Gospel of Luke
book of the New Testament
The Gospel According to Luke[Greek: Τὸ κατὰ Λουκᾶν εὐαγγέλιον,to kata Loukan euangelion], commonly shortened to theGospel of Lukeor simplyLuke,is the third and longest of the four Gospels accepted ascanonby mostChristians.Thissynoptic gospelis an account of the life and ministry ofJesusof Nazareth, detailing his story from the events of his birth to hisAscension.Certain popular stories, such as those of theProdigal Sonand theGood Samaritan,are found only in this gospel. Jesus is presented asSon of God,but attention is especially paid to hishumanity,featuring his compassion for the weak, the suffering, and the outcast. The author is traditionally identified asLuke the Evangelist,but modern scholars generally reject the view that he was the author, because of a number of possible contradictions betweenActsandPaul's letters; Biblical scholars are in wide agreement that its author also wrote theActs of the Apostles,and many believe that these two books originally constituted a two-volume work. Most modern critical scholarship concludes thatLukeused theGospel of Markfor its chronology and a hypothetical sayings source, theQ documentfor many of Jesus' teachings. Traditional scholarship has dated its composition to the early 60s, while some critics date it to later decades of the 1st century.
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Quotes
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- And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
- 1:46-55 KJV
- And, lo, theangelof the Lord came upon them, and thegloryof the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.And the angel said unto them,Fearnot: for, behold, I bring yougoodtidings of greatjoy,which shall be to allpeople.For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.And this shall be asignunto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of theheavenlyhost praisingGod,and saying, Glory toGodin the highest, and onearthpeace,good will towardmen.
- 2:9 -14
- “Lord, now you are letting your servant[e] depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”
- 2:29-32
- "And he said to them “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?”
- 2:49 (ESV)
- And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back.
- 6:34 – 35,Sermon on the Mount
- Judgenot, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned:forgive,and ye shall be forgiven:Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
- 6:37–38 (KJV)
- But thePhariseesand lawyers rejected the counsel ofGodagainst themselves, being not baptized of him.
- 7:30,KJV
- And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
- 7:48
- Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth. But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy. And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.
And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.- 8:22 - 25
- At the sight of Jesus, he cried out and fell down before him, and with a loud voice, he said: “What have I to do with you, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, do not torment me.”
- Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of. For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.(KJV)
- 9:55–56 Rebuking James and John for asking if he would command fire to come down from heaven, to consume a village ofSamaritansfor not receiving them, because they seemed to be headed for Jerusalem.
- A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him,Go, and do thou likewise.- 10:31–37 The famous parable of theGood Samaritan.
- He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
- 11:23
- Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away thekeyofknowledge:ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered.And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things: Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him.
- 11:52-54,KJV
- When there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all,Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which ishypocrisy.For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken indarknessshall be heard in thelight;and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.
- 12:1–5
- Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings, and not one of them is forgotten before God? But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows.
- 12:6–7
- Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed;a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."
And he told them this parable: "The ground of a certain rich man produced a good crop. He thought to himself, 'What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.'
"Then he said, 'This is what I'll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I'll say to myself," You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy;eat, drink and be merry."'
"But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?'
"This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God."- 12:15–21 (NIV)
- Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not.
- 12:40
- The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.
- 12:46 (KJV)
- Unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.
- 12:48
- Suppose ye that I am come to givepeaceon earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is. And when ye see the south wind blow, ye say, There will be heat; and it cometh to pass. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?Yea, and why even of yourselves judge ye not what is right?- 12:51–57 (KJV) Variant translation of 12:57:Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
- And he traveled from city to city and from village to village, teaching and continuing on his journey to Jerusalem. 23 Now a man said to him: “Lord, are those being saved few?” He said to them: 24 “Exert yourselves vigorously to get in through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will seek to get in but will not be able. 25 When the householder gets up and locks the door, you will stand outside knocking at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us.’ But in answer he will say to you: ‘I do not know where you are from.’
- And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom ofGodshould come, he answered them and said,Thekingdom of Godcometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.
- 17:20–21 (KJV)
- This is comparable to 2 statements in theGospel of Thomas:
- Saying 3: "If those who lead you say, 'See, the Kingdom is in the sky,' then the birds of the sky will precede you. If they say to you, 'It is in the sea,' then the fish will precede you.Rather, the Kingdom is inside of you, and it is outside of you. When you come to know yourselves, then you will become known, and you will realize that it is you who are the sons of the living Father. But if you will not know yourselves, you dwell in poverty and it is you who are that poverty."
