August 1, 2021
Who is Luke and what was his purpose?
We will start our journey reading the book of Luke. Knowing the author will help with understanding the context of his writing.
I love the book of Luke. The author is a doctor, and being in health care I can relate. Because he was trained how to observe people, he writes about others differently than the other gospel writers. For example, he mentions a person had “dropsy” which means swelling from fluid retention. He also mentions 5 physical healings that the other gospel writers don’t talk about.
Luke is a good friend and companion of Paul, thankfully. Paul went through many physical and health issues from being beaten, getting bit by a snake, and being shipwrecked. Having Luke as his companion I’m sure was key in keeping him alive.
Luke is the only author of the Bible that was not Jewish. He was Greek and a Gentile who became a Christian. Some people think Luke was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus because he wrote one of the gospel books. This is not true. He obtained his information for the book by asking people who were actual eye witnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Some do believe he may have been one of the 72 who were sent out by Jesus.
Luke not only wrote the book of Luke, but also the next book in the Bible, Acts. These two chapters are a 2-part letter, and from the writings it is evident that Acts was to follow Luke. Luke wrote these two books for Theophilus. Luke calls Theophilus “most excellent” which mean he was someone in a high position and had wealth (Luke 3). He wrote the book of Luke after Jesus was crucified. It is believed it was written when Paul was in prison. Luke’s goal in writing this letter was to encourage other Christians and strengthen their faith, “so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:4).
Diving into the Bible 