Gospel of Luke
was written should be later than that of the Gospel of Mark (about between A.D.
50-60).
According to the
forewords of these two books
we could make sure that the Gospel of Luke was
finished before Acts (See 1:1-4; Acts. 1:1). Moreover
in Acts
Paul’s deeds
were recorded until he went to Roman for appeal and therefore this book should
be finished before Paul was martyred (about between A.D. 67-68). Therefore
we
could surmise reliably that this book was written between A.D. 60 and A.D. 65.
Concerning the
location where the book was written
though there are several kinds of
surmises
there are not reliable; the only surmise that the general Biblical
exegetes all accept is that the book should be written in the Gentile land
instead of the
V. The
Recipient
In the foreword of this book
Luke clearly
showed that this book was written to “most excellent Theophilus” (See 1:1-4).
“Theophilus” means “friend of God”
“the one who loves God” and “the one who is
loved by God”; concerning “most excellent”
it is an honorable title
indicating that the recipient must have high social position. Therefore someone
said that Luke may be a bondman of Theophilus
however
it is a guess. Anyhow
the recipient must be a real person and he must be interested in the faith of
Christianity and be willing to learn and know the origin
process and present
condition of the faith.
VI.
Features of Literature Style
The author of this book is a physician and
he must be well educated and therefore he was a man of great attainments in
Greek. Those who appreciate the literature of the Bible all greatly praise the
wording and types of literature of this book. They hold that it is written by
the most standard
the purest
the most fluent and the most beautiful Greek in
the scriptures of the New Testament.
It is noteworthy that
there are many elegant psalms added to this book
for example: the song of Mary
(1:46-55)
the song of Zacharias (1:68-79)
the song of praise of the angel
(2:14)
the song of praise of Simeon (2:29-32) and etc. The words of the psalms
are all very beautiful and elegant.
Luke was good at
depicting things. He could depict both actual things and stories and metaphors
vividly and lively
as if pieces of vivid pictures are shown to readers.
Therefore there are many classic and famous paints are painted by drawing
materials from this book
for example: the Good Samaritan (10:30-36)
the
return of the Lost Son (15:12-32)
the prayer of the publican (18:13) and etc.
In addition
Luke was
good at using metaphors. He listed many converse persons and things
for
example: the woman who loved much and Simon who loved little (7:36-50); the
Good Samaritan and the certain priest and the Levite (10:23-37); Mary and
Martha (10:38-42); the younger son and the elder son (15:11-32); the certain
rich man and Lazarus (16:19-31); among the ten lepers who all had been healed
by the Lord
the one who gave the Lord thanks and the other nine who forgot the
grace of the Lord (17:11-19); prayer of the Pharisee and the publican (18:9-14)
and etc.
VII. Special Points
There are many special points in this book and
stated below are the major ones:
1) It is “a Gospel
of the Gentiles”: the author of this book was a Gentile and “most excellent
Theophilus”
the recipient of this book
was also a Gentile. Therefore all
parts of this book are able to be understood and comprehended by the Gentiles.
a) Luke used Gentile words to replace the Jewish common phrases
for example:
“Rabbi” was replaced by “Master” (9:33; See Mark. 9:5); “Hosanna” was replaced
by “praise God with a loud voice” (19:37; See Matt. 21:9). b) The time that men
in the
2) It is “a Gospel
to all the world”: this book stresses on that Jesus Christ is the savior of all
the people (2:10
31-32; 3:6). Therefore: a) the genealogy of Jesus that is
recorded in this book traces back to Adam the first ancestor of mankind instead
of Abraham the Jewish ancestor (3:23-38; See Matt. 1:2-16). b) This book
specially shows the acceptance and praise to the Gentiles (4:25-27; 7:9;
10:30-37; 17:16-19). c) The Lord commanded the disciples to preach the glad
tidings to all nations (24:47).
3) It is “a Gospel
of the poor”: this book records that the Lord was born in a poor family and was
laid in a manger when He was born (2:7); when eight days were accomplished fore
the circumcising of the child
His parents in the flesh were so poor that they
offered a sacrifice with a pair of turtledoves (or two young pigeons) (2:21-24;
See Lev. 12:8).
