Context of Luke
Author
Traditionally Luke, a travelling companion of Paul, not an eyewitness to Jesus’ ministry. Because the writer, who also composed the Book of Acts, rarely shows Paul promoting his distinctive ideas and never mentions Paul’s letters, scholars think it unlikely that he was an intimate of the apostle. Luke-Acts is anonymous.
Date
About AD 85-90, significantly after the destruction of Jerusalem and the church’s transformation into a primarily Gentile movement.
Place of composition
Unknown. Suggestions range from Antioch to Ephesus.
Sources
Mark, Q, and special Lukan material (L).
Audience
Gentile Christians dispersed throughout the Roman Empire. The person to whom both Luke and Acts are dedicated, Theophilus, may have been a Greco-Roman government official, or, because his name means “beloved [or lover] of God,” he may be a symbol for the Gentile church.
Structure of Luke
Formal Preface (1:1-4)
Infancy Narratives of the Baptist and Jesus (1:5–2:52)
Prelude to Jesus’ Ministry: Baptism, Genealogy, and Temptation (3:1–4:13)
Jesus’ Galilean Ministry and the “Lesser Interpolation” (4:14–9:50)
Luke’s Travel Narrative: Jesus’ Teachings (the “Greater Interpolation”) on the Journey to Jerusalem (9:51 – 18:14)
The Jerusalem Ministry: Jesus’ Challenge to the Holy City (18:31–21:38)
The Final Conflict and Passion Story (22:1–23:56)
Epilogue: Postresurrection Appearances in the Vicinity of Jerusalem (24:1-53)
Themes of Luke
Jesus’ career as history’s most crucial event
Jesus’ career as the opening stage of a historical process that continues in the life of the church
Jesus and his disciples are innocent of any crime against Rome
The religion of Jesus and his disciples is a universal faith intended for all people
God’s in-breaking kingdom overturns the normal social order and reverses conventional beliefs
Formal Preface (1:1-4)
Unique to Luke’s Gospel
“Luke opens his Gospel with a long formal sentence.”
“Writers in the first-century Mediterranean world quite often wrote opening sentences like this.”
“Readers would know they were beginning a serious, well-researched piece of work.”
“Luke appeals to a wide base of evidence”
Several others have written about these events and Luke has those accounts
He has been in touch with eye-witnesses
He has listened to accredited teachers in local communities
“‘Most excellent Theophilus’ may be a real person, perhaps a Roman governor or local official, whom Luke has come to know; or this may be a literary device, a way of addressing anyone who has heard about Christianity, and who is perhaps ‘a lover of God.’ (that’s what ‘Theophilus’ means in Greek)”
Infancy Narratives of the Baptist and Jesus (1:5–2:52)
The Birth of John the Baptist Foretold (1:5-25)
Unique to Luke’s Gospel
Luke’s Gospel begins by introducing us to a priest named Zechariah who lived in Judea during the reign of Herod.
His wife Elizabeth was also a Levite.
They were both very old and unable to have children
Zechariah is chosen by lot one year to go into the Temple and burn incense to God
While inside an angel appears to him and he is afraid
The angel tells him not to be afraid because he has good news
The angel says that they will have a son and will name him John
John will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born and he will be a nazirite
He then quotes the prophet Malachi, saying that John is the “Elijah who is to come, who will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children… and will prepare the way for the Lord.”
Zechariah doesn’t belief the angel and says “I’m too old for this.”
The angel says, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”
Meanwhile, the people outside are wondering what’s taking Zechariah so long
He comes out but can’t say anything, and they realize that he had seen a vision
Later, Zechariah returns home and Elizabeth gets pregnant
The Birth of Jesus Foretold (1:26-38)
Unique to Luke’s Gospel
Six months later, the angel Gabriel appears to a young virgin girl living in Nazareth in Galilee named Mary
Mary was pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David
Gabriel says, “Greetings! You who are highly favored! The Lord is with you!”
Mary is afraid and Gabriel tells her not to be. He tells her that she will become pregnant and give birth to a son and that she will name him Jesus, and he will be the Messiah – the son of God whose kingdom will never end.
Mary wonders how she will get pregnant since she’s a virgin.
Gabriel tells her that she will be impregnated by the Holy Spirit and points out Mary’s cousin Elizabeth’s pregnancy as evidence of God’s miraculous work.
And Mary says, “I am the Lord’s handmaid. May everything be done to me as you have said.”
“Contrast between muddled, puzzled Zechariah in the previous story and the obedient humility of Mary in this one. She too questions Gabriel, but this seems to be a request for information, not proof.”
Mary Visits Elizabeth (1:39-45)
Unique to Luke’s Gospel
Mary goes and visits her cousin Elizabeth, and when she arrives Elizabeth’s baby jumps for joy in her womb when he hears Mary’s voice.
