Jesus and the Apostles

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles:
Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John,
Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas,
James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Luke 6v12-16 [TNIV]

Whenever there is a list of names like this, it is too easy to skim over it. Names, boring, move on! But behind every name is a story. Names become very, very, very interesting when you get to know the story that goes along with it. This list of names includes some very interesting stories - and Luke intends for us to be inspired by them.

At this point in the gospel, we've already been introduced to the first four apostles: Simon, Andrew, James and John. Two sets of brothers who were in business together as part of the fishing industry. We've also been introduced to Matthew (who's Jewish name is Levi). Very interesting stories so far - and one of the implications we ought to have caught by now is this: we're a lot like the apostles that Jesus chose.

Jesus didn't choose the apostles because there was something that set them apart from the other disciples who followed Jesus. In fact, we don't know the reasons for why Jesus chose them; but we do know from the stories that they were ordinary people like you and me. As you read through the text, did you notice that there must have been many disciples that Jesus considered to be his apostles? We don't know how many disciples he had, but we know that from them he picked twelve to be apostles.

Disciple is a Greek word that basically translates to "student"; Apostle is a Greek word that basically translates as "sent ones". Jesus intends for all of his disciples to become apostles. We see this in Luke 9 when Jesus sends the Twelve out to do Jesus-work: heal and proclaim, cast out demons and teach. The Twelve are sent out - that's what they were called to do: be sent. Next, in Luke 10, Jesus sends out the Seventy-Two, disciples paired up two by two to do what the Twelve had done, who did what Jesus was doing.

These Seventy-Two aren't listed according to their name and rank like the Twelve were, but they were given the same work. I think the emphasis is not on the title, but on the task. So know we know that Jesus had at least seventy-two disciples who followed him, it's likely that he had more than that. But the pattern has emerged: once you become a disciple Jesus intends for you to become an apostle.

If you are a disciple of Jesus, know this up front: he intends to use you as an apostle. You become a student of Jesus so that you can become a sent one of Jesus.

Jesus and the Sabbath

One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?"

On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath.

But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Get up and stand in front of everyone." So he got up and stood there.

Then Jesus said to them, "I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?"
Luke 6v1-11

Sabbath observance is a really big deal in the Torah. The seventh day is very special, thus special laws were set up to help guarantee that it would continue to be observed. These additional laws to the Torah came to be seen as equivalent as the Torah, to not keep the special laws was to violate the Torah. Thus, very subtley, the whole point of keeping the Sabbath became lost in keeping the special laws in order to not violate the Torah.

Jesus came to pronounce God's mercy upon the people of Israel, to initiate a new kingdom where right prevailed, where shalom prevailed, where good hearts prevailed. And a center piece of Jesus' proclamation had to do with observance of the Sabbath. That special seventh day was not set up in order to restrict people and give them a day to be bored. The day has many special associations to it - one of them being about giving people freedom. God has commanded that you not be a slave! God has required you to not be a robot. You get to rest without guilt! You get to play and pray without being rushed! You get to soak in the beauty of creation without having to give a report about it to your teacher or boss.

In this story, Jesus violated the laws of the Pharisees by picking some grain (unauthorized work) with unwashed hands (unauthorized actions). Jesus likely did this because a) he was hungry, and b) because he liked to raise the ire of the Torah-teachers. Jesus really angered the Pharisees by healing on the Sabbath - and it was this action that revealed their view of the Torah and the Sabbath. The seventh day is a good day, it's a good day for rest, it's a good day to love; it is a day for goodness. Anything that is good is then in keeping with the spirit of the Sabbath. Jesus wanted to reclaim the Sabbath as a good day, a day to do good, a day to enjoy God and his Creation and his people.

What about you: do you observe the Sabbath? Why or why not?

Jesus and Forgiving Sins

Luke 5 is where in the story Jesus begins to forgiven the sins of those who demonstrate faith.  Up to this point in the story, Jesus has demonstrated amazing authority when it comes to healing people.  In the OT, the prophets would call upon the name of the LORD with great demonstration and passion.  Here in the Gospels, Jesus merely utters a command, and the healing deed is done.  It is this difference that causes the people to see and be amazed by Jesus' authority.  Surely he is someone special.

As valuable as physical healing is - Jesus came not only to restore physical cracks and breaks, but to restore spiritual cracks and breaks.  Jesus has come as God in the flesh to cancel the spiritual debts of Israel, to forgive their sins, to save them from their trespasses.  The physical manifestation of their long-term rebellion against the Way of God has resulted in political oppression, economic injustice, agricultural deprivation, etc.  

Vitamin deficiencies, long-term malnutrition, unbalanced diets, and other nutrition issues partially result in blindness, deafness, paralyzation, crippleness, bleeding, mental instability, and a host of other problems.  Jesus heals them of their physical suffering, but he also wants to restore their heart with God, so that they can follow his Way, so they will open up to his blessings.  So for those that are willing, for those who believe (have confidence) in Jesus, for those that trust him and his ability, for those that have faith (allegiance) in him, Jesus can forgive their sins and give them a new start with God.

This is certainly good news for those that want a different life for themselves, their family, their friends, their neighbors.  What can one person do in a world so full of darkness and suffering?There is a lot that one person can do - for starters: turn your life around, pick a different way of living, repent of your sins, receive the forgiveness of God and follow his way.

Jesus calls out: Follow me.  To those who have ears to hear - Follow!  

Jesus won't heal every ailment, he didn't fix everything in a person's life, and what he did fix didn't necessarily guarantee that something else wouldn't go wrong later.  But by his compassion and generosity, Jesus demonstrated his trustworthiness - he is worth believing in, he is worth following.  His way of compassion and generosity, his way of truth and peace are worth joining everyday.

Jesus and Prayer

But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
[Luke 5v16]

It seems that Jesus healed without effort. A word here. A gesture of the hand there. A look. Demons flee. Fevers depart. Skin cleaned. Paralyzed dance. And people were flocking. With all the people who needed healed, and with the ease by which Jesus healed, and with him only being on earth a short time, how could he justify taking a break to pray or sleep or eat or play?

But Jesus did get away to solitary places, he did get away to pray. It seems that he needed to be re-energized. And so do we.

