Bible Study Notes: St Luke’s Gospel
Session 1 - Introduction
Date of writing
Here as in all the Gospels we can only guestimate. We know that the editor-ship of this book was based on Mark’s Gospel so it could not have been written before then. We know that it was almost certainly after the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70, and before the writing of his second book, so that places it somewhere before AD130.
Style
Very definitely Greek
Purpose
In Greek style Luke has a preface, though not a prologue as John does. In this preface he sets out his objective, so take a moment to read verse 1-4 of the first chapter.
Background
The great asset we have when studying Luke over the other three Gospels is what? With Luke we have a companion volume?? The Book of the Acts of the Apostles.
And why is this an advantage? Because this shows us the outworking of the Gospel, here we see the faith that Jesus came to bring actually being worked out. Not also how the two books have the same dedication, to Theophilus.
Who or what do you think is Theophilus? Literally, ‘God loving’, this could have been a person, maybe his sponsor or someone he worked for, or simply a generic term to indicate a group of like-minded people.
My suspicion is that is probably best, however, that we think of Theophilus as person, maybe someone who is enquiring after faith, or a secret disciple or a member of the church that wants know more about Jesus; perhaps even ourselves.
Maybe it’s a good idea to think of Theophilus as us? Those who wish to know more about Jesus. Luke wants to very gently walk us through the story, not only of Jesus but also of the world after He went back to God!
We do well to pause here and consider Luke and to think for a while about who this person is that is writing this Gospel. What do we know about him?
- He was a doctor. So what does that immediately say to us? Healing, empathy, sympathy, understanding and a good bedside manner. He is observant, as we shall see, always alert to those around him.
- We know he was popular and well liked. Paul says, “Luke the beloved physician greets you”. (Col 4:14)
- Well educated. Tradition says he came from Antioch. Considered a place of great sophistication. We shall see later that in the Acts he knows a lot of this town. What else do we know about Antioch? This is where people were first known as Christians.
It is through these characteristics that his Gospel comes to us. In his writing we shall find the warmth of a man and the human appeal of the Jesus he is telling us about. Luke takes the text contained in the gospel attributed to Mark and adds to this his own distinctive flavour.
Luke gives us the human face of Jesus. By doing this he eases us into the mystery of Christ’s divinity. In making us feel at home with the human Jesus, Luke shows us how to be intimate with the divine Christ.
Luke selects those moments in Christ’s life that touch our common humanity. Whereas Matthew gives us an infant Jesus who associates with the majestic Magi from Persia, Luke balances that by showing us the Jesus who met with shepherds. If John’s Gospel soars like an eagle to discern the heavenly origins of Jesus, Luke travels to a simple village, Bethlehem, to recover the human origins of Jesus.
There is an interesting style to Luke. Look how the other writers begin. They all start with theological language; Luke begins with a series of songs. Mark wants to get on with the story, Luke lingers, slowly unfolding the events. John goes back to creation, Luke moves forward to salvation.
The other Gospels deal with religious teaching whereas Luke deals with people and gives us a cast of unforgettable people, from the shepherds at His birth to Veronica at His death, with such notables in between as the Good Samaritan and the prodigal son.
Women are so much more prevalent in Luke’s Gospel and are essential to his text. He is less moralistic and yet full of moral drive, this results in a very human Jesus without any prejudice to his divinity.
His gospels are full of meals! A most human touch. Luke will present us with a Jesus who seems to thrive on going to dinners that are unguarded situations. Where people are less likely to reject His message. It is only Luke who has the most beloved dinner scene in the whole bible - the Emmaus story.
The Gospel of Luke has a special appeal to me because of its therapeutic style and whilst Jesus might not be a therapist, as such, He does appear as one interested in healing of the whole person. In this gospel more than in the others the healing miracles of Jesus more clearly define the ultimate healing that He wants to give us, the salvation of the whole person.
This can be best seen in his search for that which is lost; the lost coin, the lost sheep and most importantly the lost people.
Yet there is nothing sentimental about Luke’s Jesus. His Jesus demands complete commitment from His disciples. He says the Cross is a ‘must’ and says it five times in the gospel and three times in the Acts.
He is no religious pedant. He is not heavy, weighed down with the burden of the task. He knows how to be happy. In a conclusion to this introduction there is one important fact I want to share with you about the Luke of Jesus. I wonder if you would like to venture a thought as to what it is that sets Luke apart in terms of style?
Well, it’s joy. The Greek word for joy appears in Luke more often than in any of the others. Twenty five times in Luke, twelve in Matthew and only three in Mark.
Such manifestations of joy on the face of Jesus are traceable to the power of the sprit. The gift of joy from the Holy Spirit permeates the whole of his text. It begins with Mary rejoicing at the message of the angel through the Sprit resting upon Jesus in chapter four through to the Emmaus walk, when the hearts of the two walking burnt within them.
To gaze on the human face of Jesus in Luke is to see someone who is at peace and in absolute contact with God. His is not a tormented Jesus. Even in Luke’s way of the Cross, where the women weep over His suffering, he has the moving story of Veronica wiping His face so that a little of His dignity is preserved. The human face is imprinted on her towel, as I hope it will become imprinted on our hearts.
© Fr Michael Fuller: October 2007