Luke wrote 28% of the New Testament, including its longest book, the Gospel of Luke. But not a whole lot is written about Luke himself. His name appears only three times in the New Testament (Col. 4:14; Philemon 24; 2 Timothy 4:11). From these few references we can glean that Luke was a doctor, a Gentile Christian, and a companion of Paul who was passionate about spreading the gospel.
But so much more can be said, and ought to be said, about Luke. In his book Thirty Years That Changed the World, Michael Green shares eight traits of the man Luke that we should all seek to emulate. I'll share the first four traits today:
1. His humility
"It is perfectly astonishing that this gifted man, responsible for two of the most exciting books in the world, should have been content to say nothing at all about himself." The closest Luke ever comes to mentioning himself is in the "we passages" of Acts. Where was Luke the rest of the time? "He was quietly beavering away in Philippi, building up the church there from a handful of ex-mediums, jailers and business people into the church to which Paul could write the Epistle to the Philippians. Who had been responsible for the build up of this church? Who lies behind its [elders] and deacons, its love and joy and generosity? Probably none other than Luke. And he does not say a word about it! To me that is truly Christlike humility" (Green, 28-29). Indeed!
2. His professionalism
Luke was a doctor. That was his profession. But he didn't let his job get in the way of serving Jesus. Luke was "willing to sacrifice his professional prospects to go where he felt God was calling him, and to stay loyal to a friend who needed him." Thus Luke was a doctor who ministered not only to people's physical needs, but also to their spiritual needs. Says Green, "I known of a leading psychiatrist who thinks it a bad week if he does not help two or three of his patients to Christ. Many would throw up their hands at such an idea. But why? Surely the task of the physician is to help people to wholeness and health. If it is perfectly plain to the doctor that the patient's real trouble is spiritual, and if he is equipped to deal with it, why on earth should he not do so? And if you tell me that matters of private conviction should not be brought into the market place, I have to reply that such a disjunction dates only back to the Enlightenment and has proved disastrous for our society.... It seems to me both proper and admirable for [medical professionals] to use their best insights, not excluding the spiritual, for the good of their patients.... Christians work not only to make money and do a useful job, but to be ambassadors of Jesus Christ. And until that happens on a large scale we shall not see a transformation of society such as was so evident in the first and second centuries. Luke quietly shows us the way."
3. His writing
Luke was an educated man who, in addition to his medical expertise, possessed marvelous research and writing skills. "But the interesting thing is that in the midst of a busy life this man used his opportunities for research, limited though they were, with diligence. And at the same time he seems to have stayed fresh for Christ. Library work often dulls zeal. You can just watch the enthusiasm for Christ, so marked in freshmen at a Christian teaching institution, drop away as they dive into a world of books and libraries, research and essays. Just a few manage to retain that spiritual vitality throughout. Luke was noteworthy for it."
4. His missionary concern
"He cannot keep quiet about the gospel. He is always talking about it, and always doing it. He seems to be utterly committed to Christian mission. He has more to say about salvation in his two books than has the whole of the rest of the New Testament put together. He is constantly stressing repentance, faith, baptism, and outreach to every kind of person in ever-widening circles. ... His pen, his tongue, and his career are at the service of the gospel."
May the same be said of us! We'll look at the last four traits of Luke next week.