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No. 42Gospel
Luke
The orderly account, written for outsiders
StatusEssential
Read24 chapters
DifficultyBeginner
Luke 1 - 24 · Written in the second half of the first century AD · Written for a Greek speaking readership outside Judea
The Point
Jesus came to seek and to save the lost, and the people he goes after first are the ones everyone else wrote off.
What This Book Is
The longest Gospel, researched and set in order for a Gentile reader, with a particular eye for the poor, women, outsiders, and the people religion had pushed to the edges.
Overview
Luke opens by explaining himself, which no other Gospel does. He has investigated everything carefully, consulted eyewitnesses, and is writing an orderly account so that Theophilus can know the certainty of what he has been taught. That opening tells you the kind of book this is: careful, ordered, and written for someone outside the story looking in.
What Luke chooses to include reveals what he cares about. He gives the fullest account of the birth, and the announcement goes to shepherds working a night shift. Women appear throughout, named and taking part, in a culture that rarely recorded them. A Samaritan is the hero of the most famous parable. Tax collectors get dinner invitations. A criminal being executed alongside Jesus is promised paradise.
About ten chapters in the middle follow Jesus on a long journey toward Jerusalem, and much of the material found only in Luke sits here. The prodigal son, the good Samaritan, the rich man and Lazarus, the persistent widow. If you know a parable and cannot place it, there is a good chance it is in this stretch.
Then the road ends where it was always going. The final chapters cover the last supper, the arrest, the crucifixion, and a resurrection morning that includes a long walk to Emmaus with two people who do not recognise him until he breaks the bread.
Luke also wrote Acts. The two books are one work in two parts, and the story does not stop at the end of this one.
Structure
- Chapters 1 to 2: BirthTwo announcements, two pregnancies, and a birth announced first to shepherds.
- Chapters 3 to 9: GalileeBaptism, temptation, teaching, healing, and the growing question of who this man is.
- Chapters 9 to 19: The road to JerusalemThe long journey section, holding most of the parables found only in Luke.
- Chapters 19 to 24: JerusalemThe final week, the cross, the empty tomb, and the walk to Emmaus.
Themes
Salvation for outsidersCompassionPrayerThe Holy SpiritWealth and povertyJoy
Why It Matters
Luke insists that the good news is for everybody, and he proves it by who he puts in the frame. If you have ever suspected you are the wrong sort of person for God to be interested in, this is the Gospel to read. It is also the one that most carefully anchors the story in real history, naming emperors and governors and dates, which matters if you want to know whether any of this actually happened.
How to Read It
- Read Luke and Acts back to back if you can. They were written as one continuous account.
- Notice who is in each scene. Luke's choices about who to include are part of his argument.
- Slow down through chapters 9 to 19, the journey to Jerusalem, where most of the unique parables sit.
- If you are new to the Bible entirely, this is a good place to start reading.
Key Verse
Luke 19:10
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Did You Know?
- Luke and Acts together make up about a quarter of the New Testament, more than any other author contributed.
- Luke is the only Gospel writer who was almost certainly not Jewish.
- The songs in the first two chapters, including Mary's Magnificat, have been sung in Christian worship for centuries.
Where to Start Reading
Luke 1:1-4Luke 4:16-21Luke 15Luke 24:13-35