“After Careful Investigation” – Luke 1:1-4

The marvels of modern communication has opened doors for you and me to reach out to each other. Instead of putting pen to paper or slipping the paper into the typewriter, all we have to do is write an email and push send. No need for postage stamps or waiting for three or four days for correspondence to get back to us.

Historians, on the other hand, are not fans of email. Since the beginning of historical records, historians have relied on eye witness accounts and written records to research the subject of their studies. Finding the original letters of historic men and women can give background and nuance to the events that shaped our world today.

With the advent of email and other electronic correspondence, historians are concerned that the valuable trail of written records will disappear, and future historians may never be able to accurately piece together the events that we consider current today.

Fortunately for us, this was not a problem for those who studied and continue to study our past in order to bring coherence to us today.

One such historian is the author of today’s passage of Scripture. As we continue to look at the first paragraphs of each of the Gospel accounts leading up to Christmas, we consider Luke’s account of the life of Jesus.

Background

Luke was a physician who travelled with Paul on many of the apostle’s journeys. We know what journeys Luke took with Paul in the way he wrote the book of Acts. There are some accounts of Paul’s travels that are told in third person, while others are told in first person plural. In particular, Luke recounts a journey he took with Paul to Jerusalem in Acts 20.

The significance of Luke’s account in Acts 20 lets us know that Luke was in direct contact with the church in Jerusalem. Included in this church were many men and women who had witnessed Jesus’ ministry and the working of the Holy Spirit in the establishment of that church.

It is generally believed by most Bible scholars that Luke wrote his gospel account around 63 AD. They base this dating because it was written after Mark’s gospel account (written in 60 AD) with no mention of Paul’s execution around 65 AD or the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. While there are those who would argue for a later date, most Bible scholars agree on the 63 AD date for the writing.

The audience to whom Luke wrote was to the Gentile world. There are certain things that are explained to the readers that would not need to be explained to a Jewish audience. Luke also includes evidence of Jesus’ ministry to non-Jewish people and to women. His message is one of inclusion and a worldwide scope of the Gospel.

The opening paragraph of this book of the Bible is written in classic Greek. Because he was a physician, we know that Luke was an educated man, and that he was no doubt familiar with the formal writings of Greek educators and philosophers. That is to say, Luke began his account in a more formal way geared to a more educated recipient or recipients. Following the first four verses, the writing changes to a Hebraic form through the first two chapters and then continues in a more common Greek of the Roman world.

It is probable that by the time Luke wrote his account, there were already various Gospel accounts circulating in the area, some more accurate than others. Wanting to set the record straight, Luke states he wrote his account to reveal the truth about Jesus.

Central Truth: Luke’s Gospel account is written to show the historical Jesus.

Luke’s examination and report of Jesus’ life:

1. Was written to cut through the clutter (1)

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, . . .

When a major event or social phenomenon occurs, it seems there are numerous telemovies, books and articles published to benefit off all the hype. Marketers try to tie their product to the popularity of whatever it is society is all agog over. While the rise of Christianity was not a social phenomenon in that sense, Luke lets us know at the outset that there had been several accounts about the life of Jesus by the time Luke set out to write his Gospel account.

We should not read in to this first verse that Luke was discrediting many of the accounts. Like most things published in the immediate aftermath of an event, some of the accounts were more accurate than others, relying on facts and truths more than others. Nonetheless, it is reasonable to assume that some of the accounts were made up of what the writer wanted the readers to believe. Think of the biography written about George Washington that included the story of young George and the cherry tree. The story was a figment of the author’s imagination that was used to convey what the writer was trying to promote about Mr. Washington.

The same may true of some of the accounts to which Luke referred. Even in our world today, there are many who see the life of Jesus through biased eyes, wanting to use Him to support their cause or their belief, even though what they are promoting is inconsistent with Jesus and His life and teachings.

Luke wrote his Gospel account for the express purpose of cutting through the clutter in order to present an accurate story of the life and teachings of Jesus. It is what you and I are called to do today. We are not to read into the Bible that which is not there. Instead, we are to come to the Bible with open hearts and minds, yielded to the Spirit’s direction, that we may gain greater understanding and faith in the One who inspired the words we read. As we read and study the Bible, we are then to live out what we have learned and we are to speak that truth to the world around us in the same loving, compassionate way Jesus did.

When Jesus was born, He was born in a simple way, laid in a manger, far from the clutter that normally accompanies the birth of a king.

