Big Ideas

1. Luke/Acts are based on eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life It is not uncommon for people to think of Christianity as a set of values or morals. While the Christian faith certainly profoundly affects the way in which a person thinks about values and morals, Christianity is not primarily about values or morals. Rather, Christianity is primarily concerned with the person and work of Jesus Christ. Christianity is based on public historical events that were witnessed by many others, researched by Luke, a doctor, and recorded for us to read. The stories contained in Luke/Acts are not meant to simply warm our hearts. They are meant to be read and received as historical eyewitness accounts of events that actually took place. Either they happened or they didn’t. There is no other option.

2. There are enough eyewitness accounts and information available to provide us with certainty regarding the person and work of Jesus. Luke/Acts was written by Luke for a man named Theophilus. While we cannot be sure exactly who this person was, it is clear that Luke believed that his thorough research and documentation of Jesus’ life was sufficient to provide Theophilus, and all other readers, with certainty regarding Jesus and his Gospel. Luke does not tell us to trust our own hearts or to seek out our own truth. Rather, he tells us to trust the facts, the truth of Jesus’ death and resurrection that were witnessed by many and recorded for our own benefit.

Study Questions

1. What does Luke tell us about the reliability of his research work regarding Jesus?
2. How does this affect the way you might approach reading Luke/Acts?
3. How do Luke’s sources and material compare to what modern people might write regarding Jesus?
4. What does Luke hope will be the result of our study of his work in Luke/Acts?