Luke
The Gospel of Jesus Christ The Man
Summary | About | Why You Should Read it | Author | When Written | Context | Timeline | Location | Outline | Observations | Resources
Summary
The Gospel of Luke portrays Jesus Christ as the Son of Man. It shows Him from the perspective of His humanity. It displays how He felt and His love and compassion for all people more than any other gospel.
The next table is a high-level look at the structure and contents of Luke.
About
The Gospel of Luke is the third gospel and third book of the New Testament.
Why You Should Read It
Luke shows us our Lord from the human perspective. It shows us how He felt and His compassion and love for us better than any other gospel.
Luke provides us with the account of 15 parables that are not in any other gospel.
Parable Verses
- The Moneylender forgiving unequal debts Luke 7:41–43
- The Rich Fool Building His Bigger Barns Luke 12:16–21
- The Servants Must Remain Watchful Luke 12:35–40
- The Unfruitful Fig Tree Luke 13:6–9
- The Master and His Servant Luke 17:7–10
- The Good Samaritan Luke 10:30–37
- Friend in Need Luke 11:5–8
- Lowest Seat at the Feast Luke 14:7–14
- Invitation to a Great Banquet Luke 14:16–24
- The Cost of Discipleship Luke 14:28–33
- Lost Sheep Luke 15:4–7
- Lost Coin Luke 15:8–10
- The Prodigal Son Luke 15:11–32
- The Shrewd Manager Luke 16:1–8
- The Rich Man and Lazarus Luke 16:19–31
- The Persistent Widow and Crooked Judge Luke 18:1-8
Luke provides us with the account of 6 miracles that are not in any other gospel.
- First Miraculous Catch of Fish (Luk 5:1-11)
- Jesus Raises a Widow’s Son in Nain (Luk 7:11-17)
- Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman’s Spine (Luk 13:10-17)
- Jesus Heals a Man With Dropsy on the Sabbath (Luk 14:1-6)
- Jesus Heals Ten Lepers (Luk 17:11-19)
- Jesus Heals a Servant’s Severed Ear (Luk 22:50-51)
Luke also provides the full genealogy of Jesus from Adam through Mary (Luk 3:23-38), or His physical blood line. It is the only gospel to do so. It does this in reverse order, looking back (human perspective). The Gospel of Luke sets up its sequel, the Book of Acts, which picks up where this leaves off.
The table below compares this gospel with the three others and shows how they all work together to give a complete picture of Jesus Christ.
Author
The Author of this gospel is Luke. Luke is likely the Macedonian (Greek) described by Paul as having been seen in a vision, calling Paul to go to Macedonia in Acts 16:9. It was in Acts 16:10 that the language used by Luke switches from third person to second person and he starts using “we”. It is at this point Luke joined Paul on his missionary journeys.
Luke was a medical doctor and may have been assigned to Paul as his personal physician. Some expositors believe he may have been a Greek slave. Luke was a highly educated Greek under Roman occupation. Luke accompanied Paul and many of his missionary journeys and spent time with him when he was imprisoned in Rome.
When Written
Historical documents identify the date of writing to be in the late 50’s A.D., probably around 58 A.D.
Context
Luke likely wrote this gospel as a precursor to Paul’s impending appearance before the Roman Caesar (Nero). It was customary in that time to send ahead a written explanation of the accused persons position to the Caesar prior to their appearance. This gospel along with the book of Acts were a two-part history of what had transpired up to that point in time.
The Romans had been persecuting the Jews heavily in Rome and in Jerusalem prior to this, resulting in the Jewish revolt and their being expelled from Rome in 52 A.D. The Romans had considered the Christians a sect of Judaism and did not see them as that different from the Jews, so they too were being persecuted, but not to the extent that would soon come after the burning of Rome that was blamed by Nero on the Christians around 64 A.D.
This gospel, along with the book of Acts were likely used as part of Paul’s successful defense and subsequent release by Nero in 62 A.D. It was a few years later that Paul was arrested again in Rome and this time it was after the burning of Rome and Paul was subsequently beheaded.
Luke writes from the human perspective and uses more medical terms than any other book in the bible. He provides some highly technical descriptions and is very detailed in his writings of the life of Christ. He was not a first hand observer of Christ, but gathered his information from his time with Paul.
Timeline
The Gospel of Luke begins with Jesus’ birth (3 B.C.) and concludes with the promise of the Holy Spirit at the time of Jesus’ ascension (32 A.D.).
Location
The Gospel of Luke takes place in Judea and Samaria, throughout Israel. It has a few versus in early childhood of Jesus that take place in Egypt.
