Gospels · New Testament
Luke
c. 6 BC – AD 30
- Section
- Gospels · New Testament
- Events span
- c. 6 BC – AD 30
- Written
- c. AD 60–62
- Author
- Luke, the physician and companion of Paul
Luke, a physician and companion of Paul, writes the fullest and most orderly Gospel, tracing Jesus' life from the announcements of his birth to his resurrection and ascension. It dwells on his compassion for the poor, the outcast, women, and sinners, and on his mission to seek and to save the lost.
Historical setting: Judea and Galilee under Roman rule in Jesus' day, the Second Temple standing, set against the wider Roman world.
Chronological placement: Placed with the Gospels at the start of the New Testament era (Jesus' ministry, c. AD 27–30); Luke's sequel, Acts, carries the story on from the ascension.
Key themes
- Jesus, the Savior of all people
- Compassion for the poor and outcast
- Prayer and the Holy Spirit
- Joy and salvation
- The Son of Man who seeks the lost
Key events
Birth & Childhood (Luke 1–2)
- The angel Gabriel tells Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth will bear John the Baptist
- Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear Jesus, the Son of God (the Annunciation)
- Mary visits Elizabeth and sings the Magnificat
- John the Baptist is born, and Zechariah prophesies over him
- Jesus is born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger; angels announce him to the shepherds
- Jesus is presented at the temple, where Simeon and Anna recognize him
- At age twelve, Jesus amazes the teachers in the temple
Preparation & Galilean Ministry (Luke 3–9)
- John the Baptist preaches repentance and baptizes Jesus, and the Spirit descends on him
- Luke traces Jesus' genealogy back through David to Adam
- The devil tempts Jesus in the wilderness for forty days
- Rejected at Nazareth after reading from Isaiah, Jesus begins preaching across Galilee
- Jesus calls Simon Peter, James, and John after a miraculous catch of fish
- Jesus chooses the twelve apostles and preaches the Sermon on the Plain
- Jesus heals a centurion's servant and raises the widow's son at Nain
- Jesus teaches the parable of the sower, calms a storm, and raises Jairus’s daughter
- Jesus sends out the Twelve, feeds the five thousand, and Peter confesses him as the Christ
- Jesus is transfigured in glory before Peter, James, and John
The Journey to Jerusalem (Luke 9–19)
- Jesus sets his face toward Jerusalem and sends out seventy disciples
- Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan
- Jesus visits Mary and Martha and teaches the disciples the Lord's Prayer
- Jesus warns against greed with the parable of the rich fool
- Jesus tells the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son
- Jesus tells of the rich man and Lazarus and teaches on faith and the kingdom
- Jesus contrasts the Pharisee and the tax collector and welcomes the little children
- Jesus heals a blind beggar and calls Zacchaeus down from the sycamore tree
Passion, Death & Resurrection (Luke 19–24)
- Jesus enters Jerusalem to shouts of praise (the Triumphal Entry) and weeps over the city
- Jesus cleanses the temple and teaches there daily, silencing the religious leaders
- Jesus foretells the destruction of the temple and his return
- Judas agrees to betray Jesus; at the Last Supper Jesus institutes the new covenant
- Jesus prays in agony on the Mount of Olives and is arrested; Peter denies him three times
- Jesus is tried before the council, Pilate, and Herod
- Jesus is crucified between two criminals, promises paradise to one, and dies
- Joseph of Arimathea lays Jesus in a tomb
- Women find the empty tomb, and angels announce that Jesus has risen
- The risen Jesus walks unrecognized with two disciples on the road to Emmaus
- Jesus appears to the disciples, opens the Scriptures to them, and ascends into heaven
Key lessons
- The gospel is for everyone, especially the overlooked; Luke dwells on Jesus’ welcome of the poor, sinners, women, Samaritans, and outcasts whom others despised. Luke 4:18
- Heaven rejoices over one repentant sinner; the parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and prodigal son reveal a God who runs to welcome the returning. Luke 15:20
- Jesus lived in prayer and dependence on the Holy Spirit, withdrawing often to pray, and teaches his followers to do the same. Luke 11:1
“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Critical scholarship view
Where mainstream critical scholarship dates or attributes this book differently from the traditional view above.
- Written
- c. AD 80–90
- Author
- Anonymous (the name Luke is early church tradition)