Who was Luke?

by Matt Privett

In Psalm 138:2 we get one of the greatest declarations of the nature of Scripture when David says, “You have magnified Your word according to all Your name.” That means God gives His own word an exalted place among His people that is fitting when you consider all God is — supreme, authoritative, and good. Since God is eternal, this truth is necessarily eternal; thus, the primacy of the word of God must always be reality among us. Therefore, if God has seen fit to reveal Himself to us through the written word, and He has, we must be passionate students of the Scriptures.

Scripture finds its primacy in its origin, its inspiration. “All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16.” This is God’s actual word with which we have to contend.

That is not to say Scripture doesn’t have a human element. When we say Paul wrote Romans or Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible we mean it. And we mean it when we say Luke wrote Luke. Peter stated, “Know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes by one’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever made by the will of man, but men being moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Pet 1:20–21). Men were moved by God, so the sixty-six books of the Old and New Testaments are inspired, God-breathed, yet with human personalities God used to communication with and to His people.

That being the case, as this study of the Gospel of Luke has begun, it is worth our time to consider who Luke was and how God used his human personality to show us “the certainty about the things” we have been taught (Luke 1:4).

In God’s grand design He did not have every word of His word penned by those one might label “the Mount Rushmore of the Bible.” Sometimes God moved rather obscure, ordinary people like Luke to pen His exact truth. That should be an encouragement to the everyday student of God’s word (i.e., people like you and me), because it shows us a truth expressed elsewhere in Scripture; namely, that God uses all types of people to accomplish His good pleasure. Therefore, as we take a closer look at Luke, the man through whom the Holy Spirit wrote the book bearing his name, it is the hope of this author that the reader might be sanctified by God’s supreme, authoritative, good, and sanctifying word.

Luke never identifies himself as the author, but his attribution to this book has been held in church tradition and never really challenged. There is no serious reason this author is aware of to challenge it, and it’s our belief this is the case and there is good reason for it. So while Luke never mentions his own name, there are three places elsewhere in the New Testament his name is mentioned. In each we learn something about the man God uniquely used to pen the account of the expansion of the kingdom of God.

LUKE, THE BELOVED PHYSICIAN

Luke the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas. (Col 4:14, LSB)

Those words from Paul came as the apostle was sending greetings and messages, mentioning several names at the conclusion of his letter. Sometimes we read these types of passages in fast-forward and don’t give them much thought, but since all Scripture is profitable, it’s important for us to look at because we get information about Luke here that is found nowhere else.

The reader of Colossians gets the impression Luke, like Paul, knew the people to whom Paul was writing. We’ll see how and why that was the case below; but first, it is worth remembering the setting for the letter to Colossae was Paul’s imprisonment. At the end of Acts 28, a book Luke also penned, the apostle had arrived at Rome and was under house arrest, staying in his own rented quarters and preaching the kingdom of God and teaching concerning the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is the environment in which Colossians was written. Ephesians, in which Paul describes himself as a “prisoner of the Lord,” was written at the same time. Philippians, too. He makes note of his imprisonment there. Paul was under Roman guard, in about the year 61, but he was not lonely.

Luke is one of several people Paul makes mention of in the last few verses of Colossians, and he calls him “the beloved physician.” 

That term, beloved, is not exclusively applied to Luke in Colossians. Tychichus is beloved, as is Onesimus (the runaway slave of Philemon). In fact, the reader learns why Onesimus was beloved in the eyes of Paul in that letter to Philemon, also written during this imprisonment. Onesimus, a runaway slave, had been saved by Jesus under the ministry of Paul, and had since proven to be of great ministerial value to Paul. Onesimus, then, was beloved because of what he personally meant to the apostle Paul during that trying time in his life.