It is also recorded in this book that the
mission of the Lord is to preach glad tidings to the poor (4:18-20). Therefore
He declared that blessed are the poor
that are hunger and that weep (6:20-23);
He also taught men to be concerned about the poor
the maimed
the lame and the
blind (14:13). In the parable of the certain rich man and Lazarus
it seemingly
shows that the Lord has favorable impression towards the poor (16:19-31).
4) It is “a Gospel
of women and children”: though the social status of women was very low at that
time
women were outstanding in this book and many space of this book was used
to record the things of women
for example: Elizabeth and Mary (1:24-56); Anna
the prophetess (2:36-38); the widow in the city of Nain (7:11-16); a woman who
was a sinner (7:37-50); women who were healed by the Lord and ministered unto
Him of their substance (8:2-3); a woman who had an issue of blood twelve years
(8:43-48); Mary and Martha (10:38-42); a woman who was bound together
(13:11-16); a widow who asked the unrighteous judge to avenge her of her
adversary (18:1-5); a certain poor widow who cast in unto the offerings of God
in the Holy Temple (21:1-4); women who lamented the Lord (23:27-31) and etc.
This book also shows the Lord’s concern towards children (7:12; 8:42; 9:38;
18:15-17).
5) It is “a Gospel
of those who are abandoned”: those who had been abandoned by the society are
frequently mentioned in this book and it specially depicts that how Jesus cares
about the need of their bodies
hearts and spirits. For example: the Lord sat
down with sinners and publicans and ate and drank with them (5:29-32; 7:34);
the one who owed the lord much (7:36-50); a certain Samaritan (10:25-37); the
Lost Son (15:11-32); the publican who was condemned by the Pharisees
(18:11-14); Zacchaeus the publican (19:1-9); the thief who repented on the
cross (23:39-43) and etc.
6) It is “a Gospel
that is interested in ‘men’”: the targets of the descriptions and metaphors of
this book are totally different from that of the Gospel of Matthew------the
latter stresses on “the kingdom of heaven” and this book stresses on
“individual”. This book also pays attention to individual announcement of
faith
for example:
7) It is “a Gospel
of prayers”: except that the Lord Jesus taught the disciples how to pray is
recorded in this book many times (11:2-3; 18:1-8
9-14)
the times of Lord’s
praying in this book are recorded more than that in the Gospels of Matthew and
in the Gospel of Mark
for example: the time He was baptized (3:21); the time
when many people came to seek Him (5:16); the time before He set twelve
apostles (6:12); the time when He was transfigured on the mount (11:1); the
time before He taught the disciples to pray (22:32); He had prayed for Peter
(22:41-44); He prayed earnestly in the garden of Gethsemane (22:41-44); two
prayers on the cross (23:34
46). In addition
others’ prayers are recorded in
this book many times (1:10
13; 2:37; 5:33) and etc. Therefore someone said
that the Gospel of Luke is a Gospel of prayers.
8) It is “a Gospel
of walking by the Holy Spirit”: this book specially stresses on the work of the
Holy Spirit
showing that only by the Holy Spirit can men have power from on high.
For example: John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit and therefore he
was in the spirit and power of Elijah (1:15
17); the angel told Mary that
“the Holy Spirit will come upon you
and the power of the Highest will
overshadow you” (1:35); “Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit” (4:14;
See 5:17; 6:19; 8:46); after the Lord rose from the dead
He told the disciples
that
“Behold
I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city
of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” (24:49). This book
mentioned the Holy Spirit many times
including 1:41
47
67; 2:25
26
27;
3:16
22; 4:18; 10:21; 11:13; 12:10
12 and etc.
9) It is “a Gospel
of joy”: this book depicts the joy of the Holy Trinity
including the joy of
the Father because the Lost Son was found (15:23); the joy of Christ because He
found the Lost sheep (15:5-7) and the joy that the Lord rejoiced in the Holy
Spirit (10:21); the joy of the Holy Spirit because He has found the piece which
He had lost (15:9-10). This book also depicts the joy of us that are of God
(1:14
44
47; 6:21
23; 10:21; 19:6; 24:52-53).
10) It is “a Gospel
to teach men the correct attitude of money”: many metaphors in this book are
related to money and wealth. There are both many negative warnings (8:14;
12:16-21; 16:19-31; 18:18-23; 22:5) and positive teachings (8:3; 16:1-13;
19:1-10
11-27; 21:1-4).
