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Luke

First impression: finding the context

The Original Reader of Luke are actually Gentiles, in other words: non-Jews. I really enjoyed Luke’s perspective because he was writing to the people who were not “the people of God”, “the chosen ones”, but all the rest. And it makes a lot of sense since Luke himself was not a Jew. I can see evidence of him writing to “outsiders” because he explains it at the very beginning of this book:

“Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write a careful account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught.” (Luke 1:1-4)

Theophilus is a Greek name. Now, Theophilus means “lover of God”, and for that reason some think that the book was written to people who love God and not to a single person. (SourceView Bible p. 1315) I believe that either way it was written for people who were outside of the inner circle.

Luke was detail oriented. I have to say, very very very detail oriented. He starts the first chapter of this book by letting his reader(s) know that other people have written about the same events (verse 1), and then he let the reader(s) that he has “carefully investigated everything from the beginning” he also decided to write an account like the others (verse 3).

Another detail that he added is a very exhaustive genealogy, so much that it goes back to Adam who “was the son of God.” (Luke 3:38) I feel he went that far because he wanted to let all the people that we are all descendants of God and that He cares for ALL of us regardless of our nationality or background. I personally really appreciate this because I’m not a Jew, so I feel like Luke wrote this book for me (and people like me, the gentiles). I believe Luke also paid special attention to details about things that would prove the importance of reaching the rest of the people. He recorded this story that Jesus told, when the other gospels did not:

“Certainly there were many needy widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the heavens were closed for three and a half years, and a severe famine devastated the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian.” (Luke 4:24-27)

Please note two things: the first one is that the actual story happened in the Old Testament, “Elijah’s time” and “in the time of the prophet Elisha”. And the second thing is that the two people mentioned by Jesus are not from Israel, they are gentiles, yet Elijah and Elisha helped them.

I believe that the main idea of this whole book is that God’s love is not restricted by nationalities or country borders! His love is for everyone! This topic is supported by the fact that Luke records a lot of personal encounters with Jesus. And most of them were “underdogs”. For example, in this gospel, Jesus is talking, helping, delivering and showing his love to women, foreigners, the sick, the lost, the broken, the poor, the needy, the suffering, the powerless and the despised! (SourceView Bible p. 1315)

The primary reason why this book was written is to bring the good news of a Savior to all people! The opportunity of salvation had to be presented to all regardless of origin:

“One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” (Luke 9:1-2)

I do not see any fine print there or exceptions here. Do you?

Theme tracing

Nothing is impossible with God. (1:37)

God is a father… to Adam (3:38)

He is an abundant provider (5:6-7)

Jesus is the Lord over everything, “even over the Sabbath” (6:5)

God is compassionate and He urges us to be like Him (6:36)

Jesus is God’s son, God’s “Chosen One” (9:35)

God cares for us [even more than He does care for birds!] (12:24)

What does this book show about God’s redemptive plan for mankind?

For me the story of the man who prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations is the key to the redemptive plan of God presented in this book. Here is the story in Luke 14:16-24

Jesus replied with this story: “A man prepared a great feast and sent out many invitations. When the banquet was ready, he sent his servant to tell the guests, ‘Come, the banquet is ready.’ But they all began making excuses. One said, ‘I have just bought a field and must inspect it. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I have just bought five pairs of oxen, and I want to try them out. Please excuse me.’ Another said, ‘I now have a wife, so I can’t come.’

 “The servant returned and told his master what they had said. His master was furious and said, ‘Go quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and invite the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.’ After the servant had done this, he reported, ‘There is still room for more.’ So his master said, ‘Go out into the country lanes and behind the hedges and urge anyone you find to come, so that the house will be full. For none of those I first invited will get even the smallest taste of my banquet.’”

The way I read this story is that God invited the Hebrew people to be His special people, His chosen people, but they decided they had other things to do, other gods to worship and finally, they even killed Jesus, His son, His messenger. So, God decided to “invite” other people to His banquet… and the gentiles are that other people! And they did attend… there are many followers of Christ outside of the Jewish faith nowadays. I know, that in the way I’m saying it seems like as if God changed His mind, but I think His plan of salvation was for all humanity from the very beginning. I just feel like as if He wanted to bless the whole humanity through Israel, but when they failed to do so, He decided to continue the plan with or without them. And because He loves everyone, and wants all people to be saved, all people are welcome to follow Him, and to love Him over everything and anything. Even those who decided long ago not to follow Him…

Personal application

I was really challenged and encouraged at the same time with the idea of abundant provision from God. I don’t want to go into the whole idea of the “Prosperity Gospel” [a quick search online will tell what that is, if you are not familiar with that theory] because I see Jesus blessing everybody, giving food to His followers and to the rest alike. I see Jesus healing ALL the sick in the towns, not only those who followed Him. He even stated that He had come to cure the sick, not the healthy, referring to the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. And even then, He tried to reach them as well, but they refused His teachings, it’s a shame, they were so close to salvation but they did not recognize it.

I also noticed that in this book there are a few Timeless Truths but one called my attention more powerfully than the others:

“…When someone has been given much, much will be required in return; and when someone has been entrusted with much, even more will be required.” (Luke 12:48)

This has been a personal concern of mine since I started reading and studying the Bible, because the more I know, the more responsibility I have… and more and more is required of me every time I learn more about the Bible. I know that it is a weird way to think about knowledge, but it is true, because knowledge equals power, and the more power you have, the more you are asked to do and to deliver accordingly. Right? Is a timeless truth, no matter what religion you are from, or even if you are not part of a religion, in jobs and at academic levels, the more you know, the more you earn. The more you know, the more you are entrusted with. Anyway, I feel encouraged to continue learning. After all, the more you know, the more you can help others… because…

“If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones…” (Luke 16:10)

Point of passion

Well, well, well… I also found a lot of food and provision in these pages! But I want to concentrate in only a couple of examples…

The “last supper”, well, I usually say that the best thing to do is to have good food with good people. And Jesus had His last meal with the people who were the closest to Him! He even shared that last meal time with the person who was going to betray Him. That really speaks to me, because Jesus was so in tune with what He preached that He invited His enemies to eat with Him. I am not at that level… yet.

The other thing that called my attention is that when Jesus was in tempted by the devil, He was very hungry, because He had been tempted for 40 days! And the first interaction we read about between the two of them has to do with food; the devil told Jesus “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become a loaf of bread.” (4:3) And Jesus replied “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone’.” (4:4) And sometimes I feel like I live for eating! And not the other way around! However, this passage, encourages me to see food for what it is, fuel to accomplish other goals in our lives. I also believe that Jesus was referring to the fact that we not only need physical food, but we also need the spiritual nourishment.

Now, I have to say this in the most respectful way possible, I know this scripture to be true… I cannot live only on bread alone, I also need steak.