RELIGIOUS STUDIES 200 – GRADE 11

Gospel of Matthew
Student Handout – Midterm 1

Matthew’s Gospel comes first in our NT, and there is an appropriateness in that, since Matthew so explicitly
connects the story of Jesus to the OT. His gospel has been influential in all sorts of ways: The Sermon on the
mount, for example, has given ethical inspiration and challenge to countless Christians and non-Christians; the
great commission of 28:16-20 is perhaps the most important ‘mission statement’ of the Christian church.

MATTHEW'S LIFE AND IDENTITY

Little is known about St. Matthew, except that he was the son of Alpheus, and he was likely born in Galilee. He
worked as a tax collector, which was a hated profession during the time of Christ.
According to the Gospel, Matthew was working at a collection booth in Capernaum when Christ came to him and
asked, "Follow me." With this simple call, Matthew became a disciple of Christ.
From Matthew we know of the many doings of Christ and the message Christ spread of salvation for all people
who come to God through Him. The Gospel account of Matthew tells the same story as that found in the other
three Gospels, so scholars are certain of its authenticity. His book is the first of the four Gospels in the New
Testament.
Many years following the death of Christ, around 41 and 50 AD1, Matthew wrote his gospel account. He wrote
the book in Aramaic (or Hebrew) in the hope that his account would convince his fellow people that Jesus was
the Messiah and that His kingdom had been fulfilled in a spiritual way. It was an important message at a time
when almost everyone was expecting the return of a militant messiah brandishing a sword.
It is thought he departed for other lands to escape persecution sometime after 42 AD. According to various
legends he fled to Parthia and Persia, or Ethiopia. Nothing is recorded of Matthew's passing. We do not know
how he died, if his death was natural or if he was martyred.

Saint Matthew is often depicted with one of the four living creatures of Revelation 4:7, which reads, "The first
living creature was like a lion, the second like a bull, the third living creature had a human face2, and the
fourth living creature was like a flying eagle."

Matthew was a tax collector and is therefore the patron saint of bankers. The Church established St. Matthew's
feast day as September 21.

AUTHORSHIP AND DATE

Within the text of the Gospel, the author’s name is not given, but the name of Matthew was attached on it from a
very early date. Papias, bishop of Heiropolis in Turkey said ‘Matthew compiled the oracles in Hebrew dialect and
each interpreted them as best he could’. We know of no challenge being offered to this view in the first Christian
centuries.
The internal evidence of the Gospel does not settle the question of authorship. But:
 It seems likely that the author was a Jewish Christian, writing in Jewish environment;
 He has particular interest in scribes and Pharisees, which might be described as a love-hate relationship
at least so far as scribes are concerned, since he can speak unfavorably of Jewish Scribes but positively
of Christians scribes (Mt. 23:24)
 In particular, 13:52 is a mini-parable about the ‘scribe who is trained/disciple for the kingdom of heaven’,
and who is like a ‘householder who brings out of his treasure things old and things new’.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

The Jewishness of Matthew’s Gospel and its stress on fulfillment strongly suggest that the author was writing in a
Jewish Christian context. The sharply polemic attitude towards ‘the Jews’ and especially too the ‘scribes and
Pharisees’ in their synagogues is not necessarily in tension with this, and may indeed partly reflect Matthew’s
closeness to those he criticizes. It is widely agreed that Matthew was written in a situation of conflict between
Jewish Christians and non-Christian Jews, between ‘church’ and ‘synagogue’.

Features of Matthew’s Gospel thought to reflect that situation include:

 The strong claim in the Gospel that Jesus is the fulfillment of Judaism
 The bitter polemic against the Pharisees in particular and their/your synagogues’, also the rejection of the
title ‘rabbi’
 The references in the Gospel to Jewish persecutions of Christians

Although Matthew’s broad context may have been one of conflict between church and synagogue , his purpose
was not just polemical. He was concerned with problems and probably divisions within the church. And, although

1
Just one of the many claims on the date of writing of Matthew’s Gospel, others are as follows: After 70 AD (at least a decade later after Mark
wrote his Gospel) and 90 AD.
2
Or an ANGEL
Matthew’s emphasis on righteousness, law and obedience may have partly been in response to Jewish
opponents of Christianity who were criticizing Christians for their ‘lawlessness’, it was also probably because of
Matthew’s own concern about antinomian tendencies in the Church.

