Front matter
LESSONS FROM
LUKE
Understanding More of the Message of the Third Gospel
R. Herbert
2024, Living Belief Books – an imprint of LivingWithFaith.org
The text and images in this e-book are copyright. All rights reserved. ISBN 979-8-89298-007-4 This book is not to be sold. It is made available by the publisher without charge and free copies can be downloaded from: LivingWithFaith.org, or FreeChristianEBooks.org. Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. All italicized emphases in quotations from the Bible have been added by the author.
Note: In this book, the word gospel is only capitalized when it refers to an actual title of one of the four gospels (e.g., the Gospel of Luke), or the Synoptic Gospels.
About the Author: The author served as an ordained minister and church pastor for a number of years and holds an earned Ph.D. degree in the languages, cultures and archaeology of the ancient Near East and biblical world. He writes for a number of Christian publications and for the websites TacticalChristianity.org and LivingWithFaith.org. His other e-books are available for free download from those websites and from FreeChristianEBooks.org.
Cover: Base image © by alefbet.
CONTENTS
Introduction: The Uniqueness of Luke
PART ONE: THE BOOK
1. Pairs in Luke
2. Repetitions in Luke
3. "Crossovers" and "Sandwiches" in Luke
PART TWO: THE CHARACTERS
4. The Prophets
5. The Disciples
6. Rich and Poor
PART THREE: THE CONNECTIONS
7. Listening in Luke
8. Meals in Luke
9. Service in Luke
PART FOUR: THE THEMES
10. The Gospel of Prayer
11. The Gospel of Humility
12. The Gospel of Joy
Conclusion: The Enduring Value of Luke
Appendix: Unique Material In Luke
INTRODUCTION The Uniqueness of Luke
Each of the four gospels is, of course, tremendously important. Each has unique aspects and contains information on the life of Jesus that the others do not. But if we were to award "points" for the unique aspects of each account, and for every unique piece of information they contain, there is no question that among the three Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke – Luke stands above all the other accounts. We can see this is true when we consider the simple fact that almost half of the content of Luke is not found in any of the other three gospels.
Much of the unique material in Luke is central to our understanding of the life and ministry of Jesus and lies at the heart of our mental image of what Christianity is all about. If it were not for Luke, we would not have important facts regarding Christ's birth such as the story of the shepherds who came to the nativity, and the angels' song of Peace on Earth. We would have virtually no information about Jesus' early life, and know far less about his ministry and the events that occurred after his resurrection. We would also not have many of Jesus' most famous teachings – such as the parables of the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, the Rich Man and Lazarus, the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, and many others (see the Appendix: Unique Material in Luke).
A Uniquely Qualified Writer We might ask how it can be that Luke – who was not one of the twelve disciples like Matthew, or a close confidant of the apostle Peter like Mark – could access and record so much information not found in the other gospels. The answer is to be found at least partly in the skills of Luke himself. Luke was undoubtedly the most educated of the gospel writers. He wrote the most refined Greek found in the New Testament (alongside that of the author of the book of Hebrews), and Luke's scholarly, historical, and medical training can be seen throughout the book. In fact, he uses more specialized medical terms in his writing than Hippocrates, the "father" of Greek medicine.
Luke's knowledge of the Scriptures is also both extensive and deep. For example, his first two chapters are written in a way to mimic the style of the Septuagint Greek translation of the Old Testament – in order to bridge the gap between the Old and New Testaments, and to skillfully bring the two stories together. Luke was also a skilled researcher who weighed evidence carefully (Luke 1:3) and who relied on the primary sources of trusted eyewitness accounts (Luke 1:2).
As a physician (Colossians 4:14) Luke was particularly interested in people, and he notices and records many things no other gospel writer did. This can also be seen in Luke's frequent focus on individuals – he has a much larger cast of characters than any other gospel (over a hundred individual people appear in his gospel) giving immense human interest to his work.
Another aspect of Luke's scholarship that we should not overlook is that his gospel was written with a specific aim of showing the historical proof of the things he records (Luke 1:4). As such, his account is not only the best story of Jesus' life for new Christians to read, but it is also a continually encouraging and affirming account for even the most established believer.
A Uniquely Written Gospel There are, in fact, a great many reasons why Luke's gospel is both unique and uniquely helpful for those who read it carefully. The chapters of this book explore twelve of the most important unique aspects of the third gospel. Part One looks at some of the literary techniques Luke utilizes so effectively to teach us. Part Two looks at Luke's central cast of characters and the lessons they teach. Part Three examines some of the subtle yet important connections Luke makes in his account that can help us understand his message in new ways. And Part Four examines the great underlying themes of the third gospel from which we can learn so much. May each of the following chapters help you understand more of the message of this unique and wonderful gospel than you ever have before.
PART ONE:
THE BOOK