Luke was the only Gentile to write a book of the Bible. According to Eusebius and Jerome, Luke was a native of Antioch. He was a physician by profession. This third Gospel deals with the brighter side of the Gospel story. It includes five songs found nowhere else in Scripture: the Beatitude of Elizabeth, the Benedictus of Zacharias, the Magnificat of Mary, the Gloria in Excelsus of the angels, and the Nunc Dimittis of Simeon.
Called the most beautiful book ever written, Luke is also the longest in the New Testament. More than half of Luke's Gospel consists of material not found in the other accounts. The book is less chronological than the others. It classifies events and carries each to its end before taking up the next one. The style and introductory words of Luke indicate the book was written for the Greek mind and the Gentile world as a whole. It presents Christ as the "Son of Man," whereas Matthew portrays Him as the "Son of God."
The pitch of evangelistic fervor is graphically pictured in the dramatic stories of Luke. Through the way he handled stories like the prodigal son and the rich young ruler, Luke showed that he wished to introduce all the world to the Master. The theme of Luke is that Christ came to give light to those sitting in darkness. Luke was no stranger to evangelism. He traveled with the apostle Paul for years and kept a diary of their ministry. This diary became the book of Acts and continues the theme of world evangelism. Should we not burn with the same passion for leading souls to the Savior?
“To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
Luke 1:79 KJV
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