Luke: More Than a Teacher
Linear narrative, clear gospel, and a perichoretic nature that is harmonious: this is just a taste of the gospel of Luke. And if you are like 90% of people you just skipped over a word I completely made up. Or did I? Ok stop googling it perichoretic is a word! Just listen to the episode to get context and why that matters!
The Context of Luke:
Who wrote Luke? Luke, though not an apostle, was an apostolic associate.
When was Luke written? Around 58-59 AD. Definitely prior to the book of Acts. Acts ends with Paul's two year Roman imprisonment which was in 62 AD.
Who was it written to? Unlike most books, this was written to one person - Theophilus! We know almost nothing about him except that he was a gentile of high standing. The important thing to keep in mind is that Luke was written to greek-speaking gentiles.
Why was Luke written? Luke opens the book sharing that he’s writing a record so that Theophilus would be certain about the things he had been taught.
What makes Luke different from the rest of the Gospels?
There are 18 - 20 unique parables to this book!
There’s 22 references to angels in Luke emphasizing Jesus’ divinity.
Women are highlighted and very prominent in the stories about Jesus.
Gives us a lot of our Christmas story!
Focuses on the work of the Holy Spirit.
Luke wrote most of the events in the consecutive order that they happened.
What we love about Luke:
Luke helps us see the purpose of the whole Bible. The Bible isn’t a collection of 66 seemingly unrelated books. Instead, the books of the Bible make up one large, overarching story!
Luke 24:44 says, “Now He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’”
The Jews understand that “the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms” implied all of the Old Testament scriptures. Luke is saying that the whole Old Testament is pointing to Jesus! Don’t miss the main thing: Jesus.
We also love the Christmas story passages. 🎄 The opening of Luke feels like the invitation to a really beautiful story. The miracles of prophecy, childbirth, Zechariah’s mouth being opened again, angels singing. It’s a really sweet introduction for Jesus’ life!
Remember this about Luke:
In chapter 9, a shift comes in Luke.
Luke 9:51 says, "When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem."
The main work of Jesus was not to teach us, but to die for us. This is a good emphasis in all of the Gospels but it’s really pronounced in Luke. Jesus is coming to accomplish redemption for His people. The greeks loved philosophy, information, and being taught. But Jesus’ life purpose goes so much farther than just being a good teacher!
Luke 24:45-47 says, “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.’”
What did Jesus accomplish on the cross? Redemption for His people, repentance, and forgiveness for sins would be known world-wide. Repentance is a requirement for forgiveness for sins. We dive deeper into this here!
Application questions:
When was the last time you read Luke?
What stood out to you in this podcast episode? What questions are you wondering about the book of Luke? (Great! Now go read it!)
From memory, write out the differences we’ve discussed between Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
A common view of Jesus is that He was a good teacher. The greeks thought it and many people today still think this. Write out and practice a biblical response that shows that Jesus came to be more than just a good teacher.
Dedicate some time to memorizing Luke 24:46-47.
Love these application questions? You gotta check out the Clearly One-Pager!
Want to ask us a question? Email question@clearlypodcast.com.
Our Recommendations:
🎶 Fun Listening: Who Knew It’d Be You This Christmas
✝️ Sermon: The Holy Spirit
📖 Reading:
👨👩👧👦 Teaching for children: Real Bady Guys by Jimmy Needham
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