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Introduction: The third of the synoptic Gospels (Matthew and Mark are the other two), was written by Luke to a man of some status named Theophilus. Luke was a Gentile, from either Antioch of Syria or Philippi. His knowledge of classical Greek and his meticulous research and organization of the gospel argue for a well educated man. And since he also wrote Acts, and within Acts are at least four passages where the personal pronoun "we" is used (Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-15; 21:1-18; 27:1-28:16), it's clear he was a witness to many of the events he describes in the second volume of the work of Christ (this work carried on by Jesus' apostles and the early church). And from this evidence in Acts, we know he was Paul's companion on his 2nd, 3rd and 4th missionary journeys. Paul calls him "dear friend Luke, the physician" in Colossians 4, and a "fellow worker" in Philemon. Luke stayed with Paul even after others had left him; he tells Timothy "Only Luke is with me" at the end of the second letter addressed to his son in the faith. Paul was writing from prison - his final imprisonment leading to his death, so Luke's loyalty was especially precious to the great apostle. Luke's gospel is based on his having heard the accounts of Jesus' work from those he interviewed, from narratives he'd read, and from the general knowledge of Jesus' life which circulated in Jerusalem and Asia Minor of that time. One of his sources is thought to be Mary, the mother of Jesus; the 11 surviving apostles who were with Jesus would also have been sources, as would any number of unnamed disciples whom Luke could have contacted. His prologue or introduction to the gospel itself tells us quite a bit about his research. Theophilus is addressed as "the excellent" a title of status. Scholars believes that Theophilus, a Greek name, by the way, was Luke's patron. He would have financed the publication of both the Gospel and Acts. Perhaps Theophilus had asked many questions, and thus Luke had proposed a search for better, complete and accurate answers. And as a result, perhaps Theophilus commissioned his work. It seems likely that this was the case. In any event, the gospel was not written solely for the one to whom it is addressed, but to us also.
When written: It was written in the first century A.D., and two time frames are commonly accepted: either 59-63 A.D. or in the 70s A.D. Paul's first missionary trip was in 46-48 A.D., his second 50-52 A.D., and his third 53-57 A.D. He sailed to Rome in 59 A.D. and was shipwrecked on the way. His fourth and last missionary trip was from 62-67 A.D. Luke was with him on the last three, at least for part of the time. And he was probably with him at his execution in 68 A.D. He could therefore have written the gospel while traveling with Paul, or shortly after his death.
Purpose: Each of the four Gospel writers has a particular focus. Matthew, as we know, wrote to convince his Jewish readers that Jesus was the Messiah. Thus his gospel begins with "A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham," and makes frequent references to prophecy which Jesus' life and work fulfilled. Mark wrote the briefest and the most fast-paced of the gospels to Christians in Rome; John wrote for unbelievers stating at the end of his Gospel: "Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:30-31). Luke tells us his purpose in his introduction: "so that you [Theophilus] may know the certainty of the things you have been taught." And while each Gospel writer had an audience in mind, their words and their accounts of Jesus have spread far beyond their original readership, while still fulfilling their purposes.
Unique features of Luke: Luke records more parables than any other Gospel writer. His is the most extensive account of Jesus' birth, the only account of John the Baptist's birth, and Luke alone gives us a glimpse of Jesus' childhood in the incident following Passover when Jesus' parents are on the way home from Jerusalem but Jesus is missing. They double back to Jerusalem, and find him in the Temple with the teachers of the law, listening to them and asking questions (Luke 2:42-50). Luke tells us more of Jesus' ministry to his disciples after his resurrection, too, recording the famous "road to Emmaus" conversation between Jesus and two disciples who get a Bible study which opens their eyes to their teacher's identity (Luke 24). But the best way to discover the content of Luke is to dig into it.
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