THEOLOGICAL THEMES

The gospel is patently, all about Jesus; it is as scholars say, thoroughly ‘Christological’. This is clear from 1:1,
“Jesus Christ, son of David son of Abraham’, right through to 28:20, ‘I am with you always’. But how does
Matthew present Jesus? Matthew presents Jesus in this manner:

a. Jesus fulfills the OT story

b. Jesus fulfills the law and brings the higher righteousness
c. Practical obedience and judgment
d. Jesus brings good news to the world: Jews, Gentiles and the Church
e. The Church
f. Kingdom and Christology

JESUS FULFILLS THE OT STORY

No one can miss Matthew’s interest in linking Jesus with the OT.
The family tree (1:1-17) explicitly links Jesus with Abraham and David
Matthew’s Gospel is punctuated with OT quotations. Particularly notable are his so-called ‘formula
quotations.
Jesus re-enacts and so fulfils the OT. When Matthew applies an OT texts like ‘out of Egypt shall I call my son’
to Jesus, he is presumably reinterpreting the text quite deliberately. He understands that the original reference
was to the Exodus of Israel from Pharaoh’s Egypt, but he sees the OT story as pointing to Jesus and Jesus as
bringing that story to its divinely intended goal and completion. Jesus may be seen as somehow embodying
Israel in himself. Scholars speak of “typological” fulfillment, with the OT reality seen to be a type anticipating
Jesus, who far surpasses the anticipation.

JESUS FULFILS THE LAW AND BRINGS THE HIGHER RIGHTEOUSNESS

Not just the OT story, but also the OT revelation of God’s will is fulfilled and surpassed by Jesus.
Righteousness is a key term for Matthew (but completely absent for Mark).
 Jesus must ‘fulfill all righteousness’, as he explains to John the Baptist when undergoing Baptism and
thus associating with his ‘return to righteousness movement. (3:15)
 His followers should ‘hunger and thirst for righteousness’, seeking first ‘God’s kingdom and his/its
righteousness’ (5:6; 6:33).
 Righteousness is the characteristic of the kingdom and of people who will enter it.
 This righteousness is devastatingly demanding
 It involves high standards of ethics and genuine piety
 It is illustrated by a man like joseph but supremely by Jesus himself.

PRACTICAL OBEDIENCE AND JUDGEMENT

What is clear about righteousness and law in Matthew is that practical ethical obedience is central to Christian
discipleship. Saying ‘Lord, Lord’ to Jesus and even doing wonderful things in his name is not enough without
obedience. Judgment depends on practically obeying the teaching of Jesus.

JESUS BRINGS GOOD NEWS TO THE WORLD: JEWS, GENTILES AND THE CHURCH
Matthew’s gospel is in many respects a highly Jewish document:
 He interprets Jesus in thoroughly Jewish categories
 He uses typically Jewish terminology
 He reflects Jewish attitudes
 Jesus and his disciples’ ministry is to the lost sheep of the house of Israel’ (10:5; 15:24).
At the same time Matthew seems in some ways anti-Jewish:
 There is very sharp polemic against the scribes and Pharisees who are ‘hypocrites’
 The Jewish leaders engineer Jesus’ death
 Jesus speaks of judgment coming on the Jewish nation within a generation.
 Matthew can speak of ‘the Jews’ and ‘their synagogues’, implying a split between Jews and Christians
Matthew also has a definite interest in Gentiles:
 In the climactic 28:19, Jesus sends his followers to make disciples all ‘nations’. This could be translated
‘all the Gentiles’, with the Jews now excluded.
 In the story of Jesus’ birth the magi are evidently Gentiles; so possibly are the women in genealogy
 Jesus’ second recorded miracle is the healing of a Gentile centurion’s servant.
The mixture of Jewishness and anti-Jewishness, and of apparent antipathy to Gentiles and favor towards
Gentiles, could prove that:
 Matthew is confused;
 There are different layers of tradition in Matthew’s Gospel, with for example, a final Pro-Gentile layer
having been covered on a strongly pro-Jewish layer;
 Matthew sees Jesus as having come to the people of Israel as their promised king, but their rejection of
him leads to judgment on them and to the giving of the kingdom to the whole world.

