A Word from the Good Doctor

“Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings…”

Colossians 4:14

In a way we might understand Luke, by the Holy Spirit, to have sent “greetings” to all the saints of Christ’s Church across time and around the world. The teaching and stories that Luke brings to the table of the New Testament are a great blessing, and we will spend the next few months gleaning from the words of the good doctor.

https://www.goarch.org/-/feast-of-the-holy-apostle-and-evangelist-luke

As I am sure you know Luke wrote two books of the New Testament. But not just any two books, two books made up of 52 continues chapters. To put that in perspective John wrote 50 (Gospel, Epistles, and Revelation) and Paul wrote 87 chapters (100 if you count Hebrews…but that is a question for another day) of the 260 chapters that make up the New Testament. That is roughly 20% of the New Testament ( I know this is a rough means of measuring to the exclusion of word count…but you get the gist).

Paul wrote far more, John wrote about the same, however what sets Luke apart from Paul and John is that the totality of his work is in one long narrative that spans Luke & Acts. To further my point let us contrast him with John who wrote roughly the same amount…roughly.

John’s work is made up of 21 chapters of narrative (the 4th gospel), 7 chapters of epistles, and 22 chapters of Revelation…a mixed bag of writing styles.

Luke however, is the same pattern of writing from beginning to end: narrative, preaching, and his comments on occasion. Why is this helpful? It is helpful because it makes the study of Luke’s writings far more accessible. Generally speaking his themes form the grid to his Luke-Acts narrative span from Luke 1-Acts 28. 

https://www.christianresearcher.com/articles/luke-acts

By this, the good doctor has much to say to us. The “beloved physician” sits down to write out “the things accomplished amount them, just as they were handed down …from eyewitnesses and servants of the word…” (Luke 1:1-2).

Over the next weeks and months I will be walking through Luke and into Acts, and pointing out important lessons that Luke gives to us about the life of Christ and the “Acts” of the Holy Spirit in his apostles.

Keep your eye open for the first part in which we will see the need for praying churches as a fundamental part of Christ’ Great Commission.

PS — One final word about Luke-Acts…Paul was likely the main theological influence on Luke as he wrote. Therefore, our appreciation for Paul’s teaching is greatly helped by the stories written down for us by Luke. We might say that the doctrine that Paul lays out from Romans to Philemon/Hebrews is set down for us in color through the telling of stories in Luke-Acts.

The Lord’s blessings be with you.