Every day we are bombarded with a huge amount of information. Wherever we turn another message clamors for our attention. Newspapers, the radio, TV and the Internet demand we give our time and attention to what they have to say. Advertisers try to convince us that we need what they have to sell. Politicians and celebrities try to persuade us to join their causes. Rumor and gossip try to frighten, scandalize or tantalize us.
However, this leaves us with a problem. Many of the messages we hear contradict one another. If what this person says is true, then what someone else is telling us cannot be true. We need wisdom to discern whether one of them is correct or whether both are equally wrong. We need wisdom to know when someone is trying to mislead us. We need to learn to recognize truth when we hear it. Further, we need to learn what importance to assign to the truths we encounter – not everything which is true is worth our attention.
We face the same dilemma in regard to spiritual things. There are many different philosophies and beliefs, each claiming to be the truth. Some people say that as long as a person is sincere, it doesn’t matter what he believes – the various religions and philosophies are merely different paths which all lead to God. But this concept cannot be correct. Roads which go in opposite directions do not arrive at the same destination. Different religions contradict each other. What one affirms as truth another denies. Since this is so, how can they direct a person to the same reality? Some religions even deny the existence of God altogether. How can following such a religion lead one to God? No, either God exists or He does not. The truth about Him does not change no matter what some religious teacher may claim. We need discernment to recognize the truth and to separate it from falsehood.
This being the case, how can we know when a spiritual teacher is telling us the truth? How do we know that he is not mistaken? Something which gives us confidence in the message is the personal experience of the person who is proclaiming it. Did he personally witness the events he is telling us about? Did he personally hear the teaching? One of the things which gives us great confidence in the teaching about Jesus Christ is that it comes directly from people who spent time with Him – they personally saw what He did; they heard for themselves what He said. The Apostle John writes concerning this, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.” (1 John 1:1 NIV)
The Holy Bible contains four books which tell us of the life, work and teaching of Jesus Christ. All four of them are based on eye-witness testimony. Two of them were written by Apostles whom Jesus chose to live and work with Him throughout His ministry. The other two were written by men who were closely associated with the Apostles and were careful to investigate the facts.
Luke begins his inspired account of the life and teaching of Jesus in this way, “Since many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus; that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.”
Who was the man who penned these words? Though his name does not appear in his account, the tradition of the church has always ascribed the book to Luke. Luke was an associate and friend of the Apostle Paul. Luke accompanied Paul on some of Paul’s evangelistic journeys and helped him in his work. Paul called Luke “the beloved physician” (Colossians 4:14). From this we learn that Luke was a highly trained professional. As a physician he, no doubt, was taught to carefully observe and investigate a patient’s symptoms before making a diagnosis. This skill in observation is evident in his writing. Both in his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, which he also wrote, we find a wealth of details which are lacking in other accounts.
It appears that Luke was also a highly educated man. Like the other writers of the New Testament Scriptures he composed his account in the Greek language. However, his accounts use the most literary and polished Greek in the entire New Testament. In contrast to Mark who wrote in the language of the laboring class, Luke’s language is that of an educated scholar.
What was Luke’s purpose in writing this account of Christ’s work and teaching? He says that it is so the reader may “know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” (Luke 1:4) Jesus claimed not only to be a teacher sent from God, but the Savior whom God sent into the world to redeem mankind. Therefore, it is important that we know the truth about Him with certainty. If we can be certain that Jesus really is the Savior then it will be easier for us to follow Him and live for Him. On the other hand, if we are not certain who Jesus is nor certain about what He did, then our faith will remain weak and ineffective.
In view of this, how can we be confident of the things Luke wrote in his account? We can be confident because he did not merely write down random rumors about Jesus. On the contrary, he diligently researched and investigated his subject. He sought out the written accounts of eyewitnesses of those events he did not personally witness. In addition, it is likely that he interviewed people who were present. For example, he gives details of Jesus’ birth that do not appear in the other accounts – details that only Jesus’ mother, Mary would have known. Toward the end of Paul’s life, Luke accompanied Paul to Palestine. While there Paul was arrested and imprisoned for two years. It is likely that during those two years Luke sought out and interviewed those most acquainted with Jesus’ life and teaching.
Luke wrote his Gospel for a man called Theophilus. The name Theophilus means ‘lover of God’. Therefore, we can also say that Luke wrote this book for everyone who loves God and wants to know the truth about Jesus. If you love God then this book is for you.
In our next program we will look at what Luke writes about the events leading up to Jesus’ birth.