A BOOK FOR GOD’S FRIENDS
Luke is warmly mentioned in the New Testament as a loyal companion of Paul’s, Luke the beloved physician” (Col 4v14). In verse 3 Luke mentions that he was writing an orderly account for the “most excellent Theophilus”. It is interesting, and probably significant, that Theophilus means “friend of God”, for surely, this is a book for God’s friends. Jesus became a human being, like us but truly perfect, and the miracle is that, through what Jesus has done, ordinary people like us can become God’s friends.

HUMAN CHILD BUT SPECIAL
So it is not surprising that Luke starts with the humanity of, first, John the Baptist (starting 1v5), and then Jesus (starting 1v26). They were born to godly parents, but human beings all the same, and certainly, in the case of Jesus, a poor family. This was a time of angelic visitation, bringing news that the heavenly king had come down to earth. God’s very own presence was now alongside the people He had made.

One theme throughout Luke is that, in the weakness of our humanity, we need the closeness of a prayerful relationship with the Father. The angel Gabriel stood near the altar of incense, a place symbolic of our prayers to God, and told Zechariah that his prayer had been heard (v13). More than that, his child John would be special and great in the sight of the Lord (v15); from birth he would be filled with the Holy Spirit and would turn hearts to make a people prepared for the Lord (v17).

GOD SHOWING FAVOUR AND COMING TO EARTH
Praise is the appropriate response to the intervention of God in our lives and we can join Elizabeth to say (v25) “he looked favourably upon me and took away the disgrace.” In the same way Mary was the “favoured one” (v28) because the Lord was with her. The Lord of the universe had come down to earth and Mary was the chosen vessel. He would be called “Son of the Most High” (v32) and would have an everlasting kingdom (v33).  All this would be made possible by the Holy Spirit overshadowing her (v35). This child would be special, “holy” and called the Son of God.

TO PEOPLE WHO WERE AVAILABLE
These people were ordinary but extraordinary things were going to happen to them because (v37) “nothing will be impossible with God”. Mary is always an example to us because she made herself available as a servant for the purposes of God (v38). She was full of praise as she magnified the Lord and her spirit rejoiced in her Saviour (v46,47). In her song, she recognised that it is the poor and hungry not the rich, proud and powerful who will respond to Him (v51-­53). This was a king who had come to save ordinary people. Zechariah (v69) also prophesied that he would be a mighty Saviour bringing a salvation through forgiveness of sins (v77).

TO ORDINARY PEOPLE
It is Luke who gives us the humanity around the birth (ch2). The circumstances of the census, the swaddling clothes and the manger because there was no place for them in the inn. Whereas Matthew emphasised the visit of the Magi and the machinations of Herod, Luke focused on the poor shepherds watching their flock by night. This was a Saviour who would not reject the poor and despised and when the shepherd’s saw Jesus they glorified and praised God. The angels filled the sky praising God and those who desired and looked for the Messiah, Simeon and Anna, were also to break out in praise.

Luke is the only gospel where we read about Jesus as a 12 year old for, let us not forget, he was a boy who grew up.  Jesus was a human being and in 2v52 we read that he had a special wisdom and increased in human and divine favour. Because he shared our humanity Jesus needed a close prayer life with the Father. At his baptism he came down to the level of the people and afterwards, while He was praying (3v21), the Holy Spirit descended upon him. He was human with human ancestry; notice even his family tree traced Mary’s line, not from Abraham the father of the Jews, but Adam the once perfect man. We read about His human relatives (3v23) and also His human needs; in 4v2 we read that, after fasting 40 days, Jesus was “famished”.

MINISTRY FOR THE POOR
In chapter 4v16 Jesus came to Nazareth and read from Isaiah “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor.”  His anointing was to bring a deliverance message to those ordinary people who recognised their own poverty and need. He was a person but all were amazed at the “gracious words that came from him his mouth.”(v22)  People were “astounded” at his teaching  because he “spoke with authority” (v32), commanded evil spirits to come out (v36) and healed people (v40).

