Intro to Luke and 2 Corinthians

The Gospel of Luke

 Luke is the longest of the four Gospels, and the only one with a sequel-the book of Acts. Luke, a physician, was not an eyewitness to the events surrounding Jesus but gathered reports from others to provide "an orderly account" of the events to someone named Theophilus.  (Luke 1:3)  Luke was a companion of the Apostle Paul during his missionary travels and has also been called Luke the Evangelist because of this very reason. Luke was not one of the Apostles but was likely a Greek by birth who was very well educated and (Col 4:11) who was possibly brought to faith in Christ by Paul during one of his missions

Little is known about Theophilus. We don't know if this Theophilus, which means friend of God or lover of God, was a given name or a name taken after conversion (which was a common practice). The title given to him by Luke "most excellent" indicates he held prominence and may have been a high ranking official in Roman society.

There is external and internal evidence indicating that both the Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts may have been written at the same time (61-64 A.D.). There is no mention in the Book of Acts of historical events after A.D. 62 and nothing is said of the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70   

Since Luke was a Greek it appears that he wanted the Gentile Christian’s to understand that God offers salvation to all who would trust in the Son of God. This third gospel presented the works and the teachings of Jesus Christ in a way that the non-Jew would more easily understand and this is why this gospel was not intended specifically for the Jews. It seems evident, just as in the Book of Acts, that Luke wrote this to give an historical and factual account of Jesus Christ’s ministry for Theophilus, who was likely a converted Gentile

The fact that his main interest was in the redemptive plan of salvation of what God had planned from the beginning is testimony to the fact that the audience was those who were within the Body of Christ and were Gentile by birth. The style of Luke’s writing has an apologetic nature to it with highly accurate details and genealogies that we might expect of someone of a higher, Greek up-bringing and which the Greeks of the day would better appreciate. It seems that Luke is interested in those who the world neglects, especially the Jewish religious leadership of the day. Those who were being neglected like children, women, and the poor, were an emphasis in this gospel so it would appear that his audience also included those who were disenfranchised in Judea during the 1st century.

Luke gives us the purpose in the very beginning in Luke 1:1-4.  As with Luke’s Book of Acts, one of the reasons for Luke’s writing this gospel was to stress the humanity of Christ which may be why he gave a highly accurate and vividly detailed genealogy of Jesus Christ and account of His birth. he gives us an exacting, accurate, and detailed account of Jesus’ earthly ministry and writes it in such a way as to be one of the most historically reliable accounts that stands up to ancient and modern historicity standards and scholarship.

He tells us in the very first chapter that his intention was to give a well-ordered, accurate account of the ministry of Christ and reminds his reader of this in writing “to know the certainty” of these things that he has learned (1:4)

2 Corinthians

 

Second Corinthians is a deeply personal letter--a response to the complex history between the Apostle Paul and the church he had established in Corinth.  It shares the concern, passion, intimate feelings and thoughts of an apostle who is defending his own apostleship and ministry in a church which he founded.  Various allegations against Paul are scattered throughout the letter (1:15ff; 3:1ff; 10:1ff, 13ff; 11:7ff; 12:12).

This epistle is actually Paul's fourth letter to the church in Corinth. Paul mentions his first letter in 1 Corinthians 5:9. His second letter is the book of 1 Corinthians. Three times in 2 Corinthians Paul references a third and painful letter: "For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears ..." (2 Corinthians 2:4, ESV). And finally, we have Paul's fourth letter, the book of 2 Corinthians probably written around 56-57 A.D.

As we learned in 1 Corinthians, the church in Corinth was weak, struggling with division and spiritual immaturity. Paul's authority had been undermined by an opposing teacher who was misleading and dividing with false teachings.

In an attempt to solve the turmoil, Paul traveled to Corinth, but the distressing visit only fueled the church's resistance. (2:1) When Paul returned to Ephesus he wrote again to the church, pleading with them to repent and avoid God's judgment. Later Paul received good news through Titus that many in Corinthian had indeed repented, but a small and fractious group continued to cause problems there.

From this letter we learn the need to forgive and restore those who are repentant. The need to embrace the New Covenant through the resources God gave us…The Word, the Holy Spirit, keeping our focus on things eternal (the unseen). He shows us the ministry of reconciliation and the principle of giving. He also warns us not to look at the outward appearance or credentials of our leaders but to look at their heart and match their teachings with the Word of God. Through Paul’s example of hardships, we can also endure through hardships, pain, weakness, and difficulty. Because at our weakest, God’ power is made perfect in us. (12:9-10)

Robert Prater