The Gospel of Luke proclaims the story of Jesus from the announcement of His birth to His ascension. Jesus is presented as the long-awaited King who fulfills the Old Testament scriptures. He brings God’s kingdom and makes it available to all people, including the marginalized and foreigners. He died to rescue the guilty from condemnation, rose again, and ascended into heaven as God’s King, worthy of worship and allegiance.
Backstory to the Gospel of Luke
It’s around A.D. 62[1] and the apostle Paul has been locked up in Roman custody for nearly four years, first in Caesarea and then in Rome. His friend and colleague, Luke, has taken this time to research and write a two-volume work recounting the beginnings of God’s saving work through Jesus the Messiah (Luke) and the spread of that saving work through the Apostles from Jerusalem to Rome (Acts). Both volumes are addressed to the same man, Theophilus, possibly the wealthy patron who commissioned Luke to write these books.
As with all of the Gospels, technically the Gospel of Luke is anonymous but all the evidence from earliest times attributes it to Luke, the traveling companion of Paul. He is only mentioned by name in three places in the NT (Colossians 4:14; Philemon 24; 2 Timothy 4:11). He’s a physician, and as best as we can tell he’s a Gentile because in Colossians 4 he’s listed with the Gentiles (Colossians 4:14).
Luke traveled with Paul, beginning on the second missionary journey. As you’re reading Acts, you’ll notice places where Luke includes himself in the story by using the first-person plural pronoun (e.g., we went to such a place and we did such and such). According to Colossians 4:14, which was written while Paul is under arrest in Rome, Luke is with Paul during this Roman imprisonment. This is likely when he finished writing the Gospel of Luke.
“Luke’s a physician, and as best as we can tell he’s a Gentile.”
Luke tells us at the outset of his Gospel that he “investigated everything carefully” (Luke 1:3, NASB) and then wrote it out in an orderly fashion. Here’s what probably happened: Luke is with Paul when he travels to Jerusalem at the end of the third missionary journey. Paul is then arrested in the temple, transferred to Caesarea, and held in custody for two years. Luke uses those two years to research his Gospel. He talks to the eyewitnesses to Jesus’ life and ministry in Judea. Maybe he even interviewed Mary for the birth story. He researches carefully and gathers his material. Then he writes his Gospel.
Two Key Emphases of Luke’s Gospel
The Gospel of Luke includes some of the same material about Jesus as found in Matthew and Mark, but being a Gentile and having participated with Paul in the spread of the good news about Jesus the Messiah throughout the Roman world, Luke emphasizes two special themes.
1. Salvation for All People
As you read through Luke, watch for all the ways it shows that all people have a place in God’s kingdom. He begins his portrayal of Jesus’ ministry as “good news to the poor” (4:18), and the poor in the Bible refers not just to the financial poor but to all those who are far from God and from His people. Luke is the one who tells us that Jesus came to seek and save the “lost” (Luke 19:10). Luke emphasizes the role of women by telling the birth stories of John the Baptist and Jesus from the perspective of Elizabeth and Mary and by mentioning the women who were part of Jesus’ ministry.
Luke alone includes these stories: the good Samaritan, the prodigal son, the rich man and Lazarus, the Pharisee and the publican. Luke wants us to see that God’s kingdom is available to all, even to those overlooked or marginalized by human society.
“Luke wants us to see that God’s kingdom is available to all, even to those overlooked or marginalized by human society.”
2. The Work of the Holy Spirit
There are more references to the Holy Spirit in Luke than in Matthew and Mark combined! So as you read, pay attention to the role of the Holy Spirit. A number of people are empowered by the Holy Spirit, such as John the Baptist and Simeon who speaks by the Spirit. Mary conceives Jesus through the Spirit. Jesus’ ministry is powered by the Spirit. The Spirit comes on Him at His baptism, and then He is led into the wilderness by the Spirit. He returns and begins His ministry in the power of the Spirit.
This theme of the Spirit actually continues into Luke’s second volume, Acts, where the entire progress of the gospel is powered by the Spirit.
Overview of the Gospel of Luke
The Gospel of Luke tells the story of Jesus from the events surrounding His birth all the way up to his ascension. The majority of the story covers His ministry, His journey toward Jerusalem, and ultimately the culmination of His mission through His death, resurrection, and ascension. Luke presents Jesus as the Savior of the world who brings God’s kingdom to all people. The Gospel unfolds in four major movements, each highlighting a significant stage in Jesus’ life and ministry.
1. The Story Begins (Luke 1:1–4:13)
In 1:1-4, Luke begins by explaining his purpose in writing an orderly account of the events surrounding Jesus’ life so that readers may have certainty about what they have been taught.
After that, he recounts the announcements of the births of John the Baptist and Jesus, Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, and a key early event from his childhood, the story about being in the temple at age twelve—stories that reveal His identity as God’s Son, the promised King (1:5-2:52).
Then in 3:1-4:12, Luke fast forwards to the final preparation for Jesus’ ministry by describing John the Baptist’s ministry and Jesus’ baptism, genealogy, and testing in the wilderness. These opening chapters establish who Jesus is and prepare readers of Luke’s Gospel for the work He has come to accomplish.
“These opening chapters establish who Jesus is and prepare readers of Luke’s Gospel for the work He has come to accomplish.”
2. Ministry in Galilee (Luke 4:14–9:50)
In Luke 4:14-44, Jesus begins His public ministry in Galilee, empowered by the Holy Spirit. In Nazareth and Capernaum, He announces good news to the poor, proclaims freedom for the oppressed, heals the sick, casts out demons, and teaches about the kingdom of God. There are already hints at mixed reactions to His ministry.
