Luke is the story of the life of Jesus of Nazareth. It tells of his origin, life, teachings, ministry and miracles. It tells of his death, burial, resurrection, and ascension to heaven. Consequently, Luke may be the most informative book in the Bible.
The Luke Series is a set of narrations based on the Bible’s book of Luke. Luke said that in writing his book that he investigated everything before writing Luke. His investigation included examining written materials and talking to eyewitnesses. This series is meant to imitate some of the stories Luke might have heard, as well as explore their meaning and importance. This series is true to the Bible, but fills in story lines based on history, geography, and imagination. Think of this series as being similar to a movie based on the book of Luke.
This series presumes that the author of Luke is Luke, a doctor who was a good friend and companion of Paul. That presumption sets the stage for Luke being able to correctly assess the veracity of the birth accounts of both John the Baptist and Jesus, and to understand their importance, both physically and spiritually. Don’t you imagine Luke, a doctor, was hesitant to write about miracles? But he believed in them to the point that he started his book with two miracle stories that could only be considered unlikely, if not outlandish.
As Jesus approached Jericho, he was very likely tired and his mind elsewhere. He had just predicted his impending death and was focused on going straight to his probable doom in Jerusalem. It’s likely that his apostles thought they were being compassionate to him as they kept the crowds away, letting him be thoughtful.
You can imagine they wanted the blind man to be quiet instead of yelling at Jesus, but the more they tried to quiet him, the louder he yelled. The apostles probably felt like failures when Jesus stopped and called for the blind man to be brought to him. Where the apostles saw an inconvenience, Jesus saw an occasion for God to be glorified.
You can glean how quickly the news spread through the small town that one of their own blind men had been healed by Jesus. The man famous for doing miracles and healings had come to their town! Zacchaeus was used to getting news first, so it is likely he knew about Jesus as soon as anyone else, but rather than fight for a place in the crowd, he took advantage of this knowledge and raced ahead to climb a sycamore-fig tree so he could easily see Jesus. He probably didn’t realize that it made him a target for Jesus to see.
Can’t you imagine the different reactions when Jesus told Zacchaeus to come down quickly? Many in the crowd must have been wondering why such a respectable man was up in a tree, and maybe laughed as he scrambled to the ground. The apostles must have wondered why Jesus singled out the man and been astounded at Jesus’ need to eat at his house. Zacchaeus would have been bewildered to hear the stranger call him by name. What a sight that must have been!
The Parable of the Minas sounds a lot like the Parable of the Talents in Matthew, but with some meaningful differences. The Parable of the Minas also combines a story of an unpopular rich man going away, which very possibly was a vague reference to Herod’s trip to Rome to retain his kingship, and his retribution to his enemies when he returned. The crowd must have been very surprised that Jesus would reference that event in public. Keep in mind that Jesus told this parable because the people expected the kingdom of God to appear immediately.
Luke – Troy Powell Theophilus – Michael Page Mary – Chana Keefer John the Baptist – Sam Austin Satan – Christian Heep James – Andy Axewell Matthew – James Hansen Prince Right Hand Man – Ben Hall Centurion – Werner Richmond Mary Magdalene – Trisha Zarate James the Apostle – Lynn Andrews John the Apostle – John Ferguson Pharisee – M. Serrano Martha – Monica Peña Crippled Woman – Patty Pell Gardener – Adam Cope Judas Iscariot – Grey Acuña Lazarus (The Beggar) – Jeff Swearingen Tenth Leper – Eduardo Vildasol Young Ruler – Matthew Allen Holmes Zacchaeus – Chad Cline Andrew – Oscar Seung Peter – Francis Fuselier Pilate – Matthew Roy
