Luke, Gentile Historian

It’s hard to elevate one of the Gospel accounts above the others, as they each give testimony in their own way to the Messiah. In some ways, however, we’re indebted to Luke for his account. Not being a personal witness of Jesus, Luke nonetheless acknowledges others who have undertaken to write an account of what happened.

Thus Luke, an educated Gentile who practised as a doctor, set out to write an orderly account of what actually happened for the benefit of his benefactor, Theophilus.

Luke’s Gospel contains information that the other accounts do not. For example, Luke gives a lot of information about the events and circumstances leading up to the birth of Jesus, and we can only presume that Luke, as Paul’s travelling companion, took the time when in Judea to speak personally and listen to Mary’s personal testimony. (WA Elwell, RW Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament, Page 102, Baker Academic, 2005). Thus the events of Jesus’ early life are carefully and well documented.

Like Matthew, Luke also gives a genealogy of Jesus Christ, but Luke goes further back before Abraham (where Matthew began) and links Jesus Christ to Adam, who was the son of God.

Speculation as to when Luke wrote his gospel account varies depending on different theological schools of thought on this. We must remember that Luke also wrote Acts and the timing of this second book affects when Luke wrote his original treatise – which would have to have been sometime and probably in the decade before the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD. Agreement on the place of writing is also speculative, as Luke does not principally identify this. Luke’s writing stands out above the gospels in its literary style, reflecting an educated and mature man well versed in the classical Greek language of his day.

Luke’s gospel is unique in perhaps more than one way. For example, Luke gives the reader special attention and appreciation for how Jesus honoured and respected women; the personal details of women in Jesus’ ministry are clearly remembered. For example, an incident is recorded where the disciples wondered why Jesus would speak to a Samaritan woman at the well. Another notable incident was when the woman who was healed simply because her faith led her to anonymously touch the hem of Jesus’ garment. Luke also mentions the women in Jesus’ ministry by name and their unique circumstances. For example, Luke tells us of Mary Magdalene and the curing in her life, as well Joanna’s unique disposition.

Luke pays special attention to the ministry of the Holy Spirit, right from the conception of Jesus, through the work of John the Baptist, what Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, and how he lived his life as encapsulated in the phrase “full of joy through the Holy Spirit…” (Luke 10:21) Thus the historical Jesus is also conveyed with an overt theological overlay.

We must remember that Luke’s account was not written from a born and bred Hebrew perspective, as the others authors were. Luke was a Gentile, a Greek as we might understand it, and his writing helps the reader understand that the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ isn’t restricted to ethnicity but is available to all people. Thus if Luke’s account had been destroyed by the sands of time, we would be so much the less wiser; the critical details of Mary and Elizabeth’s relationship and conversation, for example, would have been lost. Thus Luke’s work miraculously stands the test of time; he is a worthy historian and in doing so captures the spirit of the early, pioneering followers of Jesus.

By John Klassek
For LifeSpring School of Ministry

Studying the New Testament

A Christian is a follower of Jesus Christ, called by God the Father and brought to understanding through the work and presence of the Holy Spirit. Thus the only authoritative source we have that tells us of Jesus is the Bible, and specifically the New Testament account containing 27 books written in the first century by those who personally experienced Jesus Christ and others who came to believe through their ministry.

Thus to live a Christian life without a careful personal enquiry into who Jesus was, what happened to him, and how we might come to a fuller understanding and appreciation of God’s love and purpose for all people, would be to intentionally live a life of ignorance. Thus all followers of Jesus are compelled to varying degrees to personally explore those scriptures. Those who were illiterate in the first century benefitted from the weekly scripture readings at the Synagogue; the emerging Christian community is believed to have continued the tradition of Sabbath scripture readings, and we have reason to believe that the letters of Paul, for example, were also read to the churches. (Colossians 4:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:27)

Today the western world (at least) benefits from a high degree of literacy, and via the mechanism of mass printing as well as digital technology, we have the written Biblical text more available than ever before. Now while we could erroneously assume that a cursory view of the New Testament might be sufficient to adequately know the basics of God’s word, we would unfortunately then be highly susceptible to viewing and interpreting the New Testament through our own culture and personal experiences, or at worst, allow a mystical-flavoured perception and understanding to persist that assumes that the Holy Spirit as counsellor is sufficient without informed personal study.

This then leads to the question: how do we study the scriptures, especially the New Testament, and by which methods can we best benefit? Is a specific historical study sufficient?

Historical-Criticism approaches the Biblical text from a non-faith perspective, whereas Historical-Theological Criticism begins with the premise that the scriptures are indeed “God breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16), that men wrote from their eye-witness and personal experiences and understanding as inspired by the Holy Spirit. While Historical-Criticism may be valuable in understanding, for example, the Jewishness of Jesus in the times and culture where he lived, (Encountering the New Testament, WA Elwell, RW Yarbrough, Page 156), the method treats the Biblical text as it would any other book and in doing so negates the influence of God’s Holy Spirit.

In then attempting to interpret and understand the New Testament account for what it presents itself as: eyewitness accounts of Jesus as well as the documentation of the emergence of the early Christian community, we come across the term “hermeneutics” – which simply is the theory and practice of interpretation.  (Encountering the New Testament, WA Elwell, RW Yarbrough, Page 159).

The work of interpretation involves our personal underlying purpose for undertaking it. What are our aims – is it to discredit the text or to gain further understanding; am I studying for personal devotion or to prepare a sermon? What are the conditions we employ for engaging the text – does the reader believe in the aiding role of the Holy Spirit or is viewing the text purely from an historical perspective? How do we begin, that is, what method will we apply – do we randomly turn to any page and start reading, or is there a systematic approach, perhaps aided by a planned reading from cover to cover as well as utilising supplementary Bible commentaries and handbooks?

Hermeneutics, if it is to be successful and enduring, must be based on the following premises: that the Bible is the inspired word of God as written by human agents. The Bible having been preserved down through the ages as an act of God’s divine will, presents itself today as the world’s most printed and published book ever, speaking to us of God, who He is, what He is doing, and what His plans are. A serious student of the Bible “enters into the text” by a careful reading, is dedicated to analysing its content and seeks to find authentic application for today’s living, and this also involves giving heed to its prophetic content and direction. Thus the New Testament in particular is “both history and theology simultaneously”. (Encountering the New Testament, WA Elwell, RW Yarbrough, Page 165, Summary).

If we are to benefit most from what the scriptures are, we’ll see that the New Testament is founded on the background and preparation that the Old Testament gives, that the gospels are genuine eyewitness and research accounts of Jesus the Messiah, that Acts documents the emergence of the Church age (beginning specifically on the Day of Pentecost that heralded the coming of the Holy Spirit), that the Epistles (letters written to various churches and individuals) further document the issues that affected and the circumstances of the first century church, and finally that the text concludes on a counselling and prophetic note as contained in Revelation.

A core part of Hermeneutics in our study of the Bible must involve prayer. Prayer is the intentional two-way and private communion between God the Father and the believer. The believer believes God exists and that He actively sustains the created order; that this world is God’s realm, and that our only hope in life is through Jesus Christ. Prayer can involve active and specific petition, asking God for guidance and understanding in our study of the scriptures – and then believing in faith that God will respond in His time and way. The act of prayer is then further validated when the believer (the student of the Bible) then takes time to carefully consider what he or she is reading, when and by whom it was penned, in the diverse and distant cultural milieu those events formed, and the original purpose the author had in mind. Helps such as different translations, Bible concordances and handbooks can be a valuable aid in this study.

By John Klassek