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Luke was a Greek and a Gentile. He is the only Gentile to author any of the Books of the New Testament. He was also witness to the growth of the first century church and carried the Good News to the Gentiles. What is his story? How did he get involved with these Christian Jews?
Luke is the author of the Gospel of Luke and the presumed author of the Book of Acts. He records virtually nothing about himself, but his fellow apostles do reveal some information about him. We may also discern some things about him based on the manner in which he presents information, his background and the times.
Paul records in Colossians 4:14 that Luke is a physician. This would make him an educated man. Paul also describes Luke as a ‘fellow laborer’ in the 24th verse of his letter to Philemon. In 2 Timothy 4:11a, Paul says, “Only Luke is with me.” These are the only direct references to Luke in the entire New Testament. What we can infer from this is that Luke must have been a humble man. He was Paul’s traveling companion and Paul got a lot of attention. It would seem that any of his companions, especially in the case where Luke is his only traveling companion, would get some attention if he put just the slightest effort into gaining personal recognition.
Pursuit of personal recognition doesn’t seem to be Luke’s style, though. As author of two of the Books of the New Testament, Luke had ample opportunity to toot his own horn, but did not. He is much more focused on recording information about the Messiah and His followers than on telling us about himself. In a time when few people were famous or privileged, Luke had ample opportunity to make a name for himself. As a Greek and a physician, he could have enjoyed a comfortable life, yet he travels instead with Paul, a man constantly in trouble with the Roman authorities and the Pharisees.
How many of us are willing to take a backseat to anyone? Don’t we try to glamorize ourselves just a little bit? If you were aid and companion to someone important, wouldn’t you try to get a little of the limelight? I would. Luke didn’t. He instead was focused on learning and recording the truth. He says in Luke 1:3-4, “ it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed.” (NKJV)
We learn a little bit more about Luke from his writing in Acts. On three occasions he uses the first person‘we’, indicating that he was part of what was going on in those passages. The first passage is Acts 16:10-17 where we discover that Luke was companion to Paul for at least a portion of Paul’s second missionary journey. This passage takes Paul and Luke from Troas to Philippi. Some speculate that Troas is where Luke first heard Paul preach and their friendship formed.
Taking up with Paul and his fellows wouldn’t have been a popular thing to do. Paul was preaching an unpopular message that was often met with beatings and imprisonment. It would take a man of dedication, conviction and courage to join Paul’s missionary band. This was the very period of history when Paul witnessed Stephen being stoned to death. Luke was an educated man. To take up with people that could well get him killed took tremendous faith in the message of those people.
Luke was so loyal to Paul and the message of the apostles that he followed Paul to Jerusalem and later to Rome, where Paul was imprisoned. Luke apparently stayed with Paul throughout this prison term. He could have easily abandoned Paul and gone on his own to preach but this wasn’t the character of Luke.
It is logical to assume that Luke was a compassionate man. Luke emphasizes the compassion of Jesus in his Gospel. He was a physician and treated the sickness and injuries of people, including Paul. His presentation of Christ as healer seems to further support Luke’s appreciation of compassion. In one passage, Luke records, “Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. 13 And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. 14 And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. 15 And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother.” (Luke 7:12-15)
The Gospel of Luke is probably the most thorough account of the birth, life and death of Christ. From Luke we learn many things that are not referenced in the other Gospels. Chapters 10-18 record information almost exclusive to Luke. From Luke 11:1-4 we get what is commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer. This passage is Jesus own teaching on how to pray.
Luke provides us with more information about the women that followed Christ than any of the other Gospels. He provides us with anecdotes of Christ’s interactions with women that are not found elsewhere. His documentation of these stories let us know that Jesus came for all people and that He loves us all.
In the Book of Acts, we are treated to a history of the first Christians. Without Luke’s account, we would have lost a good deal the experience and wisdom of those very first followers of Christ, many of whom were eyewitnesses to His ministry. Luke had foresight and knew that what was happening around him was important and needed to be recorded.
Luke took all that he had and used it to the best of his ability to serve God. His education, his skill as a physician and his attention to detail were put into service for the cause of spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He did his work humbly and with compassion. He courageously shared the Good News, even when to do so could have cost his life. It certainly cost his comfort. God does not ask nearly this much from most of us. Are you ready to offer your skills for God’s service? He’s ready to use them.
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