Part 4: The Gospel of Luke

The Gospel of Luke was

written around 80- 85
A.D.

Lukes audience is
primarily Gentile
Christians in Greece.

The symbol of Luke is an

ox, an animal used for
sacrifice, recalling how in
the beginning of the
Gospel, Zachariah is
offering a sacrifice in the
Temple to God.

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Gospel of Luke
Luke was writing to
a Gentile audience,
or people who were
non-Jewish, which is
why his genealogy
starts with Adam,
to show how God
came to save all
people and how
Jesus descends from
the father of all
mankind, that of

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Gospel of Luke
Mary and
Joseph were
both of the
Tribe of Judah
since single
women had to
marry WITHIN
their tribe for
land inheritance
purposes.

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Lukes Gospel used the

following sources:
1. The Gospel of Mark
2. The Q source that
influenced
Mark and
Matthews Gospels
3. An L source that is
independent to Lukes
Gospel alone.

Luke was writing to

proclaim the Good
News of Christ to
Greek-speaking
Gentiles in the early
Church.

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Lukes Gospel has an Infancy

Narrative, similar to Matthews,
yet includes other stories only
found in Lukes Gospel, including:
The Annunciation to Mary
Story surrounding the birth of
Jesus cousin, John the Baptist
Marys visit to Elizabeth
Jesus being born in a stable and
placed in a manger
Announcement of Jesus birth to
the shepherds
Presentation of Jesus in the Temple
Finding Jesus in the Temple as a
young boy

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In Lukes Gospel, we come to

fully learn about Marys life.

Many of our beliefs in Mary

are rooted in the Gospel of
Lukes accounts.

Luke tells us that Mary is

engaged to Joseph, but
before they are living
together, the angel Gabriel
appears to Mary.
(Annunciation)

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Gabriel says Hail,

favored one! The Lord
is with you.

The angel then tells

Mary she will bear a son
and conceive by the
power of the Holy Spirit.

In response, Mary says,

Behold, I am the
handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me
according to your
word.

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The Doctrine of the Immaculate

Conception teaches that Mary is free
from Original Sin at the moment of her
conception in St. Annes womb since the
angel says to Mary at the Annunciation
full of grace and that the Lord is with
her.

Marys Fiat, or Latin for let is be done,

shows how Mary chooses to freely
cooperate with Gods will.

Later on, Mary goes and visits Elizabeth,

her cousin, and Elizabeth says to her
Blessed are you who believed that what
was spoken to you by the Lord would be
fulfilled. (Visitation)

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Since Mary is the Mother of Jesus, who was

true God and true man, we call Mary the
Mother of God.
In the Eastern Church, Mary is given the title Theotokos, which
means God bearer.

Mary then is recorded as giving birth to her

firstborn son, wrapping Him in swaddling
clothes and laying Him in a manger since
there was no other place for them to go.

The word firstborn does not mean Mary

later had children and that Jesus was her first
child; rather, it is an allusion to Old
Testament writings that Jesus is the firstborn
of all those Resurrected.

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Jesus being wrapped in swaddling clothes is an

allusion to the Book of Wisdom, when King
Solomon says how he was raised: In swaddling
clothes and with constant care I was nurtured. For
no king has any different origin of birth.

Luke shows that Jesus is:

1. Divine through the use of the word firstborn
2. Human through the use of the swaddling clothes
allusion

Mary places Jesus in a manger, which is a feeding

trough for animals.
This is Lukes way of teaching that Jesus is the Bread of
Life.

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Luke then follows his

infancy narratives
with a genealogy of
Jesus line that goes
back to Adam, once
again showing how
Jesus was calling all
people, Jew and
Gentile alike.

Jesus is Savior for all

people; the invitation
to the Kingdom of God
is universal. (Video)

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Lukes audience, Gentiles, had other questions

about being Christian, such as,
Do we have to become Jewish first to become
Christian?
What should be the Christian attitude toward the
poor and marginalized?
How can we follow Christ in our lives?

To answer these questions, Luke tells his

audience that everyone is invited to believe in
Christ, whatever walk of life or background they
come from.
Jesus uses parables in Lukes Gospel to help
people understand that all people are called to
the Kingdom and share in salvation.