Jesus came to do the work of his Father; for those of us who follow Jesus - we have a similar mission. Just as Jesus needed alone time with this Dad in order to get reaffirmation, correction, and inspiration to keep on the journey, so do we. We think that much of our life is too mundane for the LORD to care about. But we fill up our life with so much mundane stuff that we too easily give up on making time to get alone with our Father. So we get accustomed to our life of mundane-stuff. We let God break in once in awhile and do something marvelous, but then it's back to busyness as usual.

If we belong to Jesus, our life is not our own. If we don't make the time to be alone with the LORD, we easily slip into self-direction. When we do that, we cut ourselves off from the mystery, the marvelous ways that God can heal and save through our everyday life. A conversation here. A gesture of the hand there. A kind look. A smile. Attentive ears. And God can take those mundane acts and use them for good, when we are attentive to Him.

If Jesus needed to get alone and pray to his Father, how much more do we?

If Jesus thinks that we - the body of Christ - can do greater things than he did - how much more ought we to be alone with the Father?

If our life is to be a poured out offering unto others, ought we not to be letting the LORD pour into us while in solitude?

Listen to the LORD. Withdraw to a solitary place to pray. And hear.

Jesus and Fishing

"Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people."

Jesus speaks to us, into our situation; he also envisions a new life for us, one that is birthed out of our current situation.

There's nothing sacred or special about being a fisherman. Jesus didn't pick Peter because he was a fisherman, Jesus didn't need to pick a fisherman so that he could use it for a memorable metaphor. There's nothing sacred about being a "fisher of men", as the old phrase goes.

Jesus might have said something to Levi like: don't be afraid; from now on you'll be a collector of people. To the teachers of the law: don't be afraid; from now on you'll be a teacher of people. To the synagogue leaders: don't be afraid; from now on you'll be a leader of people.

How about you in your occupation? Don't be afraid; from now on you'll be a _____________ of people. What is it you do for a living? God can use that as both a launching point and as a description of the kind of work he wants to do through you. Does Peter literally catch people in a net as his means for fulfilling God's mission for him? No. But God uses Peter the fisherman, with all the tradition, skills, personality, and attitudes of a fisherman to further his work of restoration in the world.

What's your occupational training? What makes you different from most other people because of your line of work, the skills, attitudes, perspectives, insights you have about people and situations because of your work? God wants to use you and those experiences to further his work of restoration in the world.

Peter realized that with Jesus, he could be an awesome catcher of fish! He could become wealthy and secure and powerful. Or he could realize that though Jesus could help him succeed in his occupation, what Jesus really wants to do is use his occupation as a way to succeed in a bigger mission: furthering God's work of restoration of people.

If you belong to Jesus, continue to consider how God could use you in your occupation to further his work of restoration - where you work, with the people you work with/for, and how God could also bring further restoration to you as you let him restore others through you and your occupation.

God takes you as you are, where you are, and begins to use you immediately to further his work. Granted, like Peter, we may mess up a lot in the beginning - sometimes in really big ways. But that is part of the restoration work that God does in us, and that restoration work he does in us is also what he is using to bring restoration to others through us.

When Peter was presented with this opportunity, his response was most appropriate, and one we ought to consider:
"Go away from me LORD, for I am a sinful man!".

It's that honesty that allows God to get to work in us and through us.

Let God get to work in you and in your work, and through your work.

Jesus and the Psalms

When's the last time you read the Psalms on purpose? Sometimes it is hard to know what to do with those ancient songs - they're born out of a different culture, a different mindset, a different style of music. But the one thing we hold in common with those psalters? Misery is misery, suffering is suffering, pain is pain, disappointment, sadness, frustration, betrayal, despair, sorrow is still the same three thousand years later. It's this connection that keeps us going back to the Psalms, even if we have a hard time filtering out the cultural differences.

Another way we discount the Psalms is in failing to understand how much Jesus valued them. Jesus had them memorized - not for the sake of a contest, but for the sake of love, for the sake of expressing what is most intimate. The Psalms speak in raw language about love and hate, hope and despair, rescue and destruction. What's fascinating is to see how Jesus, in so many ways, lives out the hopes of the Psalms - in his day, and in his way, Jesus brings to life the prayers of the Psalter.

For example, having read the Gospels, and then reading Psalm 103, it is clear that Jesus lived out that song. I wonder if God wants the church - which is the body (the hands, feet, heart) of Jesus to be living out this Psalm in our day, in our way?

1 Praise the LORD, my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—

3 who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,

4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

6 The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all the oppressed.

7 He made known his ways to Moses,
his deeds to the people of Israel:

8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.

9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

13 As a father has compassion on his children,
so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

14 for he knows how we are formed,
he remembers that we are dust.

15 As for mortals, their days are like grass,
they flourish like a flower of the field;

16 the wind blows over it and it is gone,
and its place remembers it no more.

17 But from everlasting to everlasting
the LORD's love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children's children—

18 with those who keep his covenant
and remember to obey his precepts.

19 The LORD has established his throne in heaven,
and his kingdom rules over all.

20 Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.

21 Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts,
you his servants who do his will.

22 Praise the LORD, all his works
everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the LORD, my soul.

Jesus Heals

In our modern era, Jesus gets mixed reaction: IF people believe in him, they usually cast him in a good light and regard him as a good person who helped people, and he was a good teacher who inspired people to love each other. What's interesting to me is the fact that when looking at the actual stories we have of Jesus, the reason he was regarded so highly, what made him so helpful was his healings. And all the healings are miraculous. And the things he taught were all connected to living in line with the rule of God. So today we applaud Jesus for his good work and good teachings, but discount the divine miracles that made his work good, and downplay his divine message that made his teachings good. No wonder so many people these days don't know what to do with Jesus.

People in Jesus' day had doctors, had advanced knowledge of medicine, of herbs and healing remedies. But many of the people who came to Jesus either couldn't afford a doctor, or their wretched poverty was causing the misery, and they were caught in a cycle they couldn't get out of. The other terrible condition was affliction from unclean spirits. We don't talk much about that part of Jesus' ministry, mostly because we don't know what to believe about them.

