One Book at a Time: Luke

Hi! Welcome back to One Book At a Time. This week we’ll be looking at the gospel of Luke for our overview.

Luke is in the New Testament and is the third book in this section of the bible. The book of Luke is thought to have been written by Luke after early church history, but technically we really don’t know. Personally, I would say it’s safe to make the assumption that it was written by Luke. The big picture of Luke is that Jesus not only lived and ministered as a perfect human, but he also died and rose again as the savior for all sinners.

Luke is the book that people typically read in December in the month leading up to

Christmas, because it is such a detailed account of Jesus’s life. Christmas is Jesus’ day of birth, so it’s reading the story of Jesus’ life leading up to his birthday, which is then celebrated. Luke shares the announcement of John and Jesus’ birth. He also shares the story of Jesus in the temple at the age of 12 talking with the Jewish teachers. It records the ministry of John the Baptist, Jesus’s baptism, and his temptation in the wilderness. Then we see Jesus on the move doing ministry. The ending of Luke tells of Jesus’s death and resurrection, then his ascension.

In Luke 9:23, it says “Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let

him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.” This shows us that to be a true disciple of Jesus, we have to deny ourselves and pursue Jesus. It also gives us a picture of the gospel. Salvation is choosing to say no to the world and say yes to Jesus when you don’t quite know what that looks like. As believers, it’s embodying Christ and being a light. Disciples of Jesus are following Jesus, being transformed by Jesus, and on mission for Jesus.

In Luke 4:18-19, it says “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to

preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” This is a prophecy that is fulfilled from Isaiah 61:1-2.

Isaiah 61:1-2 says, “The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has anointed

me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners; to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of our God’s vengeance; to comfort all who mourn.”

Jesus says in Luke 4:21 that “Today as you listen, this Scripture has been fulfilled.” He’s

telling the people that he is the fulfillment of the prophecy that someone would come to preach the good news and release captives. The people of course will reject him, which is foreshadowing what would eventually lead to Jesus’ death on the cross.

Luke 19:10 says, “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.” When Jesus

was called the son of man, it shows that he was the Messiah and also how human he was during his time on Earth. Luke shares Jesus’s mission with us so simply, the way it’s shared in so many other ways in the bible. He came to save lost people.

In the book of Luke, we get an amazing verse about how to love God. Luke 10:27 says

“He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.” Sometimes in the bible heart, soul, and mind are said together to mean the same thing. In this instance, it’s describing loving God with your whole body and all that you are.

The gospel of Luke gives a detailed account of Jesus’s life, bringing attention to him as the understanding savior who came to save the lost. Through Jesus’s teachings, ministry, death, resurrection, and ascension, Luke shows us what discipleship looks like by denying ourselves, following Jesus everyday, and loving God with all that we are. Therefore, Luke highlights that the good news of the gospel based on Jesus is for everyone and that all believers are to live on mission for Christ.