Theology Assignment: Introduction to the Gospel of Saint Luke (Essay Sample)

Introduction to the Gospel of Saint Luke
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Introduction to the Gospel of Saint Luke
The book of Saint Luke relates the events that occurred during the years of the Christian movement to a Christian named Theophilus (Eubank, 2010). Luke, the author, tells us that the work is written based on eyewitness as he doesn’t find the narrative satisfactory in all respects. He thus sets himself the task of examining the records and creating a new account that will establish for any interested party the certainty of the instructions given to Christians. It is an informative writing to all readers of the New Testament (King James Bible, 2011). According to Eubank (2010), the book describes the setting that relates to the book of the gospel of Luke. Luke analyzed the materials he wanted to implement and supplemented them in an organized manner (King, J. B. (2011). In his art, Luke did not piece together bits of information that he collected from different places but, he employed his contributions which include selecting and organizing various materials along with distinct interpretations which were necessary to make the work complete.
The writing of Saint Luke’s gospel dates back to A.D 58/60 (Eubank, 2010). There is a belief that Luke collected his material while he was with Paul during his two years in prison. The destination of the writing is unknown except for the named recipient known as Theophilus who may have been Luke’s assistant during the publication of the book. Theophilus is most likely to be a gentile from his name and title, but this remains uncertain (James, 1998).
Position in the Bible Story Line
As per Jipp (2010), the gospel of St. Luke is the third book presented in the New Testament. Its first half narrates the birth, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The other half contains Acts of the Apostles. It shows the events of Jesus’ death and ascension. The author of the book, Luke was a doctor and well educated as shown from the way he presents his ideas and the authentic style he uses in his work.
Literary Structure
The structure of Saint Luke’s gospel begins with exordium then followed by the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus (Jipp, 2010). He then covers the ministry of John in preparation for Jesus’ ministry. Luke then gives an account of the Galilean ministry and the triumph entry into Jerusalem (King, J. B., 2011). The life of Jesus in Jerusalem can fall into three distinct categories: his ministry, passion and eventually his resurrection from the death and ascension to heaven. The entire book falls into eight different sections that explain the life, the department and the miracles of Jesus Christ (Eubank, 2010). It is one of the gospels filled with details of the history of Jesus Christ and His times.
Location

Relation

1-73

Love of God-Dedication to the most excellent Theophilus

2-72

Righteous person-Parents of John the Baptist foretold

3-71

Son of God-Birth of Jesus is foretold

4-70

Asking for a sign-Mary asks for a sign when the angle appears telling her that she would be the mother of the most high, Jesus Christ.

5-69

Spirit within a person

6-68

A father gives good things to his child

7-67

Forgiveness of sin -Jesus’ mission

8-66

Mary listens to the lord

9-65

Obedience to the law

10-64

Wisdom of children

11-63

Judgment against a snake

12-62

Descending of the holy spirit from heaven after Jesus was Baptized

13-61

A list of Jesus’ ancestors

14-60

The Satan tempts Jesus three times

15-59

Resentment of Jesus-He is thrown out of town

16-58

Jesus casts out demonic spirits

17-57

Disciples can’t understand words. Simon complains to Jesus how they have toiled day and night but got no fish

18-56

Jesus performs miracles

19-55

Chosen people

20-54

Leaving everything to follow Jesus

21-53

Prophecy of suffering

22-52

People who prefer old things

23-51

Giving bread

24-50

Foreseeing of suffering

25-49

Choosing of the twelve disciples

26-48

Crying people

27-47

Clothes

28-46

Tolerance

29-45

No disciple is superior to the teacher

30-44

Brotherhood

31-43

Hidden things are revealed

32-42

People who act on words

33-41

Suitable person

34-40

Many crowds gather

35-39

Evangelization

36-38

Prophet

Authorship
The Gospel according to St. Luke exhibits several differences from the other synoptic gospels (Eubank, 2010). For instance, St. Luke is the only gospel that has a sequel, the acts of Apostles. The two books are called Luke-acts. Luke, the author of the gospel, originates from Antioch. He is a Syrian and not a Jewish. His introduction to the doctrine shows that Luke purposely wanted to give a clear understanding of the events that occurred in the life of Jesus Christ. He is a careful observer as depicted from the writings.
Major Themes and Theological Message
The book of Luke is a history of the apostolic age and Luke himself is a theologian. The author of the book develops many ideas in the gospel. According to Eubank (2010), redemption is one of the most notable topics in the setting of the book. It gives a clear view of redemption history by which he gives us his view of the world in three significant time periods. At first glance, he states the time of law and prophets in effect before John the Baptist. Secondly, he narrates the time of Jesus. Navone, (2002) states that it refers to the time of preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God. The last time also referred to as the period of the church and starts after the ascension of Jesus Christ and proceeds until his return. The idea of salvation is also among the major themes in the book of St. Luke. Luke uses redemption and saving power all through the book (Eubank, 2010). He also tells us about Jesus Christ being sympathetic towards the Samaritans and the Gentiles as well as the centurion servant.
As per Eubank (2010), Luke also mentions peace. It’s one of the significant preaching during the time of John and Jesus. In his doctrine, John the Baptist refers to the Messiah as the prince of peace. The theme forms a central concern in Luke’s gospel and has a more direct link to the Messianic glory. The most well-known phrase during Christmas is ‘Glory to God in the highest and peace on earth to people of good will (Navone, 2002). Jesus Christ also preaches peace. He tells his disciples to preach peace in whatever house they enter. Again, the journey toward Jerusalem begins with Jesus’ proclamation of peace. On approaching Jerusalem, Jesus Christ is persistent on the theme of peace and also ties it to the glory in heaven. The people who surround him sing,” peace in heaven and glory in the highest”. Jesus fulfills the prophecy that Jesus was a prince of peace as seen in his preaching.
The book of Saint Luke enlightens us on the theme of the Gospel of the poor (Eubank, 2010). It occurs in simple situations such as during the birth of Jesus. The childhood of Jesus depicts the gospel of the poor as well as Jesus’ association with the poverty. In Luke’s preaching, there is a warning about earthly riches. As Bock and Köstenberger (2012) state, H...