Elizabeth blesses Mary, and Mary stays with her for three months until her son, John, is born.
Mary’s Song (1:46-56)
Unique to Luke’s Gospel
“Almost every word is a biblical quotation which Mary would have known from childhood.”
“Echoes the song of Hannah in 1 Samuel 2”
“Much of Mary’s song will be will be echoed by her son’s preaching, as he warns the rich not to trust in their wealth, and promises God’s kingdom to the poor.”
The Birth of John the Baptist (1:57-66)
Unique to Luke’s Gospel
Elizabeth has her baby and all the neighbors and relatives rejoice.
The baby is circumcised on the eighth day and everybody asks what the baby’s name is going to be.
Elizabeth names him “John,” but the neighbors and relatives are critical of that name.
Zechariah asks for something to write on, and he writes, “His name is John.”
Suddenly, Zechariah was healed and able to speak again.
He begins to sing praises to God and everyone rejoices.
Zechariah’s Song (1:67-80)
Unique to Luke’s Gospel
“It’s a poem about God acting at last, finally doing what he promised many centuries ago, and doing it at a time when his people had had their fill of hatred and oppression.”
“Luke is preparing us to see that God, in fulfilling the great promises of the Old Testament, is going beyond a merely this-worldly salvation and opening the door to a whole new world in which sin and death themselves will be dealt with.”
“Zechariah’s own story, of nine months’ silence suddenly broken at the naming of the child, is a reflection on a smaller scale of what was going on in the Israel of his day. Prophecy, many believed, had been silent for a long time. Now it was going to burst out again, to lead many back to a true allegiance to their God.”
The Birth of Jesus (2:1-21)
According to Puppets...
“Luke introduces the story by telling us about Augustus Caesar, way off in Rome, at the height of his power.”
“Augustus was the adopted son of Julius Caesar. He became sole ruler of the Roman world after a bloody civil war in which he overpowered all rival claimants. The last to be destroyed was the famous Mark Antony, who committed suicide not long after his defeat at the battle of Actium in 31 BC. Augustus turned the great Roman republic into an empire, with himself as the head; he proclaimed that he had brought justice and peace to the whole world; and, declaring his adoptive father to be divine, styled himself as ‘son of god.’”
“Augustus, people said, was the ‘savior’ of the world.”
“Augustus never heard of Jesus of Nazareth. But within a century or so his successors in Rome had not only heard of him; they were taking steps to obliterate his followers. Within just over three centuries the Emperor himself became a Christian.”
When Mary is due to give birth, she and Joseph travel from Nazareth to Joseph's ancestral home in Bethlehem to register in the census of Quirinius.
Mary gives birth to Jesus and, having found no place for themselves in the inn, places the newborn in a manger.
An angel of the Lord visits shepherds out in a nearby field, and brings them "good news of great joy": "to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord."
The angel tells them they will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.
The angel is joined by a "heavenly host" who say "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.
The shepherds hurry to Bethlehem where they find Jesus with Mary and Joseph. They go out and tell all who will listen to them what they have seen before returning to their flocks.
Angels appear to shepherds (2:8-20) unique to Luke’s Gospel
“The shepherds, summoned in from the fields (like David, the shepherd boy, brought in from the fields to be anointed as king), are made privy to the news, so that Mary and Joseph, hearing it from this unexpected source, will have extra confirmation of what up until now has been their own secret.”
While Christmas pageants often depict these shepherds as older men with beards, in the Bedouin culture of the Middle East, from ancient times through even today, shepherding is not considered “men’s work”. Rather, it is the work of unmarried girls, from age 8 through their early teens, and boys, prior to the age of puberty.
We see this in the Old Testament, with the daughters of Jethro and the boy David. In reality, this work is more time-consuming than it is difficult, and the men in the Middle Eastern culture rarely stooped to such work. There are ancient records which also reference this practice, noting that in some judicial matters, it required two shepherds to constitute the same burden of proof as one adult.
And so it is that the witnesses to whom the birth of Christ was announced were the lowest of the low on the social ladder – children watching their family’s sheep. This is incredibly fitting, as it is the last piece of the picture painted in Luke of the coming of Christ.
Jesus Presented in the Temple (2:22-40)
Unique to Luke’s Gospel
Mary and Joseph take Jesus to Jerusalem to be circumcised, before returning to their home in Nazareth.
Later in Jerusalem, during the Mosaic purification ceremony, an old man named Simeon approaches them.
Luke tells us that the Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die before he saw the Lord’s Anointed One.
He takes Jesus in his arms and blesses the Lord:
“Sovereign Lord, as
you have promised,
you may now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen
your salvation,
which you have prepared in the
sight of all nations:
a light for revelation
to the Gentiles,
and the glory of your people Israel.”
An old widow named Anna from the tribe of Asher also suddenly shows up praising God, and she begins to tell everyone about Jesus.
