The Gospel of Luke: Parallels and Peculiarities Among the Synoptics
The Gospel of Luke is unique or different from the other two synoptic gospels. He is the only non-Jew writer in the New Testament. He was probably a Greek. Only this gospel has a sequel—the Acts—in the New Testament. Luke is the longest gospel, covering twenty-five percent of the entire New Testament.
One significant and controversial difference in Luke’s gospel is its presentation of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Luke seems to have followed the lineage of Mary, the mother of Jesus, as he writes that Heli is the father of Joseph, which contradicts the account of Matthew, who has Jacob as the father of Joseph (Luke 3:23). If we look into these genealogies side by side, we discover only two names in common in the genealogies: Shealtiel and Zerubbabel (Matthew 1:12; Luke 3:27). The disparity between Matthew and Luke quite strongly suggests that Luke might have interviewed Mary to write down about the supernatural virgin birth and inserted her lineage into the genealogy, which is quite unusual in the Jewish culture in Jesus’ time.
Worship is the central point in the hymns Luke records in the Gospel. Mary’s song of praise is one of them (1:46-55). Luke also sheds some light on Jesus’ private prayer life. Thus it is more like a gospel of prayer.
Luke’s presentation of Jesus is largely focused on his humanity and compassion for the social outcasts. His gospel, in this sense, is the gospel of the poor and of social justice. Jesus, in the Gospel of Luke, is the one who has entered the world as the Savior of all mankind. Luke, the author, also identified as a doctor and historian, puts physiological (5:12, 6:6, 9:39–42) and geographical details of Samaria (9:52; 17:11) and Judea en route to Jerusalem (18:35; 19:1, 11, 18) in plain words.
Worship is the central point in the hymns Luke records in the Gospel. Mary’s song of praise is one of them (1:46-55). Luke also sheds some light on Jesus’ private prayer life. So, it is more like a gospel of prayer.
Luke features marginalized people over and over in the story. Only Luke has the parable of the Good Samaritan (10:25-37) and the story of ten lepers being cured and cleansed, with only the Samaritan leper returning to Jesus to thank him (17:11-19). Luke also consists of 18 unique parables that are only found in Luke: the Good Samaritan, the Lost Sheep, and the Prodigal Son are only found in the book of Luke (Luke 10:25-37, 15:4-7, and 15:11-32).
He also makes references about women and their stories forty-five times in his Gospel. The birth narratives of Jesus and John the Baptist are told from the women’s perspective—Mary and Elizabeth, respectively (chapters 1-2). Women received special attention in Luke’s Gospel. He records about women disciples on different occasions. The texts in Luke 8:1-3 also indicate that women were monetarily supporting Christ’s ministry. Luke does not forget to mention those women who followed Jesus from the court to the Cross (23:49). The most spectacular remarking about women in the Gospel is Jesus’ first appearance to women (24:1-10).
Luke also takes some time to show special interest in the poor, the crippled, and the shepherds. He heals them, and some of his teachings have strongly emphasized loving and caring for the poor, weak, and crippled who are overlooked by their families, friends, and society. He himself healed them and loved them (14:21). Mary, a humble one, is exalted; shepherds who are lowly and insignificant people are exalted, and they are the ones to see the glory of God when the Word becomes flesh (Luke 1:30; 2:14-20). The outcasts—the Samaritans, tax collectors, and women—are seated in the place of honor.
The abundance of food is also portrayed in Luke. Some of Jesus’ parables are set in banquets and feasts. He makes a total of nineteen references to food or meals, with thirteen of these references appearing exclusively in his gospel. The number of references also shows the significance of gathering together and having meals together. Jesus took advantage of every feast or mealtime that was mentioned in the gospel to reveal who he was and what his teaching was all about. He uses these times to communicate, really, something crucial. The punch line is he is disclosing his divine identity, that he is the only source of both spiritual and physical life. In addition, Luke also emphasizes how Jesus communicates about his kingdom with his people. The kingdom is full of forgiven sinners—outcasts, the unclean, and the poor.
Additionally, the portrayal of community is evident in this gospel. In other words, community is the key aspect of the Kingdom of God—the church. He has a grave ecclesiological concern.
Luke presents Jesus in such a distinctive way that we determine him to be a verifiable historical person. Even today, we can corroborate the historical figures and events he mentions, as he makes datable references to events and characters (Luke 1:5, 2:1-2, 3:1-2). For this reason, the gospel of Luke is not utterly atypical, yet it stands as a different gospel than the other two synoptic gospels.
