Information Related to "Profiles of Faith - Luke: Paul's Beloved Friend and Companion"
| Audio/Video |
Paul's Beloved Friend
and Companion
It wasn't easy being
Paul's friend and traveling companion. The apostle lived a hard and sometimes dangerous
life. His enemies said he was a rabble-rouser, a troublemaker who slandered the Jews
and dishonored the temple and, by extension, disdained the authority of the almighty
Roman Empire.
In reality Paul's enemies were the slanderers: "... We have found this man a
plague," they said, "a creator of dissension among all the
Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5, emphasis added throughout).
Such charges could get one thrown in prison, and in Paul's case they did. Few dared
to accompany or visit Paul under this sort of dangerous and humiliating circumstance.
But Luke dared. Few were as fearless as Paul's friend and trusted companion Luke.
Luke stayed beside Paul, day in and out, for at least two years. Every day he walked
past the Roman guards, who must have grown in their respect for him. His constancy
commanded respect; he was as faithful as clockwork.
Luke was faithful because he had a job to do: writing a history of the early years
of the Church founded by the man he had become convinced was the very Son of God,
Jesus of Nazareth.
Only one thing was more important to Luke than being Paul's friend: his dedication
as a servant of his Master, Jesus Christ.
Paul found himself under house arrest in Rome, although he had committed no crime
against either Jew or gentile. But Paul knew-through God's earlier revelation to
him-that he would serve as God's witness before Caesar in Rome (Acts 27:24). So here
he was.
The times were trying for Paul. He needed encouragement, which God provided through
a friendly, sensitive physician, a man named Luke.
Under house arrest and confined to a rented house for at least two years, Paul was
free to teach and preach the gospel of the coming Kingdom of God to the curious and
to those whom God was calling (Acts 28:16,30-31). His efforts bore fruit; Paul's
teaching converted even members of Caesar's household (Philippians 4:22).
Luke's background
Who was the man who would not only encourage Paul during this trying time but write
two books of the New Testament? The Scriptures tell us little, but we can infer quite
a bit by examining Luke's work and the times in which he lived.
The early Church was predominantly Jewish. Jesus, the original apostles and later
apostles such as Paul were all Jews. But the book of Acts records that, over time,
gentiles (non-Jews) came to accept the message of the apostles and became members
of the Church Jesus founded.
Luke appears to have been one of the early gentile converts to Christianity. What
are the scriptural indications he was a gentile? In Colossians 4:10-14 Paul names
three of his companions and coworkers who were "my only fellow workers ... who
are of the circumcision"-that is,
Jewish-and then three other companions, including Luke. The obvious implication
is that the latter three were gentiles.
Luke was a learned man, a linguist. He spoke and wrote classical Greek, but he could
also converse and write in Hebrew, Aramaic and Hellenistic Greek. His mastery of
Greek indicates he probably was a Greek. His dedication shows us he had
a heart of gold.
Luke was educated, creative and talented. Among the Mediterranean people of the day,
the Greeks were well educated and trained, especially in philosophy, oratory, writing
and mathematics. Even the powerful Roman leaders were predisposed to the culture
and education of the Greeks, who under Alexander the Great had built a mighty empire
that preceded the Romans as the dominant power in the Mediterranean region and Middle
East.
Greece provided the world with many famous orators, was regarded for its literary
skills and genius and was touted for its educational discipline. Some of the works
of Greek philosophers and rhetoricians are still cited by modern philosophers and
communication scientists today, 2,500 years later.
It should not be surprising, given these circumstances, that God called a Greek to
write one of the four Gospels-those brief biographies of Jesus the Messiah that are
preserved for us at the beginning of the New Testament. Nor should we be surprised
that Luke would write the definitive history of the early decades of the Church -the
book of Acts-during which time it crossed languages and cultures to reach out to
gentiles.
Luke is the only gentile writer of the New Testament. The Gospel that bears his name
and the book of Acts are two parts of one comprehensive work. Notice that Luke concludes
his Gospel with a resurrected, immortal Christ and begins the book of Acts with the
same Jesus. He addressed both books to the same person, Theophilus (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1).
Theophilus, whose name means "friend of God," appears nowhere else in the
Scriptures. He, too, was apparently a gentile believer, since Luke tells Theophilus
that he wrote his Gospel "that you may know the certainty of those things in
which you were instructed" (Luke 1:4).
Some scholars have concluded that Theophilus was a wealthy patron who helped support
Luke while he wrote his Gospel and the book of Acts. Notice also that Luke refers
to him not just as Theophilus, but "the most excellent Theophilus"
(Luke 1:3). This title is typical of those used for officials high in the Roman government
(compare Acts 23:26), so perhaps Theophilus held such a position.
Luke, the beloved physician
The Scriptures note that Luke was a physician (Colossians 4:14). A physician of Luke's
day was not the same as modern physicians, since the science of medicine was not
far advanced. Even so, the Greeks were head and shoulders above other gentiles when
it came to science and medicine and the understanding of the workings of the human
body.
A physician of Luke's day could work with body and mind, though not in the sense
of a modern surgeon. But Luke was interested in people's well-being; this is evident
in his writings. An old saying fits with Luke's outlook: "A minister sees
men at their best, a lawyer sees men at their worst, and a physician sees men
as they are."
Paul's deep respect and Christian love for Luke surface when he refers to him as
"the beloved physician" (Colossians 4:14). Luke showed interest in the
welfare of women and children, as shown in his Gospel.
In Judea, as in other places throughout the known world, women in Luke's day held
a place low in society. For example, some historical accounts of the time report
that Jewish men gave thanks to God each morning that they had not been born a
gentile, slave or woman.
Luke's perspective differs from the common portrayal of women of the time. Luke tells
his birth narrative of Christ from Mary's point of view. Luke writes of Elizabeth,
of Anna, of the widow at Nain, of the woman who anointed Jesus' feet in the house
of Simon the Pharisee. Luke portrays Martha and Mary and Mary Magdalene.
An invitation for gentiles
Luke appears to have written mainly , though not entirely, for gentiles. Again, Theophilus
was probably a gentile. In comparison with the other three Gospels, Luke's is written
to be more easily understood by a gentile.
For example, notice that Luke used Roman dates in his works when he identified the
Roman emperor and governor. In his writings Luke used the Greek equivalents of Hebrew
words, which would make him more easily understood by Greeks.
|
Recommended Reading What is Faith? How can have a loving, trusting relationship with God? To see how you can develop such arelationship with your Creator, be sure to download or request your free copy of the booklet You Can Have Living Faith. |
(Contents Page)
© 2001-2022
United Church of God, an International Association
Related Information:
Table of Contents that includes "Profiles of Faith - Luke: Paul's Beloved Friend and Companion"
Origin of article "Profiles of Faith - Luke: Paul's Beloved Friend and Companion"
Keywords: Luke Paul Acts, book of
Acts, book of: