Dr. Luke – 2nd November 2008 am
The character we will look at today wrote more of the New Testament than anyone else – any guesses who it is?
Who is Luke?
It has been suggested that Luke may have been one of the two Greeks who desired to see Jesus about the time of the raising of Lazarus John 12:20-21 And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: [21] The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus.
It has also been suggested that he was a slave in the household of Theophilus, and that his master had arranged for his training as a physician. It is said that when Luke became a Christian that he told his master about Christ and as a result of his conversion he gave Luke his freedom. This would account for the reason of Luke dedicating both his books to a beloved benefactor.
The man from Macedonia Acts 16:10, it is even possible that he was a fellow student with Paul in Tarsus.
It has also been suggested that Luke could be the “brother” whose praise was in all the churches 2 Corinthians 8:16-18 (Titus’ brother)
When we actually turn to the Scriptures we see that Luke is only mentioned three times.
I. Committed (Submissive) – Colossians 4:14
There can be no doubt about Luke’s scholarship. By birth he was both a Greek and a pagan. We see Paul speaking in this passage about those who are of the circumcision that is the Jewish believers, and other Christians, the Gentile Christians is the group where he places Luke.
This sets Luke apart. He was the only author, among all those that the Holy Spirit used to write the Bible, who was a Gentile.
You may think that God can only use pastors, deacons, teachers, etc…. God can use you……
At the end of Paul’s third missionary journey, he made his way to Jerusalem. We know that this trip ended up with imprisonment at Caesarea. Luke seems to have been with Paul at this time and it’s amazing how the Holy Spirit uses a seemingly bad situation for God’s glory.
Luke now has the opportunity to talk to anyone and everyone who had firsthand knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Maybe he met with Mary, the Lord’s mother, and she unburdened her heart and told him how it had all happened.
We can picture him going to talk with the officials at Herod’s court, his close friendship with Theophilus would no doubt open the right doors for him. He would spend some time with Philip the evangelist who now lived in Caesarea with his daughters. He would talk to the disciples of John the Baptist.
Whilst at Jerusalem, of course, he would spend as much time as possible with the apostles. Then he would find the people that Jesus had healed, those who had heard Him speak. The Gaderene maniac, the widow of Nain, the woman with the issue of blood, the Samaritan leper who had returned to give thanks, Jarius and his daughter, the young boy who had given his lunch to the Lord. He would find blind Bartimaeus and Zacchaeus, the soldier who crucified Christ. His material grew and grew.
Maybe he had Mark’s gospel in his hands, well read and underlined with his own notes in the margin. 1 Thessalonians 5:21 Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Perhaps he would hurry back to Paul with his latest findings and the two would discuss the stories and Luke would just write…
Luke tells us of six miracles of the Lord that no one else mentions. He records 35 parables altogether 19 of which are only mentioned in his gospel. If the Holy Spirit had never inspired Luke to write we would never have known about the Good Samaritan, the rich fool, the prodigal son, the rich steward or the rich man and Lazarus.
Luke emphasises faith and repentance, mercy and forgiveness. He is fond of words like grace, salvation and Saviour. John Phillips says that “Luke has a Pauline view of Calvary,” His gospel illustrates Paul’s concept of justification by faith.
We are not told exactly when Luke first met Paul but from Acts 16:10 the narrative is moved from “they” to “we.” This indicates that Luke was now a member of the missionary team.
With Luke’s acquaintance with Paul and therefore many of the leading figures in Jerusalem, he was well qualified to write the book of Acts. It story narrative starts at Jerusalem and ends in Rome. It begins with Pentecost and ends in a prison.
The book of Acts forms the essential link between the Gospels and the Epistles. Without it we would be mystified by many things. We have letters written to churches in such places as Rome, Corinth, Galatia, Ephesus, Thessalonica, and Philippi. But without the book of Acts, we would have no idea how these churches came about.
We read of this missionary, Paul, but there is no mention of him at all in the gospels. He claims to be an apostle and acknowledges that he once persecuted the church. How could these things be explained without the book of Acts?
Luke shows us how to behave. He was submissive to the leading of the Lord in his life, he was committed to follow wherever the Lord led. Even with an illustrious career ahead of him, even with all the years of training he had, God used him in a mighty way.
