Luke focuses on Jesus’s associations with people throughout his gospel. He mentions Jesus mingling with those that other rabbis would not, such as tax collectors, Roman soldiers, lepers, demon-possessed people, and even women and children. He blessed the poor and admonished the wealthy.

Jesus opened His kingdom to all, including Gentiles, Samaritans, and former thieves. He claimed to be the Jewish Messiah but did not confine His message to Jews alone. Luke, likely a God-fearing Gentile, noted social interactions that he collected from the witnesses he interviewed to compose his gospel. Jesus’s consistent message was that He came to seek and to save the lost.

Luke’s appeal to Theophilus may have been based on Paul’s calling as an apostle to the Gentiles, showing the side of Jesus who did not anathematize the down-and-out like the strict Jews had. Therefore, Christianity (or “The Way” as it was known) was not a threat to the Roman government, since the kingdom that Jesus spoke of was in the future and also in the hearts of His followers now.

This makes Luke’s biography of Jesus not simply a hagiography or encomium. Rather, it portrays Jesus as a real person who embraced people across racial and religious lines. His gospel reflects the insight of a true historian of the time, without exaggeration or hyperbole. Luke compels his readers and audience to conclude that Jesus was exactly who He claimed to, God in the flesh.

This is what separates Luke’s gospel (possibly commissioned by Paul) different from the other gospels. He touches on the deity as well as the humanity of Jesus.

Have you read the entire gospel of Luke for yourself? If not, why not do so? If you have, do it again. Look for the associations that Luke mentions throughout this book. Please comment on anything in this blog in the comment box below.