Luke Gospel Table Of Contents Introduction 2 Body Of Presentation 3 Author 3 Date 3 Intended Audience 4 Purpose 5 Outline Of Contents 6 Theme Verse 7 Relevance 8 Bibliography 10 Introduction Luke was not a Jew, but a gentile. He was a physician who loved people. The nature of Lukes Gospel is indicated by the role of those from whom he got his materials. They were “ministers of the word”. The book was written for a man named Theophilus, who was part of the Roman Government. Lukes words touched Theophilus, drawing him closer to Jesus and who he was. The depths of Lukes Gospel are to be plumbed by the response of faith. This Gospel was written with a point of view in mind, symbolized by the calf, which to Luke meant that Jesus was sacrificed for he world to be save from heir sins. Luke emphasized that Jesus not only wanted the Jews to know the word, but also the gentiles, because he wants everyone to know about salvation and his love for us. Luke was loved by everyone and was thought to be a skilled painter. Luke also wrote the Book of Acts, which is said to be the sequel to the Gospel. Buttrick et all. says the book of Luke explains what Jesus dealt with, “all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up to heaven.” Lukes Gospel is one of the easiest and clearest to read.
It is written in the literary form of secular Greek historians, and has a quality of language that reveals author to have been a man of learning. Luke was setting out to preach the Christian message in a form that would capture the attention of the intelligent gentile mind of the first century. Body Of Presentation Authorship The Gospel according to Luke carries no direct statement about who wrote it. However, there are many indications that it was written by the one whose name bears: Luke, the doctor companion of Paul. Luke accompanied Paul on his journey to spread the word after the ascension of Jesus. According to Buttrick et all. Luke writes Iraneous. According to the Interpreters Dictionary of the Bible it is confirmed that Luke was the author of the “we sections”, because they are written in first person plural. These sections show that Paul is being accompanied by someone who could possible be Luke. This in itself shows that the same person wrote the Book of Acts, because of the writings and the style in which it was written. Luke was a gentile, for Paul lists him among his gentile friends. We know that Luke was a doctor for Paul calls him the “the beloved physician”.
Several arguments arise about authorship, although it falls short of proof, it is clear that there is nothing in the work that a physician could not have written. Luke fulfills the requirements for being the author of the Gospel. Date The date of the Gospel is not quite clear, but the Interpreters Dictionary states that it could be somewhere around 80 A.D. The reason behind this date is believed that the book of Acts was written shortly after Pauls imprisonment. There are four factors all scholars take into account when considering the date for Lukes gospel: The date of Mark and Lukes relationship, Date of Acts, Reference to the destruction of Jerusalem in Chapter 21 and The Theological and Ecclesiastical tone of Luke- Acts. The four factors lead all historians to same period of time, which ranges from A.D. 70 to 80. Fortunately the worth of the Gospel for us in no way rests on this point. Intended Audience Luke intended the Gospel to be the first part of a larger book, for the Book of Acts is clearly a sequel to it. In Acts chapter one verse one he explains that “In the first book ” he has dealt with “all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day he was taken up”. Readership of the Gospel must be drawn primarily from the prologue and secondarily from the conclusions about the purpose of the Gospel.
From a brief survey of theories about Lukes purpose, it would appear that while Luke-Acts had an appeal to the Non-Christian, Luke expected and desired it to be read by Christians, specifically new converts. According to the Expositors Bible there are several characteristics of the Gospel such as its orientation to the secular world, its references to Judaism, its septuagentisms, along with the prominence of the God fearers the made it plausible for those who did not have faith in the Lord. It is impossible to say Lukes writing were strictly for God-Fearers, but definite that he wrote with them in mind. Purpose The purpose of Lukes writing according to Buttrick et all, is that Luke is writing to confirm what we have already been taught, specifically in the Christian community. By this he affirms everything from his from his sources, oral traditions, and certain material that outline the life, ministry, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Luke spoke of sin, like Paul did and he also spoke f forgiveness and reconciliation. His interests are historical. He is trying to tell what Jesus had said and done in the light of certain definite interests of his own.
Forgiveness is an example theme when he says ” Let it be known to you therefore, brethrer, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone that believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses” . By writing the Luke-Acts book, he was able to make Christianity appealing to the Roman Court. The crucifixion of Jesus is an important theme in the Gospel of Luke. Pilate declared three times that Jesus was innocent, but sentenced him anyway. These men had to live with this wrong doing forever. There are several purposes proposed by the Gospel like Evangelism, Personal Assurance, History, Conciliation, Instruction, Social problems, and many more. The primary purpose of not only the Gospel but of the book of Acts as well, providing enough information about Jesus to supplement the instruction Theophilus already had to assist in confirming his faith. If we dissect the Gospel one can assume Luke wrote to bring the Gospel, and the assurance of salvation that follows its acceptance, to a larger audience than Theophilus. In addition to winning converts, Luke is focused on promoting the Christian Movement. Luke brings together all the data and addresses, all issues he deems necessary to advance Christs cause.