TO CALL SINNERS
When Simon Peter the fisherman saw the miracle of fish he said, (5v8), “go away from me, Lord for I am sinful man”. But it was sinners, or rather those who recognised they were sinners, that Jesus came to save and Peter was asked to follow Him and catch people rather than fish. One day, while he was teaching, a paralysed man was dropped through the roof and it is interesting to see how Jesus used the healing to convince them of His authority to forgive sins (v23, 24). This is the message of Luke (v32) “I have come to call not the righteous but sinners to repentance”. This is a gospel of hope for ordinary human sinners.

HE NEEDED PRAYER
Jesus set a pattern for us in His dependence on the Father (6v12): “now during those days He went out to the mountain to pray and He spent the night in prayer to God”. In His humanity he needed prayer, he needed that close relationship with the Father. In this case, before making the choice of His disciples.

WE NEED TO LOVE FROM THE HEART
Jesus, in the sermon on the mount, continues with His message “blessed are you who are poor” (6v20) and how the message of love from the heart should affect the lives of those around us, even our enemies. We should be kind and merciful to people, just like our heavenly Father is (v36) and live a life of forgiving and giving (v37, 38). In verse 45 we find that wonderful verse about how a good person out of the good treasure of the heart produces good.

Jesus spoke in words (chapter 7) that even the Roman centurion could understand; indeed he was the one who had such a revelation of the importance of faith that Jesus was clearly impressed (v9). In this chapter we also read of a woman in the city, who was a sinner, coming to Jesus and anointing his feet with tears and oil. She, recognising her sin and need, came in great love to Jesus and He said to her (47, 48) “your sins are forgiven”.

Jesus had ordinary needs which were supplied by the giving of others (8v3) who included, amazingly, even Joanna, wife of King Herod’s steward Chuza. Many of these supporters were those who had been cured of evil spirits or sickness. Jesus was part of a human family with brothers and sisters (v20) but He, carefully, explained how those who hear His word and do it were those who were His true mother and brothers.

HIS FOLLOWERS WOULD DENY THEMSELVES
We do not need anything to do God’s work. The 12 (9v3) were sent out and told to take nothing for the journey, no staff, bread, bag or money. They were to go in power and God himself was their only provision. Jesus demonstrated his ability to supply with the miracle of the feeding of the 5000 (v12). All Jesus needed was for his people to live and die for him (v23, 24). He said that if any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. For those who want to save their live will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. This is no more or less than Jesus was going to do for us, for the previous verse had predicted his own suffering death.

HIS COMPASSION FOR OUR BROKENNESS
A large part of the gospel is loving your neighbour as yourself (10v27) and the compassion of our Lord toward human brokenness shines out through Luke. John had told people to share their second coats and tax collectors to only collect what they were entitled to. Jesus had great compassion for the widow of Nain (7v11) and Luke is the only book that sets forward the example of the good Samaritan (10v30) who, you remember, reached out in compassionate love. It is interesting that, straight afterwards, we read about Mary and Martha (v38). Our lives should result in practical, compassionate love, like Martha, but never forget Mary’s special “better” part to sit at the Lord’s feet (v42).  in contrast, the Pharisees were criticised for neglecting justice and the love of God (11v42).

GOD PROVIDES FOR OUR NEEDS
As we have emphasised, in our humanity we need prayer and Jesus teaches on prayer in chapter 11 and how we should ask because we have a Father who wants to give good gifts to his children, especially his wonderful gift of the Holy Spirit (v13). God does not forget the sparrow (12v6, 7) and the way he values us is demonstrated by the fact that he even knows the number of hairs on our head.

Even in times of our persecution God is very much with us and, in our desperation, gives us the words to say by his Holy Spirit (v12).