Likewise, it also seems clear Luke was beloved because of what he personally meant to Paul, not just during that imprisonment, but for some time in the past. How Paul and Luke met and how their relationship developed will be touched on below, but suffice it to say they knew each other well and it is clear that Luke provided a ministry to Paul which meant a great deal to him personally. They were brothers in Christ and friends. Paul loved him very much.

Just what ministry Luke provided to Paul is a good question. The reader isn’t given a clear cut answer. Luke probably actually did a lot for the apostle Paul, but it’s noteworthy that the apostle, here in Colossians 4:14, especially mentions that Luke was the beloved physician.

Paul’s many travels, and trials during those travels, would have made it possible, and even likely, that he needed the assistance of a doctor. Some have speculated that when Paul refers to asking God to remove a “thorn in his flesh” in 2 Corinthians 12, he’s speaking about a physical ailment. Some have even postulated that Paul was blind, or at least had some condition that seriously impaired his sight. In Galatians 6:11 Paul speaks of having to write in “large letters.”

Was Paul referring to blindness or even something physical when he talked about a thorn in the flesh? This author tends to think not. Paul also referred to that thorn as a “messenger of Satan.” Regardless, it’s not hard to see why Paul would’ve greatly valued the ministry of a beloved physician. Paul is traditionally described as a man small in stature. The name “Paul” even means “small.” Add to that his testimony in 2 Corinthians 11 of repeated imprisonments, being lashed thirty-nine times on five occasions, beaten with rods, stoned, and all kinds of others things... well, having a doctor by your side would not be a bad thing at all. 

It is no wonder Paul would consider Luke the beloved physician. Yet, make no mistake about it, it was their common faith in Christ which knit them together. And it’s likely that Paul, who is called the “apostle to the Gentiles,” had something to do with Luke coming to faith in Jesus.

Luke being a Gentile is not specifically spelled out in Scripture, but here in Colossians, beginning in 4:7 Paul begins to mention people. In verse 10 he singles out Aristarchus, Mark, and Jesus (also called Justus) as the only fellow workers for the kingdom of God from the circumcision. That is to say, they were the only Jews who were working with him at that time. Luke is then mentioned after that, a few verses later, indicating he may have been a Gentile who had believed Paul’s teaching that Jesus is the Christ and come into the kingdom that way.

This shows in the Gospel of Luke, and also the book of Acts, which again, Luke wrote as well. The Gospels are all very Jewish, to be sure, but Luke in particular carries an emphasis of Gentiles being included in the kingdom of God. This will be fleshed out in much more detail as the study continues. Luke, like Matthew, provides us with a genealogy of Jesus, but Matthew goes back to Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation. Luke goes all the way back to Adam, as if to show his readers that Jesus is the Savior not just of Jews, but of Gentiles also — all mankind. And Luke alone records Jesus’ infant encounter with Simeon, who prophesies that Jesus would be “a light of revelation to the Gentiles.” 

In the book of Acts this is emphasized as well, particularly in Acts 13, where the Jews accused Paul and Barnabas of blasphemy. They turn to the Gentiles, who in turn rejoice and glorify the word of the Lord, and, verse 48 says, “as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” Luke, in his Gospel and in Acts, is all about laying out the exact truth about Jesus, showing that He is Lord of all, so salvation can go to all. 

Much is made of Paul’s close relationship to Timothy, and rightly so. Paul also had a tight relationship with Titus. We need to make room for Luke, too, however. It would appear God plucked from obscurity this young doctor, placed him in contact with the apostle Paul, and providentially put them in relationship with one another so that they loved one another as brothers in Christ, ministered to one another, and then God used Luke, like He also did Paul, to write His own words to His people. Luke was the beloved Gentile physician.

LUKE, THE HUMBLE MISSIONARY WORKER

Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers. (Phmn 23–24, LSB)

Philemon was written about the same time as Colossians, Philemon being a part of that believing assembly in Colossae. Paul opens the letter describing himself as “a prisoner of Christ Jesus,” and the letter refers to a situation regarding Philemon’s runaway slave, Onesimus, who we saw Paul refer to in Colossians. At the end of this short letter we find another brief reference to Luke.

