His morning we re launching into a study of THE LIFE AND MISSION OF JESUS recorded in the Gospel of Luke. So let s dive in.

Transcription

1 THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 1. The True Story of Jesus Luke 1:1-4 Luke 1:1-4 1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. His morning we re launching into a study of THE LIFE AND MISSION OF JESUS recorded in the Gospel of Luke. So let s dive in. LUKE is the third book in the New Testament. The first four books in the New Testament are called the Gospels. I m going to say more about this in a bit but we want to remember that the Gospel is not religious advice it s not the writings of the most famous life coach to have ever. The Gospel is a record of something that has happened. More on that in a moment. Three of the four Gospels are called the synoptic Gospels. Matthew, Mark and Luke are referred to as the Synoptic Gospels because they share so much common information. They give the record of the ministry of Jesus in the Galilee the northern part of Israel as well as the ministry of Jesus in the area of Jerusalem. John s Gospel isn't included in the Synoptic Gospels because his account pretty much focuses in on the ministry of Jesus in and around Jerusalem in the south of Israel. Each of the four Gospels are unique unique in their authorship and unique in the way they look at the life of Jesus. Matthew also known as Levi writes about Jesus from a very Jewish perspective and writes for a Jewish audience. That s why Matthew gives to us a genealogy of the life of Jesus back through David to Abraham. His account of the life of Jesus is intended for us to see that Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah! There are some 99 Old Testament references in Matthews account of the life of Jesus. Time and again he sums up something that Jesus said or did with the phrase, That it might be fulfilled. He wants the Jewish reader to know that Jesus is the

2 fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies the one who will sit on the throne of David who s Kingdom will have no end. Mark s record of the life of Jesus is from a different perspective. Mark writes to a Roman audience and that meant a massive slave population (some 60 million slaves in the Roman Empire at that time). He presents Jesus as the one who came, not to be served but to serve, and to lay down His life as a ransom for many. Mark shows us Jesus, the perfect servant. That s why there is no genealogy in Mark s Gospel, because slaves had no genealogy. Marks account of the life of Jesus starts like a race. The starting gun is fired and the record explodes out of the blocks. It is a non-stop series of pictures like the camera bursts of a sports photographer. Non-stop action. I love the way Mark s Gospel moves. By the way John s Gospel, which stands apart from the Synoptic records emphasizes the deity of Jesus. So John s genealogy begins before time In the beginning was the Word, and the was with God and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelled among us and we beheld His glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Seven times John specifically talks about the deity of Jesus. Matthew, Mark and then we come to Luke the physician. In Paul s letter to the Christians in Colossae he wrote, Luke the beloved physician greets you (Col. 4:14). He was the traveling companion of Paul the apostle from Acts 16 forward, When you come across the words we and us in the book of Acts they let you know that Luke was present with Paul when the events at hand took place. He was with Paul through Paul s imprisonment in Caesarea; he was with Paul when he was shipwrecked en route to Rome. He was in Rome during Paul s imprisonment right up to the end. 2 Timothy 4: For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me. 11 Luke alone is with me. Luke was an amazing man! He is the only non-jewish author in the four Gospels. He is prolific in his contribution to the New Testament. If Paul did not write the book of Hebrews, then Luke wrote the majority of the New Testament because of the length of the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. Luke was a highly educated man. John Phillips, in a volume titled Exploring People of the New Testament said that wherever Luke

