Gospel Of Luke Essay

The Gospel of Luke

The writer of Luke’s Gospel is almost certainly the writer of Acts due to the fact that they were both written to the same person, Theophilus. Also, the beginning of Acts starts by saying, ‘In the first ... book I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach’ (Acts 1:1). It is generally accepted that the author is the same Luke who was a companion of Paul (Col. 4:14; 2 Tim. 4:11, and Philem. 24), that he was a doctor, and a gentile. He was not a Jew, and he explains the importance of the gospel for the gentiles as well as the Jews. In the first four verses, Luke explains that he is providing an accurate, well ordered account of the basic Christian message so that his Greek friend would know the certainty of those things in which [he was] instructed (Luke 1:4). From his name, Theophilus (meaning one who loves God), we know he was a Greek and Luke probably had other Greek Christians, other lovers of God, in mind when he wrote. The Gospel and Acts were probably written about A.D.63.

Its themes focus more on Christ as the great High Priest and Saviour, rather than on Jesus, the Son of David, and Israel’s true King. Accordingly, it abounds in stories in which our Lord’s mercies towards the less privileged, the sick, the needy, social outcasts, sinners, women, children, people of all nations, are clearly shown. Jesus is constantly seen interacting with those on the margins of Jewish society. It also has those wonderful references to Jesus’ birth, the angel’s announcement to Mary, Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth, the mother-to-be of John the Baptist, Mary’s beautiful and joyous song (Luke 1:46-55), the prophesy of Zacharias, John’s father (Luke 1:67-79), and the meeting with old Simeon in the Temple and his prophetic words (Luke