Who Is Luke?
Paul is the most prolific writer in the New Testament. Who’s second? That would be Dr. Luke.
Luke wrote a biography of Jesus, called “The Gospel According to Luke” (or simply “Luke”). Later he reported on the activities of the early church in “The Acts of the Apostles” (or just “Acts”). These two books account for about 25 percent of the content in the New Testament and give us valuable historical information about Jesus and his followers. Luke’s writing provides a compelling two-book set that can inform our faith and enlighten the practices of our church community.
Luke was a doctor and the only non-Jewish writer in the New Testament. As such, his words are that of an outsider, which may more readily connect with those on the outside, that is, non-Jews. This includes me, and it may include you. Luke wrote with simple, yet captivating, language. He also gives us details not found in the other three biblical biographies of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, and John).
However, despite having penned two major books in the Bible—and the longest two in the New Testament—we don’t know much about Luke. He’s only mentioned three times in the Bible.
This is what we know:
First, we learn that Luke is a dear friend of Paul. Next, he’s a doctor. Third, he’s esteemed by Paul as a fellow worker. Last, in one of his darker hours, Paul laments that everyone is gone, and only Luke has stayed with him. As such, we see Luke as a faithful, persevering friend. Luke emerges as a man of noble character.
We also know that Luke is a firsthand observer in many of the events he records in the book of Acts. We see this through his first-person narratives in some passages when he uses the pronoun “we.” (Read more about Luke and the book of Acts in this book’s sequel, Tongues of Fire: 40 Devotional Insights for Today’s Church from the Book of Acts.)
Although Luke wasn’t a church leader or an apostle, his contribution to our faith and our understanding of Jesus and his church is significant. Dr. Luke’s ministry function wasn’t leading or preaching. Instead, he played a silent and almost unnoticed supporting role.
Though his work was quiet, his legacy lives on, loudly influencing Jesus’s followers two millennia later.
What can we do to leave a faith legacy that will influence others after we die?
[Discover more in these passages about Luke in Colossians 4:14, Philemon 1:24, and 2 Timothy 4:11. Read Luke’s first-person accounts in Acts 16:10–17, 20:4–15, 21:1–18, 27:1–29, 27:37, and 28:1–16.]