3 might have studied (Tarsus, or Alexandria) his medical education would have taken him to Rome where he would have studied at the Collegium Archiatorum which was the accrediting college of Imperial Rome that supervised the licensing of those who wanted to practice medicine in every city of the empire. Luke had an incredibly broad and beautiful vocabulary. He used over 300 words that are found nowhere else in the New Testament! Between his account of the life of Jesus and his selective history of the early church the book of Acts he uses 50 words medical terms that are found nowhere else in the New Testament. By the time Luke wrote his account of the Life and Mission of Jesus Matthew and Mark had already been written. We get an idea of when Luke wrote when we consider that his Gospel was written before he wrote the book of Acts. He opens the book of Acts by referencing his Gospel as his first book. His second volume, the book of Acts, was a selected history of the early church which concluded with Paul in Rome around 62AD. Luke gives to us an amazing, detailed account of the Life and Mission of Jesus. Luke does not show us Jesus, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. He doesn't show us Jesus the perfect servant. His favorite way of referencing Jesus is the Son of man! And because Luke is showing us Jesus, the Son of Man, Luke takes his genealogy all the way back to Adam. In John s Gospel we see that Jesus is fully God; but Luke wants us to also know that Jesus is also fully man He is the perfect man. In Jesus we see humanity as God intended it from the beginning. By the way more than any other Gospel writer Luke shows the high place that prayer occupied in the life of Jesus. And if Jesus the perfect man placed a premium on prayer, how much should not-so-perfect men and women like you and I value and prayer and actually pray! Jesus is the perfect man who came to live the life we should live but never have. In Matthew s Gospel we see that Jesus is the long awaited Messiah of Israel; but Luke wants us to see that the scope of God s plan of redemption extends beyond the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Luke wants us to see that Jesus is the Savior that all of mankind needs that the Gospel is good news to be proclaimed to all mankind. Luke opens with a four verse prologue. This prologue would have been written after he had compiled his research. He opens by telling us WHY he wrote and WHO he wrote to. Luke 1:1-4 1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative

4 of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. There is so much for us here. It is so rich on so many levels. But I ll start with this: By way of his prologue Luke tackles one of the first and most common challenges that unbelieving men and women bring against the Gospel. We live in a culture that listens to the Gospel with a bias an assumption that the accounts of the life of Jesus in the Bible are completely unreliable. Most college professors and students discount the Gospels as nothing more than legends. Some very dear friends of mine recently said to me It's impossible to know who Jesus is because the Gospels are so unreliable. You might be thinking HOW does Luke tackle that in these four verses? Follow me. I ve already mentioned that Luke was a highly intelligent and educated man. Luke's introduction is unlike any of the other three Gospels. He s the author that more or less walks out onto the stage and uses the pronoun "I." William Barclay says that Luke s prologue is the best bit of Greek in the New Testament. Luke uses the exact introduction that the great Greek historians all used. The Greek historian Herodotus began his history by saying, These are the researches of Herodotus. So let s talk about his research. Suffice it to say that Luke wanted his reader(s) to know that his incredibly detailed account of the Life and Mission of Jesus was the product of the most careful historical research. Sir William Ramsay was a famous British historian. As a historian he was critical of Luke s writing said that Luke was filled with historically inaccurate content. But when he set out to debunk Luke, here s what he concluded: QUOTE: Sir William Ramsay Luke s history is unsurpassed in respect to its trustworthiness. Luke is a historian of the first rank; not merely are his statements trustworthy... this author should be placed along with the very greatest of historians. Luke is impeccable and thorough in His details. Mark and Matthew give the record of the Galilean ministry of Jesus. Luke not only records the Galilean ministry of Jesus he gives us details that we don't find in the other Gospels precious truths that would have been forever lost without Luke s account. He gives to us the historical insight into events

5 that preceded the birth of Jesus that we have nowhere else. These prenatal, birth and infancy passages (Luke 1:1 2:52) include both the foretelling of and the birth of John the Baptizer and Jesus (1:5 25; 1:26 38; 1:57 66; 2:1 21). Then from chapters 9-19 he gives to us the long journey of Jesus up to Jerusalem and the cross. He gives to us 30 details that we don't have in any of the other gospels. (See list at end of notes.) But look at the man he was writing to. Luke did all of this research so that a particular man could have absolute certainty about his faith in Jesus. 3.to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. most excellent Theophilus Theophilus means lover of God. It could be read, Your excellency, Theophilus. It's the same term he uses when he recorded Paul s conversation with Festus in Acts 26:25 most excellent Festus. This was used of the aristocracy in the Roman Empire. Theophilus was probably either a governor or a senator, and it s possible that he owned Luke. The wealthy would own their doctors (it was cheaper than health insurance). To say the least, Theophilus was to a cultured man, an educated man. Luke was a fanatic about detail, persons and events because he expected that his record of the Life and Mission of Jesus was going to be read by educated and fairly cultured readers. That immediately speaks to the average educated person who processes everything you are saying about Jesus with the question Where did you get your information? How do we know it s reliable? Luke wasn t interested in legends or myth. He told Theophilus that he writing about the things that have been accomplished among us, He was writing about historical events! Jesus was a very real person involved in very real events that had happened! People saw them happen. And Luke said that he made a careful examination of the eyewitnesses. The word Eyewitnesses is the Greek word autóptēs we get our English word autopsy from this is word. It means one who has first hand knowledge by careful examination. Remember Luke had an extraordinary vocabulary! The word translated happened is not the Greek word that tells us something merely happened. It is the word that means fulfilled! Luke is letting Theophilus and us know that in Jesus Christ, history is fulfilled!