THE CHURCH
How does the church fit in? Matthew is the only synoptic evangelist to use the word ‘church’ (16:18; 18:17) and to
speak directly of the community of Jesus’ followers.
The word ‘church’ (ecclesia) is used in Greek versions of the OT to refer to the people of Israel when gathered
together. Significantly, Matthew links Jesus’ twelve apostles with the twelve tribes of Israel (19:28).
In this new people the twelve are foundational. They are:
 Called out by Jesus
 Send out to Israel to proclaim and bring the kingdom
 Given understanding of the mysteries
Peter is the first to be called, and he features in various special ways in Matthew (e.g. in walking on the water
with Jesus in 14:29-30, and as the rock on which the church will be built in 16:16-20).

Whereas in Mark the disciples seem to fail repeatedly to understand Jesus or do what he wants, in Matthew the
focus is also on what they do understand (e.g. 13:16-18, 23, 52). Mark wants to help his readers understand
Jesus and his death, and so brings out the disciples’ struggles in understanding Jesus; Matthew wants to
emphasize discipleship as obeying the teaching of Jesus; as taught by his followers, and so brings out their
growing, although imperfect, understanding of Jesus.

KINGDOM AND CHRISTOLOGY

If we had to isolate one overarching theme for Matthew, ‘fulfillment’, kingdom and Christology would all be
strong contenders.
In Matthew, it is John the Baptist who first announces the coming of the kingdom of heaven, but Jesus takes the
theme up in his preaching. But, if the kingdom is important in Matthew, Christology is even more so. It is Jesus
who brings the kingdom and fulfillment of God’s promised salvation.

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW VIDEO PRESENTATION

Part One (Read Scripture)

Questions and Answers:

1) How did Matthew present Jesus in his gospel to show that indeed Jesus is the continuation and fulfillment of
the whole biblical story about God and Israel?
● Jesus is the Messiah from the line of David
● Jesus is a new authoritative teacher like Moses
● Jesus is “Emmanuel/Immanuel”, God with us
2) What did Matthew try to highlight by opening/starting his gospel with the genealogy about Jesus?
● Jesus is from the Messianic line of the Son of David
● Jesus is a son of Abraham
● and as son of Abraham, Jesus is going to bring God’s blessing to all of the nations
3) How did Matthew show that Jesus is the “New Moses”? Present this parallelism between Moses and Jesus in
a table or grid below.

MOSES JESUS
● sent out of Egypt ● came up out of Egypt
● pass through the waters of baptism in the
● cross the Red Sea
Jordan river
● wandered in the wilderness for 40 years ● he entered into the wilderness for 40 days
● receives the law (10 commandments) from ● he goes up unto a mountain to deliver his
mountain new teaching

4) For Matthew, the kingdom is, in essence, about God’s rescue operation for the whole world. How would this
rescue operation take place through Jesus?
● Jesus has come to confront evil especially spiritual evil in its whole legacy
of demon oppression and disease and death
● Jesus has come to restore God’s rule and reign over the whole world
● create a new family of people who will follow Jesus, obey his teachings and live under his rule
5) Jesus said that he is not here (he did not come) to set aside the commands of the Torah. So, what is Jesus
here for?
● Jesus is here to fulfill all of the Torah through his life, his teachings
● Jesus is here to transform the hearts of his people so that they can truly
love God and their neighbor including their enemies
6) For Matthew, how can one truly experience the power of Jesus’ grace?
● One can only experience the power of Jesus’ grace by following him and becoming his disciple.
7) In Chapter 11-13, Matthew collected a group of stories about how people are responding to Jesus and his
message. Identify these three (3) different responses with their proponents.
● POSITIVE RESPONSE – People love Jesus and they think he is the Messiah
● NEUTRAL RESPONSE – Like John the Baptist or even the members of Jesus’ own family.
● NEGATIVE RESPONSE – Pharisees & Bible scholars. They all reject Jesus together.
8) According to the AVP, who are the types of people who accept Jesus and follow him?
● People who are unimportant
● The nobody’s
● The irreligious
And what happened eventually to these people?
 ● These are the people who are transformed by their trust and faith in Jesus and follow him.
9) What does the Hebrew word “Immanuel” mean?
● God with us

