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.
In order to get a fuller picture of the last week of Jesus’ life, you have to read all four Gospels, where each writer emphasizes different events and details. One of Luke’s special points was the opposition of the Pharisees and other Jewish leaders to the ministry of Jesus.
In Luke’s account, Jesus knew the physical manifestation of the Jewish leaders’ emphasis, the Temple, would soon come to an end. The Temple, built by Herod, was a magnificent building, but Jesus knew that it would be demolished in about forty more years.
Jesus also knew the spiritual manifestation of the Jewish leaders’ emphasis, ritual and rule-following, would soon come to an end. Without the Temple, many of their religious rites would automatically disappear. While their emphasis on man-made rules might not disappear, it would be shown to be useless.
The story of the widow’s mites (small coins) is well-known. As you think of the story, consider that Jesus’ mother was a widow. Jesus would have known the sacrifice the woman made. He must have already been thinking about his mother and what would happen to her after his death. Imagine the other details of life that Jesus must have considered as he faced his impending death. Like all of us, he surely felt he had more to do than time in which to do it.
As you read the different Gospel accounts of the last week of Jesus’ life, you have to be struck with his desperate efforts to teach his enemies as well as his friends. Jesus so badly wants to help everyone that he uses his precious time to convince everyone of his truth. However, with time running out, he talks with his followers about the future times and gives them his parting teachings and encouragements. He never sugarcoats their impending trials, but he does let them know that he won’t be victorious in the future…he is already victorious!
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
