Quizzing the New Testament : Luke

Answer: Doctor

"Our dear friend Luke, the doctor, and Demas send greetings" (Colossians 4 v. 14).

This is based upon a number of not unreasonable assumptions:
1. That Luke and Acts are written by the same person;
2. That Luke is the author of Acts, which is assumed from the presence of Luke on Paul's missionary journeys at those points where the narrative changes from third person to first person;
3. That the Luke referred to in Colossians is the same Luke who accompanies Paul on his travels.

Answer: The temple in Jerusalem

The gospel begins with Zechariah serving as a priest in the temple. He sees an angel who announces that he and his wife will have a son whom they are to name John - John the Baptist. The gospel concludes with the ascension of Jesus into heaven:
"Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God" (Luke 24 v. 52-53).

Jerusalem and its temple form a key motif for Luke. In the gospel, everything looks towards Jerusalem. This includes a considerable amount of material that Luke unfolds against the backdrop of one long and final journey to the city (Chapters 9 to 19). In Acts, this is reversed. The story starts in Jerusalem with the day of Pentecost and then the Christian message moves out into the wider world as predicted in the words of Jesus:
"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1 v. 8).

Answer: Augustus

Comparing the two accounts shows the different agendas of Matthew and Luke. Matthew is writing for a Jewish Christian audience; Luke, who is much more interested in "outsiders", a Gentile one. Thus, Matthew focuses his story on Israel and Judaism. He dates it to the reign of the Jewish king Herod; he tells it through the actions of Joseph, a man; he traces Jesus' genealogy back to Abraham, father of the Jewish people; and he has VIPs traveling to Israel to pay homage to a king. Luke, on the other hand, dates the event by reference to the Roman emperor and governor; he tells it through the actions of Mary, a woman; he traces Jesus' genealogy back to Adam, the universal man; and instead of VIPs, he has lowly shepherds visiting Jesus.

Answer: To include the words "And all mankind will see God's salvation"

"As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him. Every valley shall be filled in, every mountain and hill made low. The crooked roads shall become straight, the rough ways smooth. And all mankind will see God's salvation.'" (Luke 3 v. 4-6)

As previously noted, Luke is concerned to portray a Jesus that is for everyone. These additional verses, therefore, fit his agenda perfectly. The quotation is from Isaiah 40 v. 3-5.

The commonly held explanation for the similar material in Matthew, Luke and John is that Matthew and Luke had access to Mark's gospel (or something very similar) whilst they were writing. Matthew and Luke also share some material not found in Mark, which is held to come from a second shared source of which there is now no record. It has been named "Q" from the German word "Quelle", meaning source.

Answer: The Spirit of the Lord is on me

"He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 'The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.'" (Luke 4 v. 16-18)

The Holy Spirit is another major theme of Luke's gospel. If Acts is the story of the Holy Spirit leading the early church in mission, then Luke is the story of the Holy Spirit leading Jesus. In this same chapter, for example, we are told that Jesus returned from his baptism "full of the Holy Spirit"; was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert where he faced temptation and, subsequently, returned to Galilee "in the power of the Spirit."

Answer: Simon the Pharisee

The gospel writers all treat this material slightly differently. Matthew refers to the host as Simon the Leper and provides no background detail about the woman. Mark has Simon the Leper, whose home he locates in Bethany. Finally, John also places the incident in Bethany but at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus, with Mary pouring the perfume.

Only Luke notes the woman as having a dubious past, a fact that sits well with his portrayal of Jesus as the "friend of sinners". A later tradition identifying the woman as Mary Magdalene is not based upon any biblical evidence.

Answer: A Samaritan

"But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine." (Luke 10 v. 33-34)

The enmity between Jews and Samaritans went back centuries. It began in the sixth century BC with the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem. Many of the leading Jews were deported and, at the same time, the Babylonians repopulated the area with other peoples from their empire. These intermixed with the Jews left behind to form the basis of the Samaritan people, who developed different customs and practices to the Jews in Babylon. Samaria lay between Judaea and Galilee and, such was their hatred, that many Jews traveling between the two extended their journey rather than cross Samaritan territory.

The parable arose from Jesus being asked to define the word "neighbour" in the phrase "Love your neighbour as yourself". His response suggests that he saw it as anyone in need, regardless of creed, colour or culture.

Answer: It includes women

"After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means." (Luke 8 v. 1-3)

Only Luke records this information and it is interesting for a number of reasons. Firstly, it shows that Jesus was happy to welcome women among his travelling companions, a fact that would have scandalised respectable Jewish society. It is yet another example of Luke promoting Jesus' acceptance of the outsider. Secondly, it shows that Jesus' appeal transcended social barriers. Finally, it suggests that, unusually for the time, these women had independent means and were happy to use them to back Jesus financially.

Answer: He would be carrying a jar of water.

That wasn't all! Once the man had entered a house, they were to seek out the owner of that house and say, "The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?" (Luke 22 v. 11). These cloak and dagger maneuvers were necessary because Jesus knew that the authorities were seeking to arrest him, and wanted to keep to a minimum those people in possession of information.

Answer: Emmaus

Emmaus was about seven miles from Jerusalem. One of the two disciples is named as Cleopas. The other is unnamed although there is a school of thought that she is Cleopas' wife. This is based upon the gospel of John which records "Mary the wife of Clopas" as being present at the crucifixion. If this is true, it would again be noteworthy, by the standards of his day, that Luke includes her on equal terms with her husband.