Most Americans don't believe in demon possession, and if they do it is totally influenced by Hollywood. In reading the Jesus-stories, it seems like other than Jesus, these people who were filled with unclean spirits had no hope for release. It wasn't like Jesus was competing with other exorcists in the region. People were amazed that Jesus could cast the spirits out, and that the people were completely healed of the effects of the possession. Amazed because what they were witnessing was so rare and so beautiful.

Some scholars wonder if possession by unclean spirits is comparable to some of the severe mental illnesses that we have diagnosed today. It's possible. But we also know that in other primitive parts of the world there is very strong belief in dark spirits, there are situations and circumstances that seemingly can only be explained by supernatural action. It's not like the people that Jesus freed had been playing with a Ouija board and went too far, or had done incantations and gotten them wrong.

What we do know is that the oppression of Rome was so brutal, the rule of Herod so cruel, and the abuse of the temple leaders so corrupt, that when millions of people are subjected to unending injustice, grinding poverty, and unmediated terrors, they become susceptible to severe mental and spiritual trauma. How unclean spirits take advantage of people in those conditions is unclear to me. What's important though, is that Jesus freed these oppressed people from spiritual and mental bondage, and then gave them directions and hope for a way to not only survive Rome and Herod, but how to thrive in this hard life and in the next.

Jesus heals still today. He heals through doctors and nurses, through counselors and therapists, through pastors and friends. Jesus once in awhile does miracles yet today, but his rationale for doing so is mysterious to us and known only to him. What we do know, from reading these stories of Jesus, is that Jesus heals in connection with his message of renewal. Jesus wants to renew us and restore us to God, and everything he does intends to help bring about more restoration in this life and the next.

God and Jesus seem to take a long-view of things, they seem to be working very slowly. Two-thousand years later and there still seems to be so much work to be done in the world, so many more people who are in need of restoration. We see people now who need healing, and we wonder why God doesn't intervene more. God sees people who needs healing and wonders why we don't intervene more. God sees people who need healing, and he sees people he'd like to use to help bring about that healing, and God works to bring those people together. But will we respond to his promptings? Will we line ourselves up with his bigger work of restoration? Or will we only focus on why God doesn't heal more people more often?

Anchor & Literacy Alliance

Since 2005 Anchor has been a host-site for Literacy Alliance, an program designed to increase and improve literacy amongst adults. They provide basic adult education and GED preparation for adults - particularly those who have not graduated from high school.

In the most recent newsletter (2008 Issue 4) the executive director Judy Stabelli noted the increasing need for their programs: 14% of adults 25 years and older in Allen County did not graduate from high school - that's almost 30,000 adults. Judy also noted that 78% of the 288 students who attended intake session from June - October arrived with skills at or below the eighth grade level. This is a serious problem.

According to the mayor's Social Services Summit, adults without a high school diploma have a very difficult time achieving family stability. In fact the lack of that diploma is a primary barrier to that stability. In thirteen tracts throughout the greater Fort Wayne area identified with the greatest need based on education and household factors, ten of those tracts had a non high school graduation rate of higher than 14%, and in three it was greater than 20%.

It's important that Anchor keep hosting Literacy Alliance in our neighborhood, it's important that we help remove such obstacles as distance and space in order to increase the likelihood of more adults needing help getting help. It'd also be awesome if members of our church made a commitment to serve the neighborhood by volunteering with Literacy Alliance.

To volunteer, call 426.7323; email: judith.stabelli@fwliteracyalliance.org
Volunteer to help with adult instruction programs, learning centers, KeyTrain computer training, one-on-one, or group tutoring.

Jesus and the Holy Spirit

Starting with the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit has become a prominent partner of Christ and his mission. Luke recalls that while Jesus was yet wet and still praying, the Spirit of God descended from the sky - in the appearance of something like a dove - and rested upon the Son of God. It's at this point, says Luke, that Jesus began his ministry. And so what is the first thing the Spirit does with Jesus? Lead him into the wilderness of Judea - a harsh and wretched place to dwell for any length of time.

It's interesting to note that, according to the text, Jesus was "full of the Holy Spirit" - this indicates something more than the experience of the OT saints, for them the Holy Spirit rested upon them only. For Jesus, the Holy Spirit has not only come upon him, but come inside him as well - Jesus is full of the Spirit of God. And this Spirit of God leads Jesus into the wastelands outside of Jericho.

Once Jesus completes his time of testing with the devil, he walks out of the desert ridges and makes his way north to the cooler hills of Galilee. But notice what Luke says of Jesus - he is now not only full of the Holy Spirit, but is now coming in the power of the Holy Spirit. There is something electric about him, a surging energy, a vibrancy, a readiness to pour himself out. As the story goes, Jesus starts teaching in the synagogues much to the delight of all those in attendance. Being a brilliant man, Jesus has a strategy for what he is doing, and he is preparing the people for his reading of Isaiah 61, which connects him with the Spirit of God.

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor...

Jesus ends up almost getting killed for his instruction following the synagogue reading of this text. So Jesus leaves his hometown of Nazareth and goes a couple of miles over to the town of Capernaum and starts teaching there. Interestingly, the people remark at the authority with which he taught - they were amazed and inspired. Hmmmmm....

In the stories that follow, we see more implications of Jesus being full of the power of the Holy Spirit of God: Jesus demonstrates power and authority over evil spirits and is able to throw them out of the afflicted people; Jesus is also able to heal people of all kinds of sicknesses. Jesus taught and healed through the power of the Holy Spirit of God - and people were amazed, were healed, were inspired.

Jesus refers to his actions as proclamation of the good news of the kingdom of God. His work in the Spirit resulted in good news - but his work was more than just about making people happy. His work in the Spirit was about revealing reality about the way and rule of God in the world. When God shows up as King, he makes things right, he confronts evil and defeats it, he heals and restores, and he reaches out to all who will reach out to him. This is good news indeed.

To think what God could do these days with a church full of the power of the same Spirit of God...

Jesus and Rejection

Terry Leatherman and I were talking the other day about the story in Luke where Jesus almost gets thrown off a cliff because he ticked his neighbors off. As we went over the details of the story, he asked me about what Jesus said that prompted such a violent reaction. The story does take an odd and unexpected twist - and in this case some OT stories help illuminate the reason for the rejection.

