The Gospel of Luke
Luke shows that the teaching and preaching of early church leaders was grounded in the teaching and preaching of Jesus. The continuity between the historical ministry of Jesus and the ministry of the apostles is Luke’s way of guaranteeing that the teachings of the church conform to the teachings of Jesus.
The gospel is dominated by a historical perspective, a perspective that is based in salvation history. God’s divine plan for our salvation was accomplished during the earthly ministry of Jesus, who fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies by the events of his life. Luke works to present Christianity as a legitimate form of worship in the Roman world, able to meet the spiritual needs of a world empire like that of Rome.
Through Luke’s interpretation of the gospel message, he turns the early Christians away from the expectation of the Jesus’ immediate return to the day-by-day concerns of the community. He is concerned with presenting the words and deeds of Jesus as guides for Christian conduct, using Jesus as the model Christian.
The 24 chapters of the Gospel of Luke will prepare you for the second volume of Luke’s work, the Acts of the Apostles and the early church.
–Deacon Rick Stachura