Luke’s Gospel is unique in that it is the only Gospel to have a sequel, the Book of Acts. According to the author, the Gospel is about “all that Jesus did and taught…until the day that he was taken up to heaven” (Acts 1:1-2), while Acts addresses what God was doing in Jesus, in the actions of the disciples, and in the life of the early faith communities. In addition, both books begin by addressing Theophilus.
Luke begins by telling the reader that he is writing an orderly account of what God has done and is doing in this world so that Theophilus (“one who loves God”) would know the truth about the things he had already learned (Luke 1:3-4). Exactly who Theophilus is is unknown, but there are two prominent thoughts. The first is that Theophilus was a wealthy patron who supported Luke as he wrote the Gospel and The Acts of the Apostles. This would have been very common in that era. However, when we take a look at the name and its meaning, Theophilus may not have been a person at all. It could be that Luke uses this name to symbolize all those readers, including us, who love God and follow the teachings of Jesus.
Whether Theophilus was an individual or a group of those who love God, the author is assuming that he is writing to those who already know something of the Christian faith (1:4), but it appears that Theophilus was uncertain about the prior instruction that he/they had received. Therefore, Luke says that this is written “so that you may know the truth (better translated as security or certainty) concerning the things about which you have been instructed.” In other words, Luke wants to help his readers find security or certainty in their faith.
Although Luke does not tell us explicitly what his audience is uncertain about, there are many issues that this writer attempts to explain, one of which has to do with the “end times.” There was uncertainty about the final days and the judgment, and Luke makes it clear that Jesus will return to judge all creation and to establish God’s reign in its fullness (11:30; 21:7; 25:36). Another area of uncertainty and confusion apparently had to do with when Jesus would return (Chapter 19). There are times when it seems like the return is imminent (12:35) and there are other times when it seems as though his return will be far in the future.
Knowing that we must wait for Jesus’ return, Luke focuses on providing instruction as to how to live as a disciple while waiting. From a discipleship standpoint, it is in the time of waiting that many of the disciples, including you and me, become either lazy or discouraged. In both cases Luke, warns them to correct their ways.
Luke also emphasizes to his readers that God is present in the world. In Chapter 10, Jesus sends the disciples out to tell the world that “God’s Kingdom has come near” (10:9). For Luke, all disciples are to live in the “here and now” by continuing to fulfill Jesus’ mission (24:44-49). What was his mission? Jesus was anointed to bring good news to the poor, release to the captives, bring sight to the blind, free the oppressed… (4:18-20). Therefore, Luke writes to remind these disciples of the certainty of the end and their need to live faithfully as disciples until Jesus returns.
As you read through this Gospel, you will discover several themes in addition to those already mentioned. First and foremost, there is a tremendous focus on the work of the Holy Spirit. From the very beginning of the story, the Spirit is active in the lives of Zechariah, Gabriel, Mary, Elizabeth, and Simeon. As Luke understands things, it is through the power of the Holy Spirit that both Jesus (Luke 4:1) and the Church (Acts 1:1-2) are empowered to do God’s mission.
You will also discover that for Luke Jesus manifests God’s love by reaching out to those on the margins of society (5:27-32). Jesus dines with the social outcasts. He encourages his followers to include and befriend those who are usually excluded and despised (14:12-14), he blesses the poor (6:20), and warns the rich to be very careful (6:24; 12:13-21; 18:18-25). Luke reminds his readers that economic status and wealth will not determine how people will be treated in God’s Kingdom. In God’s Kingdom, all people are valued, especially the outcasts and the marginalized (Chapter 15).
Another prominent theme in this text is the important role that women have in the story. Both Mary and Elizabeth have prominent roles in the birth narrative. As the story unfolds, you will discover that woman are lifted up in many ways throughout the story (15:8-10; 7:11-17; 8:1-3; 8:40-56; 24:10), and in some situations they are even described as model disciples (1:38 and 7:36-50), and of course, women were the first disciples to witness to the Resurrection (24:1-12). His emphasis on the prominence of women is unique when compared to the other Gospels.
Lastly, throughout Luke’s Gospel you will discover that Luke is very careful to emphasize that God’s salvific plan not only includes the people of Israel, but all people. For many, this is a stumbling block. Did God suddenly change God’s mind? Was God abandoning His promise to Israel? And from the Gentile perspective, if God was abandoning the Jewish people, what would stop Him from abandoning the Gentiles in the future? For Luke, God’s salvific plan has not changed; this has been God’s plan all along. When we look at Genesis 12:1-3, we see that, from the beginning, God’s promise to Abraham was that all the families of the earth would be blessed. Luke desires to show his readers that God is at work fulfilling His plan through Jesus (4:16-21), and eventually through us (24:44-49).
Who actually wrote this Gospel?
Although this Gospel is called The Gospel According to Luke, we really do not know who wrote it. We know that in the 2nd Century it was attributed to Luke for the following reasons: First of all, Paul speaks about Luke in two of his letters (Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:11) as one of his traveling companions. Then in The Acts of the Apostles there are several times when the author uses the term “we” when he is writing about Paul’s missions (Chapters 10, 20-21, and 27-28). Therefore, the early Church attributed these two writings to Luke.
As far as whom Luke himself was, based on Colossians 4:14 he is thought to have been a physician. It is also believed that Luke was a Gentile, although he does know a lot about Jewish customs and practices, which he probably learned from Paul as he traveled with him. We also know from the author’s own admission that he was not an eyewitness to the life and teachings of Jesus, but that he uses other accounts to write this story (Luke 1:1-2). Regardless of who actually wrote Luke/Acts, it is believed that the book was written around 80 CE and we that this Gospel had significant influence on the communities throughout the early Church’s history.
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