As the story goes, Jesus goes into the synagogue he grew up in as a child, and is given the scroll of Isaiah to read for the morning's discussion. Jesus thumbs his way through the scroll to one of the last sections and reads a beautiful, politically charged, hope-inspiring poem about God's deliverance, about healing, about favor, about freedom. Everyone nods their heads at Jesus' selection, and they speak well of him when he begins the discussion by stating: Today, this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.

But then Jesus takes this brief wave of affirmation and turns it into a tsunami of truth-telling. Jesus won't have people flatter him and get away with it, especially not with the task he's been given: to save the world. So Jesus takes their flattery and flat out rejects it, noting that sooner than later their going to reject him because he's just a local boy, one of us, nobody of much account. Jesus can see where their attitude is going to take them, so he pushes the envelope to bring out their true feelings.

Jesus recalls for them two stories from two of the most famous, most powerful, most revered prophets of Israel's history - Elijah and Elisha. Everybody in Nazareth talked well and proudly of Elijah and Elisha. But Jesus points out that just as in their day, Israel rejected these two prophets, so in his day Israel will reject him. Obviously the neighbors didn't like this association - Jesus was shaming them, wounding their national pride...the truth hurts. It was for this reason that they rejected Jesus and tried to throw him over a cliff - they didn't want to hear the truth, and they certainly didn't want to hear it from that punk kid Jesus who grew up in that scandalous home of Joseph and Mary.

Will you listen to the truth? Even if you don't like the way it gets communicated to you?

Will you listen?

Jesus in the Wilderness

Everybody seems to think that this story in Luke 4 about Jesus being tempted is given to us to teach us how to resist temptation. While there can be some clues to resisting temptation in this story (quoting Scripture at the devil is effective, seemingly, if it is the devil himself who is tempting you...which doesn't seem to happen too often these days); the clues to what the story is about center on the Scriptures he quotes.

Luke's account of Jesus' time in the wilderness mirrors the nation of Israel and their time in the wilderness. Just as Israel emerged from the wilderness ready to cross the Jordan and enter the promised land to fulfill God's mission for them, so Jesus is going to emerge from the wilderness, tested and ready to cross the Jordan and enter the promised land to fulfill God's mission for him. According to Luke, Jesus is the new Israel; God is going to do through Jesus what he always meant to do through Israel - rescue the world, restore it for good. So Jesus is re-enacting Israel's story, and this time "Israel" is going to get it right, in Jesus.

Notice how the two stories parallel each other: both Jesus and Israel were led away from the Jordan into the wilderness by God; Jesus was there for forty days, Israel was there for forty years; while in the wilderness God provided bread for the people - Jesus resist's providing his own bread as the devil would have it; The first temptation draws attention to the "manna" that God provided. The devil takes Jesus to a high place to see all the kingdoms of the world, God took Moses up to the top of Mt. Nebo to survey the promised land; the devil tempts Jesus to test God just as the Israelites tested God at Massah (when they whined for water and God had Moses hit the rock).

Notice also that all three of Jesus' quotes come from Deuteronomy - 8v3, 6v13, 6v16; the significance being several - first Moses delivered the speeches in Deuteronomy while in the wilderness, just beyond the Jordan, as they were about to cross it and enter the promised land, and so Jesus is quoting the same speech as he is in the wilderness, about to reenter it as the New Israel; second, if you read each of the verses in Deuteronomy in cotext (the surrounding verses), the whole Luke story will come alive in a whole new way as you make connections with what Moses said and what Jesus is doing with those words for his situation as the new Israel.

Jesus, a Dove, and Mary's Genealogy

Luke 3 ends with a very brief account of Jesus' baptism as well as a lengthy genealogical record. For most people, they'd be okay if Luke had included a more extensive account of the baptism and left out the genealogy. But, as Luke would have it, he's trying to communicate something about Jesus by how he arranges his material.

One main point of the baptism and the genealogical record is to reemphasize that Jesus is the son of God - and God is pleased with his son. Another main point: how we go about recognizing Jesus as the son of God - well, let's just say it's unconventional. Think about it: why does Jesus need to be baptized? John is baptizing those who need to repent of their sins for forgiveness. So why does Jesus get baptized? Luke doesn't tell us why, but he does reveal an outcome of the baptism: many in attendance hear the voice which affirms Jesus of Nazareth as God's son.

So what about the genealogy? We wouldn't think too much of it, except if you've read Matthew, you'd realize that these two records are very different. The one similarity? They include the same names from David back down through Abraham. Luke goes all the way back to Adam, and he also includes different names from David to Jesus. Which leads some to conclude that this is Mary's record.

Interestingly, both Mary and Joseph are descendants of David - but only Joseph is descended from King Solomon. The crown passed on from David to Solomon to his son Rehoboam and so on, but the crown became corrupt in Solomon's age. In fact God was so displeased with Solomon that God began to make plans to divide Israel and take much of it away from him. You can read about Solomon's fall in 2 Kings 11. Not good. And it seems that God also took away from Solomon the blessing of Abraham: God would not bless the world with Jesus through Solomon directly.

God was pleased with David, especially since he repented of his sins for forgiveness (unlike Solomon). God reveals through the genealogical record that David was rewarded with a descendant whom God would use to bless the world. Mary was favored by God, much like David was; Solomon was blessed with wisdom, much like Jesus was. Jesus would be a man after God's own heart, like David; Jesus would be the wisest man of all like Solomon; but unlike David and Solomon, Jesus would rule without wrecking lives, and he would not be corrupted.

John and Jesus

It's interesting to note the ways that John prepares the way for Jesus. John is a prophet, and so is Jesus; John's preaching is immersed in Isaiah the prophet, and so is Jesus'. What we read in Luke 3, the content of John's message is fundamentally the same as that of Jesus. Jesus and John have a similar message: repent for forgiveness of sins.

It's important to know why the message is so similar: both John and Jesus are trying to point people to God. Both John and Jesus are servants of God, committed to hearing the word of God, communicating to the crowds, and living with integrity - they walk the talk. John and Jesus are not equals, and they do not have the exact same message - their lives play out differently in some ways, they they both have similar birth and death stories. In terms of their relation to each other, John has come to serve Jesus, to prepare the people with a message. Jesus needs John to prepare the way, to reintroduce the message of Isaiah, to reinterpret it so that the people will see Jesus rightly.

