Who Was Luke

WHO WAS LUKE? Luke 1:1-4 April 25, 2021 Under Roman rule, all religions had to be approved. There were legal religions, and illegal religions. Now, the Romans liked gods. In fact, they were a big fan of as many gods as possible. So, for the most part, they looked favorably on any religion that had 2 or 3 new gods they could worship. What made them suspicious was a religion that only had one god. That's just not right. And, they really didn't like religions where the gods required descent, moral, ethical behavior from the worshippers. They preferred gods who liked drunkenness, carousing, or violence. Judaism barely made the cut. It was many of the things the Romans didn't like. They didn't like just one God. They didn't like that God had rules and commandments about how to live your life. And, they didn't like that the Jews were adamant God only loves them - and he hates the Romans. But, it was a legal religion. When Christianity first comes along, all of the followers of Jesus are Jewish. Both the Romans, and the Jews themselves, initially believed Christianity was just a subset of Judaism. Christians are Jews who are a little misguided about whether or not the Messiah has come. But, as time goes by, and Gentiles are allowed to become Christians, authorities begin to realize this is a whole new deal. Christianity is an entirely new religion. It first becomes obvious within the Jewish church. Christians come into the synagogue on Saturday morning and try to get everyone to believe Jesus was resurrected, is living in Heaven, and is God. So, they are kicked out of the Jewish church. Synagogue now begins with everyone standing and swearing an oath, called the Birkat haMinim.1 "For the apostates let there be no hope. Destroy their kingdom of arrogance, speedily, in our days. May the Nazarenes perish immediately. Let them be blotted out of the book of life, and not be written together with the righteous. Praise the Lord, who subdues their arrogance." So, church begins by cursing Christians. As a few more years go by, the Roman government also realizes there is a difference between Christianity and Judaism. Christianity is officially designated an illegal religion. And, that's a big deal. If your religion is illegal, and you refuse to give it up, it is OK to persecute you. It's your own fault, because you are practicing an illegal faith. It's OK to break into the home of a Christian, and steal from them. That is not a crime. It's OK to kick a Christian out of their home, and begin living there yourself. Emperor Nero takes this to the extreme. He begins arresting Christians, and putting them in the Coliseum, where they are mauled and murdered by lions, tigers, and bears. For entertainment, he puts Christians on large poles, covers them with tar, and burns them alive. And, it's all OK. Now, given those conditions, why would anyone become a Christian?2 You are putting yourself, and your family, in extreme danger. Your new church has to meet in secret. There are special symbols, like the fish, that let you know who you can trust. Anytime someone new comes to church you must be very worried in case they are a government spy. And, God doesn't seem to be concerned. Christians are murdered every day, and God doesn't seem to be doing anything. Isn't God supposed to help Christians? Doesn't he care? If Jesus loves me, why is he letting me be persecuted like this? So, not only are new people not joining the church. But, long time Christians are beginning to abandon the church. The risk is too high. I will worship Jesus in the privacy of my own home. But, I won't come to church. I won't acknowledge other Christians in public. I will keep my faith completely hidden. That's when a doctor, named Luke, begins writing. He writes two books. And, together, they explain to persecuted Gentile Christians, and Gentiles considering Christianity, why they should keep the faith. Who is this guy Luke? He comes from the city of Antioch. There are two Antioch's. One in Syria, and one in Phrygia. Luke comes from Phrygia. Today, Phrygia is a part of Turkey. In Luke's day, it was part of Greece. The Apostle Paul makes three missionary journeys to recruit and train new Christians. On his second journey, he goes through Antioch, and finds Luke. Luke hears Paul's message, and it connects with him. This makes more sense than anything he has ever heard before. The message so resonates with him, he leaves his home and his practice, and begins traveling the world with Paul. Now, Paul is a lightning rod for trouble. And, anyone with him will also get into trouble. So, the first thing we know about Luke is; he's kind of brave. He knows his life will be in danger. But, he travels with the most outspoken, polarizing evangelist in the world, anyway. At a time when it is dangerous to be a Christian, Luke - the Gentile doctor - goes public. He will be the only Gentile, to write a single word, in the Bible.3 Luke is a doctor. Paul says so in two of his letters. But, even if Paul didn't mention it, we could probably make a good guess. First off, the man writing the Gospel of Luke, and the book of Acts, writes in the best Greek in the entire New Testament.4 It is the kind of Greek that comes from someone with an exceptional education. He is either a doctor, or from a family that spent decades training him to be a politician. The words Luke uses betray him as a doctor.5 Matthew, Mark, and Luke all quote Jesus saying - it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to get into Heaven. Matthew and Mark use the word for a tailor's needle. The kind of needle you use to sew cloth together. Luke uses the word for a surgeon's needle. The kind of needle you use to close a bleeding wound. When you read about demon possession, have you ever wondered if it might be a misdiagnosis of a medical problem instead? We get that idea from Luke. When Luke talks about someone being possessed, he uses the medical terms for schizophrenia, or epilepsy, to describe the behavior of the afflicted person. So, Luke is a doctor. Matthew, Mark, and John ask you to place your faith in Jesus because they vouch for his authenticity as the Messiah. Luke says believe in Jesus, because it is the most logical and