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW VIDEO PRESENTATION

Part Two (Read Scripture)

Questions and Answers:

1. Who are the two groups of people that Jesus miraculous provided food and fed in the desert?
 Jewish
 Non-Jewish
2. What sign which is very similar to what Moses did for Israel in the wilderness also happened to Jesus and the
people in the desert?
 Moses feeding the Israelites in the desert
3. From the point of view of the religious leaders, what negative perspective they say/speak about Jesus?
 He is a false teacher
 He is making a blasphemous claims about himself
4. How did Prophet Isaiah 53 describe the Messianic King? And how did Jesus position himself as a Messianic
King?
 The Messianic King would suffer and die for the sins of his own people.
 And so Jesus was positioning himself as a Messianic King who reigns by becoming a servant and who
would lay down his life for Israel and the nation.
5. What is the ‘nature’ of Jesus’ Messianic Kingdom? Why is it labeled so?
 Up-side-down. Because it turns upside-down all our value systems.
6. What are the three (3) “upside-down” value systems in the community of the Servant King as found in
Matthew 18, 19 and 20?
 You gain honor by serving others
 Instead of getting revenge, you forgive and do good to your enemies
 You gain true wealth by giving your wealth to the poor
7. During the Passover meal, what are the two (2) new symbols Jesus took and introduced in the Last
Supper?
 Bread
 Wine
8. To whom does the term ‘Sanhedrin’ refer to?
 Council of Jewish leaders

9. What made Pilate sentence Jesus to death by crucifixion?

 Because he gives in to the pressure of the Jewish leaders

10. What did Matthew try to show when he increased the references to the New Testament?
 He is trying to show that Jesus’ death was not a tragedy or failure rather it was a surprising fulfillment of all
the old prophetic promises.
11. Mark’s gospel concludes with the Risen Jesus giving a final teaching. What was Jesus’ final teaching
called?
 It was called the Great Commission.
And what was it all about?
 Jesus claims that He is the true king of the world
 He sends his disciples out to all nations to tell the good news, that “Jesus is Lord”
 Anyone can join his kingdom by being baptized and by following his teachings
 And echoing all the way back his name, “Immanuel” – “God with us” – from chapter 1, Jesus’ last words in
the book are “I will be with you”. It’s a promise of Jesus’ presence until the day he finally returns.
 RELIGIOUS STUDIES 200 – GRADE 11
Student Handout – Pre-final 1
Gospel of Luke

LUKE-ACTS: A TWO-VOLUME WORK

Luke is unique among the Gospels in having a ‘part two’ in the shape of Acts, continuing the story of Jesus
into the life of the church. Luke leaves hints that he conceived the books as a two-volume work in the
introductions to the books (Luke 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-5). The books share a dedication to Theophilus (Luke 1:3;
Acts 1:1), who may be Luke’s literary patron, arranging for the publication of his books. The books also share a
common theme, for Acts 1:1 says that the previous book (Luke) was about ‘everything… which Jesus began
to do and teach’, implying that Acts will describe what he continued to do and teach, but now through his
followers.

Therefore, in reading Luke, we need to have half an eye on Acts, and there are key moments where knowledge
of Acts will shine light on the pages of Luke, as a theme reappears, a prophecy is fulfilled or a character mirrors
another in the other volume. (Only few these will be tackled here, but there are lots of others to look out for.)

WHO IS LUKE?

ST. LUKE, EVANGELIST

Luke, a physician from Antioch, was converted to the Christian faith. He was a disciple of St. Paul and a faithful
companion in all his journeys. He was the author of the third Gospel and of the Acts of the Apostles.

