South  Hope  Community  Church
find us on
  • Home
  • About
  • Media
  • Events
  • SHCC Blog

Where did Luke get his information?

1/22/2013

0 Comments

 
Picture
We're going through the book of Luke on Sunday mornings and have been able to see the book in a fresh way.  The first four verses (1:1-4) tell us what Luke is trying to accomplish with his compilation and his manner of gathering information since he himself was not an eyewitness of Jesus' short life on this planet.  It raises the question then, how did Luke acquire his material? Here's some possibilities that are very interesting:

  1. Early tradition stated that Luke was a native of the city of Antioch. Antioch was the first Gentile church (Acts 11:19). While in the church at Antioch  Luke would have had superb opportunities to learn from the founders of the church there and also the visitors that passed through. Peter visited the church in Antioch (Gal. 2:11). Manean, the foster brother of Herod Antipas and a key teacher in the church of Antioch (Acts 13:1) may have had a strong influence on Luke since Luke seems to show a special interest in the family of Herod in Luke's 2 volumes. Certainly Paul, who would have saturated himself after his conversion to learn about as much of the Messiah's life and ministry, would have shared information that he had learned to Luke in Antioch.
  2. Paul's visit to Jerusalem that landed him in captivity in Caesarea for two years (Acts 24:27) would have given Luke large amounts of time to grow in his understanding of Jesus' life there in that Israeli region. We know he would have had chances to talk to James, the brother of Jesus and Jerusalem church leader, which could have had afforded more opportunities to talk to other members of Jesus' physical family and those who had lived closest to Him. There seems to be information that Philip and his family in Caesarea (Acts 21:8-9) passed on to Luke as well during that time.
  3. Then in Rome, when Luke travels with Paul in his imprisonment, contact with Mark is established (Col. 4:10, 14; Phm. 24), and much of what Mark had compiled from his association with Peter was included in Luke's account also. Luke tell us from the beginning that he had followed this story of Jesus accurately from the start and this following would certainly be from the vantage point of a serious historian that enabled his analytical mind to arrange the information he had received form these sources appropriately  The time in Rome as companion of imprisoned Paul would have afforded the time and the context to put forward an explanation of who Jesus was and why He mattered to the Roman upper classes (as the addressed reader Theophilus seemed to be). Luke wanted his audience to take the claims of Christ seriously and not immediately dismiss them as mere myth in a pluralistic religious society of myths. Moreover, in his second volume addressed to the Roman leader Theophilus, Acts, Luke is describing the validity of the actions of the followers of the Christ Luke explained in his first volume, and what they were willing to die for.

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Musings

    Thoughts for the pilgrimage.

    Categories

    All
    2 Timothy
    Acts
    Antioch School
    Bible Study
    Christ
    Church
    Discipleship
    Early Church
    Ephesians
    Family Discipleship
    Fathers
    First Principles
    God's Will
    Gospel Centered
    Gospel-Centered
    Hebrews
    Idolatry
    Incarnation
    Lordship
    Ministry
    Ministry Opportunities
    Missional
    Missions
    Prayer
    Spirit Power
    Study Guides
    The Story Of God
    We Give
    We Go
    We Grow
    Word Driven
    Worddriven174c6c8baa
    Worship

    Archives

    January 2016
    November 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011

Helping people take the next spiritual step.