The Gospel of Luke
Luke the Author
Luke may have been a physician or doctor
remained unmarried
- died at the age of 84
- gives the most complete account of Christ’s: ancestry, birth, development
- The Gentleness of Luke: he models himself after Christ by being a gentle and merciful narrator; he tries to not put others in a bad light
- suspected to be a Gentile Christian
A Quick Glance at the Gospel of Luke
- Audience: Greek-speaking, Gentile Christians
- Christology : low christology
- Sources: the Gospel of Mark, the Q Source, and the L Source (a source unique to Luke)
- Themes: description of Mary, God’s love for all, emphasis on his ministry, forgiveness and healing, unity in food, Kingdom of God
- Model Disciple: Mary
- 3rd Synoptic
- Image of Jesus: merciful, compassionate, with a special concern for poor people, women and non-Jew
- Genealogy: goes back to Adam, which emphasizes that Jesus is the savior of the entire human race
- Location of Writing: Greece
- Written between AD 80-85
The Symbol of the Gospel
- the Ox
- an animal used in sacrifice
- recalls the beginning of the Gospel
- Zechariah is offering a sacrifice in the Temple
- Gospel begins and ends in the Jerusalem Temple, where OXen are sacrificed and God is praised
Key Words in the Gospel of Luke
- “Son of Man” (23 times)
- “Son of God” (7 times)
- “Kingdom of God” (32 times.)
- The fact that "Kingdom of God" is said the most, stresses the importance of the Kingdom to Luke. Luke's Gospel emphasizes that everyone is accepted in the Kingdom no matter what and that is why it is said the most.
Image of Jesus
- Instead of describing Jesus like an abandoned victim like Mark does, Luke depicts Jesus as being actively involved in his mission to invite sinners into the Kingdom and to make visible the coming of the Kingdom through his miraculous acts of power and even in his death
- Although Luke still shows Jesus’s suffering, Jesus is still constantly thinking about others and continues to try to teach his disciples
The Gentleness of Luke: he models himself on Christ by being a gentle and merciful narrator; he tries to not put others in bad light
Unique Stories to the Gospel of Luke
- The Greatest Commandment (Luke 10:25-37)
- The Parable of the Lost Coin (Luke 15:11-32)
- The stories of the annunciation to Mary
- The visit of the shepherds to the infant Jesus
- The Appearance on the Road to Emmaeus (Luke 24: 13-35)
- Parable of the Rich Fool (Luke 12:16-21)
- Parable of the Great Feast (Luke 14: 15-24)
- Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18: 1-8)
- Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18: 9-15)
The Visit of the Shepherds to Baby Jesus
The Parable of the Lost Coin
The Stories of the Annunciation to Mary
The Appearance on the Road to Emmaeus
Parable of the Rich Fool
Parable of the Great Feast
Parable of the Persistent Widow
Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
"You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."
Loch Lomond By Frank Ticheli