The Bible Course预览

Messiah and the Gospels – Jesus enters the story

Reflect:

What memories do you have of studying literature in school? The best books leave you feeling something or considering a change of perspective. That doesn’t happen unintentionally. Authors write with a purpose and carefully craft their words to achieve it. The Gospel writers are no different; they write with intention.

What do we learn about Luke’s purpose in writing?

One of the most frequently asked questions about the Bible concerns its reliability.

After all, sensational stories sell books, but are they based on facts? Are the accounts of Jesus’ life trustworthy?

Luke’s Gospel is one of the earliest accounts of Jesus’ life. He starts by telling us how and why he wrote. There’s nothing cryptic about this preface!

Luke wanted to capture the authentic testimonies he heard on paper so that Theophilus could have ‘certainty of the things’ he’d been taught. He wanted Theophilus (whom we know little about, but his name means ‘friend of God’) to have confidence that Jesus really is who he claimed to be. Luke set out the story of Jesus’s life to answer people’s doubts, showing how he fulfils the story of God, Israel, and indeed the whole world!

Luke’s ‘method’ will satisfy many readers. He was a doctor, so he knew the importance of taking care and being orderly. Read his work and you’ll see that he consulted primary sources, and records history, not hearsay.

Unlike most biographies, the Gospels only briefly mention Jesus’ first 30 years. Instead, they focus on his final three years of ministry, and particularly his final week, as if to say, ‘This is not a typical end – his death is the climax of his life!’

The Gospels are no ordinary biographies, because Jesus is no ordinary man. He’s God entering his own story and walking onto the stage of human history. So, the clear intention of the Gospel writers wasn’t just to record a great life from the past, but to call people, both then and now, to put their faith in Jesus.

After reading the Gospels, we must face the most important questions of all: do we believe Jesus is who claimed to be – the Son of God? And, will we make him our Lord and Saviour?

Respond

Are you struggling for certainty today? Who can you be honest with and together work through your doubts today?