TLDR: The theme for my Bible Study at the Villages at Gleannloch Farms in February is the distinctive features of the Gospel of Luke. Please read below for a brief summary of this study.
We are in Year C of our Revised Common Lectionary. As such, most of the Gospel readings for our worship come from the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel is part one of a two-volume book, which includes the Acts of the Apostles. Written approximately fifty to sixty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, this Gospel was one of several stories of Jesus and his movement written around this time. In fact, the prelude for the Gospel starts the following way: “Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us… I too decided to write an orderly account.” Sadly, most of those accounts have been lost to history and the only witness prior to Luke is the Gospel of Mark, written approximately forty years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. Yet, Luke speaks of these events as having been “fulfilled among us.” It is entirely possible that Luke met and befriended direct witnesses and disciples of Jesus during his research. We know that Luke spent two years with Paul in his ministry, most likely in the years 58-59. He is well acquainted with the facts about which he is writing.
Verse two of the prelude states that the facts Luke will be narrating were, “handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.” Luke, much like Paul, who never met Jesus personally, was a second-generation disciple. Most of the disciples of this second generation had access to a rich oral tradition of stories, sayings, hymns, and prayers freely shared among believers in the churches and Christian communities. Luke will use some of this material in the writing of his two-tome story. But in addition to these available oral traditions, Luke will use the existing Gospel of Mark, and his own interviews with people who had known Jesus and his Apostles, some of whom were still alive in the fifties and sixties when Luke first became a Christian. Verse 3 of his prologue says, “After investigating everything carefully from the very first, (I decided) to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus.” We know that the recipient of these works is a Gentile who had received some instruction, but Luke felt the necessity to provide a more reliable and truthful account, “So that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.” (1:4).
Luke has at least five distinctive features that separate him from the other three Gospels[1] and make him an incredibly relevant account of Jesus’ life and the advancement of his Church. The first of these special features is the prologue we just discussed above. The second is the birth narrative from 1:5 to 2:52. Much of what we celebrate in Advent and Christmas comes from this narrative, which beautifully connects the Judean Scriptures with the age of the Messiah. For starters, Luke places the very start of his story at the very center of Jewish worship and life, which is the Temple. Zechariah, a Jewish priest, receives an Angel’s announcement when he is performing his duties in the Temple. We see in this opening narrative the repetition of many Old Testament themes: Zachariah and Elizabeth are righteous and faithful Judeans, as many of the Jewish patriarchs. The older couple were unable to have children (as in the stories of Abraham, Isaac, Hannah, etc.) An angel of the Lord appears to the priest with the promise of a child (as in Gen 16:11, 17:16, 17:19, 18:1ff, etc.) The old priest and his wife (and Mary) break into songs and hymns at different times in the narrative, similar to the Judean Psalms, etc.
The third feature special to Luke is his expansive narrative of the journey to Jerusalem. Just for contrast, let us review these series of events in Mark. In Mk 10:32, we hear that Jesus and his disciples, “Were on the road, going to Jerusalem, and Jesus was walking ahead of them.” Exactly 21 verses later, we read, “When they were approaching Jerusalem, at Bethphage and Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, ‘Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it…” (Mark 11:1-3). The triumphal entry happens almost immediately after the evangelist announces the journey to Jerusalem. On the other hand, this march to Jerusalem, where Jesus will be arrested and killed, takes approximately 10 chapters in Luke. It starts at Lk 9:51, after the Transfiguration, “When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.” It draws to a close with his triumphant entry into the city at Lk 19:28. These ten chapters give us many stories original to Luke, such as the sending and return of the seventy (10:1-24), the parable of the Good Samaritan (10:25-37), the visit to Mary and Martha of Bethany (10:38-42), many important parables and healings (11-14), the three parables of The Lost in chapter 15 (Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Lost Son [Prodigal]), many important teachings and parables (16-19), Jesus and Zacchaeus (19:1-28), etc. These ten chapters are filled with stories that show Jesus’ concern for the marginalized, his love for Samaritans (Gentiles), his search for the lost sheep of Israel and the Gentile world, his inclusion of women as disciples, etc.
The fourth feature to highlight in Luke is the uniqueness of his resurrection narrative, especially his appearance to two dispirited disciples on the road to Emmaus (Lk 24: 13-35). This narrative is original to Luke, and it is not found in any other Gospel. Once again, as in the prologue, we see a deep connection to the Judean scriptures (OT), “Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.” (24:27). Jesus fulfills the Judean Scriptures, especially the prophesies of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah. Through his resurrection, he was vindicated by God, and he ascends to God to sit at the right hand of God’s throne. The age of the Old Testament does not end with John the Baptist, rather it continues and is taken up by the story of Jesus, and it will continue to unfold during the age of the Holy Spirit, through Christ’s Church. This orderly account in three stages (OT-Jesus-Church) will then continue in the stories narrated in Acts of the Apostles.
The fifth special feature in Luke’s account is his account of the Ascension to the Father after Christ’s resurrection (Lk 24:50-51 and Acts 1:1-11). This ascension is proof that God vindicated the Suffering Servant through resurrection. Now, Christ, sitting at the right hand of the Father, sends his Holy Spirit to the Church from that “elevated” position. Without the ascension we would not have the events narrated in Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost. But Christ does send his Spirit, which becomes the principal actor in Acts of the Apostles. We live in the age of the Spirt, which becomes Christ’s presence among his disciples in the Church. The Spirit leads us into deeper knowledge of Christ and guides us in our mission to build the Kingdom of God, as we advance the Gospel to the ends of the world.
I hope you develop an appreciation for Luke and his deep concern for the outsider and the outcast. I love the ultimate message of Luke-Acts: God sent his son into the world to find the lost, and this is good news for you and for me.
May our Lord continue to bless you,
Fr. Roman+
[1] https://bibleproject.com/guides/book-of-luke/#more-resources