Luke is thrown in with others - Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, and Demas. They were Paul’s fellow workers, which indicates that all of them, in one sense or another, had been or were still with Paul there in Rome around the year 61 while he was under this house arrest. So the question becomes... How did Luke get to be with Paul in Rome at this particular time?

As Acts 16 begins the reader finds Paul coming into contact with Timothy for the first time. Then, in verse eight Paul and his companions were traveling during what is known as Paul’s second missionary journey. Consider verses 8–10:

and passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing and appealing to him, and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us. And when he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to proclaim the gospel to them. (Acts 16:8–10, LSB)

Did you catch that? The pronouns change. In verse eight Luke writes, “THEY passed through...” But in verse ten, after Paul gets this vision in verse nine to go to Macedonia, Luke writes, “Immediately WE sought to go into Macedonia.” The storyteller goes from saying “They” to “We.” That is because it’s in that moment Luke becomes a nameless, faceless part of the story. He joins the cast of characters, becoming one of Paul’s companions there at Troas. Continuing in verse 11…

So setting sail from Troas, we ran a straight course to Samothrace, and on the day following to Neapolis; and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia, a Roman colony; and we were staying in this city for some days. And on the Sabbath day we went outside the gate to a riverside, where we were supposing that there would be a place of prayer; and sitting down, we began speaking to the women who had assembled. (Acts 16:11–13, LSB)

Luke had become a fellow worker, a fellow missionary, evangelist, and proclaimer of the kingdom of God. 

It’s noteworthy from a standpoint of practical application here that, though Luke had become part of the story, he didn’t in the least make himself the story. Luke doesn’t mention his own name, but only subtly shows he was now an eyewitness and a participant in the events. In that sense each believer needs to remember that our identity in this age is not about us, but in Christ.

Our salvation isn’t about what we have done to get to God, but about what God has done to get to us in and through Christ. Our mission isn’t about what we need to do, it’s about who we need to exalt — Christ. In being part of Christ’s story, a participant in the events of His saving sinners, believers in this age must make sure they are not preaching themselves, but Christ. 

Luke got all the way to Rome with Paul. God providentially kept Luke with the apostle to the Gentiles for the rest of Acts so that Luke could chronicle what the Holy Spirit desired and inspired.  Acts 16 isn’t the only place with the pronoun we. It’s also found it in Acts 20:5-15. By now Paul had been several places... to Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, back to Antioch. Then Paul began a third missionary journey, spending a lot of time in Ephesus. Luke records these events like an eyewitness, in my opinion, and by the time the reader gets to chapter twenty it’s clear he’s with Paul. In verse five he speaks of sailing with Paul from Philippi and going again to Troas, then to Miletus and other places until finally they got back to Ephesus. And that’s where Paul gave his memorable farewell to the elders in Ephesus before setting forth for Jerusalem, where it was prophesied he would be arrested.

Luke was with Paul for that journey, recorded in chapter 21, again using the pronoun we to describe the journey... “When we had parted from them and had set sail, we ran a straight course...” He gives details of the journey and who they stayed with. Luke is never at the forefront of these events, but he is there and he is a part of them. — with Paul all of this time. Luke stayed with Paul even after he was arrested in Jerusalem and was being sent to Rome. In chapter 27 Luke records their setting sail for Italy, and eventually being with Paul when they were shipwrecked. In chapter 28 Luke is still with Paul in verse 16 as he entered Rome as was allowed to stay by himself with the soldier guarding him.

Thus, the biblical evidence seems to be that from the time Paul received that Macedonian vision in chapter sixteen, to the end of Acts 28 when Paul was under house arrest in Rome, Luke was with him the whole way, being a fellow missionary worker. He wasn’t the only one, but he was there, doing the work of the Lord alongside His apostle. Luke’s life was consumed with preaching Christ to others, and assisting Paul in his preaching Christ to others, and Luke does all of this almost anonymously, a testimony to his humility and his selfless giving of himself to the purpose of exalting the name and gospel of the kingdom.