Jesus’ ministry continues to expand in 5:1-6:11. Through His miracles and teaching, Jesus demonstrates His authority over sickness, nature, sin, and even death. He calls specific men to become His disciples and soon appoints them to be His apostles. As His ministry expands, conflict with the Jewish religious leaders begins to escalate.
Luke 6:12-49 summarizes Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (or Sermon on the Plain as some prefer to call it in Luke’s Gospel) which instructs Jesus’ disciples in His way of living, which is the way of the kingdom.
“Through His miracles and teaching, Jesus demonstrates His authority over sickness, nature, sin, and even death.”
During this period, Jesus also reveals more clearly who He is and what His ministry is about. He offers the good news and healing to the Gentiles, slaves, and a sinful woman (7:1-50). He teaches that most people who hear the message of the kingdom won’t take it to heart (8:1-56). This all culminates in Peter’s confession that Jesus is the Christ and in a glorious display of His true identity in the Transfiguration (9:1-50).
This entire section emphasizes both Jesus’ divine authority and the growing challenge of understanding what it truly means to follow Him.
3. On the Way to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51–19:27)
A major turning point occurs in Luke’s Gospel when Jesus sets His face toward Jerusalem (9:51). From this point forward, His journey to Jerusalem becomes the central thread that carries the narrative forward. Although He continues teaching, healing, and performing miracles, Jesus increasingly gives His attention to the Twelve to prepare them for His coming death and resurrection and their role as His apostles after His ascension.
Along the way, Jesus teaches about the cost of discipleship, prayer, humility, repentance, and the proper use of wealth. Through parables such as the Good Samaritan (10:30-37), the Prodigal Son (15:1-32), and the Rich Man and Lazarus (16:19-31), all unique to the Gospel of Luke, Jesus reveals God’s compassion for the lost and challenges people to reconsider their priorities. He welcomes those often rejected by society, including sinners and outsiders, showing that God’s salvation reaches people from every background.
“He welcomes those often rejected by society, including sinners and outsiders, showing that God’s salvation reaches people from every background.”
Throughout this part of his Gospel, Luke also records several snapshots which show intensifying conflict with the religious leaders. They accuse Jesus of performing His miracles by the power of Satan and violating the Law by healing on the Sabbath. Jesus charges them with hypocrisy. And the fact that Jesus often eats with tax collectors and sinners is a major source of hostility.
This section calls disciples to respond to Jesus with faith, repentance, obedience, and a willingness to place God’s kingdom above their own interests.
4. Culmination in Jerusalem (Luke 19:28–24:53)
The final section of the Gospel of Luke brings Jesus’ ministry to its climax in Jerusalem. He rides into the city as King in what we now call the triumphal entry (19:28-44), which begins the final week leading up to His crucifixion. During that week, Jesus teaches in the temple, confronts the religious authorities, and prepares His disciples for the events that lie ahead.
Toward the end of the week, Jesus shares a Passover meal with the Twelve, during which He institutes the Lord’s Supper (also known as communion or the Eucharist). Following the meal, Jesus is betrayed, arrested, tried, and then executed by crucifixion the next day.
Yet the story does not end at the cross. Three days later Jesus rises from the dead. In Luke 24, Luke recounts several times Jesus appeared to His followers, demonstrating that He was indeed risen from the dead. His resurrection vindicates Him and who He claimed to be, demonstrating that He is indeed God’s Messiah and the fulfillment of the entire story of the Bible (24:13-49). Luke concludes with Jesus’ commission of the Twelve to be His witnesses and with Jesus’ ascension into heaven.
“Luke concludes with Jesus’ commission of the Twelve to be His witnesses and with Jesus’ ascension into heaven.”
Taken as a whole, Luke’s Gospel moves from the announcement of the birth of God’s Messiah to His saving work through Jesus’ life, death, resurrection, and ascension. The narrative begins by establishing Jesus’ identity as the long-awaited King, follows His Spirit-empowered ministry in Galilee, traces His resolute journey to Jerusalem, and culminates in His saving death and resurrection.
Throughout the Gospel, Luke emphasizes that Jesus came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). His ministry reveals God’s compassion for the poor, the marginalized, sinners, and outsiders. Jesus challenges everyone who encounters Him to repent and follow Him faithfully. 
Luke 24:44-47 (NASB) effectively sums up the main message Luke wants us to gain from his gospel:
Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all the things that are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them, “So it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”
Six Things About Jesus’ Life and Ministry We Learn from Luke
1. That Jesus was born in Bethlehem and placed in a manger
“Now Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, in order to register along with Mary, who was betrothed to him, and was pregnant. While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (Luke 2:4-7, NASB)
2. That Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem as a boy
“And when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for Him. Then, after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers.” (Luke 2:45-47, NASB)
3. That Jesus’ ministry and miracles were empowered by the Spirit
“And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding region.” (Luke 4:14, NASB)
4. That Jesus had a regular habit of prayer
“But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.” (Luke 5:16, NASB)
5. That Jesus told the stories of the Good Samaritan and Prodigal Son
“Jesus replied and said, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he encountered robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead… But a Samaritan who was on a journey came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion.’” (Luke 10:31, 33, NASB)
“And He said, ‘A man had two sons. The younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of the estate that is coming to me.” And so he divided his wealth between them.’” (Luke 15:11-12, NASB)
6. How Jesus ascended into heaven
“And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them. While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.” (Luke 24:50-53, NASB)
[1] This is what I think is the most likely date for the writing of Luke and Acts. Some scholars suggest a later date, but that is based on assumptions about which Gospels were written first and the date of those Gospels.
For more from John, see johnwhittaker.net and the Listener’s Commentary.