Clutter can make it difficult to discern the truth. Our faith in Christ must be uncluttered. It must be simple, pure and true, just as Jesus was and is today.

2. Relied on first-hand testimony (2)

. . . just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.

A large part of history originates with the spoken word. As we retell the stories of our lives and our times, someone eventually writes the story down, and it soon passes from one generation to the next. With the written text, the history remains as true to the facts as it can. Memories fade with time, but the written word remains as it first appeared.

As Luke travelled throughout the eastern part of the Roman Empire with the apostle Paul, he no doubt heard many people talking about Jesus and what He had done among them. They would relate to the physician the things they remembered Jesus saying and doing, relating events that took place while they were with Jesus. They could tell him about the crowds and the reactions of the crowds to Jesus.

But Luke didn’t just rely on oral history. No doubt there were numerous written accounts about Jesus that were circulating in the region where the Christian faith was growing. Most Bible scholars believe Luke used Mark’s Gospel account as an outline for his own account. It would seem reasonable that Luke would look to Mark’s account, as well as other accounts that may have come into his possession.

The main thing that Luke wanted to impart in his telling of Jesus was the most accurate stories and testimonies. The best way to do this was with eyewitness accounts. Historians prefer the first-person stories to second- or third-person accounts. The more removed a person is from the event the less accurate it will be. Because Luke himself never met Jesus nor came in contact with Him directly, he would have to rely on the testimonies of those who had known Jesus.

As he travelled, Luke would have come into contact with the apostles who still remained in Jerusalem as well as those who travelled to Antioch. He could also talk with the women involved in Jesus’ ministry, including Jesus’ mother, Mary. This would explain how Luke could include the accounts not only of Mary’s encounter with Gabriel, but also Elizabeth’s story about John the Baptist. Luke alone includes the events surrounding Jesus’ birth with the angels, the shepherds and the encounters in the Temple with Simeon and Anna, as well as 12-year-old Jesus in the Temple.

Luke is telling his patron—the person to whom the Gospel is addressed—that the stories he is relating are taken from the best sources to provide an accurate accounting of the life and times of Jesus Christ, Son of God.

Luke is our model for giving testimony about Jesus. When we tell others about Jesus, we must rely on what we personally have experienced with Him and be accurate in our testimony. After all, Jesus is the Truth, and we owe it to Him to be as Luke was, relying on the best to tell His story.

3. Is an orderly record (3-4)

Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an order account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

A lesson I was taught early in school was to tell a story in a logical order. It general, it is not a good idea to go back and forth, particularly if we are writing a history.

Luke is writing this Gospel account and the book of Acts for a person identified as Theophilus. The fact that Theophilus was identified as “most excellent” suggests that he was a person of substance in the Roman world, either a governor or upper political person. It is quite possible that Theophilus had begun to hear stories about Jesus. It is also possible that he was a new convert to the faith.

Whether Theophilus was a new convert or someone who was skeptical about the rise of Christianity, Luke wrote these two books to give a more accurate telling of Christianity. If Theophilus was a government official, he may have heard about Christianity with some alarm, fearing it may be a challenge to Roman rule. A reading of the Gospel according to Luke and the Acts tells us that Luke’s account was to show that the new faith was not a challenge to Rome, but was a result of Jesus’ and the Holy Spirit’s ministry in our world.

Being an educated person, Luke realized the best way to report the events of Jesus and His ministry was to do so in an orderly way. An orderly way can mean that Luke meant to write the Gospel in the proper sequence of events. It could also mean that he intended to write it in a way that would best explain Jesus, His teachings and His influence.

Regardless how Luke wrote his account, the intent and the result was an accurate, factual and readable telling of Jesus and the early church. Part of it can be attributed to Luke’s background, but it is also because his writing was inspired by the Holy Spirit who would bring to our remembrance the things Jesus said. This Spirit is the one who leads us into the truth. With the power of the Spirit guiding him, and with his background as a physician and as Paul’s companion, Luke wrote an account of the Gospel that would speak to the Gentile world in a way that made sense.

When we tell others about Jesus, we need to rely on the Spirit to guide us so that the listener can know with certainty the things we are telling them.

Conclusion

A good history that is well told can bring the events of that time to life. It can allow us to gain understanding and an appreciation of the people, the times and the events that made the story historical.

Luke’s account of the Gospel is a documentary about the life and ministry of Jesus. We can celebrate the birth of Christ because we have the inspired telling of Jesus’ life.