In many ways, we ought to pay more attention to John, if we are to better understand Jesus. John's message is full of rich allusions to Isaiah and other OT prophets, and from it Jesus builds his message to the masses. But what is most important is that we catch what John and Jesus together reveal to us about God, his work in the world, and what he is trying to communicate to us still through these two prophets. Does John's message still have a place in our world today? You betcha. It maybe that we need to preach a little more John in our work to help people get prepared for Jesus. It maybe that we need to get more of John if we want to get more of Jesus.

What kind of questions might John ask that rattle us, disturb us, get a rise out of us - a reaction that moves us to considering reality and our readiness of Jesus?

Am I slithery snake trying to escape the consequences of my actions?

Am I producing fruit in keeping with my repentance?

Am I pretending to be something I am not?

Am I afraid my secrets will get out?

Am I avoiding the truth?

Am I ready to do right?

A Dangerous Era for Preaching...

Luke 3 begins with what seems to be a boring list of names. On one level, it is Luke's attempt to ground his Jesus-story within the historical context of a specific times - it was common practice for historians to date events by the rule of the Emperor or King (ie. in the fifteenth year of...). On another level, Luke is providing the moral milieu of the day - it will be a dangerous duty to preach repentance of sin.

Seven men of power are listed at the start of the chapter - each of them powerful and corrupt. Tiberius Caesar of Rome, Pontius Pilate of Jerusalem, Herod, Philip and Lysanius rulers of local regions (as appointed by Tiberius), and then there is Annas and Caiaphas who are the high-priests during this era. These men will resist the good news of John and Jesus, they will balk at the call to be baptized and forgiven of their sins, and they will imprison and kill the messengers in an attempt to kill the message.

Fortunately these seven men can't stop the message, and for awhile they can't stop the messengers. John comes out of the gate boldly and furiously, preaching and calling people to repent of their sins and find forgiveness, healing, restoration, justice, mercy. It's really, really, really interesting to read what moral instruction John gives the crowd when they ask what they must do to be saved from the coming wrath of God. If people would follow John's instruction, they would see God's salvation, they would find freedom.

To the crowd coming to be baptized: if you have two shirts, give one away to anyone who has none.

To the tax collectors coming to be baptized: if you are swindling, cheating, embezzling, or stealing - stop it!

To the Roman soldiers coming to be baptized: if you are extorting and bribing people for money - stop it!

Stop to consider how radical this context is: to the crowds, their salvation rests in their care for the cold and hungry. Even tax collectors (Jews who work for the Romans, responsible for getting money from their neighbors to prop up the corrupt and terrible empire) are coming to be baptized - and John does NOT tell them to abandon their job, just not to abuse it. What???? And Roman soldiers, of all people, are coming to be baptized - their key to salvation? Be content with your pay.

Luke summarizes these kinds of moral instructions as "good news" and people flocked to hear it, be baptized into it, and exhorted to live it out. Obviously not everyone in the crowd like the idea of caring for the cold, not every tax collector quit stealing, and not every Roman soldier stopped extorting - some didn't think John was full of good news. Herod didn't, and when he heard John's moral instruction, he put John in prison.

It was a dangerous era then to preach repentance of sins. Probably still is today. But when you look around at all the broken homes and hearts, the lonely souls and tears, the addicted and medicated individuals...our friends and neighbors are in need of mercy and restoration, forgiveness and renewal...and it starts with good news of new beginnings in God.

Background to the Words and Works of John the Baptizer

Luke 3 is the final background chapter to the teachings and stories of Jesus the man from Nazareth. The chapter is mostly about the work of John, Jesus' cousin. The chapter is really just a snapshot of what John was all about - in verse 2 he receives the word of God, verse three he starts preaching, and by verse 20 he is locked in prison (where he would soon die). But the snapshot we receive is a complex picture, a deep image, a many-layered vision of what God is up to in the world (at that moment...and still today) through Israel, through John, and eventually through Jesus.

To get a richer, more detailed image of John and his work/words, it is really helpful to read slowly through Isaiah 40...and on through Isaiah 61. It's a lot of reading, but it is the beautiful and potent lyrics of God's work in the world in and through Israel - and it is the lyrics that John memorized and meditated upon while in the wilderness. I'm sure John reflected upon more than just that section from Isaiah, but what we read in Luke 3 is chock full of the messages we find in Isaiah 40-61.

John and Jesus aren't making stuff up out of thin air, and they are not just speaking in a vacuum, solely filled by the Holy Spirit. They are addressing the Jewish people who have a particular history with YHWH, who are at a particular point in their relationship with him, and God is coming to them in a particular way...a way that he has laid out (albeit with some mysterious stuff wrapped into it) in Isaiah and Deuteronomy and the Psalms. John and Jesus are preaching the word of God as revealed in Torah, and Prophets, and Writings - but they are preaching it in their new context, modifying the message to hit the hearts of their fellow neighbors.

What's new is not so much the message, it's more the medium of the message. The preaching of the forgiveness of sins is not radical, what's radical is that God himself would come as a fellow human to forgive people in person. God wasn't going to just have John talk about forgiveness, God was going to come in Jesus to start forgiving people on the spot. Actually, forgiveness of sins for Jews and Gentiles is a radical idea, even if it is found way back in Isaiah 49 - it's an old idea, but radical only because most people didn't believe it to be true, or didn't want it to be true.

Jesus the Kid

Luke records the only story of Jesus as a kid. Twelve years old is an interesting age, no longer a child, not yet a man. And Luke purposefully selects a story full of symbolism: Jesus getting lost and found at Passover.

Passover was one of the seven major festivals of the Jewish year [see Leviticus 23], Passover being one of the three which required all men to travel to Jerusalem for the events (the other four festivals could be celebrated in our own home town). Passover celebrates the night that God delivered the Jewish people out of slavery from the oppression of the Egyptian Empire. On that night God sent an angel of death who took the life of every firstborn male - except those who dwelled in a home with the blood of a lamb smeared on its doorposts. For those with lambs blood on the doorpost, the angel of death passed over that home.