On the other hand there is nothing secret that can be hidden from the Lord (12v2) and we should be on the lookout for all kinds of greed in our lives, like the rich man who pulled down his barns to build larger ones (v16-20). We need to be rich towards God rather than store up treasures for ourselves (v21). Jesus tells us not to strive like most people and worry for our daily needs because we have a heavenly Father who knows we need them (v30). “Do not be afraid little flock for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (v32). How do we respond to his encouragement to sell our possessions and give to the poor (v33). Our heart is where our treasure is (v34) and later in Luke (16v13) we read that you cannot serve God and mammon.

HE MOVES TOWARDS PEOPLE
Jesus did not stay in one place (13v22) “He went through one town and village after another.” He moved towards people and in His compassion, he helped those who responded to Him. Many rejected Him and He said of Jerusalem how often He had desired to gather her children like a chicken gathers her chicks under her wing but she was not willing (v34).

GOSPEL FOR THE POOR
What is it about helping the poor that is so powerful; look at 14v12-14. You will be blessed because they cannot repay you. Jesus puts forward a gospel for the poor but what we see from the prodigal son in chapter 15 is that we all need to be poor in one sense. For with the younger son, it was only in his poverty that he appreciated what his father had to offer (15v17) and notice also that, once again, the Father came to him when he knew he was in a place to return. Then there was the poor man, Lazarus, who was blessed, rather than the rich man who fed sumptuously every day (16v19) but ended up in torment.

Ten lepers were made clean (17v12) but what was it that separated the Samaritan from the others? It was how he responded to God’s touch upon his life for he praised God with a loud voice, prostrated  before Him and thanked Him (v15, 16). How can God resist the cries of his people (18v7)?

Notice the sadness of the rich young ruler who was willing to do anything apart from becoming poor for Christ’s sake. We should be willing to give away houses and leave family for His sake (v29). On another occasion (ch19) Jesus took the initiative and came to Zacchaeus, who, in his turn, was ready to be found by Him. Jesus invited himself to tea but Zacchaeus was available to welcome Him and become poor for Him.

We should always be ready to praise, as His disciples did during His triumphant donkey ride into Jerusalem (19v37). Soon afterwards, we also read about prayer because the temple was meant to be a house of prayer (v46). Praise and prayer are never far apart.

The Pharisees were proud and had a religion which exploited others and the Lord was scathing about them (20v46). He was, mightily, impressed by the poor widow who threw her last two coins into the temple treasury because (21v4) she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had to live on.

A SERVANT KINGDOM
We have the precious intimacy of the Passover meal but, sadly, despite all His teaching, we find that Judas betrayed Jesus for money and his disciples disputed amongst themselves as to which of them was the greatest (22v24). Jesus said to them (v26) that the greatest among them should become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves… but I am among you as one who serves.” if Jesus could be the servant then so more us. Don’t forget though that we are kingdom people (v29) for the Father has conferred on us His kingdom.

Jesus knew humanity, and recognises our humanity, so he prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail (v32). In Gethsemane, Jesus in his humanity needed an angel to strengthen Him and He sweated great drops of blood (v43,44). It is with the intimacy of a kiss that Judas betrayed Him and, in contrast, Jesus with great compassion healed the slaves ear which Peter had cut off (22v51). Jesus was so weak from his abuse that they had to conscript Simon of Cyrene into carrying his cross (23v26). Even then, he reached out in compassion to the daughters of Jerusalem (v28) and prayed forgiveness for his crucifyers (v34) and the dying thief who recognised his own sin (v43).

HIS PRESENCE AND THE RESULTING PRAISE
In his resurrection body Jesus came near to the two walking to Emmaus (24v15); remember He is usually moving towards us. Soon after, was the time when He showed them His pierced hands and feet. They would not be alone for long because He comforted them with the promise that they would soon be clothed with power from on high (v49).

Although, in one sense, Jesus ascending to heaven should have been sad. His people, rightly, responded in praise for we are told there was great joy as they continually blessed God. The final words in Luke are praise; a fitting end to a book which tells us of so great a love.