Out of the four gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) in the New Testament, the Gospel of Luke is the only one that wasn’t written by one of Jesus’s disciples. Luke was actually one of the Apostle Paul’s traveling companions. Although, he never knew Jesus when Jesus walked the earth. Luke offers a unique perspective than the other gospels because he was not a Jew, but actually a gentile.
Luke’s focus is to carry on Jesus’s mission – to spread the gospel of Christ to the whole world – whether Jew or Gentile. Salvation is for everyone!
Because he did not witness the events he is writing about, it is believed he instead had to interview people and refer to other sources, such as the Gospel of Mark.
In chapter 1, verse 1, Luke tells us he is writing to a person by the name of Theophilus. We don’t know much about Theophilus, but that Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke and the Letter of Acts both specifically to this person. Because the name Theophilus means “lover of God,” we can assume he was a man of God.
So here’s what we know about Luke as a person:
- Occupation: Physician
- Ethnicity: Greek
- Hometown: Antioch, Syria
- Background: Well-educated, well-versed in the Roman world
- Family: Never married, no children
- Religious Background: Gentile
- Other Works: The Letter of Acts
Luke likely learned a lot about Jesus on his travels with Paul on his second, third and final missionary journeys. Because of his gentile background, he is able to bring a different perspective and insight to his writings about Jesus, and the people and events that surrounded his birth, life, death and resurrection.
Join me as I journey through the Gospel of Luke over the next several weeks! I would love it if you would read along with me, and I invite and encourage you use the comments section to tell me what you are learning!
What do you think?