Most Egyptians didn't cover their doorposts with blood, and their home was stricken with grief. They had their warning, they disbelieved the announcement, and their sorrow prompted the release of the Hebrew children. The angel of death was the LORD's way of bringing justice to the Egyptians - their cruelty had killed many innocent people, orphaning children and widowing mothers. Now the LORD was going to avenge those deaths - and yet he still gave them an opportunity to receive mercy.

According to the story of Jesus, every year his family went to Jerusalem for Passover - a very exciting and dangerous time. Over a million people would cram into the city and it's surrounding villages for the day, which was followed by the week-long Feast of Unleavened Bread. This eight days of festival was also a highly charged political event - whenever you get that many oppressed people together in their most holy city celebrating a day of freedom, well Rome wasn't too thrilled with the gathering.

They bulked up the garrisons, sharpened their swords, and sometimes they acted violently - shedding more innocent blood. Many Jews were waiting for the angel of death to come again, this time to release the Jews from the oppression of the Roman Empire. And we know the story: Jesus would be the lamb whose blood was smeared on the doorposts of the earth. God sent the angel of death on the day Jesus died - and his blood covered the world. What mercy...

Thoughts on the Jesus-story:
* Jesus and his family were Torah-observant.

* Jesus and his family were eventually accepted by relatives and neighbors

* Jesus had an impressive knowledge of Torah, sought greater understanding of it, asked inquisitive questions, and gave sharp answers.

* Jesus was a typical twelve year old in many ways.

* Jesus’ parents didn’t always know what to do with him.

* Jesus chose to be obedient to his parents at the expense of seeking more knowledge of Torah from the famous Temple teachers.

* Jesus matured and grew up in a small, rural, poor, no-account village in Galilee, a backwards region of Palestine, a despised province of Syria, and a vital but troublesome merchant area for the Roman Empire

Watch Your Mouth!

Here is another posting from 2007 - another perspective on the songs and characters of the Christmas Story in Luke

Jesus the Underdog

Here is a posting from 2007 - another perspective of Jesus and the Christmas Story.

Details of the Early Days of Jesus' Life

Luke carefully sets the context for the life Jesus will grow up in following the visitation of the sheepherders.

Notice the careful observance of Torah by Joseph and Mary: this is key to understanding the home and culture of Jesus. He grew up in a devout home marked by righteousness as defined by Torah. His family regularly kept Torah, making the appropriate sacrifices, keeping to the appropriate holy days, and obeying the commands governing their social, economic and religious life. When Jesus was born, his people were not looking to ditch Torah, to get away from the Law. They were working to keep it, all the time praying earnestly for the LORD to have mercy on them and rescue them from those who either neglected Torah, rejected Torah, or corrupted Torah.

According to Torah, Jesus was circumcised and named on the eighth day. Leviticus 12
According to Torah, Mary was purified (childbirth caused uncleanness, she need to be made ritually clean) on the fortieth day (with doves or pigeons - which is what the poor were able to afford). Leviticus 12
According to Torah, since Mary was also of the tribe of Levi (being related to Elizabeth), her firstborn son (not Joseph's!) was presented to the LORD, consecrated and redeemed (a lamb was sacrificed in place of the firstborn). Numbers 18v14-16

It is interesting to note how Luke frames the situation: those like Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and Anna who are Torah-observant, righteous and devout, and who recognize Jesus as the Christ are also influenced by the Spirit of God. It seems like there is a transition going on: the Spirit is going to be crucial to the recognition and reception of Jesus as the King of the Universe. It is crucial that one be Torah-observant, righteous and devout, but they must also be given the Spirit - which is a gift.

Notice that the story of Jesus' family going to Passover also reveals their commitment to keeping Torah. Keeping Torah wasn't oppressive, stifling, or a burden. It gave the people identity, direction, purpose, and a framework by which to order life and society. Torah is what made Israel unique, it is what situated them to be used by God to bring light to the world. But Torah wasn't God's last word on the rescue of the world. Jesus is to be the light - to Torah-observant Israel, to pagan-Gentiles, to everybody that was looking for redemption from evil, peace amidst cruelty, light instead of darkness, rescue from chaos.

Jesus grew up Torah-observant. Joseph and Mary were inspired by Simeon and Anna, by Zechariah and Elizabeth, and all those who were righteous and devout. Jesus thus grew up in wisdom of the Torah and favor with God and the neighbors. And it was out of this setting that he would be:

a light for revelation to the nations,
and the glory of your people Israel.

How'd the Shepherds Know?

In reading through the text this afternoon, I had some questions concerning the shepherds.

The angel of the LORD tells the sheep-herders that the Messiah has been born in Bethlehem, and they'll know him when they find him because he'll be in a manger. You've got to wonder if the sheep-herders cocked their heads at that one. "He'll be in a what?" shouted the skeptical one back at the angel!

Obviously a manger is not a normal bedding source for babies - even shepherds know that; one wonders if the shepherds wondered what kind of Messiah is found lying in a manger. Wouldn't a Messiah be born into royalty? What kind of manger-bound Messiah baby is announced by an army of angels? I'm sure not much of what was announced made sense. But they went, out of curiosity if nothing else.

Here's what I want to know: how'd they know where to find the manger-baby? It's night time, it's really chilly in the hilly city of David, so the shepherds aren't going to find Jesus laying around outside. If he was in a cave, how'd they know which cave? How many caves did they have to look in before they found one with a baby in it? If it was a barn or stable, how many did they have to look through? Did they just keep looking till they found the manger-baby?

I think that Joseph and Mary gave birth in a house of one of their relatives, but since they were still considered unclean, they were forced to stay in the animal storage part of the house (the only entrance being through the living room). If this were the case, how would the shepherds know which house to go to? Did they keep knocking, asking if there was a baby inside the house laying in a manger? That would've got some odd looks.

