The Gospel of Luke

The Universal Savior of Humankind and Healer of Our Every Ill

Class Date: November 10, 2024

Luke’s preface (Luke 1:1-4) tells us Luke’s purpose and method in writing his Gospel. There have been many preachers and teachers that have visited the cities and congregations to which the Christian faith has spread. We have some of Paul’s writings that predate all the Gospels, and this undoubtedly led to a somewhat confused picture of the person, work and teachings of Jesus. Luke determines to conduct careful research, to sort out the evidence and to place the events of Jesus’ life in an accurate, ordered account. We should note at the outset that the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles were originally one volume. They only become separated in the New Testament due to John being the final Gospel, and so the Book of Acts follows John’s Gospel.

Luke had access to eye-witnesses of the original events in Jesus’ life. He surely interviewed Mary, the mother of Jesus given the incredible detail about her mother’s cousin Elizabeth and John (who became the Baptizer), Jesus’ cousin. There are details about Jesus’ birth and boyhood that only someone with first-hand knowledge would be able to share.

• Luke uses 60% of the Gospel of Mark
• Luke parallels Matthew’s Gospel, especially a great deal of Jesus’ teaching including the Sermon on the Mount and many parables.
• Luke stands alone in nearly half of what he writes, especially the opening chapters and the great middle of Luke’s Gospel (Luke 9:51-19:28).

The Main Point of Luke’s Gospel is that Jesus is the universal Savior of humankind. Luke, the physician sees Jesus as one who brings deep healing which brings about a change in people’s lives. The seven main features of Luke’s writing include:

1. Jesus is the universal Savior of humankind. Luke’s main passion is explaining that Jesus is for everyone.
2. Jesus’ compassion for the poor is the clearest in Luke. There is an immense concern for social justice in both Luke and Acts.
3. Jesus has a high view of women and their worth. Luke’s interest in Jesus’ interest in women correlates to Luke’s universalism and humanitarianism.
4. Luke takes a special notice of Jesus’ prayer life.
5. Luke has a preoccupation with the Holy Spirit. Throughout Luke’s Gospel it is the presence of the Holy Spirit which directs Jesus. Luke sees Jesus as a perfectly Spirit filled human being.
6. Jesus’ compassion for the penitent sinner might well be linked with Luke’s Jesus having compassion for the poor. Whole stories are told about penitent sinners.
7. The cross does not loom as large in the Gospel of Luke as it does in Mark. Luke focuses more on the resurrection and ascension. For Luke, Good Friday, Easter, and Pentecost, these three abide, but the greatest of these is Pentecost.