According to the Introduction of the Navarre Gospels:

“The Muratorian Fragment, a second-century Christian document written in Latin, states that ‘The third book of
the Gospel is that according to Luke. This Luke, a physician …, wrote down what he had heard, for … he had
not known the Lord in the flesh, and having obtained such information as he could he began his account with
the birth of John.’ (EB, 1)

St Jerome, around the year 400, writes in his book On famous men: ‘Luke, a physician from Antioch, who was
familiar with Greek as can be seen from his writings, a follower of St Paul, who accompanied him on his
journeys, wrote a Gospel (PL 23, 650.).’

And in his Commentariorum in Evangelium Matthaei libri quattuor he adds: ‘Thirdly, Luke, a physician, a native
of Antioch in Syria, a disciple of the Apostle Paul, wrote his volume in Achaia and Boeotia; in this hook he
covered, with a broader perspective, some things contained in other books and, as he admits in his preface, he
narrated things which he had heard about, not things which he had himself seen (PL 26, 17f).’

Almost half of the content of St Luke’s Gospel is not to be found in the other Gospels. Among the important
items exclusive to Luke are:
– his account of Jesus’ infancy (chapters 1 and 2);
– his setting of many episodes of our Lord’s public ministry within the framework of a long journey from
Galilee to Jerusalem;
– 14 and certain parables, such as for example those of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32), the Unjust Steward
(Lk 16:1-13), and Lazarus and the Rich Man (Lk 19-3 1);
– and Luke i5s the only one who gives us an account of the appearance of the risen Jesus to the disciples at
Emmaus (Lk 24: 13-35).”

His gospel is considered the most poetic and beautiful of all. He uses the best grammar and the most eloquent
and correct Greek of the New Testament. He shows Jesus not as the Jewish Messiah, but as the world’s
Savior and Lord. He was a man of prayer, for this gospel is pre-occupied with the power of prayer. He had a
high regard for the dignity of women for they played an important part of his writings.

Because the gospel which bears his name was believed to be an accurate account of the life of Christ and
especially of Christ’s birth, Luke was taken as one of the patrons of notaries.

He is also the patron of the medical profession. He was reported to be a fine painter and is also patron of
artists, painters, sculptors, craft workers and lace makers.

His symbol is the ox. This may account for his also being patron of butchers. In art, Luke is represented by a
winged ox. This is especially appropriate because in the Gospel of St. Luke, the priestly and sacrificial work of
Jesus is emphasized. The ox represents the sacrificial aspect of Jesus’ ministry and the wings remind us that
the Gospel of Jesus Christ is to travel throughout the world.

The Church celebrates his feast day every 18th of October.

STRUCTURE

Like Matthew, Luke begins his story with the birth of Jesus, although from a different angle, and ends with a
quite a full description of Jesus’ resurrection appearances. He has several blocks of stories which follow
essentially the same sequence of events as Mark. However, unlike either, he has a long ‘journey’ section (Lk
9:51-19:27) during which Jesus travels to Jerusalem. Much of this section contains stories unique to Luke, and
this Gospel is to some degree organized around it, falling into five major sections:
 a) 1:1 – 2:25 The births of John and Jesus
b) 3:1 – 4:13 Preparation for Jesus’ ministry
c) 4:14 – 9:50 Jesus in Galilee
d) 9:51 – 19:27 Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem
e) 19:28 – 24:43 Jesus in Jerusalem: his death and resurrection

It is worth noticing that, while the movement of Luke is towards Jerusalem, Acts moves broadly in the opposite
direction, away from the city (where Acts 1-7 are located) to ‘the ends of the earth’ (Acts 1:8), finishing with
Paul preaching in Rome (Acts 28:17-31). More than that, it may be that Luke is beginning from a context of
Roman rule (notice Luke 1:5; 2:1; 3:1) and ending his two volumes at the heart of the Roman Empire. At the
heart of his two books, then, sit the death and resurrection of Jesus, which form the basis of the Christian
proclamation in Acts.

