Journey Through the Gospel According to Luke

We are going to the doctor. This medical doctor became a missionary. Perhaps you’ve heard of him? He’s referred to in Scripture as the beloved physician; his name is Luke. He wrote the third Gospel Record found in our New Testament.

Listen: Journeying through Luke

Overview of the Gospel of Luke

Significantly, the Gospel According to Luke is the longest book of the New Testament. The Book of Luke contains 1,151 verses, filling 24 chapters. It presents a more comprehensive view of the life and ministry of Christ than any other Gospel Record. Doctor Luke was thorough in his record, dealing with details, addressing the specifics, and presenting proof. 

Luke’s profession is revealed. It gives itself away in the manner he wrote. For example, Luke addresses the healing ministry of Christ more than any other writer. He spent much of the account detailing the healing power of Christ and recounting the miracles He performed. It is a beautiful picture because the Holy Spirit used this man’s personal interest and professional background; He sanctified it, and through inspiration, the Spirit of God caused him to write the very record we need. The Gospel According to Luke is an amazing book. 

Key Passages in Luke 

Luke 15 is the key chapter of the book. It is the story of the lost: the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost son. It demonstrates the great message of Luke 15: Christ loves the lost. Praise God! He seeks the lost and saves the lost.

Just as Luke 15 is the key chapter, Luke 19:10 is the key verse. This is the mission statement of the Lord Jesus. In His words: “For the Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Isn’t that a beautiful verse? You should memorize that verse, and then you should quote it frequently to others as you witness.

“For the Son of Man is come.” Why did He come?”To seek and to save that which was lost.”

Key Phrase

Christ loved to use the term “Son of man” for Himself because it connected Him to the whole of mankind. Who was lost? All of mankind. Jesus Christ, the perfect man, the God-Man, came to find every lost man and make provision for their sin. He longs to save the lost. (If you do not know Christ, CLICK HERE.)

Praise God for that Divine mission, because I qualified as a recipient. He sought me. If you don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, on the authority of the Word of God, Christ loves you. He came to this earth because He was seeking you, and He wants to bring you into His family. That is His mission. (Study the Great Commission with one of our Bible App plans HERE.)

Outline of Luke

The Savior Provided: Luke 1-4:13

Luke gives us a great deal of information about the early years of Christ. We will examine this further in the next section.

The Savior’s Preaching: Luke 4:14-9:50

In this portion we find our Savior preaching throughout the land. The Gospel of Luke provides less attention to Christ’s preaching ministry than Matthew or Mark. Luke provides some information about His baptism and early ministry.

The Savior’s Purpose: Luke 9:51-19:44

The greatest section of this book begins here with the Savior’s purpose. It is also the longest section in Luke. It records His journey to Jerusalem. Luke unveils Christ’s grand purpose: to live, die, be buried, and then rise from the dead in victory. He did this to fulfill the Father’s will. He came to “seek and to save that which was lost.”

Why is this section so large? Because Luke’s emphasis is on Christ as the Savior. Christ did not merely come to heal or to teach, He came for one purpose…He had his eyes fixed on going to Jerusalem.

The Savior’s Performance: Luke 19:45-24:53

This section begins with Christ entering the Temple and ends with Him vacating the tomb and ascending to glory. Oh, what a beautiful section that it is. I hope you will read through the entire Gospel According to Luke.

The Theme of Luke: The Humanity of Jesus

The emphasis of Luke is really on His humanity. The Son of God as the Son of Man – Christ as both fully man and fully God. Matthew emphasized what Jesus said. Mark emphasized what Jesus did, but Luke emphasized Christ Himself as a real person, a human being. He is God who became a man without ever ceasing to be God. Several things in Luke’s record reveal this theme:

The Genealogy of Christ

Luke gives the genealogy of Christ. This genealogy traces Christ back, not just to David, but all the way back to Adam. And in so doing, he had identified Christ with all of mankind.

Notably, Luke’s genealogy is Mary’s lineage, not Joseph’s. Rarely ever was the woman’s line shown. The reason for this is that Mary was the mother of Christ. He had no earthly father, only an earthly mother. And so, He’s showing us here Christ as the Son of man, Christ as a human being. He also provided more details about the early years of Jesus. The Gospel of Luke provides more insight into His birth and boyhood than the other gospel writers.

As a matter of fact, Mark and John tell us nothing about that period. Matthew did, but only for about a quarter of the length that Luke recorded about the early years of Jesus Christ. Then Luke emphasized in His life and ministry, His humanity. He wrote about human feelings and sympathies that Christ experienced. He recorded many of the social relationships Jesus nurtured.

The Prayers of Christ

He emphasizes the prayers of Jesus. Out of the 15 occasions in the Gospel Records where Jesus is found praying, 11 of them are in Luke. Three parables on prayer are exclusively recorded in Luke’s Gospel. Why? Because Luke’s message is this, God became a man. Oh, I’m thinking now of what the writer of Hebrews wrote, “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feelings of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). He is the sinless man. He is the perfect man. Yet, He is very much a man.

The phrase “Son of man” is found 25 times in this one book. Why? Because every time He used it, He reminded them (and us), “I became one of you.”

Emphasis on the Poor

One of the striking things in this book is its emphasis on the poor. Doctor Luke gives attention to poverty and the poor who surrounded the Lord Jesus Christ. This makes His identification even more moving because Christ is the One who“though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

A Distinctive Feature in Luke: Songs

Another feature in Luke’s record is the emphasis on songs. The book begins with songs about Jesus.

• Luke 1 – The angels visit Mary and we find them singing.
• Luke 1 – Mary gives her song of praise. She sings, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.” 
• Luke 1:67-79 – Zacharias lifts his song of praise to the Lord.  
• Luke 2 – The angels sing in the field. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to men.“
• Luke 2 – Simeon praises the Lord Jesus in a song toward Heaven.

The book opens with songs. But the book also closes with songs about Jesus. Read Luke 24:52-53:  “And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.” Like bookends on this book, it opens and closes with joy. You know, this world we live in is a world of heartache and heartbreak.“

When Jesus Christ comes into your life, when the Son of Man, the Son of God, comes to live with you, He brings joy. He is our song. I hope today you will make this journey with the Lord Jesus Christ because He is the very reason for our joy. With Christ, you can truly enjoy the journey.

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About Scott Pauley

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