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.
John often baptized people in the Jordan River, at least twenty-five miles from Jerusalem. The road from Jerusalem was dangerous, as Jesus illustrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan, so John and his message must have been powerful forces to entice people to come to him from Jerusalem and surrounding areas. Luke says John exhorted the people and that his message was good news.
The gospel writers took special care to portray John to be like the Old Testament prophets in both his look and in his message. One reason for that: the prophet Malachi prophesied that Elijah would return before the Day of the Lord. The gospel writers wanted their reads to associate John the Baptist with that prophecy.
Though he had a sizable following, John took great care not to be confused with the Messiah, always showing himself as the one preparing the way for someone greater.
Although John was quite clear about his criticisms, he was also quite clear about the answers of how to change. His answers were not only clear, but quite practical. That would have endeared him to the general populace that were not able to meet the requirements of their religious leaders.
John was not worried about currying favor with the ruling elite—when Herod Antipas married his brother’s former wife, John criticized him publicly. This eventually resulted in John’s death.
With John’s immense popularity, it would have been easy for him to resent the rising influence and popularity of Jesus. Instead, John supported Jesus in every way possible, including sending some of his own disciples to follow Jesus. Perhaps John portrayed the ultimate humility when he said about Jesus, “He must become more; I must become less.”
The baptism of Jesus by John was the beginning of the end for John. Jesus’ ministry took off like a rocket, while John’s disciples left him for Jesus. John knew that was fine because his ministry was coming to an end in the very near future.
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