6 How amazing is that! The work of God in the history of man comes to a climax in the life and mission of Jesus DON'T MISS THIS Luke lets us know that the Gospel is about Jesus. And that is crucial more crucial than the average professing Christian even thinks. There is NO Good News apart from Jesus. Jesus IS the Good News. The Jesus we will see in Luke s Gospel IS the Good News. He s alive today doing the same things we ll see Him doing in Luke s Gospel. DON T MISS THIS Not only does Luke handle the bias of the skeptic by his meticulous and impeccable history Luke was impeccable and thorough in his portrait of Jesus! People can insist that here is no airtight argument to prove the existence of God. Skeptics say that the hypocrisy of professing Christians poke holes in the Christian faith. But Luke provides us with an airtight person He shows us Jesus in a way that just can't be argued. There s no escaping Him. After nearly 2,000 years after Jesus countless millions of people have looked and looked and looked and looked and said Jesus is airtight! Jesus is inescapable. There s no argument that can stand against Him! Luke shows Jesus reaching out to people who were outcasts, misfits, and held in utter contempt in His day and His culture. Inclusive is a buzz-word in our culture. Fallen culture has no idea what that word means in the light of Jesus. Jesus was off the charts when it came to those He received and embraced. Luke records Jesus making claims that go beyond the insane megalomaniacs (a person who is obsessed with their own power or importance) of history, like Hitler. Jesus claimed that He will judge the world on the last day that He is the author and giver of life that He s the One who alone has authority to forgive sins. Jesus claimed that He d been sending the prophets into to the world over the centuries. But the megalomaniacs of history even the relatively benign ones like Steve Jobs are never so beautiful, never so tender, never so kind, never so humble. Jesus Christ lived a life of such moral beauty that hundreds of men and women who were the last people on the face of the earth who would ever believe God could become human (Jews) believed Jesus to be God come in Human flesh. If you are asking How do can I ever know if there is a God who is truly glorious How can I know that this God is not only infinite in power and glory but He also loves me? The answer is Jesus! He is the infallible inescapable airtight person against whom there can be no argument.

7 That is why the apostle Paul said, For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness has shined into our hearts the to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 4:5-6) Luke says, Most excellent Theophilus I m going to show you the story of Jesus. It's my prayer that as we look at Jesus in Gospel of Luke as we look at His life as we see Him living and speaking touching broken lives, healing broken lives laying down His life for our sins that all of us will know there s a God of glory. Luke wanted Theophilus (and you and me) to know that the Gospel is the story of Jesus. Some of you might be thinking Uh, Richard, of course Luke s Gospel is about Jesus. Let me use Luke s own words 1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us.. 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, Luke said Many have tried to compile a narrative and I m going to provide a narrative. The word narrative narrative in verse 1 is the Greek word that means a story. THIS IS HUGE and radically relevant to church culture and the way most people approach the Gospel, read the Gospel, understand the Gospel and proclaim the Gospel in the 21 st century. Luke is saying, I didn't set out to compile the teachings of Jesus. I didn't set out to create an anthology of scenes from the life of Jesus. This is not a compendium of the teachings of Jesus. It s not a compendium of the sayings of Jesus. The Gospel is not the teachings of Jesus. The Gospel is not the sayings of Jesus. The Gospel is not a series of vignettes that show us principles for living from the life of Jesus. The Gospel is a story. Don't misunderstand me. We usually use the word story when we re talking about fiction. The Gospel is a TRUE story.

