The GOspel according to Luke
CURRENT teaching series
The Gospel of Luke is in the form of a letter to a man named Theophilus. Luke wrote after having carefully investigated all the facts about Christ (1:1–4). Luke documents Christ’s life from before his birth through his ministry, death, and resurrection. Jesus carried out his ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit, announcing the good news of salvation. He showed numerous times his compassion for the poor and the outcast. He fulfilled prophecy and carried out his purpose: to seek and save the lost. Luke gives the fullest account of Christ’s birth, and only Luke records the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. Luke, a physician and a colleague of Paul, probably wrote this account in the early 60s a.d. He also wrote Acts.
From the ESV’s Introduction to Luke
Recommended resources
BIBLE STUDY
N.T. Wright's devotional-style commentary on Luke is really eye-opening. Through stories, illustrations, and applications, he helps readers see through cultural and social roadblocks. No matter your spot in your journey with Jesus, this will be a great guide for you. Maybe that's why they titled the book Luke for Everyone.
APOLOGETICS
Luke desires to give certainty to his readers (1:4). Today, this practice of building intellectual, emotional, and spiritual assurance in the person and work of Jesus is called apologetics. Professor Douglas Groothius has written a helpful and accessible book for churches like ours called, Christian Apologetics.
JUSTICE
Luke's biography of Jesus details how the Son of God befriends people many of us forget (15:2). Both Ron Sider, Howard Thurman, and Justo Gonzalez have written seminal works on the subject for the modern Western Church. Sider's Rich Christians in the Age of Hunger opens our eyes to the poor. Thurman's Jesus and the Disinherited empowers us to seek racial reconciliation and harmony. Gonzalez's Mañana helps Christians see the power of God that liberates, heals, and makes us one. All will help you follow Jesus' heart more closely.
DISCIPLESHIP
Jesus wanted to shape something in his disciples. He wasn't merely after compliance with religious rules. He called them to the embodiment of the kingdom (8:10). Jasmine Holmes helps her readers see how this legacy has been carried on by the Black Church in modern history in Crowned with Glory. In The Deeply Formed Life, Rich Villodas helps the kingdom find deep soil that blossoms in the life Jesus invites his followers.
WOMEN
In Luke's world, women were not seen with the dignity and wholeness bestowed upon them by their creator. Jesus came to make the power and value of women plain (8:1-3). Rebecca McLaughlin goes through the gospel accounts and shows us exactly how Jesus sees women (by show us how they see him) in her book, Jesus through the Eyes of Women. In Redeeming Power, Diane Langberg laments the Christian Church's abuse power and points us to the way of Jesus for our correction, healing, and true strength.
