The Gospel of Luke was written for a largely non-Jewish audience. The writer, Luke, was likely the same person who joined Paul on his second missionary journey (see Acts 16:10), and who became his companion until the end of his life (see 2 Tim. 4:11). Apart from being a physician, Luke was also a theologian and a historian, who wrote this gospel and the Book of Acts.
In his gospel, Luke is concerned to show how Jesus came as the saviour for the whole world. He gives special emphasis to themes like God’s concern for the poor, Jesus’ inclusion of the outsider and, in particular, women among his followers, as well as the role of the Spirit in the ministry of Jesus.
Up until the beginning of Lent (which starts on March 5th), we will be considering how Jesus came as the great Liberator, and we will look at some of the people who encountered him, and how this subsequently transformed their lives.
This week our focus is on how Jesus welcomed and included women within his followers. In these two passages, Jesus raises a widow’s son and later is “anointed” by a woman who, Luke says, “had lived a sinful life”. Jesus shows love to these women and extends that love to us, and he calls us to share love with those around us.
This week our focus is on Jesus the Teacher, who called his disciples to follow him and who taught with authority. Jesus' teaching was to reveal who God is, what God is doing in our world, what it's like to be in God's kingdom and how that changes how we live.
This week our focus is on Jesus’ identification with those who were considered “outsiders” to the community of Israel: people who had leprosy and tax collectors.
This week our focus is on how Jesus came to bring healing and wholeness to people's lives. Note how Luke ties this ministry of Jesus into his announcement of the arrival of the kingdom of God (4:43). We should also take note of 5:17 when Luke says “the power of the Lord was present for him to heal the sick.”
In this section, Jesus begins his ministry by visiting the local synagogue in Nazareth, where he would have grown up as a boy and young man. He reads from the Scroll of Isaiah (and in particular Isaiah 61:1-2)
The Gospel of Luke was written for a largely non-Jewish audience. The writer, Luke, was likely the same person who joined Paul on his second missionary journey (see Acts 16:10), and who became his companion until the end of his life (see 2 Tim. 4:11). Apart from being a physician, Luke was also a theologian and a historian, who wrote this gospel and the Book of Acts.
In his gospel, Luke is concerned to show how Jesus came as the saviour for the whole world. He gives special emphasis to themes like God’s concern for the poor, Jesus’ inclusion of the outsider and, in particular, women among his followers, as well as the role of the Spirit in the ministry of Jesus.
Up until the beginning of Lent (which starts on March 5th), we will be considering how Jesus came as the great Liberator, and we will look at some of the people who encountered him, and how this subsequently transformed their lives.
This week our focus is on how Jesus came and identified with us through his baptism by John, his reception of the Spirit and his temptation for 40 days in the wilderness.