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While Jesus is a guest for dinner at a Pharisee's
house, Jesus responds to a comment from
another guest that said, Blessed is the one who
will dine in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus tells a parable about a man who gives a
feast and invites hand-picked guests; however,
each guest invited refuses to go to the feast.

The man throwing the feast gets so mad that he tells

his servants to go and find people in need to come
enjoy his feast such as the blind, poor, lame, etc.

Jesus, in this parable, is showing that ALL people

are invited to the Kingdom of God.
The problem is, people who are invited sometimes
refuse the invitation. (Luke 14)

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Another story in Lukes Gospel that

shows Jesus calls everyone is the story
about Zacchaeus, the tax collector.
Zacchaeus is despised by society, yet
Zacchaeus is so excited when he hears
Jesus is coming by that he climbs up a
tree to get a better view of Jesus since
Zacchaeus was so short.
Jesus sees Zacchaeus in the tree and
tells Zacchaeus that he will stay that
night at Zacchaeus house.
Zacchaeus is so overcome by Jesus
prescence that he promises to give half
of his wealth to the poor.
Jesus then says, Today, salvation has come to
this house.For the Son of Man has come to
seek and to save what was lost. (Matthew 19)

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Luke portrays Jesus as particularly interested in reaching

out to sinners with compassion and forgiveness.
Only Lukes Gospel, out of the Synoptic Gospels, has the
parable about the Prodigal Son, which Jesus directs toward
the Pharisees and scribes who complained about how Jesus
welcomed and ate with sinners.
A father has two sons. The younger son asks for his
inheritance from his father while his father is still alive. The
father gives the younger son his inheritance and the
younger son leaves home, wastes the inheritance, returns
home, and is forgiven. The older son, who always obeyed
his father, gets angry that his father has forgiven the
younger son. (Matthew 15)
Who is the sinner now?

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The older son, even though
he listens to his father, is
the sinner now since he is
angry at his younger brother
and refuses to forgive him
too or love him.
Jesus is teaching the
Pharisees that all people are
invited to the Kingdom and
even the repentant sinners
are welcomed back by God.

If the Pharisees want to be part

of this Kingdom then, they too
must accept the invitiation and
forgive sinners.

All repentant sinners will be

welcomed back home to
God.

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The Israelites, who were awaiting their Messiah to
come, also were awaiting for God to renew His spirit
amongst the Israelites.
Whenever God the Father sends out His Son, so too
does He always send the Holy Spirit with Jesus to
bring people back to God.
The Holy Spirit, in the beginning of Luke, comes to
Mary at the Annunciation, and at the end of the
Gospel, the Apostles are waiting for the Holy Spirit to
come to them at Pentecost.
Between those 2 events, Luke tells his audience the
Holy Spirit is with Jesus at two other significant
times:

Jesus Baptism and when Jesus begins His ministry in Galilee

When Jesus reads in the synagogue from Scripture

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Luke is showing the
important role the Holy
Spirit plays in both the life of
Jesus Christ, as well as the
lives of the Apostles in the
early Church s they
preached, even in the face
of persecution.
The Holy Spirit descends
upon Jesus during those
moments of prayer, when he
is talking with God the
Father, showing the intimate
connection among the three
person of the Trinity.

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If you read the entire Gospel of Luke, one

interesting event that Jesus and His disciples do
a lot of is eating, or sharing a meal.
The banquet, the shared meal, foreshadows the
Heavenly banquet to which all people, Jew and
Gentile alike, are invited to.
The sign that the Kingdom of God is coming in the
Gospel of Luke is Jesus meals with sinners.

Jesus, even at the Last Supper, tells his

Apostles, that He has eagerly desired to eat
this Passover meal with you before I suffer, for,
I tell you, I shall not eat it [again] until there is
fulfillment in the Kingdom of God. (Luke 22)

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Jesus offers the bread
and wine to God and
changes them into His
Body and Blood, offering
salvation to all people by
His giving of His entire
life.
Jesus tells His Apostles,
do this in memory of
me, thus establishing
the eschatological
meal on Earth
(eschatological meaning
the end of time).
This meal is what Jesus
will share with all people
in Heaven at the end of
time, when the fullness
of the Kingdom of God is

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Christs life was a continual teaching of others,

whether it be his miracles, teachings, gestures,
love for others, acceptance of the cross, etc.
Jesus Resurrection is the actualization and
fulfillment of all these events in Jesus life.
Luke depicts Jesus, in His Passion narrative, as
actively involved in making the Kingdom visible
by miraculous acts of power, even during His
Passion.
The story of Jesus Passion still remains the
same, from Judas betrayal to the crucifixion,
but Luke does add some details that focus on
Jesus compassion and gentleness to all people.