However it worked, they eventually found what they were looking for. They spread the word throughout town, and everyone was amazed by what they heard from the raggedy sheep-herders. We're not amazed by the story because we think it's perfectly normal for a baby to be born and then placed in a manger. Think about it: what are the odds that the moment the shepherds found THE house, that the baby would be in the manger at that moment. Do you really think that Mary placed the baby in the manger as soon as she could, and then left the baby there for as long as she could? I really doubt it. Mary would have held the baby, fed the baby, cuddled with the baby, let it sleep in her arms. If she wasn't holding the baby, Joseph would be. Why leave a baby in a manger when it could be held? It really was a miracle that the shepherds arrived at the rare moment that Jesus would have actually been in the manger.

What about Joseph?

My friend Jeff Hamilton and I were talking the other day, and we got onto the subject of Joseph. He's been reading through Luke, and upon reading chapter two, he had some questions about the role of Joseph. What did Joseph think about everything that was going on? He's mentioned hardly at all in Luke's version of the Christmas story...but he has an interesting part to play.

We wondered: did Joseph just flat out trust Mary's account of what happened? Her story of how she became pregnant...did Joseph believe the part about the angel? According to legend, the gossipy rumor was that Mary had been ravished by a local Roman centurion. Is this what Joseph thought? What did he think? What was he thinking about as he and Mary travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem. Their marriage isn't official until the two of them consummate it, and that won't happen till well after this child is born. So Joseph has taken Mary with him, presumably because her father kicked her out - Joseph is taking a woman who is not yet his wife, impregnated by someone other than him, traveling through the rough Jordanian valley under harsh Roman rule into the realm of the tyrranical and vicious King Herod. Merry Christmas indeed.

Why did Joseph take Mary with him? Why did he accept HER firstborn son as his own? Why were they not able to find a quality room in which to give birth? Were they rejected by their ancestral family as well? Did Joseph serve as the mid-wife? How long had they been in the village prior to the birth? How were they faring before and after? How well did they know each other before all this happened? Since marriages were arranged between the father of the bride and the family of the husband, did the two actually know each other prior to all this? Assuming the small village nature of Nazareth, they likely knew something of each other...but was this trip to Bethlehem their first time being together? Merry Christmas indeed.

The text doesn't indicate any kind of reluctance on Joseph's part, and as the story unfolds, the two seem to become one, dedicated to fulfilling the law and believing the prophecies of their son. Joseph seems to have accepted Mary as his wife, her son as his own, and her future as his. For all the attention that Mary gets in this story (and deservedly so), Joseph seems to live up to his namesake, preserving the future of Jesus just as the first Joseph preserved the future of Jacob's tribe. Merry Christmas indeed.

In those days...

Luke starts his narrative of John's birth announcement with this phrase: "In the time of Herod king of Judea"; Luke begins his narrative of Jesus' birth with this phrase: "In the days of Caesar Augustus...". It's easy to skip over these little phrases, but they put the whole story in context. Not only was the local ruler of Judea where John was born a corrupt, evil, brilliant king, but the Roman emperor of the whole Mediterranean world was also actively imposing his "peace" program unto every region. There was no relief for the righteous, no hope for the poor, no good coming from these ungodly and greedy rulers. It was into these dark days that John and Jesus were born.

John was born in a village located in the hill country of Judea just outside of Jerusalem; Jesus was born in a different village not far away. Both were born in unique circumstances, both were miraculous in their own way, both attracted lots of attention. Elizabeth was surrounded by friends, family, joy and celebration, Mary was alone with Joseph in the bare stall, rejected by family, spurned by friends, full of determination and wonder.

In those days, giving birth to a son was one of the best blessings God could grant. In those days old women didn't give birth to children, they helped deliver them; in those days young girls did not announce that God had caused her to become pregnant while still a virgin. In those days tradition and ritual and purity and avoidance of shame were paramount to a family - it was gave them some kind of sanity and stability amidst the insane kings and terrible eruptions of violence that swept through the countryside. Ironically, Elizabeth escaped shame by finally giving birth to a son, and Mary entered into great shame by giving birth to her son.

In those days, Jesus was born into shame, he grew up under the shadow of shame, and eventually he would die in shame. But God was at work, using the shame of an "illegitimate birth" and an "unknown father" to set up the world for a daring rescue plan. It was how God was going to set up his unending kingdom (see Gabriel's announcement to Mary), under the nose of a super-paranoid Herod, in the realm of the super-powerful Augustus. I'm sure in those days Joseph thought God's plan was crazy and unpredictable. I'm sure those days are here again.

More Than Just Nice Songs

It's important to remember the context in which Mary and Zechariah lived. Their songs weren't just because they were happy about having a son, about God acting according to his ancient promises, or because the Messiah was coming. Their songs are rooted in their revulsion towards the Roman Empire and the Caesars.

In Mary's lifetime a thousand fellow Jews were crucified and staked along the road leading from her Nazareth village to the razed city of Sepphoris. In Zechariah's line of work, the high priests and their ilk were all appointed by Herod - with no regard for lineage, holiness, or piety towards God; the original priests being banished or killed.

Mary's song for revolution was personal; her people were being slaughtered, starved, and subjected to terrible hardships. She wanted God's Son to cast down the proud and mighty, they were tearing apart the world. Zechariah knew what it was like to be hated; pious, observant Jews of his day were mocked and reviled. Obedience to God's way of peace was not popular.

Luke begins his narrative by noting that the story began in the days of Herod. We would use the name Hitler for similar effect. God was finally acting to bring an end to the merciless injustices - it is no wonder that Mary and Zechariah sing and stomp with joy. It'd been too long since they had anything to sing and stomp about...

Connections between the Songs and the OT

As has been pointed out already, Luke is showing the connections between God's work in John and Jesus and his work in the past through Israel. The first readers of Luke's gospel would have been deeply moved as they read about all the ways God was continuing his work - work and words first established in the days of Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Daniel, Malachai, and now Mary and Zechariah. People were beginning to waver in their hope that God would remember them and his promises. God did remember...oh did he remember!

Read this piece of narrative between Gabriel and Mary (1v26-38)
…you have found favor with God.
You will conceive and give birth to a son,
And you are to call him Jesus.
He will be great
And will be called the Son of the Most High.
The LORD God will give him the throne of David,
And he will reign over the house of Jacob forever;
His kingdom will never end.

