TyndaleBook Introductions
Luke
Luke describes the coming of Jesus as good news for the entire world—for people of every race, age, gender, ethnic group, and social position. With John the Baptist as his prophetic forerunner, Jesus came as the Son of God and as the Messiah, the King descended from David who defeats Satan and brings salvation and healing. As Jesus served and taught the peop...
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Luke describes the coming of Jesus as good news for the entire world—for people of every race, age, gender, ethnic group, and social position. With John the Baptist as his prophetic forerunner, Jesus came as the Son of God and as the Messiah, the King descended from David who defeats Satan and brings salvation and healing. As Jesus served and taught the people and proclaimed good news, the religious leaders opposed him. Jesus went to Jerusalem as the suffering servant, proclaimed judgment on the nation before being executed as a criminal, then rose from the dead to fulfill God’s plan and launch his Spirit-driven mission to all the world. The risen Jesus, the Jewish Messiah, is the Savior of the whole world.
Setting
Luke was written in the context of the growing conflict between the church and the synagogue in the mid-to-late first century AD. The early church did not view itself as a new religion, but as the fulfillment and completion of Judaism. The promises made to the Jews in the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament) were fulfilled through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and continued to be fulfilled through the missionary movement of the early church. D...
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TyndaleBook Introduction Summaries
Luke
The Gospel of Luke
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The Gospel of Luke
Purpose
To write a reliable historical account of the life of Jesus that would confirm the truth of the Christian message
Author
Luke, a physician and occasional companion of the apostle Paul
Date
Either around AD 59–63, during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, or between AD 70–90, using the Gospel of Mark as a source
Setting
Written during a time of increasing tension between Jews and Christians, in which Luke sought to demonstrate that those—both Jew and Gentile—who believed that Jesus was the Messiah made up the new people of God
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TyndaleStudyNotes
Luke.1.1
1:1 Many people have set out to write accounts: Luke was not the first to put the history of Jesus into written form. Most scholars believe that Luke used Mark’s Gospel and other written and oral sources in his writing. • fulfilled: This word can simply mean “accomplished,” but Luke is thinking of Jesus’ fulfillment of Old Testament promises (4:21; 24:44).
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TyndaleStudyNotes
Luke.1.12-13
1:12-13 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear: Fear and awe are common reactions when someone sees an angel or experiences the presence of God (Judg 6:22-23; 13:22; Isa 6:5). The person is often reassured by a saying such as Don’t be afraid. • you are to name him John: John means “the Lord has shown favor.” This favor came to Elizabeth and Zechariah...
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1:12-13 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear: Fear and awe are common reactions when someone sees an angel or experiences the presence of God (Judg 6:22-23; 13:22; Isa 6:5). The person is often reassured by a saying such as Don’t be afraid. • you are to name him John: John means “the Lord has shown favor.” This favor came to Elizabeth and Zechariah through their son and to the Israelite nation through the Messiah, whose coming John would announce.
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