SOME KEY THEMES

A. SALVATION
If Luke has one major theme, it is salvation. Luke uses the language of salvation more than other evangelist:
the noun ‘salvation’ (Greek soteria/soterion) is found seven times (NEVER in Mark and Matthew); God and
Jesus are ‘savior’ (Greek soter, 1:47; 2:11 – NEVER in Mark or Matthew); and the verb ‘save’ (greek sozo) is
used 17 times (Mark 13; Matthew 14), sometimes in the sense ‘heal’ (e.g. Lk 8:483, 504), but often in a
spiritual sense (e.g. 7:50; 8:12; 13:23; 19:10 – all unique to Luke) and there are a further 27 uses of this
word group in Acts. Within this framework are to be placed Jesus’ declaration of freedom to captives (4:14-
30), his healing ministry, his offer of ‘forgiveness of sins’, a Lukan phrase (Luke 1:77; 3:3; 24:47; cf. Acts 2:38;
5:31; 10:43; 13:38; 26:18; it is found only once each in Mark and Matthew), and Luke’s view of Jesus death
and resurrection.
B. SALVATION FOR ALL
Luke particularly emphasizes that salvation is for all, notably through his focus on Gentiles5, Samaritans6, and
marginalized people within Israel:
 the hymns of the infancy narrative highlight that Jesus comes for all, including Gentiles (2:14, 32;
unique to Luke);
 Jesus’ genealogy is traced to Adam (and God), thus including all humankind in his care (3:38; contrast
Mt. 1:2, focusing on Abraham, the founder of the Jewish people);
 Jesus speaks positively of the widow of Zarephath and Naman, both Gentiles (4:25-27; unique to
Luke);
 Jesus responds to a Gentile centurion seeking healing (7:2-10);
 Jesus’ teaching hints at the inclusion of Gentiles in God’s purposes 13:28f (cf. Mt. 8:11f); 14:23f.
(unique to Luke);
 the disciples are sent to ‘all nations’ (24:46f), a story which Acts tells much more fully;
 Jesus goes to a Samaritan village (9:52; although they do not welcome him, v.53);
 Jesus makes a Samaritan the hero in a parable (10:30-37);
 the one person with leprosy who thanks Jesus is a Samaritan (17:15-19)
 women have a prominent place (see box below)…

JESUS AND WOMEN

It is worth noticing how Luke ‘pairs’ a man and a woman (as in chapters 1-2, with
Mary and Zechariah, and Anna and Simeon), sometimes showing them as equal,
and sometimes presenting the woman as a positive model by contrast with the man.
 Chapters 1-2;
 7:11-15 (Raising of the Widow’s Son), 37-50 (The Pardon of the Sinful Woman);
 8:1-3 (Galilean Women Follow Jesus);
 8:43-48 (Jairus Daughter and Woman with Hemorrhage);
 10:38-42 (Martha and Mary);
 13:11-13 (Cure of a Crippled Woman on the Sabbath);
 15:8-10 (Parable of the Lost Coin);
 18:1-8 (The Parable of the Persistent Widow);
 21:1-4 (Poor Widow’s Contribution);
 23:27-31 (The Way of the Cross, Jesus met the women of Jerusalem),
 23:49 (Women who followed him from Galilee stood at a distance from the Cross),
 23:55 (Women prepared spices and perfumed oils (cf. 22:54-62)
 24:1-12 (The Resurrection of Jesus, wherein the ‘women’ announced that
Jesus was resurrected)

 Jesus comes with ‘good news to the poor’ (4:18)

 the standard criticism of Jesus is that he associates with ‘tax collectors and sinners’ (5:30; 7:34; 15:1f..;
19:7)
 Jesus mixes with the people with leprosy, who were social outcasts (5:12f.; 7:22; 17:11-19);
 Jesus is crucified with two convicted criminals (23:39-43);

3 He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Lk 8:48)
4 On hearing this, Jesus answered him, “Do not be afraid; just have faith and she will be saved.” (Lk 8:50)
5 Gentiles – non-Jewish people, all people who do not believe in the one true God, Yahweh.
6 Samaritans - The Samaritans are Israelites who lived in Samaria, who embraced a religion that was a mixture of Judaism and idolatry (2

Kings 17:26-28) due to their intermarriage with the Assyrians who had conquered their land. This intermarriage with the foreigners led them to
adopt their idolatrous religion, and as a result, Samaritans were generally considered “half-breeds” and were universally despised by the Jews.
  Luke uniquely draws attention to Jesus healing an only son or daughter, illustrating the value Jesus
places on children, by contrast with the culture of his day (7:12; 8:42; 9:38).