Besides the ten
special points that are listed above
the other point that is worthy to be
mentioned is that Luke
with strict attitude of historians
recorded all
materials. Therefore he not only clearly explained the dates of the recorded
events that took place (3:1-2) but also wrote the narratives with an orderly
account (1:3).
VIII. General Points
Though Jesus Christ is “the Son of God”
He
is also “the Son of Man”. He is a perfect man
His deeds that are recorded in
this book all reveal His feature of humanity: He hungered
tired
was in
agony……
He indeed has tasted all as a man and therefore He is able to be
touched with feeling of our infirmities (See Heb. 2:18; 4:15). The difference
between Him and the world is that He has the perfect humanity. He
as a man on
earth
is full of mercy
kindness
holiness and righteousness and He performed
with the highest moral standard. This good
perfect and glorious “Son of Man”
completely satisfies God’s all requests to men and reaches God’s intention
towards men. He
with the identity of “the savior the Son of Man”
came to the
world with the aim of finding those who fall in God’s will towards men and are
lost and save them until they satisfy God’s will.
IX. Its Relation with Other Books in
the Bible
The Gospel of Luke
like other three gospels
depicts Jesus Christ. But the four books depict Him from different aspects: the
Lord in the Book of Matthew is presented as the king
in Mark as the bondman
in Luke as the son of man and in John as the Son of God. The four living
creatures in chapter four of the Revelation resemble the four aspects of the
Lord in the four gospels. In Matthew the Lord is like a lion
in Mark a
calf----firstly sowing and then being sacrificed as an offering on the alter
in Luke a man
and in John an eagle (See Exod. 19:4; Deut. 32:11).
The Book of
Matthew regards Jesus as the “Branch of righteousness to grow up to David”
(Jer. 33:15)
coming to be king on earth
so he was called the son of Abraham
(the Father of nations) and the Son of David (the first king of
Note that
the Gospel of Matthew ends in the Lord’s resurrection
Mark in His ascension
Luke in the promise of the descent of the Holy Spirit and John in His second coming.
X. Key Verses
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which
was lost.” (Luke. 19:10).
“Certainly this was a
righteous Man!” (Luke. 23:47).
XI. Key Words
“the Son of Man” (Luke. 5:24; 6:5
22; 7:34;
9:22
26
44
56
58; 11:30; 12:8
10
40; 17:22
24
26
30; 18:31; 19:10;
21:27
36; 22:22
48
69; 24:7).
“bring…glad tidings ”
(1:19); “bring…good tidings” (2:10); “preach” (3:18; 4:18
43; 8:1; 9:6; 16:16;
20:1); “have the gospel preached” (7:22). Note that in the original it is the
same word.
“Savior” (1:47; 2:11);
“be saved” (1:69
71); “salvation” (1:77; 2:30; 3:6; 19:9). Note that in the
original it is the same gulp and it has not been recorded in the Gospels of
Matthew and Mark.
“save” (6:9; 7:50; 8:48;
9:24
24
56; 17:19
33; 18:42; 23:35
35
37
39); “be saved” (8:12
36
50;
13:23; 18:26); “save” (19:10). Note that in the original it is the same word
and it is frequently recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark.
XII. Outlines
of the Book
I. The birth of the Son of Man and His forerunner:
A. The
foreword (1:1-4).
B. The
gestation of the forerunner (1:5-25).
C. The
gestation of the Son of Man (1:26-56).
D. The
birth of the forerunner (1:57-80).
E. The
birth and growing of the Son of Man (2:1-52).
II. The preparation of the work of the Son of Man:
A. The
proclamation of the forerunner (3:1-20).
B. The
Son of Man was baptized (3:21-22).
C. The
genealogy of the Son of Man (3:23-38).
D. The
Son of Man was tempted (4:1-13).
III. The expansion of the work of the Son of Man:
A. The
Son of Man’s work in
B. The
Son of Man’s work on the way to
C. The
Son of Man’s work in
IV. The peak of the work of the Son of Man:
A. The
Son of Man was crucified (22:1-23:56).
B. The
Son of Man rose from the dead (24:1-49).
C. The
Son of Man was carried up into heaven (24:50-53).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren