Gospel According to Luke for First Timers
This Gospel was written by St Luke around 60 AD, 30 years after Jesus’ death and resurrection.
He also wrote the Book of the Acts of the Apostles, where it is recorded he travelled with Paul. The earliest mention of Luke in the Bible is in Paul’s letter to Philemon, circa AD 57. He is also mentioned in Colossians 4 v 14 and 2 Timothy too.
According to tradition, Luke was a Syrian and worked as a physician and a historian.
Colossians 4 suggests Luke was not “of the circumcision,” and tradition has always said he was a Gentile.
I wrote about how a gospel was a military document, setting out the terms of surrender. And so Luke is showing who Jesus Christ is, why He deserves loyalty and how to be saved from the coming judgement.
An important point to make is that this book should not be called Luke’s gospel, but the Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Luke. It helps us remember that this is Luke writing about the Gospel of Jesus.
Four Animals
In the late 3rd Century, Irenaeus used the imagery of the creatures around God’s throne in Ezekiel and linked them to the Gospel writers.
Ezekiel 1 v 1-13
In the fire were what looked like four living beings. In their appearance they had human form, but each had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight, but the soles of their feet were like calves’ feet. They gleamed like polished bronze. They had human hands under their wings on their four sides. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, their wings touched each other; they did not turn as they moved, but went straight ahead.
Their faces had this appearance: Each of the four had the face of a man, with the face of a lion on the right, the face of an ox on the left and also the face of an eagle.
Irenaeus compared Luke to the being who looked like a winged ox. This symbolised the priestly aspect of the Gospel and the sacrifice at the heart of Jesus’ ministry.
Prayer
Luke emphasises prayer in the Gospel. He mentions that Jesus prays on numerous occasions. More so than any other gospel. This shows that Jesus saw communication with His Father as important.
Outcasts
Luke’s narrative is also known as the Gospel of the Outcast, due to the many characters we encounter in the story who didn’t fit into 1st century AD Jewish culture.
The Samaritan (Luke 10)
The Harlot (Luke 7)
The Prodigal (Luke 15)
The Woman with the issue of blood (Luke 8)
The Thief on the Cross (Luke 23)
Zaccheus (Luke 19)
As a gentile, Luke probably aimed this telling of the Gospel towards those outside of the Jewish faith and culture.
He shows a Jesus who welcomes outsiders, who wants to extend God’s invitation to the Kingdom of Heaven with everyone.