8 So what s the big deal about the Gospel being a story? It s a really big deal! The fact that it s a story means that it s not the teachings of Jesus that save you It s the actions of Jesus that saves you. If the whole point of Luke was to merely compile a compendium of the teachings of Jesus we would have to conclude that the teachings of Jesus can save us. That changes the nature of the Gospel completely. If it s the teachings of Jesus that save us, then I m saved by how I live, I m saved by how I follow the teachings of Jesus. But if the Gospel is the story of the actions of Jesus, then I can be saved apart from my works, despite my failures. Look at every religious system outside of Christianity. The most important part of those religions is not what their founders did it s what they said. Buddha said, Here s how to find enlightenment. Muhammad says, Here s how you submit and please god. All of these other religious leaders might say things that are very different from one another but they re all the same in that their teachings are the important thing they all say that it s how you live that saves you. The Gospel stands in absolute contrast and contradiction to every other religion. The Gospels are rich with the teachings of Jesus. But it s not the teaching of Jesus that saves you. That s why Luke said that he was writing a narrative he was writing the true story of Jesus based on an exhaustive, meticulous examination of the eyewitnesses. Why? I like how Tim Keller put it QUOTE: Keller If you think the teachings of Jesus are elevating and morally uplifting, you have never read them. Then he cited this anecdote in the college classroom of and English professor named Virginia Stem Owens. She knew most of her students had heard of the Sermon on the Mount but they d never read it. So she assigned all of them to read it and then she asked for response papers. She said the response papers were remarkable. Here s what one student said. I did not like the Sermon on the Mount. It made me feel I had to be perfect, and no one is. Here s another student. The things the sermon asks for are stupid. Virginia Owens said the students essentially noted, First, Jesus does not just require that we give most of our money away, but to do it joyfully. Secondly, Jesus does not just forbid killing people, but he forbids disdaining people, feeling superior to people, and even treating someone with coldness or indifference. You can imagine how that went down with college students. Thirdly, Jesus does not just say I can t revenge myself on someone persecuting me but that I have to love them and hope for them and care for them. Jesus does not just forbid worry, but he says I have to live gratefully and happily content with whatever situation I find myself in.

9 The assignment produced two inescapable conclusions: 1. When you read the Sermon on the Mount, you come to the conclusion that These are the kind of people I want to live near. This is the kind of world I want to be in and you re forced to conclude that This is the way I need to live. 2. When you read the Sermon on the Mount you conclude that it s impossible. So the only reasonable response to a compendium of the teaching of Jesus Christ would be, God, save me from the teachings of Jesus because they expose me they condemn me. DON'T MISS THIS We don t need teaching we need a story. We need the True Story of the actions of Jesus Christ who came to live the life we should have lived and die the death we should have died. We don t need a teacher; we need a savior. Let s take that one step further Maybe you ve heard people say something to the effect of it doesn't matter if the religious teachings are true or historic what matters is if they inspire you to live differently. Listen the story of Jesus Christ has to be TRUE has to be true for everybody or it can't save anyone. Follow me here! In the next few weeks we re going to read about the birth of Jesus! It is an awesome story. Jesus, born in a manger. Angels singing. Shepherds watching. QUESTION: What does it inspire you to do? Be a shepherd? Forget home birth start a barn-birthing movement? If a story doesn't need to be true just needs to inspire it doesn t work. BUT if the story is true if it most certainly happened among us, it means that God has broken into history. It means there really is a God and He came to be with us in our suffering He came to do something that will put death to death put an end to injustice and poverty and disease and despair. I pray that from this day forward you will know how to respond when someone says to you I don't believe in Jesus, He s just a legend. But if the things he supposedly said inspire you great. You know that the Gospel is not a collection of teachings. It's the story, the eyewitness account of the life of Jesus and no one will ever be saved by the teaching of Jesus they can only be saved by the actions of Jesus. That makes Christianity utterly different from and makes it

