Luke: A longer walk with Jesus

Last updated on: November 29, 2009 at 5:37 pm by Billy Kangas

Luke: A longer walk with Jesus 2009-11-29T17:37:00-04:00 Billy Kangas

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

I would like to take a brief look at Luke as a whole. When I work on a puzzle I often find it useful to take a good look at the whole picture before I examine the individual pieces. By doing this I feel comfortable working on a small section; the larger picture helps me understand the smaller parts. Reading the bible is somewhat similar. If you want to understand a passage getting a good look at the context of the whole book is quite helpful, and it’s something many of us don’t take time to do.

The Gospel of Luke is the longest of the four Gospels and the third in order of occurrence in the New Testament. It is one of the synoptic gospels along with Mark and Matthew. Synoptic comes from a Greek word which means “seen together.” These three gospels are so designated because of their remarkable similarity to one another in contrast to John which is a more divergent source. Passages in Luke will often have a parallel in another gospel in which the same story is told in a slightly different way. In examining any passage in the Bible one must look for parallels elsewhere. This is especially true in Luke.

There are a few things you should know about Luke that will make interpreting this Gospel a richer, and somewhat more cognizant experience.

1. First Luke was probably written for more of a Gentile context then Matthew or Mark, because of this he does have a tendency to explain more about Jewish culture then the other synoptics. That is not to say that he does not use Jewish culture and history freely within the text, he does. In fact there are some things in Luke which are deeply entrenched with the culture and history of Judaism that without having a good understanding Judaism in the first century you could easily miss what is going on. While reading Luke or any other gospel you should always ask yourself if there is anything in the background you need to know more about.

2. Another thing you should keep in mind while reading Luke is that he is using sources. He tells us at the beginning of this Gospel that it is a result of research from a variety of sources. So do not be shocked if Luke seems to be interacting with other material here and there, he probably is.

3. Finally Luke seems to have an emphasis on the poor and the widow. Luke links the life of Jesus strongly to a way of life that uplifts the oppressed, and marginalized in society. Much of what Jesus says in Luke will challenge your allegiances and your pocketbook, that is if you are actually willing to take it seriously.

The book has often been divided into six separate parts. These parts are not outlined in the text itself. Rather they are the invention of scholars who have broken down the text in order to make some sense out of what is going on. The sections are as follows:

1. Introduction (1:1-4) – This section is an introduction to the book. In it he dedicates the book to Theophilus. Who or what Theophilus is remains a mystery.

2. Jesus is born, and grows up (1:5- 2:52) – This section deals with the early life of Jesus. His birth is foretold, as well as the birth of John the baptist. He is born, and Luke then recounts about some early encounters in the life of Jesus.

3. Baptism and Temptation (3:1-4:14) – Jesus is baptized by John the baptist, and is tempted in the wilderness. At this point we also get a genealogy of Jesus.

4. Jesus’ ministry in Galilee (4:14-9:50) – This is a large section in which Jesus is teaching, healing, and working miracles in a region at the northern end of the Jordan river called Galilee. It is just north of the modern day “West Bank.” It is here that he calls his 12 Disciples.

5. The travel narrative (9:51- 19:27) – The Longest section of Luke, this is a section I will talk about in greater detail in the next segment. In this section Jesus does a great many things while traveling toward Jerusalem. In it he calls and sends, blesses and curses, praises and laments. Through it all we see glimpses of the Kingdom of God, and sometimes they are hard to accept.

6. Jesus in Jerusalem, His death, and resurrection (19:28-20:53) – Great stories are full of confrontation. Jesus’ life is no different. In this section the climax of the Jesus story rolls in. He enters and teaches in Jerusalem, then is arrested and is crucified. He dies, and then rises from the dead and ascends into heaven. It leaves you begging for a sequel, which you actually do get in a book called “Acts.” Acts picks up where Luke leaves off and follows the early years of the church. Although I think it is important to view Acts and Luke together, I won’t get into the themes and structure of that book here.

So there you have it: Luke, fast and furious. Now you are ready to start working on the puzzle.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

November 28, 2009

An anwser to "Could God Create a rock so heavy he himself could not lift it"

Next Post

November 29, 2009 Its Advent

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Art Bible Books CCC Prayer Christmas Current Events Family Film Free Photo Fridays Humor hunger liturgical calendar liturgy Music Photos pope Prayer Prayerful Leader questions Quotes Review Saints Satire Scripture SYNOD SYNOD FOR THE FAMILY teaching Uncategorized video Weekly Round Up

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 April 2026 February 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 February 2025 January 2025 September 2024 June 2024 May 2024 February 2024 December 2023 August 2023 May 2023 February 2023 November 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 March 2022 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 September 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 August 2019 June 2019 May 2019 March 2019 January 2019 December 2018 August 2018 June 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 December 2017 November 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 December 2016 November 2016 February 2016 January 2016 November 2015 October 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 October 2008 August 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

I was breathing out murderous threats, but a blinding light changed everything. I became the greatest missionary the church has known. Who am I?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Peter Stephen Barnabas Saul