Hi James and Ellen,
Luke was penned by a doctor whose name was Luke. Luke was a Gentile. Luke being a Gentile means that Luke was not a Jew. Luke was a proselyte. Luke being a proselyte means that he became a believer in a different belief paradigm than what he had previously accepted to live by as his spiritual conviction. Luke would become a born again Christ-follower upon his acceptance of an incarnate man – Who was Jesus Christ, having been placed on planet Earth by God – as God the Father, to practice a holistic ministry that involved presenting His ‘Good News’ message in teaching venues, healing physically and mentally sick or challenged guys, gals and kids, conveying compassion on marginalized guys, gals and kids, demonstrating a coaching/mentoring model that He used on the twelve guys Who he randomly selected who had different vocations and were from different areas as they trekked with Him and allowing His life to be a literal sacrifice so that death would no longer be the consequence for ‘lost’ guys, gals and kids who internalized an unflinching belief in Him. Luke – around 70 A.D., used penning a letter to Theophilus – who had become a close acquaintance, to historically detail the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Luke’s letter to Theophilus acknowledges universality in that God made it possible for a Gentile through His Son – as God the Son – who was Jesus Christ, to be on an equal footing with a Jew as a Christ-follower.
Luke’s probable extensive education and his innate cultural awareness legitimize Luke’s reporting to a close confidant in a penned letter the impact that a radical life changer – Who was Jesus Christ, had during His time on planet Earth. In what is now the third book in the New Testament canon, Luke starts out his in-depth, historical review of Jesus Christ’s life on planet Earth by introducing various bit players that include Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah, John the Baptist, Gabriel, Caesar Augustus, shepherds, wise men, Simeon, Anna, Herod, etc., who were directly and indirectly involved in the humble birth of Jesus Christ in the town of Bethlehem in a grotto that was used for stabling livestock, in Jesus Christ’s development years in a small house in the town of Nazareth that had rock walls and in the literal and figurative baptizing of Jesus Christ in the Jordon River by a honey and locust eating hermit who called the desert his home. Luke then went back through the lineage of Jesus Christ beginning with Jesus Christ’s presumptive dad – Joseph, to Adam – a family tree that totaled 75 dads. Luke then recorded in his detailed letter to Theophilus some of Jesus Christ’s discourses, sayings, parables, illustrative anecdotes and certain miracles. There is a sense that when Luke wrote about Jesus Christ’s death that Luke was giving an eyewitness account of the pleading prayer that he heard Jesus Christ make to His Father as He was dying while inhumanely hung on and nailed to a cross and to the passionate plea that one of the two thieves who were being crucified with Jesus Christ made to Jesus Christ for forgiveness and hearing Jesus Christ tell the thief that he was forgiven. In his recounting of Jesus Christ after His resurrection of Him meeting up with two guys on the road to Emmaus, Luke seems to communicate that He knew at least one of the guys – if not both, or that he may have been one of the guys. Luke ends his letter to his pal Theophilus by reflecting on the Great Commission mandate that Jesus Christ gave to His remaining eleven disciples and then on Jesus Christ’s ascension into heaven. Through intentional referencing in his Luke Book, Luke wanted Theophilus to know that he had a concern for women, for the poor and for praying.
The role that Luke played and is still playing through his writings in the ever growing Christ-follower family cannot be quantified. Luke was not a consummate evangelist, teacher, preacher or . . . Luke to your grandpaa was a class guy – both literally and figuratively, whose contribution to Christ-follower guys and gals took place because Luke was willing to be support staff – possibly utilizing his doctor profession, to be available in whatever way to the most recognized evangelist, teacher and preacher of the time – whose name was Paul. Even though Luke probably dedicated much of his time encouraging Paul as a co-traveler, Luke also used whatever time that was available to him to research the Jew people group’s archives for background on the life of Jesus Christ – as his certification of Jesus Christ’s ancestry back to Adam testifies, and to personally interview eyewitnesses to what Jesus Christ did during His proactive, holistic activities while He was doing planet Earth time – as his recitation of some of what Jesus Christ said and did is parallel to what Matthew and Mark scribed in their books. Luke’s medical vocation would have created status for him. Having status or being titled in a position is often desired by guys and gals because of the weight that a society puts on class strata or on results to measure or to validate the value of a guy or gal to an encapsulated community. To pull a Luke is to not pursue personal gain and/or not to go after individual fame but to come alongside guys, gals and kids in the moment through accepting, affirming and approving them in whatever place that God has them. Your grandpaa does not see through Luke’s eyes Jesus Christ measuring or validating what He did while He was on planet Earth. Your grandpaa does not read in what Luke penned that he is trying to give importance to his planet Earth tenure. Caring about others is really what Jesus Christ and Luke did.
Luke