The Gospel According to Luke

The Gospel According to Luke

The Good News

Christian tradition has always identified Luke as the companion of Paul and his “beloved physician” (Col 4:14; Philem 24). In any case, the author of the third Gospel, who also wrote the Book of Acts, seems to be a conscientious historian. As he himself says at the beginning of his work, he was very diligent in collecting testimonies and traditions, both oral and written, concerning the life of Jesus. He certainly knew the Gospel of Mark and, in addition, drew upon a source that Matthew likewise used. On the whole, the episodes and words found in the other Gospels are found also in Luke and in almost the same order. But many stories have reached us only through his Gospel. The book has its own style, its own way of presenting the material; from a literary point of view, it is more carefully written.

The work shows us, first and foremost, the author’s deep faith in Jesus and his concern for the life of the Gospel. He contemplates the Lord with a special degree of sympathy, and an interiority and mysticism shine through his writing that make it far different from Mark’s rough style. Jesus is Luke’s savior and redeemer, his joy. While writing at almost the same period as Matthew, Luke addresses his work to converts from the pagan world, men and women who must live in that world. He is therefore realistic in his teaching.

In addition, this Gospel will be continued in the Acts of the Apostles. In the latter work, Luke describes the beginnings of the young Christian Church, which had been charged by its Lord with proclaiming to all human beings that they have been saved, no matter what the culture was to which they belonged.

The Gospel is a personal and original work by a witness to the faith of the Church. Luke’s primary desire is to present the mystery of Christ to us. Christ has brought to fulfillment the plan of God and therefore all the Old Testament promises. The author does not multiply citations from the Bible, as Matthew does, but his continual, though unobtrusive, allusions to the Scriptures enable us to see in Jesus the new Moses and therefore the new head of the People of God, the new David, the new Solomon, the new Elijah, or, in short, the one who brings to fruition God’s plan for the human race. It is to be observed that Luke calls Jesus “Lord” 16 times. This is the title that the Church immediately gave to the risen and glorified Christ, and it is the name given to God in the Old Testament.

More clearly than the other evangelists, Luke portrays the kindness of Jesus to sinners, showing him as the image of the limitless kindness of God. Jesus comes through as the Savior of sinners who seeks out the lost, the despised, and the outcasts and comforts them with the message of forgiveness. The motto of his ministry is found in the words of Jesus that occur only in Luke (19:10): “The Son of Man has come to seek out and to save what was lost.” Luke’s Book is the Gospel of mercy.

The evangelist emphasizes the universality of the message of Jesus (2:14; 2:32). In the genealogy, Jesus appears as the son of Adam, the father of all mankind (3:38); and the final command of the risen Lord is to proclaim the remission of sins to all nations (24:47). Love of neighbor is another essential theme of Luke’s Gospel. It is at the core of the Sermon on the Plain (6:20-49) and the teaching of the Parable of the Good Samaritan (10:29-37).

Luke is also the evangelist of the Holy Spirit. The latter breaks through from on high as a gift of God and acts with his divine power both in the life of Jesus and in his Messianic community (1:15; 3:22; 4:1; 10:21; 11:13; 12:12). Another feature of this Gospel is its emphasis on prayer, which is connected with the action of the Holy Spirit. All the Gospels speak of the prayer of Jesus, but Luke alone shows Jesus praying at the most important stages of his ministry (3:21; 6:12; 9:18; 9:28; 11:1; 22:41; 23:46). The evangelist then goes on to stress the duty to pray on the part of all who follow Jesus. They must pray always, without ceasing (18:1ff).

This work has also been termed the Gospel of Women because of its domestic scenes (2:41-51; 10:38-42; 11:5-8) as well as other scenes in which women are mentioned (7:11-17; 8:2f; 23:17-31). From the account of Christ’s birth in which Mary, Elizabeth, and Anna are prominent (1–2) to the events of the day of the Resurrection in which women have a large role (24:1-10), Luke brings out the major role that women played in the life and ministry of our Lord.

Finally, Luke calls for unconditional attachment to the things that can be truly good and the renunciation of material things (12:16-21; 16:19-31). Moreover, throughout his Gospel Luke stresses and exalts poverty (5:11; 5:28; 18:22). The evangelist also issues a series of warnings against the danger of riches (6:24; 12:13-21; 14:33; etc.).

The Gospel of Luke may be divided as follows:

Prologue: (1:1-4)

I: The Infancy Narrative (1:5—2:52)

II: The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry (3:1—4:13)

III: The Ministry of Jesus in Galilee (4:14—9:50)

IV: The Journey to Jerusalem (9:51—19:27)

V: The Activity of Jesus at Jerusalem (19:28—1:38)

VI: The Passion and Resurrection (22:1—24:53)