Luke

LUKE

Scripture references:
Colossian 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11;
Philemon 1:24; “we” passages in Acts

————————v————————

————————v————————

LUKE’S LIFE AND TIMES

Paul speaks of him as the “beloved physician” (Col. 4:14) and as a “fellow laborer” (Philem. 1:24). From earliest times, Luke has been identified as the author of the third Gospel and of Acts, in part because each book features medical language and refers often to illnesses, diagnoses, and to the details of sickness, cures, and marks of recovery. In Acts 16, for the first time the author shifts from describing what “they” (Paul and his companions) did to what “we” (Paul, with Luke now among his companions) did (16:11). It becomes clear that Luke joined the missionary team at Troas, just before Paul crossed into Europe for the first time.

What we know of Luke as a person must be inferred from the books he wrote. First, Luke used the most educated and beautiful Greek of any Gospel writer. He was clearly given a classical education as well as medical training. While his name is Greek, he may well have been a Jew, as Jews often bore Greek as well as Jewish names. We also know from the emphases in Luke’s Gospel that Luke was especially concerned with the poor, the oppressed, and with women. His Gospel contains many stories depicting Jesus’ involvement with the poor, and Luke frequently contrasted the responses of women to the Lord with the responses of men. The themes developed in Luke’s writings show that he was an unusually sensitive and caring man as well as a careful historian.

LUKE: AN EXAMPLE FOR TODAY

Luke was by all indications a true intellectual as well as a dedicated physician and caring person. The term “beloved” used by Paul to describe Luke tells us much about his character. He combined a sharp mind with a loving and mild disposition and an unusual sensitivity for those whom society largely ignored.

Someone once commented that God must love the common people because He made so many of them. It is just as true to say that God must love the uncommon, because men like Luke so wonderfully glorify Him.

^[1]