Luke.

Dear readers:
This week I read Luke.
It's no secret that this gospel has particularly special meaning to me. Go back and read my first post about my background, and I think you'll probably pick up on why.
In fact, I've really been looking forward to this week. I've always wanted to read straight through Luke, and now that I have I think it's safe to say that it's my favorite gospel.
The thing is, the more I learn about Luke’s presentation, the more I appreciate about it. And every time I examine this gospel, I try and imagine what Luke’s story might have been like. And I like to think that Luke’s story isn’t all too different from mine, cultural differences aside.
Hear me out now.
One of the things I always point out as an important difference in the gospels is the difference in their genealogies. I know you probably just skip over that part every time you read one. But it’s a pretty important part of the setup for each gospel.
Okay, well. First, I want to point out something I never technically noticed about Luke before. In the very beginning he says, “Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us… since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you… so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” Right off the bat, he’s setting the tone for a historical, eyewitness account. And he upholds this promise throughout the whole narrative. There are many details of Jesus’ healing stories, his actions, and the way that he relates to people.
Now, before I get too carried away, remember what I said about myself in the first post here? I used to be a total nonbeliever. I used to be so skeptical that I was positive there was no possibility for God to be real. And now, here’s Luke, telling me he’s drawn up an “orderly account” of “everything from the beginning”, so that I may “know the certainty of the things” I have been taught. And like I said, he upholds this promise. For example, Luke really focuses on Jesus’ passage to Jerusalem, and the events that took place during it. It highlights his interactions with his disciples, including some pretty incredible parables (But that’s an entirely different blog entry in itself). Luke seems to be the gospel with the most detail, and the most faithful retelling of Jesus’ narrative. And the moral of this realization is that Jesus’ story speaks for itself. In particular, the story of his flight to Jerusalem, persecution, and passion truly throw a lot at the reader’s emotions all at once. It’s so easy to connect with Jesus the way that Luke presents these events, especially for somebody like me who needs more than just that mental connection of “knowing” his story in order to want to pursue a relationship with Christ.
Anyway, the genealogy. I always loved how Luke is the only gospel author to trace Jesus’ heritage all the way back to Adam. It’s been tough for me to feel accepted into the kingdom of God that’s set up in this life. And that’s not because of anything God has done in my life, obviously. I think it’s just because people seem to love to feel like they’re an exclusive part of something. Christianity can sometimes feel less like a religion and more like a class of people – or a club, even – to somebody looking in longingly. And it took me a long time to feel accepted even though I didn’t read C.S. Lewis and go to church every Sunday while growing up.
Now, in hindsight, this is a pretty silly concern. My relationship with God is just as strong and probably stronger than it would be if I had grown up the son of a pastor. I know that it’s just my nature to need to be drawn into something, and I’m so grateful that I was able to first experience God in the way that I did. So I’m not saying I blame my parents or anything, and in fact I love them and I’m extraordinarily blessed to have grown up in their household. What I am saying is that Luke explicitly traces his genealogy all the way back to Adam. And what I noticed this time through is that there aren’t all this big Jewish names included like there are in Matthew.
Like I mentioned last week, Matthew creates a gateway for Jesus’ new covenant to mesh with the way the Jews already knew to live. But what’s even more incredible (for me, at least) is that Luke opens it up to everyone, Jew or Gentile.
“Christian club” or not.
Whether we grew up in the church or came to God later in life.
Remember when I said I like to imagine the story of Luke? Well, it seems to me that he was very concerned for the gentiles (and I even like to think he was one).
He’s very historical, methodical, and relational with his retelling of Jesus’ story, which means a lot to me having come from a background where I made it hard for myself to believe.
Most importantly, he lets the narrative speak for itself. And I find it easier and easier to connect with Christ the more I read from it.