If we were as committed to the Lord as we should be… What if…
We were as committed to our jobs as we were to the Lord – We’d be fired
We were as committed to our families as we were to the Lord – Problems
We were as committed to housework as we were to the Lord – Mess
We were committed to our health as we were to the Lord – We’d be dead.
James 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
II. Caring (Steadfast) – Philemon 24
a. Cared about the ministry
Paul referred to Luke as a “fellowlabourer.” Luke could have gone anywhere in the Roman Empire to work as a doctor. He could have made his fortune. But he had a heart for the ministry. He cared for lost souls, he cared for his Lord.
I think of David Livingstone, the pioneer missionary to Africa, who walked over 29,000 miles. His wife died early in their ministry and he faced stiff opposition from his Scottish brethren. He ministered half blind. His kind of perseverance spurs me on. As I run, I remember the words in his diary: Send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. Sever me from any tie but the tie that binds me to Your service and to Your heart.
What have we done recently for our Lord? Do we care for the ministry? Do we care that people are dying and going to hell? Do we care if our loved ones are lost? Do we care if we’ve spent time with the Lord? Do we care for one another?
1 Corinthians 12:25-27 That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. [26] And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. [27] Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
b. Cared about the missionary
Paul was not a well man 2 Corinthians 12:7 And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. We are not sure what this thorn was but many a commentator has suggested some kind of health problem.
Not only did he have this thorn but he had his fare share of beatings, scourgings, hardships, shipwrecks and imprisonments – no wonder he needed a full time physician. No wonder the Lord had placed Luke with Paul. Luke was always there eager to help, and able to use his talents to minister to Paul’s physical needs.
You can imagine Paul in prison at Caesarea, the chains on his hands and feet cutting into his skin, Luke was there to help. That seems to have been his ministry – keeping Paul alive as long as possible.
Maybe Paul wouldn’t have survived long enough to write his prison and pastoral epistles if it had not been for the ministry of Luke – God always has the right person at the right place with the right talents at the right time…
2 Corinthians 11:23-27 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I [am] more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. [24] Of the Jews five times received I forty [stripes] save one.[25] Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;[26] [In] journeyings often, [in] perils of waters, [in] perils of robbers, [in] perils by [mine own] countrymen, [in] perils by the heathen, [in] perils in the city, [in] perils in the wilderness, [in] perils in the sea, [in] perils among false brethren; [27] In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
Going through all of this, how often Paul must have thanked God for a fellow labourer and friend like Luke.
III. Courageous (Stalwart) – 2 Timothy 4:11
Paul was kept under house arrest in Rome for two years and was released for a short period of time. He was then arrested again, possibly at the time when Nero burned Rome and blamed it on the Christians.
This time the imprisonment was nothing like the house arrest, this was maximum security. He would have been stripped of his outer garments and left naked except for his tunic. Then through a trap door, ropes under his armpits, and lowered to the dungeon, the infamous Tullianum. The ropes were withdrawn and the trapdoor closed.
The floor was just mud and filth and there was some straw for a bed, all there was for him to do is sit in the dark and wait for his execution. Some of his colleagues he sent away, some abandoned him, but who is there to the end – Luke.
Maybe Luke was allowed to visit him, perhaps bring some food, or even candle light so that Paul could write the second letter to Timothy.
Luke remained with the aged apostle. He did what he could to relieve his sufferings. Luke dressed his wounds as best he could. Luke risked his life to visit Paul, knowing how Nero felt about Christians.
We are not even willing to risk telling someone about Jesus in case people make fun of us, laugh at us etc….
How long has it been since…..
Took the time to go see someone who lives alone?
Wrote a letter to someone who crossed your mind?
Read the Bible to someone too ill to read for themselves?
Encouraged someone who was having a hard time being a Christian?
Prayed earnestly for someone who was faltering?
Tried to have a Bible study with someone you knew was lost?
Told a teenager that you were proud of his efforts to live for the Lord?
Spent more time on your knees praying than on the telephone talking?
EVERY CHRISTIAN CAN DO SOMETHING TO ENCOURAGE SOMEONE ELSE!
Take a leaf out of Luke’s book.
Be Committed to the Lord
Be Caring About the Lord
Be Courageous for the Lord