10 diametrically opposed to every other religion. I want to close with this. If we are saved through the story of Jesus Christ, what is His story? Every human story has a protagonist a hero. In every human story there s something you care about that is threatened by the antagonist. The hero comes who saves the day. QUESTION WHO is the hero of the world s story? WHO is the hero of your story? WHO the hero of your friend s story? WHO is the hero of your family s story? You need to hear me! If the Gospel is nothing more than a collection of teachings that means it s on you to be the hero! Check this out. The very end of the book of Luke is tethered to Luke s prologue. It proves the reality that Luke s book was not a collection of teachings. It s in Luke 24: On the first day of the week three days after Jesus died on the cross there were two disciples who were walking on a road that lead to Emmaus. They were discouraged. A stranger showed up and said, What s the matter? Why are you so unhappy? They said, Are you the only one around here who doesn't know what happened? There was a man named Jesus. He was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. We had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. The stranger that had joined them was actually Jesus and He said O foolish and slow of heart to believe! And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Why would Jesus have to explain the Bible to them? These men were steeped in the Scriptures from the time they little. They KNEW all about the Pentateuch. They KNEW all about Abraham. They KNEW all about Moses. They KNEW all about David. They were confused, discouraged and hopeless because they had read the Bible but didn't know who the Hero is! They thought that the point of the story of Abraham is that they should be as faithful as he was. They thought that the point of the story of Moses was that they need to be as strong as he was a great leader. They thought that the point of the story of David and Goliath is that they need to be as courageous as David. In other words they thought that all the stories were about them!

11 That is pretty much the way people are taught the Bible today. They go to church to be inspired and motivated. That is pretty much the way people read the Bible today. They read it for a pick-me-up they read it when they think they need a good kick in the pants. That s also why they are unfamiliar with most of the Bible why they avoid big chunks of the Bible! Jesus essentially said, The reason you can t understand why a Messiah would come and die is because you thought all the stories of the Bible were lessons to tell you what a hero is what a hero does to help YOU be the hero! But every one of those stories points to Me. Jesus told them that HE is true Moses! He is the one who delivers from bondage and death. HE is the true David He is the one who stepped onto the battle field on your behalf and faced your great enemies of sin and death and slayed them. But more than that Jesus said that HE was Moses Hero HE was Abraham s Hero HE was David s Hero. If you look at the story of David and Goliath and say This is a story about me about how I have to go out and face the giants of life that threaten my happiness (a struggling marriage, failing finances, chronic or fatal disease) I have to face them and be strong; you are headed for discouragement and despair. You need to understand that you will never be strong like David unless you look to the one who David points to. Jesus told these men that He was the real Hero of every one of those moments and lives in Israel s history the story was about Jesus not them! Jesus is the ultimate David. David went out as the champion of Israel and fought for his people his victory over Goliath was imputed to them. The Gospel is the account of how Jesus Christ came and by His death on the cross paid for our sins and destroyed the power of death and because of that you can actually have a living hope. You can have hope in this life and hope beyond the grave because Jesus, your ultimate David, has already faced eternal death and has saved you. Jesus wins! The pressure is off. Jesus is the Hero of your story! Not you! You don t have to save yourself. Jesus saves you. The Gospel the true story of the life and mission of Jesus tells us Jesus is the Hero of your story your family s story. Jesus is the Hero of the world s story. HERE S THE DEAL I will never be able to act in any way like a hero until I realize that I m not the hero! It's only when I realize that I am utterly dependent upon Jesus to be my Hero that I can actually begin to be fearless live courageously sacrificially. Because it's when I

12 know that Jesus is the real Hero I realize that I have nothing to lose! THAT is why the apostle Paul could say 2 Timothy 2:10 So I am willing to endure anything if it will bring salvation and eternal glory in Christ Jesus to those God has chosen. Philippians 1: with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. Who is YOUR hero? ADDENDUM I. Jesus: The Son of Man the perfect man! Luke wants us to see the humanity of Jesus Jesus the PERFECT man. He makes it clear that in His humanity Jesus made prayer a priority so that we would see the importance and necessity of prayer. Luke is the ONLY one who points out that Jesus was PRAYING at His baptism. He points out to us that it was while Jesus was praying at His baptism that that the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus. He is also the only one to point out that Jesus spent the night in prayer before he chose His disciples. He is the only one to point out that at the Transfiguration that Jesus was PRAYING when He was transfigured. He is the ONLY one to point out that from the cross Jesus PRAYED: Father forgive them. He also is the ONLY one who tells us that Jesus said to Peter Luke 22: Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, 32 but I have prayed for you