LUKE, FAITHFUL TO THE END

Only Luke is with me. (2 Tim 4:11, LSB)

Notice the common thread in previously discussed passages. In Colossians 4:14 we read, “Luke, the beloved physician, sends you his greetings, and also Demas.” And in Philemon 23-24 we read, “Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, as do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, Luke, my fellow workers.” The common link here is Demas. Consider the previous verse:

for Demas, having loved this present age, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica; Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia. (2 Tim 4:10, LSB)

Titus went to Dalmatia, Crescens to Galatia, but Demas... Paul says Demas deserted him and went to Thessalonica because he loved this present world. Second Timothy, like Colossians and Philemon, was written while Paul was imprisoned. But this time, six years later, was different. Paul was already being poured out like a drink offering. He knew he was about to die for his faith in Jesus Christ. He had fought the good fight, finished the course, and kept the faith. 

Paul had come to a point where he was looking at his earthly life in the past tense and looking forward to the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, would award to him. From an earthly perspective things were very grim for the apostle Paul. He knew this imprisonment would end in his physical death.

Demas had abandoned him. With him before... with him when things were sunnier... with him when things weren’t quite so difficult, Demas was now gone, having loved this present world. 

Demas loved the world, proving that the love of the Father, the love of God, was not in him, was not real to him (cf. 1 John 2:15–17). “They went out from us,” John wrote, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19). Demas went out because, while he was with Paul for a time, he wasn’t really with him. Demas tasted the heavenly gift but departed (Heb 6:4–6). Inevitably, Demas decided the world, which is passing away, and also its lust, was a greater thing to desire than the love of God.

With Titus doing ministry elsewhere and Crescens doing ministry elsewhere and Timothy, the recipient of this letter, doing ministry elsewhere, in Ephesus, Paul was facing the end of his earthly life alone. Well, almost alone.

"Only Luke is with me,” Paul wrote in verse 11. Paul wasn’t accusing Titus or Crescens of deserting him (only Demas fit that description), but he did make a point of saying Luke stuck with him. Although he was close to his earthly end, Paul made it clear Luke, who was probably putting himself at risk by doing it, was sticking with Paul. Only Luke was with him. Luke was faithful to the end.

Paul’s few words here in verse 11 show Luke practiced that which he wrote. He wanted Theophilus to know for certain the exact truth about the things he had been taught. By the grace of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, Luke was faithful to the end with regards to that exact truth.

Paul would, indeed, die. Church history tells us that around the year 67 he was beheaded in Rome for his faith in Jesus Christ, so for what was probably a period of about 15 to 16 years, Luke was with Paul, almost all if not all the time.

He was a beloved Gentile physician. He was a humble missionary worker. And he was faithful to the end. Ancient writings, including a second century prologue someone wrote to the Gospel of Luke, indicates Luke died around the year 84 in Boeotia, an area in the middle of Greece where Thebes is. 

Now, in this study of the Gospel Luke wrote, under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, there is a lot in his anonymous conduct believers in this age can emulate. Luke wasn’t a superstar of the faith in the way we think of Paul or Peter or John or one of the Old Testament faithful like Moses or David. He was just there. For Paul, he was always there, always serving, always faithful, always doing what it took to bring glory to God through the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and through writing the exact truth. Luke stands as an understated example of what all those in Christ need to be. 

Luke would’ve been nothing with the One he wrote about. Though a record of his conversion is not preserved, the little we do know about him shows Luke, though not an eyewitness, knew Jesus and trusted everything to Him. Nothing else explains why he would’ve lived the way he lived. Nothing else explains his fidelity to Paul and his faithfulness in the mission. God changed Luke’s life through His Son Jesus Christ.