Knowing The Word in Luke

Who is Luke?

Unlike Matthew and John, Luke the Gospel writer plays no prominent part in the New Testament except by name, being mentioned three times in Paul’s letters. These are the three passages:

• Colossians 4:14 is the most prominent: 14 Luke the beloved physician greets you, as does Demas.

• Philemon gives us less information: 23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

• 2 Timothy 4:11: 9 Do your best to come to me soon. 10 For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. 11 Luke alone is with me.

What do we know about Luke from the 3 passages above? He is a physician, a fellow worker with Paul, and when Paul is in prison, he alone is with him and loyal to him. By looking at certain passages in Acts (16:10; 20:5, and 27:1), we can deduce that Luke joined Paul, Silas, and Timothy in Troas in A.D. 50 and traveled with them to Philippi. When the three others left, he stayed behind. In Acts 20:1-5, Paul and Luke reunite. Then in Acts 21 they begin the trip to Jerusalem together.

Luke appears to be the only Gentile writer of the New Testament. In an ancient prologue to the Third Gospel, the so-called Anti-Marcionite Prologue to Luke, it says: “Luke was an Antiochian of Syria, a physician by profession. He was a disciple of the apostles, and later accompanied Paul until his martyrdom. He served the Lord without distraction, having neither wife nor children, and at the age of eight-four he fell asleep in Boeotia, full of the Holy Spirit.”

In regard to Luke as a whole, F. F. Bruce writes, “Luke is a truly catholic writer; he knows that there were various strands in primitive Christianity, and he weaves them together in the interests of Christian unity—a cause obviously dear to his heart.” In a time of division in our society, and especially in the church, Luke is an excellent gospel to study in a period in need of unity.

Prayer:

O God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our only Savior,

the Prince of Peace: Give us grace seriously to lay to heart the

great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions; take away

all hatred and prejudice, and whatever else may hinder us

from godly union and concord; that, as there is but one Body

and one Spirit, one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith,

one Baptism, one God and Father of us all, so we may be all

of one heart and of one soul, united in one holy bond of truth

and peace, of faith and charity, and may with one mind and

one mouth glorify thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP)