DOCTOR LUKE

The Christian church is indebted to Luke for his gospel and for the book of Acts. We learn that he was a physician and a close associate of the Apostle Paul from Colossians.

Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings. (Colossians 4:14)

Luke probably had Greek origins and was undoubtedly attracted to Jesus by his ability to heal. His conversion story is not told in the Bible but it is obvious that he was as connected and committed to the gospel and to Christ as were the apostles. We also understand from the epistles that he closely accompanied and helped Paul on his missionary journeys.

The accomplishment of the most significant tasks on earth, also encounter the most resistance. It is not surprising that the gospel was received with stones and whips as much as it was with joy and gladness. There was surely no dearth of work for the physician Luke as he kept himself busy with treating the physical wounds of the believers in the early church. Not only did he do it, but he persisted in his work right till the end and Paul mentions in 2Timothy that as he was close to death and struggling physically, Luke was one of the few who stayed by his side till the end.

Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. (2 Timothy 4:9-11)

But God had greater plans for him and went on to use him for crafting the masterpieces that the gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts were. The gospel of Luke is unique in that it vividly describes the humanity and compassion of Jesus as much as the divinity of Christ. We see the numerous miracles that Jesus performed in healing the sick that were undoubtedly attractive to Luke. We also see in great detail the historical basis of Jesus’ birth, the unique circumstances surrounding his birth and his early life. Luke was unique in that he describes the important role that women had surrounding Christ and his ministry, much more than the other gospels. And while he does all that, he also masterfully captures the primary message of salvation through Christ and the many teachings that Jesus personally left behind for his church.

The Book of Acts is again a masterpiece of history surrounding the birth of the early church. For so significant an event, it is only because Luke wrote the book that we did not need another book to tell us the story of the early church. The amount of thoroughness and detail is amazingly evident and without doubt, the academically honest Luke relied on first hand witnesses to tell his story. While he spent most of his time with Paul and describes Paul’s missionary journeys at great length, he does not fail to elaborate on the other key aspects of the early church including the replacement of Judas, the Pentecost, the persecution, the gospel being taken to the Gentiles and leadership of Peter in the earliest stages of the church.

Luke likely had many gifts that were being put to good use as a physician, including his vast knowledge, attention to detail, his compassion, his understanding of history and ability to dissect circumstances and people. All of these were in God’s immeasurable wisdom, the right skillset to put down in writing the two books in the Bible, which have been etched into immortality. Luke would likely never have guessed that he would make such an important contribution to mankind, but in being faithful to God and in being responsive to God to use his abilities, he was able to achieve so much more than being a physician.

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