NOTE: the OT references in this short piece - Joshua is the Hebrew name for the Greek translation Jesus; Jesus is to be given the throne of David, Jesus is connected to the tribes of Jacob, who is a grandson of Abraham. Also, the promises that are made to Jesus are the promises that God made to Israel: be a great nation, will be priests of the LORD God Most High, will be a kingdom that reigns in peace forever.
NOTE ALSO: the connections between this piece of narrative and the contents of Mary's Song; it is this announcement that mostly inspires Mary's songburst.


Mary’s Song is partially rooted in the Song of Hannah (1Samuel 1-3)
The LORD brings death and makes alive;
He brings down to the grave and raises up.
The LORD sends poverty and wealth;
He humbles and he exalts.
He raises the poor from the dust
And lifts the needy from the ash heap;
He seats them with princes
And has them inherit a throne of honor.

Mary had spent much time reflecting on God's work in the past, especially through women like Eve, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Zipporah, Deborah, and Hannah. Mary longed to be used by God like one of these women: in God's generosity, Mary will have something in common with all these women - and her song will wrap up their longings, like Hannah's, into one great song.


Mary’s Song echoes a song of Isaiah (Isaiah 49).
It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
To restore the tribes of Jacob
And bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
That my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Take some time to slowly read through Isaiah 40-49; it is some of the most beautiful poetry in the Scripture. It is beautiful and powerful - God dealing with real people in the real world, God granting mercy and reconciliation out of generous grace. God is continuing in Jesus what he had revealed he was all about over four-hundred years earlier in the days of Isaiah. And Isaiah was scripting out what God had promised over a thousand years earlier to Abraham and the sons of Jacob.

Did You Know The Key To Reading Luke?

Luke is a brilliant writer. If you miss this point, you will have a hard time grasping what he is communicating about Jesus. Yes, Luke had help, but Luke also was using his gifts and passions and intelligence to craft the stories. And Luke reveals in the first chapter what he is going to reveal to us about Jesus in the next twenty-three.

Consider the details Luke includes when it comes the announcements concerning the birth of John and Jesus. Gabriel the angel goes into some detail about what the names will be, what they will mean, and what they are to accomplish according to what God has already been up to in the world for some time.

John (God is grace-full) will be used to turn the hearts of those who hear towards righteousness; Jesus (God saves) will be used to establish God's kingdom on earth. These birth announcements/names tell us much about what kind of stories we are going to read, and will give background to the teachings.

Also consider the songs of Mary and Zechariah: they reveal - with much emotion - the content for the gospel as it is declared and lived out by John and Jesus. Mary is magnifying the LORD for finally - after all these long, difficult years - bringing the King to reign forever and ever. Jesus is the promised king come to reign and reverse all that is wrong in the world. This is why Mary is so merry, and it frames everything Jesus does - his miracles, his teachings, his travels, his encounters.

John is the promised prophet-priest who is preparing the people for their New Exodus out of Exile in Egypt, he is touching their hearts with words of conviction and mercy, helping people encounter the LORD in a new way, calling to them to remember the LORD, for he has remembered them. This also frames the work of Jesus, his life and words as recorded and arranged by Luke.

As you look at the structure of chapter one, you notice some rich details:
Birth Announcement of John to the Father
Birth Announcement of Jesus to the Mother

Mother of Jesus Visits Mother of John

Song of Mary Mother of Jesus
Birth of John
Song of Zechariah Father of John
Birth of Jesus (chapter two)

According to the narrative account, the announcements are given back to back, followed by a transitional visit, and then an interesting pairing of songs and birth stories. It becomes obvious that the stories of John and Jesus and their family is intertwined, that together they have similar destinies, and that of the two, though John comes first, the second will be greater than the first (sound familiar...?).

It's also really interesting to note all the OT echoes and themes that emerge in the announcements, the songs, and the birth stories. Luke is trying to make it obvious that John and Jesus are a continuation of God's ongoing work to redeem Israel and rescue the world, but that John and Jesus are also part of a new work, part of the New Exodus. How many OT references can you find in chapter one?

Two More Questions from Luke

3. Why did Gabriel pick Zechariah and Elizabeth?
First, Gabriel picked the couple that God instructed him to choose.

Second, both Zechariah and Elizabeth are descendants of Aaron, the first priest of Israel. Only descendants of Levi can be priests, and Aaron was the first descendant of Aaron to be named a priest - this makes Zechariah and Elizabeth special. The role of a priest was to serve as a go between the people and God. The priest was responsible for making the sacrifices of atonement which covered the sins of the people and restored the relationship. John, the announced son of Zechariah and Elizabeth was to serve as a very unique priest - declaring God's mercy and willingness to forgive the sins of all who would repent.

Thirdly, Zechariah and Elizabeth were honest and humble people who were devout in their faith and blameless in their walk before God and their neighbors. They had a heart willing to obey whatever the LORD would instruct them to do, and thus they would be ideal parents for John.

4. How did Elizabeth become pregnant? Was it like Mary or was it through Zechariah?
This is a good question - the text does not make implicit that Zechariah is the father, though the phrasing does make that allusion. With Mary the text makes it quite obvious that the LORD will cause the pregnancy to happen in a miraculous way. What is special about Elizabeth was that her womb was barren in her old age; she had been unable to conceive and now she was beyond the age of being physically able to conceive. The LORD did intervene to make it possible for both Zechariah to impregnate her, as well as touch her womb so that Elizabeth could become pregnant. It was a special birth for which their was much rejoicing.

The First Questions about Luke

1. How do we know that Luke travelled to different places to get his information?
We don't know all the places he went, but since he claims to have had eyewitness information, he had to at least travel to the lands of those who saw or participated in the events of the life of Jesus. We also know that he was a travel companion of Paul, which shows that he was a veteran traveller.

2. What kind of physician was Luke?
It is in the context as a travel companion of Paul (Colossians 4v14) that we find out that Luke is a doctor. Also, in a letter to the Corinthians, Paul reveals to have some physical ailments and injuries, we conclude that Luke was likely his physician doctor. Luke was not a magician doctor. The disciples never used or endorsed the use of magic to promote or further the work of the gospel (see the story of Elymas the Magician, Acts 13v4-12). Luke was also not into the use of superstition in order to diagnose or cure sicknesses, since Paul makes a big point in a letter to Timothy to avoid all such nonsense.