13 that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers. Luke is the ONLY one who gave to us the parables of Jesus on PRAYER. He is the ONLY one to tell us that while Jesus was praying in the Garden of Gethsemene that Jesus sweat great drops of blood. A physical phenomenon interesting to Luke as a physician II. Events in the Life and Mission of Jesus that are unique to Luke s Gospel Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the Synoptic Gospels because they share so much common information. But Luke contains 41 unique passages that are not found in Matthew or Mark. 1. Infancy narratives 1:1 2:52 2. Jesus genealogy 3: A miraculous catch of fish 5: The anointing of Jesus by a sinful woman 7: Women who helped Jesus 8: Rejection by the Samaritans 9: The mission of the seventy 10: The parable of the good Samaritan 10: Martha and Mary 10: The parable of the friend at midnight 11: True blessedness 11: True cleansing 11: The parable of the rich fool 12: Repentance 13: The barren fig tree 13: Healing a bent woman 13: Who are in the kingdom? 13: That fox Herod 13: The man with dropsy 14: Invitation to a banquet 14:: The parable of the lost coin 15: The parable of the prodigal son 15: The parable of the unjust steward 16: The covetous Pharisees 16: The parable of the rich man and Lazarus 16: Unprofitable servants 17: The ten lepers 17: The parable of the unjust judge 18: The parable of the Pharisee and the publican 18:9 14

14 13. Zaccheus 19: The parable of the pounds (similar to Matt. 25:14-30) 19: Lament over Jerusalem 19: Teaching in the Temple 21: Two swords 22: Jesus before Herod 23: Daughters of Jerusalem 23: Peter at the tomb 24: The walk to Emmaus 24: The appearance to the disciples 24: The fulfillment of Scripture 24: The ascension 24:50 53 It s from Luke that we hear that James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven and how they were rebuked by Jesus. It's Luke s gospel that records Jesus saying that if any man puts his hand to the plow and looks back isn t worthy to follow Him. We hear the report of the seventy who were sent out in pairs. We hear the parable of the Good Samaritan. It s Luke who tells us that Martha was displeased with her sister Mary and how Martha was encumbered by her serving. It s Luke who records the parable of the friend who got up in the night and kept knocking on his neighbors door. It is Luke who records the parable of the rich fool. It is Luke who tells us about the woman who s infirmity left her walking around bent over at the waist. It's Luke who tells us Jesus healing a man of a condition called the dropsy. Luke tells us the parable of the great supper and those invited to it. Luke alone records Jesus using the illustration of those who would build a great structure or go to war, and the importance of counting the cost. Luke is the one who tells the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Prodigal Son. Luke alone tells us of the unjust steward and the story of the Rich man and Lazarus. Luke alone records Jesus speaking of the unprofitable servants, the ten lepers who were healed, the parable of the unjust judge, the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. He tells us about Zaccheaeus the short little thief (Think Danny DeVito). He alone tells us of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. Then along with the other Gospel writers Luke records the suffering, death and victorious resurrection of Jesus. Then Luke alone tells us of Jesus meeting the two disciples on the road to Emmaus on that first Easter Sunday. Luke closes by giving the account of Jesus returning to heaven.

15 It s from Luke that we hear that James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven and how they were rebuked by Jesus. It's Luke s gospel that records Jesus saying that if any man puts his hand to the plow and looks back isn t worthy to follow Him. We hear the report of the seventy who were sent out in pairs. We hear the parable of the Good Samaritan. It s Luke who tells us that Martha was displeased with her sister Mary and how Martha was encumbered by her serving. It s Luke who records the parable of the friend who got up in the night and kept knocking on his neighbors door. It is Luke who records the parable of the rich fool. It is Luke who tells us about the woman who s infirmity left her walking around bent over at the waist. It's Luke who tells us Jesus healing a man of a condition called the dropsy. Luke tells us the parable of the great supper and those invited to it. Luke alone records Jesus using the illustration of those who would build a great structure or go to war, and the importance of counting the cost. Luke is the one who tells the parables of the Lost Sheep, the Lost Coin and the Prodigal Son. Luke alone tells us of the unjust steward and the story of the Rich man and Lazarus. Luke alone records Jesus speaking of the unprofitable servants, the ten lepers who were healed, the parable of the unjust judge, the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. He tells us about Zaccheaeus the short little thief (Think Danny DeVito). He alone tells us of Jesus weeping over Jerusalem. Then along with the other Gospel writers Luke records the suffering, death and victorious resurrection of Jesus. Then Luke alone tells us of Jesus meeting the two disciples on the road to Emmaus on that first Easter Sunday. Luke closes by giving the account of Jesus returning to heaven. 13