Luke
Purpose
Luke sets out to write "an orderly account" so that his reader, most excellent Theophilus, "may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught," and the result is the most carefully researched and compassionate portrait of Jesus in the Gospels. Luke emphasizes that the good news is for everyone: shepherds and widows, women and children, tax collectors and sinners, Samaritans and Gentiles all find a place at the table of a Savior described above all as the one who "seeks and saves the lost" (19:10). Distinctive to Luke are the parables of mercy — the lost sheep, the lost coin, the prodigal son, the good Samaritan, the Pharisee and the tax collector — and a deep interest in prayer, the Holy Spirit, joy, and the danger of wealth. As the first volume of a two-part work continued in Acts, Luke's Gospel moves the story of salvation from the manger in Bethlehem toward Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be crucified and rise again, sending his followers onward to the ends of the earth.
Author
Traditionally Luke, the physician and companion of Paul
Time Period
Written c. 60-80 AD
Key Themes
- Jesus as Savior of all
- Compassion for the lost
- Women, the poor, and outcasts
- Prayer and the Holy Spirit
- Joy
- Universal salvation
Outline
The birth narratives (ch. 1–2): the announcements to Zechariah and Mary, Mary's Magnificat, the birth of John the Baptist, the birth of Jesus, the shepherds, and the boy Jesus in the temple. Preparation for ministry (ch. 3–4:13): John's preaching, the baptism and genealogy back to Adam, and the temptations. The Galilean ministry (ch. 4:14–9:50): teaching in Nazareth, miracles, the calling of disciples, the Sermon on the Plain, parables, the stilling of the storm, the feeding of the five thousand, the transfiguration. The long journey to Jerusalem (ch. 9:51–19:44): the mission of the seventy, the good Samaritan, Mary and Martha, the Lord's Prayer, the lost parables, the rich man and Lazarus, the ten lepers, Zacchaeus, and the triumphal entry. Ministry, passion, and resurrection in Jerusalem (ch. 19:45–24): temple teaching, the Last Supper, Gethsemane, the trial, the crucifixion, the resurrection, the Emmaus road, and the ascension.