reasonable option of any religion. Luke is a huge fan of evidence. Examine the evidence, then decide what is the most logical explanation for the evidence. Don't believe because you like me. Believe, because Jesus fulfills prophecy. Believe, because eyewitness accounts are available. Believe, because of miracles. Luke advocates what we call intelligent faith. I don't believe in Jesus because of the warm emotions I experience in church. I believe in Jesus because his version of the truth makes way more sense than anyone else's. Because of that, Luke conducts interviews. He doesn't just write down what happened because Paul says so. As famous as Paul is, Luke always looks for other sources to verify and validate. There is very strong evidence that Luke went to Jerusalem, and interviewed Mary, the mother of Jesus.6 Which is why so much artwork, like this one, show him holding a picture of Mary. Luke is the only one who tells us just what Mary was thinking as she went through life. This is why Luke has the most complete Nativity story. We assume Luke was unmarried. He advocates keeping your promises and honoring your vows. But, from the moment he meets Paul he spends the next 10 to 12 years traveling the world. He goes everywhere Paul goes on his second and third missionary journeys.7 It would be counter to what Luke writes about, for him to abandon his own family. When we reach the year 62 AD, Paul is arrested by the Roman government. Because he is a Roman citizen, it is his right to be tried in the city of Rome. At that point, most sidekicks would go their own way. If you don't have to be in jail, why be there? Not Luke. He accompanies Paul to Rome, and waits with him. We believe Luke writes both his Gospel, and the Acts of the Apostles, in the year 64.8 He gives us many details of Paul's imprisonment and upcoming trial. But, the book ends before Paul is executed. We know from Paul's letters to Timothy, that Luke stayed with him until the bitter end. But, the book of Acts was never about Paul's life, or his ministry, it was about why you should be a Christian. Luke writes, until Paul can give him no more evidence. Both the Gospel of Luke, and the Acts of the Apostles, are written to a man named Theophilus. Theophilus is a code name.9 In Greek it means 'Lover of the real God'. Theophilus is someone who has been a Christian. He was a member of the church. Perhaps he is from Antioch, and he and Luke became believers together. We don't know. But, he's leaving the church. The persecution has finally reached his pain threshold. People are being beaten and robbed for being Christian. People are being arrested. People are being eaten by lions, and set on fire. You live with constant paranoia. Can I trust the people I'm worshipping with? The stress is phenomenal, and never ending. And, God doesn't seem to care, or be present. And, Theophilus has finally cried uncle. Enough. I'm done. I can't do this anymore. So, in Rome, waiting for Paul's trial, Luke writes two books. The purpose of both books are to tell Theophilus - keep the faith.10 Of all the things you can believe, this is the most logical. This is the most reasonable. This is the most obvious. I can show you in the Bible, this is exactly what was supposed to happen. History is unfolding, exactly as God said it would. Yes, we are suffering. But, Jesus suffered for us. And, there is a purpose to our suffering. Heaven is real. We are building a new church. It will be unlike any institution which has ever existed before. You won't join because of your bloodlines. You won't join because of your politics. You won't join because of your nationality. You will join because we teach the truth. The very same truth Jesus taught. You will join because this is the only way to get to Heaven. And, nothing that happens in this life, can change that truth. Most excellent Theophilus, keep the faith. I don't know what challenges you are facing right now. Maybe the isolation of Covid has beat you up, and made you feel alone. Maybe your family seems to be coming apart, and you struggle to find the love everyone deserves. Perhaps you've lost your job, and you're terrified of what happens without a steady income. Maybe your body is failing you. You've done everything you can do. The doctors have done everything they can do. And, each day you feel yourself becoming less. Maybe you have recently lost someone you love. And, loneliness is overwhelming you. You never realized how debilitating loneliness can be. I don't know what challenges you are facing right now. And, in the midst of all this, you may be wondering - where is God? Why doesn't he do something? If God is real, why is this happening to me? Of all the things you can believe - Christianity is the most logical, and the most reasonable. And, everything which is happening to you, and the world around you, was prophesied thousands of years ago. God is real, and God is in control. What you are enduring right now, is not the end. There is life beyond this life. There is life in a perfect place; where there is no Covid, where everyone is your family, where money doesn't matter, where you never get sick and no one ever dies. So, my brother or sister in Christ, keep the faith. 1 F. F. Bruce, The Gospel of John (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994), 215. 2 Joel B. Green, New Interpreter's Study Bible (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003), 1847. 3 Barbara E. Reid, New Interpreter's Study Bible (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2003), 1953. 4 R. C. Sproul, general editor. New Geneva Study Bible (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1599. 5 William Barclay, The Acts of the Apostles (Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1976), 2. 6 Ibid. 4. 7 NIV Cultural Background Study Bible (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2016), 1736. 8 Sproul, 1599. 9 Darrell L. Bock, Luke 1:1-9:50 (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2008), 15. 10 David P. Moessner, "Luke as Tradent and Hermeneut," Novum Testamentum, 58 no. 3 (2016), 259-300. --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ --------------- ------------------------------------------------------------ 2