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Luke refrains from speaking about how the

disciples abandoned Jesus after the Last Supper
and during His Passion.
Luke also portrays the Sanhedrins
condemnation of Jesus as less reprehensible
since they condemn Jesus for not denying that
He is the Son of God.
Luke, however, does not lessen Jesuss
suffering, to the point that Luke mentions Jesus
sweats blood.
However, Jesus is constantly thinking of others
and is trying to teach them by every action He
takes.

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During Jesus betrayal and
arrest, Jesus shows His
compassion for all people, even
those who have come to arrest
Him.
One of Jesus disciples cut off a
high priests servants ear as
they try to defend Jesus, yet
Jesus touches the servants ear
and heals him.
Jesus shows compassion to all
people, once again, as He bears
His cross and sees women
crying for Him and tells them to
be more concerned about their
own wellbeing more than His.

Jesus says to them, Daughters of

Jerusalem do not weep for me;
weep instead for yourselves and for
your children.

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Jesus, as He is hanging on the cross, even

continues to seek out all lost people and bring
them back to God.
Jesus is crucified with two thieves, one that
reviles Jesus, another who defends Jesus.
The criminal that defends Jesus says to Him,
Remember me when you come into your
Kingdom.
Jesus responds, Amen, I say to you, today you will
be with me in Paradise.

Jesus is calling all people, women, children,

criminals, enemies, etc. to be part of His
Paradise.

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Luke has Jesus using the word paradise instead of my
kingdom for a reason when Jesus speaks to the criminal on the
cross.
Luke is teaching that by Jesus death, Jesus is reversing the
sinful state of human beings that resulted in their being
separated from the Paradise of the Garden of Eden and being
with God.
Jesus, even at the last moment of His life on Earth, is teaching
us all when he forgives the Roman soldiers who crucified Him by
saying, Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.
Jesus dies with full trust in God that He has completed His
mission to forgive all humanity and invite all to the Kingdom of
God by saying, Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.

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Luke, like the other Synoptic Gospels, has the same postResurrection accounts for the most part, i.e. the empty
tomb narrative and narratives about Jesus postResurrection appearances.
However, some of Lukes post- Resurrection narratives
are unique to his Gospel, primarily since Luke continues
with his theme that all people are offered forgiveness and
invited to the Kingdom.
One way Luke portrays this message clearly is by the
telling of a story about Jesus, post- Resurrection, sharing
a meal with two disciples in Emmaus.
Two disciples are on a road to the city Emmaus, and Jesus
joins them (the disciples do not recognize Him, which is a
common theme in post- Resurrection appearance
stories).

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Jesus explains to the saddened disciples that the
Messiah had to die.
As the three men enter Emmaus, the two disciples
invited the stranger (Jesus), to eat with them.
Jesus is then said to have took bread, said the
blessing, broke it, and gave it to them, an allusion
to the Last Supper meal.
With this event, the disciples have their opens
opened to the fact that the stranger is in fact
Jesus, the one they believed in.
Christ was present in this story:

When the two disciples gathered in His name

As the stranger who explained Scripture (the living Word)
Christ was present in the Eucharist

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The two disciples eventually go back to Jerusalem

and tell others that Jesus was made known to them
in the breaking of bread, a shared meal.
When Jesus appears to the Apostles in Jerusalem,
they think Jesus is a ghost, until He shows them His
hands and feet.

Jesus even asks for something to eat, showing that this was
truly Jesus in bodily form.

Jesus commissions the Apostles to go out into the

world and bear witness to everything they saw,
heard, and encountered when they were with Jesus,
especially the topic that all peoples sins are
forgiven.

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After this encounter with
Christ, the Apostles go to
the temple and praise God
for everything they
encountered along the way
with Jesus.
Lukes Gospel, which opens
with Zechariah offering a
sacrifice to God in the
temple, now ends with the
Apostles offering praise to
God in the temple for the
sacrifice of not an animal,
but that of His Son, Jesus
Christ.
The Apostles now must go
forth, and make disciples of
all nations.