The Gospel According to Luke
Sometimes we need to take a step back to gain perspective. It is one thing for three of Jesus' twelve disciples to write about the life of Christ; it is quite another for someone who did not know Him to write about Him. Luke never met Jesus, yet chose to follow Him. An obviously educated man who, Col. 4:14 tells us, was physician, Luke learned all that he could about Jesus and shared his findings with us. Thus his Gospel provides a "step back," a unique perspective of Jesus' birth, ministry, death, and resurrection.
Author - Neither Luke or Acts has a byline, so we are left to deduce the author's identity. The author writes he was not an eyewitness to the events surrounding Jesus but had gathered the reports from others. On the other hand, the author was present with Paul at some of the events described in Acts, events that belong to the "we sections" of Acts (see Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-15; 21:1-8; 27:1-28:16). So the author must have been a lately converted Christian who knew Paul and sometimes traveled with him.
Early Christian writings, from the works of Justin Martyr to Tertullian, identify the author as Luke, an identification that was firmly in place by the third century A.D. Luke was an educated man by ancient standards. He was capable of writing in Greek style, and Col. 4:10-14 seems to indicate that Luke was not "of the circumcision," that is, not Jewish. If so, Luke would be the only Gentile author of the New Testament Book. Traditions says after accompanying Paul on some of his missionary journeys, Luke settled in Philippi, investing his life in the ministry of the Philippian Church.
Date - Neither Luke or Acts indicate when they were written, so this too must be deduced. On the other hand there is enough internal and external evidence to conclude that it was written by Luke the physician. Because the book of Acts is the sequel to Luke, it should be considered when trying to define the author. The last event recorded in the Book of Acts is the first Roman imprisonment of Paul; Therefore, the earliest Acts could have been written is A.D 62. Most scholars choose between two times for the Gospel: early to late sixties, or mid-seventies to late eighties. Two factors determine the choice: the date of the other Gospels and the portrayal of the fall of Jerusalem in Luke. Almost everyone considers Luke the second or third Gospel to be written, though they debate whether Mark or Matthew was the first.
Characteristics - The Gospel of Luke is unique in several ways. It is the only Gospel that has a sequel, Acts. These two books are often referred to as a single unit called Luke-Acts. Both Luke and Acts include and account of the Ascension, an event that only Luke describes in detail. Luke is the longest of the four Gospels. Third, Luke records a wide variety of miracles, teaching, and parables, making it the fullest portrait of Jesus' ministry. Much of the material in chapters 9-19 appears only in Luke; in all, about one-third of the Gospel of Luke is unique. Fourth, Luke is the only Gospel addressed to an individual. Luke writes for Theophilus, who was probably a Gentile believer.
For Luke, Jesus is the promised Messiah (1:31-35), the Son of God (9:35), the Servant whom God works (4:16-18), and the Lord who is called to sit at God's right hand exerting his authority and giving the Spirit to those who believe (compare 22:69 with Acts 2:30-36). Though aspects of God's plan are fulfilled in Jesus' First Coming, other parts of the plan remain to be fulfilled when Jesus returns (21:5-36; Acts 3:14-26).
Luke wrote the Gospel to reassure Theophilus, A Gentile and a new believer, that God was still at work in the Christian community founded by Jesus. Luke present God's grace as revealed in Jesus' ministry on earth. He emphasizes that this grace is available to Gentiles, even thought the promises relating to Jesus' ministry stretch back into Israel's history (1:1-4). For this reason Luke also concentrates on Jesus' relationship to the nation and leaders of Israel. The rejection of Israel does no mean the failure of God's plan. On the contrary, although they did not know it, their rejection was part of God's plan from the beginning (Acts 2:22-39. In fact, persecution of the Christian community would be the means by which the church would spread the Good news throughout the world. Jesus Himself had predicted that this would happen (24:45-48).