SUMMARY
Beginning with angelic announcements of the conceptions of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, and concluding with the resurrected Jesus being carried up into heaven, the Gospel according to Luke offers an account of the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. Luke presents the story of Jesus as the fulfillment of promises God previously made to the people of Israel. Jesus is Christ, the Lord, the redeemerA redeemer is someone who literally buys back, wins back, or frees from distress. The Hebrew term for redeemer (go’el) means to deliver or rescue. It may be a person or God who performs the act of redemption. More sent by God to declare God’s salvationSalvation can mean saved from something (deliverance) or for something (redemption). Paul preached that salvation comes through the death of Christ on the cross which redeemed sinners from death and for a grace-filled life. More to all people. Jesus proclaims God’s reign, heals those who are sick, raises some from the dead, casts out oppressive spirits, restores to people a more complete ability to participate in society, and teaches his followers through vivid parables.
SO WHAT?
A main focus of Luke’s Gospel is the nature of the salvation that Jesus Christ provides. Because Jesus encounters a wide variety of people in Luke, this Gospel offers a glimpse into the different facets of salvation–its spiritual, physical, and social dimensions. Because Jesus speaks many parables in Luke, this Gospel also becomes a source for deep reflection about the nature of God’s reign and the ways of living faithfully in this world.
WHERE DO I FIND IT?
The Gospel according to Luke is the third book in the New Testament. It follows two books that speak about Jesus from a similar perspective, the Gospels of Matthew and Mark.
WHO WROTE IT?
The Gospel according to Luke is anonymous, yet the author reveals in the opening verses that he was not an eyewitness of the events he describes. Christian writings from the latter half of the second century identify Luke, an associate of the ApostleDerived from a Greek word meaning “one who is sent,” an apostle is a person who embraces and advocates another person’s idea or beliefs. At the beginning of his ministry Jesus called twelve apostles to follow and serve him. Paul became an apostle of Jesus… More Paul, as the Gospel’s author, but nothing in the Gospel itself can confirm or refute that claim.
WHEN WAS IT WRITTEN?
Like the other Gospels, Luke was written some time after Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The best analyses conclude that it was written after Mark and Matthew, probably between 80 and 90 CE. However, much material in Luke certainly comes from oral and written sources that had already been in circulation among Jesus’ followers for some time.
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Through his words, deeds, death, resurrection, and ascension, Jesus Christ, the Savior that God promised to the people of Israel, proclaims and embodies God’s good news of deliverance for all peoples.
HOW DO I READ IT?
As the Gospel’s opening verses declare, the author of Luke wrote to reinforce a Christian audience’s confidence about what it knew concerning the good news of Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Luke aims to instruct and reassure its readers by telling the story of Jesus in an “orderly” manner, meaning that Luke’s account is arranged and narrated in a way that attempts to express Jesus’ significance. Instead of preaching a long sermon, the book tells a story about Jesus to describe God’s faithfulness, God’s salvation, and God’s purposes for the world.