This material needs to be read in the context of Luke’s emphatic placing of Jesus’ ministry in Israel, and Jesus’
focus on a calling to serve the Jewish people – thus Luke is not anti-Semitic7, for he also believes Jesus brings
‘glory to your people Israel’ (Lk 2:32).

C. THE HOLY SPIRIT

The work of the Spirit is clearly prominent in Acts but Luke prepares for Acts by highlighting the ministry of the
Spirit in Jesus’ time. Thus, John the Baptist and his parents are filled with the Spirit (Lk. 1:15, 41, 67), and
Simeon8 is a man of the Spirit (note the threefold reference in 2:25-27). But supremely Jesus is the man of the
Spirit, conceived by the Spirit (Lk 1:35), empowered by the Spirit (Lk 3:22; 4:1, 14, 18) and the baptizer of
others with the Spirit (3:16). He teaches that the Father gives the Spirit (11:13; cf. Mt 7:11), he warns against
blasphemy against the Spirit (12:10), he promises that the Spirit will instruct the disciples (12:12; cf. Acts 4:8;
6:10; 7:2, 55), and after his resurrection Jesus promises that the Spirit will come to clothe the disciples (24:49).

D. PRAYER AND PRAISE

‘Luke’s is a singing Gospel’, writes Leon Morrris (1988, 50), summing up well. From the hymns of the infancy
narratives (Lk 1:46-55, 68-79; 2:30-32) onwards, there is a strong note of joy and rejoicing. Jesus comes to
replace mourning by laughter (Lk 6:21), and angelic rejoicing accompanies his ministry (Lk 2:13f.; 15:10, both
unique to Luke). Indeed, repentance brings joy (Lk 15:7, 10, 23, 32; 19:6). The book closes with the disciples
experiencing ‘great joy’ and ‘continually… blessing God’ (Lk 24:52f.). Luke’s vision of Jesus is that he brings
joy.

Appendix:

Lessons from Luke

We can learn many lessons from Luke.

Luke was studious and meticulous with his narrative of Christ and the apostles, and especially with Paul. We,
too, can exercise care in how we speak to and write about others. We should be careful that we always
“speak the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15).

Luke was thorough and comprehensive, unwavering in his commitment to the truth. He didn’t assume
things. He carefully checked things out. Luke himself recorded the fine example of the Bereans, who, having
heard Paul, “received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these
things were so” (Acts 17:11). We, too, should be sure that our beliefs are firmly grounded in the Scriptures.

Luke was a learned man, as a physician and author. We as Christ’s followers must continue to educate
ourselves, never assuming we already know everything.

Most important, Luke was faithful to God, to Jesus, to Their words and to the apostles. He was faithful to
Paul as a trusted and loyal friend, standing by him in good times and bad. We, too, can aspire to this kind of
faithfulness and loyalty.

References:
Wenham, D. and Walton, S. (2001). Exploring the new testament: a guide to the gospels and acts. Illinois, Illinois:
InterVarsity Press.
https://catholicsstrivingforholiness.com/2016/10/17/october-18-st-luke-evangelist-patron-of-physicians/
https://slparish.org/history-of-our-patron-st-luke
https://www.ucg.org/the-good-news/profiles-of-faith-luke-pauls-beloved-friend-and-companion

7 Anti-Semitic – being hostile to or prejudiced against Jews.

8 Simeon is an old man in Jerusalem who had been visited by the Holy Spirit and told that he would not die until he had seen the Lord's
Christ. Upon seeing the child Jesus brought by Mary and Joseph in the temple, he (Simeon) recognized Jesus as the Messiah and took him in his
arms, saying, “Lord, now you let your servant go in peace. Your word has been fulfilled. My own eyes have seen the salvation which You have
prepared in the sight of every people, a light to reveal You to the nations and the glory of Your people Israel (Luke 2:29-32).”