Luke 1:1-2 1Inasmuch as many have attempted to compose a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word have handed down to us,
The opening four verses of Luke’s Gospel is one long sentence in the original Greek. It is the only example of a formal introduction in the New Testament. Luke as the author is not mentioned anywhere in the Gospel. The author of this book also wrote the book of Acts. Early church tradition claimed Luke, the travel companion of Paul, to be the author. Luke gives his purpose for writing in these opening verses and how he got his information.
Luke hints at his method of writing: 1) he investigated and made a careful study; 2) he went back to the beginning; 3) he studied everything and selected certain key stories; 4) he worked carefully. He was not an eyewitness to the events of Jesus’ life but got his information from eyewitnesses. His information could also have come from written sources since his Gospel has many similarities with Matthew and Mark. He could have used oral sources (memories and stories of Jesus passed down over the decades in the early church that had not been written down). Luke felt the need to write a thorough record about Jesus. He believed the events of Jesus’ life fulfilled the plan of God (1:20, 57; 2:6, 21-22; 4:21; 9:31; 21:22, 24; 24:44-47).
Some people down the historical accuracy of the Gospels. Luke demonstrates how the church carefully preserved Jesus’ teachings after many decades of ministry and oral retelling of the stories. The gospel was a spoken message before it was ever a written one. We can trust that what we read in the four Gospels is accurate though stated in different ways. Each author gives his own unique interpretation of the events and stories, weaving his account into a unified story. We can come to Luke’s Gospel knowing that he did his homework. He was well traveled and knew many early church leaders, including apostles. He had opportunity to learn the stories. His Greek is high level, indicating he was well educated. The call of this Gospel will challenge us to deepen our commitment as disciples of Jesus.
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