The Boy Jesus at the Temple (2:41-52)
Unique to Luke’s Gospel
Jesus at the age of twelve accompanies Mary, Joseph and a large group of their relatives and friends to Jerusalem on Passover pilgrimage.
On the day of their return, Jesus "lingered" in the Temple, but Mary and Joseph thought that he was among their group.
Mary and Joseph headed back home and after a day of travel realized Jesus was missing, so they returned to Jerusalem, finding Jesus three days later.
He was found in the Temple in discussion with the elders who were amazed at his learning, especially given his young age.
“The agony of Mary and Joseph, searching for three days, contrasts sharply with the calm response of Jesus when they find him.”
Mary’s rebuke of “Your father and I have been looking for you!” contrasts with Jesus’ response of “Why? Didn’t you know I had to do my father’s work?”
This story of losing Jesus for three days also foreshadows his death and resurrection after three days. In both cases, those close to Jesus didn’t understand why Jesus had to do what he did. Also, both stories take place at Passover.
Prelude to Jesus’ Ministry: Baptism, Genealogy, and Temptation (3:1–4:13)
John the Baptist Prepares the Way (3:1-20)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 1:1-8
Dating of John's ministry (3:1-2) unique to Luke’s Gospel
John's instructions to special groups (3:10-14) unique to Luke’s Gospel
The Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus (3:21-38)
Covered more thoroughly in Matthew 1:1-17; 3:13-17
Genealogy traced from Adam (3:23-38) unique to Luke’s Gospel
Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness (4:1-13)
Covered more thoroughly in Matthew 4:1-11
Jesus’ Galilean Ministry and the “Lesser Interpolation” (4:14–9:50)
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth (4:14-30)
Jesus goes to his home town of Nazareth and preaches in the synagogue from the book of Isaiah, claiming that Isaiah was talking about him when he said:
“The
Spirit of the Lord is
on me,
because he has anointed
me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the
prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
The Nazarenes love his sermon, but then Jesus makes offensive statements at the end
Jesus compares himself to the prophets Elijah and Elisha, but in his comparison he points out how Elijah helped a foreign woman and how Elisha not only healed a foreigner but one who was the commander of the enemy army. The Nazarenes were angry because Jesus claimed that Israel’s God wanted to rescue Israel’s enemies.
The Nazarenes try to throw Jesus off a cliff, but he escapes
Ironic that in the previous story the devil tempts Jesus to throw himself off a cliff to prove God’s protection over him
Claiming fulfillment of Isaiah in synagogue (4:17-21) unique to Luke’s Gospel
Proverb: physician heal yourself (4:23) unique to Luke’s Gospel
Faith of widow and of Namaan (4:25-30) unique to Luke’s Gospel
Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit (4:31-37)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 1:21-28
Jesus Heals Many (4:38-41)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 1:29-34
Jesus Calls His First Disciples (5:1-11)
Miraculous catch of fish (5:1-11) unique to Luke’s Gospel
Jesus was preaching near the Lake of Genesareth (Sea of Galilee), when he saw two boats at the water's edge.
Boarding the one belonging to Simon (Peter), and moving out a little from shore, he sat and taught the people from the boat.
Afterwards, he said to Peter, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”
Peter answered, “Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”
When they had done so, “they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break,” requiring help from another boat.
When Peter saw the large catch, which filled both boats almost to sinking point, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!”
Jesus responded “Don't be afraid; from now on you will catch men,” after which Peter and his partners James and John left everything and followed Jesus.
Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy (5:12-16)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 1:40-45
Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man (5:17-26)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 2:1-12
Jesus Calls Levi and Eats With Sinners (5:27-31)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 2:13-17
Jesus Questioned About Fasting (5:33-39)
People ask Jesus why his disciples don’t fast like John’s disciples and the Pharisees do.
Jesus says, “How can the guests of the bridegroom fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast.”
He adds, “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. Otherwise, the new piece will pull away from the old, making the tear worse. And no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the wine will burst the skins, and both the wine and the wineskins will be ruined. No, they pour new wine into new wineskins.”
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath (6:1-11)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 2:23-28
The Twelve Apostles (6:12-16)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 3:13-19
Blessings and Woes (6:17-26)
The woes (6:24-26) unique to Luke’s Gospel
Parallel to Matthew, each Beatitude begins with:
Blessed are you...
...who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.
...who hunger now, for you will be satisfied.
...who weep now, for you will laugh.
...when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of man.
"Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets"—seems parallel to the commentary in Matthew 5:11-12.
The four woes that follow these each begins with:
Woe to you...
...who are rich, for you have already received your comfort.
...who are well fed now, for you will go hungry.
...who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
...when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
The fourth "woe" in verse 26 may be parallel to the commentary in Matthew 5:11-12.