Outline
The Preface (1:1-4)
The Births of John the Baptist and Jesus (1:5; 2:52)
The Annunciations (1:5-56)
The Birth of John the Baptist (1:57-80)
The Birth and Childhood of Jesus (ch. 2)
The Preparation of Jesus for His Public Ministry (3:1; 4:13)
His Forerunner (3:1-20)
His Baptism (3:21-22)
His Genealogy (3:23-38)
His Temptation (4:1-13)
His Ministry in Galilee (4:14;9:9)
The Beginning of the Ministry in Galilee (4:14-41)
The First Tour of Galilee (4:42; 5:39)
A Sabbath Controversy (6:1-11)
The Choice of the 12 Apostles (6:12-16)
The Sermon on the Plain (6:17- 49)
Miracles in Capernaum and Nain (7:1-18)
The Inquiry of John the Baptist (7:19-29)
Jesus and the Pharisees (7:30- 50)
The Second Tour of Galilee (8:1- 3)
The Parables of the Kingdom (8:4-21)
The Trip across the Sea of Galilee (8:22-39)
The Third Tour of Galilee (8:40; 9:9)
His Withdrawal to Regions around Galilee (9:10-50)
To the Eastern Shore of the Sea of Galilee (9:10-17)
To Caesarea Philippi (9:18-50)
His Ministry in Judea (9:51; 13:21)
Journey through Samaria to Judea (9:51-62)
The Mission of the 72 (10:1-24)
The Lawyer and the Parable of the Good Samaritan (10:25-37)
Jesus at Bethany with Mary and Martha (10:38-42)
Teachings in Judea (11:1; 13:21)
His Ministry in and around Perea (13:22; 19:27)
The Narrow Door (13:22-30)
Warning concerning Herod (13:31-35)
At a Pharisee’s House (14:1-23)
The Cost of Discipleship (14:24-35)
The Parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Lost Son (ch. 15)
The Parable of the Shrewd Manager (16:1-18)
The Rich Man and Lazarus (16:19-31)
Miscellaneous Teachings (17:1-10)
Ten Healed of Leprosy (17:11-19)
The Coming of the Kingdom (17:20-37)
The Persistent Widow (18:1-8)
The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (18:9-14)
Jesus and the Children (18:15-17)
The Rich Young Ruler (18:18-30)
Christ Foretells His Death (18:31-34)
A Blind Beggar Given His Sight (18:35-43)
Jesus and Zacchaeus (19:1-10)
The Parable of the Ten Minas (19:11-27)
His Last Days: Sacrifice and Triumph (19:28; 24:53)
The Triumphal Entry (19:28-44)
The Cleansing of the Temple (19:45-48)
The Last Controversies with the Jewish Leaders (ch. 20)
The Olivet Discourse (ch.21)
The Last Supper (22:1-38)
Jesus Praying in Gethsemane (22:39-46)
Jesus’ Arrest (22:47-65)
Jesus on Trial (22:66; 23:25)
The Crucifixion (23:26-56)
The Resurrection (24:1-12)
The Post-Resurrection Ministry (24:13-49)
The Ascension (24:50-53)
Observations
- Luke was a physician.
- Luke was not one of the 12 apostles.
- The Greek name “Luke” appears only three times in the New Testament.
- Colossians 4:14
- 2 Timothy 4:1
- Philemon 24
- Luke was either a Hellenistic Jew or a Gentile.
- It is more likely that he was a gentile.
- In Colossians 4:10-14, Paul lists three fellow workers who are “of the circumcision” (Jews) (vs. 10-11) and then includes Luke’s name with two Gentiles (vs, 12-14).
- According to tradition:
- Luke remained unmarried.
- Luke died at the age of 84.
- Luke gives the most complete account of Christ’s:
- Ancestry
- Birth
- Development
- The Book of Luke is the longest of the four books of Biography.
- Luke’s emphasis on chronological and historical accuracy makes it more comprehensive than Matthew, Mark, or John,
- Luke traces Jesus’ ancestry all the way back to Adam.
- The first thirty years of Jesus’ life is summed up in one verse, Luke 2:52 – “And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.”
- Key words in the Book of Luke:
- “Son of Man” – 23 times
- “Son of God” – 7 times
- “Kingdom of God” – 32 times.
Sections in Luke
- Preface 1:1-1:4
- Announced & Appearing 1:5-4:13
- Ministering & Serving 4:14-9:50
- Instructing & Submitting 9:51-23:56
- Resurrected & Commissioning 24
Theme
- Jesus is the ideal Man, who comes to save all humankind – Jew and Gentile alike.
- The focus is on His humanity. He has suffered more than any of us and can relate to what we as humans are going through.
- Luke sets up his sequel, the Book of Acts, in which humanity continues on with the help of the Holy Spirit by promising His presence in our lives.
Jesus in Luke
Jesus is the perfect God-Man, who comes to offer salvation to all people (19:10).
