Intro to Luke
Read Luke 19:10
Today’s Truth
Luke opens with a preface to tell us how and why he wrote the book. While he acknowledges that other fine accounts of Jesus’ life are out there, he wanted to go back to the eyewitness traditions of as many early disciples as he could in order to produce what he calls “an orderly” account about “the things that have been fulfilled among us.” That word “fulfilled” shows us why Luke produced this volume. For him, the story of Jesus isn’t merely ancient history. He wants to show how it’s the fulfillment of the long covenant story of God and Israel and, on a larger scale, the story of God and the whole world.
Jesus was not the King Israel expected. He suffered and died to save humanity, showing that true power is found in love. Jesus calls his followers to expand his Kingdom and invite all people into God’s Kingdom family.
Discussion Questions
- Luke was a doctor, a careful historian, and a companion of Paul. How might those qualities shape the way he tells the story of Jesus?
- Luke emphasizes Jesus’ care for outsiders, the poor, women, and the marginalized. Why do you think that’s important in telling the story of Jesus?
In Luke 1:1–4, he explains why he wrote: “so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” How does knowing the certainty of your faith affect the way you live it out?
Application
The book of Luke’s concluding scene is set around yet another meal. Jesus appears before his disciples and explains to them, using the Old Testament Scriptures, how these events were all part of God’s plan. The Messiah would become Israel’s king by suffering and dying for their sins and conquering their evil with his resurrection life. Just as Simeon the prophet promised all the way back in Luke 2, Jesus’ Kingdom was always meant to move outward. So, Jesus tells the disciples that God’s forgiveness must now be announced to all the nations by inviting people to follow him.
But for the moment, Jesus tells his disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Spirit, who will empower them for this new mission. And this, of course, compels you to turn the page and keep reading into Luke’s second volume, the book of Acts.
