Thursday - What is in a Gospel?

Prayer:  We give You thanks O Lord for those who wrote Your Holy Word.  We thank You that we can read Your Holy Word any time and any where.   Bless us as we read and study Your scriptures.  And from this study and mediation may we hear Your call to go out into the world and be a light to all peoples.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Read  St. Luke  1: 1 – 4

The beginning of the Gospel According to St. Luke is one we don’t not frequently read.     From these first few verses,  we learn many things.    Luke wrote the life story of Jesus for his patron,  Theophilus.     We only know the name of this patron.  We do not know what Theophilus did…. was he a wealthy patron who wanted the life of Christ and the work of the early Church preserved for all to read? Biblical  Scholars do not know.   Was Theophilus a Sadducee who after the death and resurrection of Jesus had a conversion experience and wanted Luke to write down the life of His Saviour.   Biblical Scholars do not know this either.

The most important things to remember is a gentleman asked Luke to write down the life of Jesus Christ and the beginning work of the early Church.      Today,  the writings of Luke are divided into two books;   The Gospel According to St. Luke   and The Acts of the Apostles.

And what of Luke?   Was he a believer or just a scribe writing down Theophilus’ words?    We know that Luke read the Gospel According to St. Mark as his writings are influenced by this Gospel.     We also know that Luke was not a disciple.  Luke did not know Jesus personally but he certainly had read the Torah… the Scriptures of the Jewish faith.    Luke was a Gentile who through the writing of the Gospel wanted others to know and love God in the person of Jesus Christ.   Luke probably lived in Antioch.   What did Luke do for a living? We don’t know.  Luke might have been  a scribe  or a writer.  Frequently we assume that Luke was a Doctor as he includes many scenes of health and healing and food.  It was an ancient Church Father,  Irenaeus, who started the rumour that Luke was a Physician.  Irenaeus thought that this Luke was one of Paul’s  companions.  That Luke,  Paul’s companion,  was indeed a Doctor.    It was Biblical Scholar Henry Cadbury that really sought out if Luke was a physician and Paul’s  companion.  In the end,  Prof Cadbury said that we don’t really know who this Luke was who wrote the Good News of Christ.   What is truly important isn’t what Luke did for a living but the most important thing Luke did was to write about the Good News of Jesus Christ and the beginnings of the early Christian Church.

By writing these two volumes,  Luke stands out as a man of faith who was willing to write down the life and death and resurrection of Jesus Christ so that all may believe.  This is what is important!

Prayer:  Almighty God,  by the Holy Spirit Your people have been guided to share the light of Christ with the world.  We thank You for those who continue to make available the Bible in all languages and for every nation.  For the work of the Canadian Bible Society.  For the work of each Church that hosts Bible Studies.  Grant to all wise judgement and adventurous faith so that they may lead us forward to greater service and advancement of Your Word.  This we ask in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Many blessings!