What Is the Gospel of Luke?
The Gospel of Luke is the third Gospel and the longest book in the New Testament, written as the first half of a two-part work continued in the Acts of the Apostles. Addressed to "most excellent Theophilus," Luke states his method directly in his opening verses: an orderly account compiled from eyewitness testimony, intended to give his reader certainty concerning matters already taught to him.
Luke's Gospel carries a marked emphasis on social reversal – Mary's Magnificat (1:46–55) declares that the proud are scattered and the mighty put down while the humble are exalted; the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, unique to Luke, stages the reversal in narrative form; the birth narrative places the announcement of Christ's birth first to shepherds rather than to any figure of social standing.
Luke belongs in this archive as the Gospel that states most directly the reversal pattern several archive entries examine from a secular angle – Ellison's invisible narrator, Gilman's confined narrator, every figure in this archive denied standing by an authority that claims to define their worth. Luke's Magnificat names the reversal as already accomplished in the child about to be born, rather than as a hope deferred to an unspecified future.
Central Verses
“He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.”
– Luke 1:52“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
– Luke 19:10“It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order.”
– Luke 1:3Major Sections
- Luke 1–2 – Infancy narratives and the Magnificat
- Luke 3–9 – Galilean ministry
- Luke 9:51–19:27 – The journey to Jerusalem
- Luke 19–24 – Passion, crucifixion, resurrection
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