Love for Enemies (6:27-36)
As part of his command to "love your enemies", Jesus says:
But I say to you who are listening, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.
And to those who strike you on the one cheek offer the other also; and let the one who takes away your cloak take your coat also.
Give to everyone what they ask of you; and if anyone takes what belongs to you don’t demand it back.
Do to others as you would have them do to you.
He asks, “How are you any different from sinners if you’re only kind to those who are kind to you?”
Judging Others (6:37-42) Covered more thoroughly in Matthew 7:1-6
A Tree and Its Fruit (6:43-45)
Covered more thoroughly in Matthew 7:15-23
The Wise and Foolish Builders (6:46-49)
Covered more thoroughly in Matthew 7:24-29
The Faith of the Centurion (7:1-10)
Jesus goes to Capernaum and while he is there the servant of a centurion is about to die from sickness.
The centurion sends the Jewish elders to Jesus to ask him to come heal his servant.
The elders try to convince Jesus to come by telling him about all the wonderful things this centurion has done for the local Jews, including building their synagogue.
As Jesus is on his way, the centurion sends some of his friends to tell him to not bother coming over because he realizes he doesn’t deserve to have Jesus as a guest. He adds that this was why he sent messengers in the first place – because he did not consider himself worthy of speaking to Jesus himself.
He tells Jesus to just say the word and the servant will be healed, adding that as one who has great authority he can recognize someone who has even greater authority.
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, “I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel.”
Then the men who had been sent returned to the house and found the servant well.
Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son (7:11-17)
Raising of widow of Nain's son (7:11-17) unique to Luke’s Gospel
Soon afterward Jesus went to a town named Nain, accompanied by His disciples and a large crowd.
And when He arrived at the gate of the town, a funeral procession was coming out. A young man had died, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the town was with her.
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Then He walked over and touched the coffin, while the pallbearers stood still. Jesus said to the dead man, “Young man, I say to you, get up!”
And he who was dead, sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him back to his mother.
Then they all were filled with awe and praised God. And they said, “A great prophet has risen among us”, and “God has visited His people”.
This news about Jesus went out through all the country and the surrounding territory.
The raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath, by the Old Testament prophet Elijah, is the model for this miracle
At the beginning of both stories the prophet meets the woman at the gate of the town, and both stories end with the words “and he gave the boy back to his mother.”
Jesus and John the Baptist (7:18-35)
Covered more thoroughly in Matthew 11:1-19
Jesus Anointed by a Sinful Woman (7:36-50)
Woman anoints Jesus‘ feet, two debtors (7:36-50) unique to Luke’s Gospel, but similar to accounts in Mark, Matthew, and John.
Jesus is eating dinner at the house of a Pharisee named Simon when a “sinful” woman arrives with an expensive jar of perfume.
She stood behind Jesus weeping and letting her tears drip on his feet.
She then wipes off the tears with her hair, kisses his feet, and pours the perfume on them.
Jesus’ host sees this and mutters to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”
Jesus then tells him a parable:
“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”
Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”
“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.
Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
The Parable of the Sower (8:1-15)
Covered more thoroughly in Matthew 13:1-23
Before telling Jesus’ Parable of the Sower, Luke tells us about Jesus’ other disciples – his female disciples.
Women who helped Jesus (8:1-3) unique to Luke’s Gospel
We also learn that Herod wants Jesus killed because Jesus is proclaiming a kingdom other than Herod’s and that makes Jesus a threat
But Jesus is able to travel around giving this message because there are a group of women disciples who travel with him and pay his bills, including a woman named Joanna whose husband just happens to be the household manager for… Herod.
Herod, in other words, ends up indirectly funding the very thing he’s trying to stamp out.
Another odd little fact about this arrangement is that a lot of the funding being used to support Jesus’ ministry came from money earned by Herod’s monopoly on the aphrodisiac market… but that’s beside the point.
A Lamp on a Stand (8:16-18)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 4:21-25
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers (8:19-21)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 3:20-35
Jesus Calms the Storm (8:22-25)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 4:35-41
Jesus Restores a Demon-Possessed Man (8:26-39)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 5:1-20
Jesus Raises a Dead Girl and Heals a Sick Woman (8:40-56)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 5:21-43
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve (9:1-9)
Covered more thoroughly in Matthew 10:1-42
Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand (9:10-17)
Covered more thoroughly in Matthew 14:13-21
Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah (9:18-20)
Covered more thoroughly in Matthew 16:13-20
Jesus Predicts His Death (9:21-27)
Covered more thoroughly in Matthew 16:21-28
The Transfiguration (9:28-36)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 9:2-13
Conversation with Moses and Elijah about his departure at transfiguration (9:31-32) unique to Luke’s Gospel
Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy (9:37-43a)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 9:14-29
Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time (9:43b-50)
Covered more thoroughly in Mark 9:30-37
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