The Bible Year

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 9, 1916

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 93, No. 56.

Read the full edition

Assignment for November 12 to 18

November 12: Luke 9, 10.

November 13: Luke 11, 12.

November 14: Luke 13, 14.

November 15: Luke 15, 16.

November 16: Luke 17, 18.

November 17: Luke 19, 20.

November 18: Luke 21, 22.

You Have Time

Compare Luke’s Gospel with that of Matthew, noting differences.

Write a list of the miracles and parables mentioned in each Gospel.

Make a list of references to proper Sabbath observance.

The Life of Jesus

“It pleased God to have the earthly history of our divine Redeemer written by four different men, two of whom belonged to the inner circle of companionship of our Lord, Matthew and John, who were numbered among the chosen twelve; and two of them, Mark and Luke, were ardent believers, though not numbered among the twelve apostles. Thus we have two witnesses from within and two from without that distinguished band, all bearing united testimony to the same great facts concerning our Lord.” — Starr.

Luke and His Gospel

Of the personal history of Luke very little is known. He is thought to have been a native of Antioch, a Jewish proselyte, and by profession a physician. By Paul he is called “the beloved physician,” and we know that he was the friend and companion of the great apostle to the Gentiles. Luke’s own writings contain “the least possible reference to himself, yet we cannot doubt that he was eminently useful to the early church by his learning, judgment, fidelity, and even his medical skill.” The “most excellent Theophilus” to whom Luke inscribes his Gospel, is supposed to have been “a Gentile of rank and consideration, who came early under the influence of St. Luke or under

that of St. Paul at Rome, and was converted to the Christian faith.”

“Luke commences his Gospel in classical style, and then describes the narrative of Christ’s birth and the circumstances connected therewith, the particulars of the infancy and youth of our Lord, the preaching of John the Baptist, and the baptism of Christ. He next recounts the discourses, miracles, and actions of the Saviour during the whole of his ministry; and he gives a full account of the last journey to Jerusalem, included in which are all the particulars connected with the passion, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

“The style of Luke’s Gospel is elegant and finished, more complex in structure and varied in character than Matthew’s or Mark’s, possessing many peculiarities in diction, and containing comparatively few quotations from the Old Testament. The chief characteristic in this Gospel is its universality; the message delivered by Luke is not so much for Gentile or Jew as for man generally, and hence he dwells much on the tender solicitude of our Lord for the outcast and the lost. Note especially the many instances of contrasts occurring, the accurate and distinguishing use of medical terms, the beautiful hymns of praise and adoration recorded, the important parable of the prodigal son, the prophetic discourses concerning the overthrow of Jerusalem and the second advent, and the description of our Lord’s ascension into heaven.”