Luke and Acts – A Comprehensive Look at Jesus and the Church
In my next study, I thought I would explore the books of Luke and Acts. Both are connected by a single author and, I believe, a single theme. Both are a thorough account of the life of Jesus and the start and growth of His church. The book of Luke specifically looks at Christ’s interaction with the individual giving us detailed stories about Jesus’ interchange with people from all walks of life. This continues throughout Acts where we find a meticulous record of the people that were empowered by the Holy Spirit to spread the gospel of Christ throughout the world. Although Luke’s name is not specifically mentioned in either book, ancient Christian tradition ascribes the books to him. So, who was Luke, and why did he undertake this project?
Luke is mentioned only three times in scripture – all in letters by Paul. Colossians 4:14 – Luke, the dearly loved physician, and Demas greet you. 2 Timothy 4:9-12 – Make every effort to come to me soon, for Demas has deserted me, because he loved this present world, and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Bring Mark with you, for he is useful to me in the ministry. Philemon 1:23-24 – Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my coworkers. So what do we find from these short descriptions? We find that Luke was a physician, a strong believer, a coworker with Paul, and a trusted and loyal friend. As a physician, he would be a person who paid attention to details, which is why we have such a thorough account in both his gospel and in his follow-up book of Acts. We can also deduce that Luke gave up a lot of wealth and clout to travel with Paul all those years, as the life of a physician would have most certainly been financially well off. As a coworker of Paul, he would have been an eye-witness to the establishment and growth of the church and the spread of Christianity across the world. We also know Luke was Greek, as his writing reflect a strong understanding of the Greek language and the style is most definitely Greek in nature. This also makes Luke a Gentile, which is extraordinary, as he is the only Gentile author of Scripture. This is an important point, because, out of all the books throughout the Bible, Luke is specifically addressing a Gentile audience. Yes, Paul writes his letters to churches made up of Gentiles, but there were also Jewish believers in those churches. Being a Gentile gives Luke specific insight as to what will reach that particular audience even more directly. This is another reason he goes into so much detail in his books/letters. He wants the Gentile reader, who has no background in Scripture, to have an accurate understanding of who Jesus is, why He came and His plan of salvation for the world. More on this later.
Next, let’s understand the why – why did Luke research and write his books/letters? The first four verses of Luke gives us his explanation:
Luke 1:1-4 Many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as the original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed them down to us. It also seemed good to me, since I have carefully investigated everything from the very first, to write to you in an orderly sequence, most honorable Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed.
The identity of Theophilus, which means friend of God, it is unknown, but we can gather a few things from this introduction. Luke addresses him as “most honorable” Theophilus. This is a title given to Roman officials at the time, so, we can surmise that Theophilus was probably an official of some kind. We know Theophilus has had instruction concerning Christianity – so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed – therefore, Luke is establishing the truth of this instruction. We also know that Luke is writing this book in an “orderly sequence” so the reader of these books/letters can get an accurate picture of who Jesus is, and what His ministry is all about. Last, we know Luke took an abundance of time to get the facts straight – “I have carefully investigated everything from the very first” – and that he started from the very beginning. From this, we can presume Luke conducted several first-hand interviews with the people he describes in his books and/or eye-witnesses of the events that took place. We do know he had his own first-hand experiences with Paul on several of his missionary journeys throughout Acts.
As to the exact date of these books/letters, we can only look at their content to make a guess. We know they were almost certainly written close together. Luke’s first narrative is his account of Jesus’ work on earth. Acts is an account of the work of the Holy Spirit through Christ’s followers. Acts 1:1- says, “I wrote the first narrative, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day He was taken up, after He had given orders through the Holy Spirit to the apostles He had chosen. After He had suffered, He also presented Himself alive to them by many convincing proofs, appearing to them during 40 days and speaking about the kingdom of God.” He connects the end of Luke to the beginning of Acts in this way. Our clues on dating this book come, not from the events that take place in the books themselves, but rather, from the events that do not take place. At the end of Acts, Paul is still alive and well living in a rented house. Also, nothing has been mentioned about the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. As a detailed writer, Luke would have most certainly mentioned both the death of Paul and the devastating event of 70 AD which affected the church greatly. So we most certainly must date the book before the death of Paul. We do not know the exact date of Paul’s death, but we do know it came under Nero between 64-65 AD when the persecution of Christians was at the height. Working backwards, we know Paul went to Rome around 57-58 AD and was eventually arrested. We know Luke did not desert Paul so he had several years to do his research both in Rome and Jerusalem, probably starting around 58 AD and finishing before Paul’s death – at around 63 AD.
Finally, we come to the “more on that later” – the theme of the book of Luke. Each gospel gives us a different portrayal at Christ. Matthew portrays Jesus as the King of kings, Mark show us Jesus as the Servant, and John gives us Christ as the Word of God. Luke takes a different approach and shows us Jesus as the Son of Man. This is shown us over and over through the lives of individuals and through the words of Christ Himself. Here is a great example: “Today salvation has come to this house,” Jesus told him (Zacchaeus), “because he too is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost,” Luke 19:9-10. I believe this to be the key verse in Luke – for Luke’s gospel shows us the connection between old and new testaments. He shows us God’s great plan, from the very beginning, to seek and save the lost. And Luke establishes this from the start with the birth of John the Baptizer and then carries this amazing theme of grace throughout the book of Acts as we witness the gospel being spread throughout the world. As we dive into the books of Luke and Acts, keep in mind this ongoing theme Luke has established. Jesus has come to seek and save all who are lost.
Bible Study Blog 