Luke Tells the Good News

MEMORY VERSE: “It seemed good to me … to write unto thee in order … that thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.” —Luke 1:3,4

LUKE 1:1-4

LUKE indicates that many had undertaken “to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us.” Evidently, however, he felt that there was need for a further setting forth of truths which, while commonly believed in the Early Church, had not been presented in sufficient detail. Luke may have had in mind, even when writing his Gospel, that he would continue (in Acts) and show the relationship of Jesus’ ministry to the beginning and growth of the Early Church, and certainly no other writer had attempted this.

Luke continues, “It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things”—the RSV reads, “having followed all things closely for some time past”—“to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.” Thus our memory verse indicates that Luke’s writings were based, not on his association with Jesus, for it is doubtful if he ever saw Jesus, but upon what he had learned through contact with those who had been eye-witnesses, and ministers of the Word.

We have no certain knowledge of Luke’s activities prior to the time when he joined the Apostle Paul, but it seems clear that from the time he learned of Jesus, and accepted him and dedicated his life to his service, he was mingling with the brethren, listening to their conversations concerning Jesus, and asking questions about the life and ministry of this beloved One whom he had accepted as his Redeemer, and King of his life.

ACTS 1:1-5

In these opening verses of the Book of Acts, Luke reminds the reader of his “former treatise … of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Spirit had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen.”

Thus Luke, in his introduction, makes it clear that in this “treatise” he expected to carry forward the story of Jesus and the Gospel to show the relationship of what occurred in the Early Church, with the personal ministry of Jesus. First he reassures his readers that the death of Jesus was not an end of the Gospel, because he had been raised from the dead and had “showed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs.”

And Jesus did indeed present many “infallible proofs” of his resurrection. One of these was presented near the shore of Galilee. When Jesus first called some of the apostles into the ministry they had been fishing all night without success. He instructed them to cast the net on the other side of the ship, and when they did so it was filled with fish.

After his resurrection he performed an identical miracle, and when the net again was filled with fish the apostles were convinced that this One standing on the shore was indeed Jesus, and that he had been raised from the dead. Then followed that well-known conversation between Jesus and Peter in which Jesus indicated to this beloved apostle that he had forgiven him for his denial, and commissioned him to feed his “sheep.”

Luke, in his Gospel, records Jesus’ last meeting with his apostles. It was then that he commissioned them to be his witnesses throughout the earth. Now, in this new book, Luke was reminding them of Jesus’ command to tarry at Jerusalem until they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. This was the promise of the Father, and it was shortly to be fulfilled through the resurrected Jesus who had returned to the heavenly courts.

The apostles knew about John’s baptism for the remission of sin, and now they were to be baptized by the Holy Spirit. Thus did Luke blend the earthly ministry of Jesus with the beginning of his work in the hearts of his people through the Holy Spirit.

QUESTIONS

What is the relationship between the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts?

| Home Page | Table of Contents |