Focal Passage: Luke 3:1-6; 4:14-21
Luke was not born a Jew. In fact, he was born a Greek. Some have suggested he may have been a Hellenized Jew, but nonetheless still very much a Gentile before becoming a Christian in 51 A.D. He was born in the city of Antioch in Syria.
Luke was deeply influenced by Greek culture and the search for knowledge and understanding. Thus, he was a very educated man particularly in the area of the human anatomy and became a physician by trade. Because of his education and culture, he realized the need to look closely at the details if you are to fully understand the circumstances, significance, and meaning of what was, is, and going to happen. To Luke, things had to be looked at in context if you are going to see truth.
Nothing ever happens in a vacuum. Luke knew if Theophilus, the one whom he was writing to, was going to see the truth about Jesus and His message, he had to see it in context. Not only in a historical perspective, but in a political and spiritual perspective as well. How God’s plan played out in the details on a worldview. And how those details were precisely positioned at just the right time by God for the Messiah’s mission.
Nimmo
In Luke 3:1-6, Luke sets the context in which Jesus’ mission would be carried out. It was the lay of the land in a political and spiritual sense. All these names and figures we will very much see later on in the story. But here, Luke is setting the stage where this story would play out. He is identifying the pieces, places and several people which would all come together when the truth is revealed therefore making perfect sense.
One of the key introductions Luke gives us in this passage is John the Baptist. John was Jesus’ cousin. Jesus and John shared a common mission although they had very different roles to play.
It was not uncommon for kings and high figures to send an emissary or dignitary ahead to a city they planned to visit. Their purpose, or mission, was to prepare that city for the king’s arrival and to make sure the way is clear. Indeed, this was John’s mission. John was to prepare the people’s heart for the message Jesus was bringing.
As we turn our attention to Luke 4:14-21, we see Jesus introducing Himself as Messiah and the Good News He was bringing with Him. I found it particularly interesting that He did so in the city He grew up in.
When I accepted the call to preach from the Lord, one of my greatest joys was returning to the church I grew up in and standing in the pulpit and delivering God’s message that He had laid on my heart. I believe Jesus felt the same way. He wanted them to be one of the first to know who He was, what He had come to do, and what it meant to them.
Unfortunately, His message was not well received as we later find out. But now His mission was clearly understood and His message made known. B&R — Nimmo, who lives in Goodlettsville, is available for supply preaching and interims.
