Grant Kunkel*, Sam Evans, Drawde Roxas, Mitch Hopkins, Matt Ortenzio, and Marcus Bell

 X6c X6c

 Tradition identifies Luke as a Gentile Christian as the author of the 3 rd Gospel.  A strong proof that Luke authored the Gospel of Luke and the Acts o f the Apostles is that both are addressed to the same person, Theophilus.  Paul was a companion on Luke’s journey and it was most likely that Luke used a travel diary to help construct some of the history of the Acts.  Luke was from Antioch in Syria and died in Greece.

 Proof that Luke wrote to gentiles is his elimination of passages that might confuse a non-Jewish audience.  The author of Luke used 3 main sources:  Mark’s Gospel (60% of Mark’s appears in Luke’s)  Q (common source used by both Luke and Matthew)  L (sources unique to Luke)  The creation of the Gospel was 75 – 90 C.E.  Luke dedicates his gospel to a certain Theophilus (“lover of God”).  Three periods of Salvation History:  Relationship between Jesus and the history of Israel.  Jesus’ life, Death, and Resurrection.  The rapid spread of the apostolic church through the Gentile World.

 Major cities of Christian communities such as Antioch and Rome, are strong theories of where Luke may have written his Gospel  But others claim that he never wrote his gospel in these large cities  They believe that Luke may have been in a secluded town close to Rome but far enough to focus on writing

 Luke’s audience consisted of gentiles like the Greeks, as well as the poor and less fortunate  He did this because Luke wanted to spread their faith and he did so to the gentiles and the poor

 Luke presents Jesus as a compassionate Savior driven by the Holy Spirit. Jesus has come to save us, His children, so that we can have everlasting life with God our Father  Luke also portrays Jesus as the Messiah who brings His father’s message of forgiveness, love, and humanity through Jesus’ actions  Healing the sick  Touching and hanging out with the lepers who were often sent away  Treating women with respect and as equals  Associating with the hated Samaritans and other outcasts (criminals, poor, and those who possessed by demons)

 As the center of history, Jesus, is guided and directed by the Holy Spirit to proclaim His message of salvation  Jesus is the Friend to the Friendless. It is Jesus who associates himself with the poor, lowly, and other outcasts. A humble Jesus teaches us that our actions and love should be displayed by our actions and not our words  Jesus is a Friend of Sinners. Just like Jesus’ love, God’s love is endless and everlasting no matter how often we mess up  Luke shows us a Jesus who is a “faithful witness” and describes Him as an excellent model for all Christians who believe in God and want to share His message to all

 Luke is symbolized by a winged ox or bull – a figure of sacrifice, service, and strength  Luke’s account begins with the duties of Zacharias in the Temple  It represents Jesus’ sacrifice in His Passion and Crucifixion, as well as Christ being High Priest  The ox signifies that Christians should be prepared to sacrifice themselves in following Christ

 Jesus is portrayed as a prophet.  The Church continues Jesus’ prophetic ministry.  The role of the Holy Spirit in Salvation History  3 stages: Age of Promise, The time of Jesus, and The Age of the Church.  Prayer, Joy, Peace  The special role of Mary and women

 Love For Enemies (Luke 10: 25-37)  The main parable is the Good Samaritan. Jesus breaks the barrier of love from just love in the community to love for everyone.  The Lord’s Witness (Luke 23-24)  Luke is the Lord’s ( Kyrios for Greek) witness. This is for the audience for his readers to give historical evidence of Jesus and to the true identity by a follower and disciple then just a person who met Jesus once or someone who had just heard of him.

 Compassionate to the Poor (Luke 16: 19-31)  Only gospel that records the story of Lazarus and the rich man. This also contributes to showing love for others less fortunate to us