- Saying 113: His disciples said to Him, "When will the Kingdom come?"
Jesus said, "It will not come by waiting for it. It will not be a matter of saying 'Here it is' or 'There it is.' Rather, the Kingdom of the Father is spread out upon the earth, and men do not see it."
- Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.
- 18:16–17 (KJV)
- Variant translation:Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.(NIV)
- Behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus, which was the chief among the publicans, and he was rich. And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature. And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycomore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way. And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. And when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord: Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold. And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
- 19:2–10
- He added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come. But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds. And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
And the second came, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds. And he said likewise to him, Be thou also over five cities.
And another came, saying, Lord, behold, here is thy pound, which I have kept laid up in a napkin: For I feared thee, because thou art an austere man: thou takest up that thou layedst not down, and reapest that thou didst not sow.
And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow: Wherefore then gavest not thou my money into the bank, that at my coming I might have required mine own with usury?
And he said unto them that stood by, Take from him the pound, and give it to him that hath ten pounds. (And they said unto him, Lord, he hath ten pounds.) ForI say unto you, That unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.But those mine enemies, which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither, and slay them before me.- 19:11–27; The last line of this parable has been quoted as if it were a command of Jesus, when it is in fact a command given by the protaganist of his story. In later interpretations it was used to justify the collective condemnation and persecution of Jews for not accepting Jesus as theMessiah,as whenJohn Chrysostom,one of theThree Holy Hierarchs,and aDoctor of the Churchuses this passage directly to condemn the Jews:
- The Jewish people were driven by their drunkenness and plumpness to the ultimate evil; they kicked about, they failed to accept the yoke of Christ, nor did they pull the plow of his teaching. Another prophet hinted at this when he said: "Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn heifer."… Although such beasts are unfit for work, they are fit for killing. And this is what happened to the Jews: while they were making themselves unfit for work, they grew fit for slaughter. This is why Christ said: "But as for these my enemies, who did not want me to be king over them, bring them here and slay them." (Luke19:27)
- John Chrysostom(349–ca. 407),Eight Homilies Against the Jews,Homily 1.
- The Jewish people were driven by their drunkenness and plumpness to the ultimate evil; they kicked about, they failed to accept the yoke of Christ, nor did they pull the plow of his teaching. Another prophet hinted at this when he said: "Israel is as obstinate as a stubborn heifer."… Although such beasts are unfit for work, they are fit for killing. And this is what happened to the Jews: while they were making themselves unfit for work, they grew fit for slaughter. This is why Christ said: "But as for these my enemies, who did not want me to be king over them, bring them here and slay them." (Luke19:27)
- 19:11–27; The last line of this parable has been quoted as if it were a command of Jesus, when it is in fact a command given by the protaganist of his story. In later interpretations it was used to justify the collective condemnation and persecution of Jews for not accepting Jesus as theMessiah,as whenJohn Chrysostom,one of theThree Holy Hierarchs,and aDoctor of the Churchuses this passage directly to condemn the Jews:
- At the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him.
And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? And they said, The Lord hath need of him.- 19:29–35
- Then began he to speak to the people this parable; A certain man planted a vineyard, and let it forth to husbandmen, and went into a far country for a long time. And at the season he sent a servant to the husbandmen, that they should give him of the fruit of the vineyard: but the husbandmen beat him, and sent him away empty.And again he sent another servant: and they beat him also, and entreated him shamefully, and sent him away empty. And again he sent a third: and they wounded him also, and cast him out.
Then said the lord of the vineyard, What shall I do? I will send my beloved son: it may be they will reverence him when they see him.
But when the husbandmen saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir: come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.
So they cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What therefore shall the lord of the vineyard do unto them?
He shall come and destroy these husbandmen, and shall give the vineyard to others.
And when they heard it, they said, God forbid. And he beheld them, and said,What is this then that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner?
Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder.
And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them.- 20:9–19
- Therefore, resolve in your hearts not to rehearse beforehand how to make your defense, 15 for I will give you words and wisdom that all your opposers together will not be able to resist or dispute.
- Also, there will be signs in the sun and moon and stars, and on the earth anguish of nations not knowing the way out because of the roaring of the sea and its agitation. People will become faint out of fear and expectation of the things coming upon the inhabited earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
- And when the hour was come, he sat down, and the twelveapostleswith him. And he said unto them,WithdesireI have desired toeatthispassoverwith you before Isuffer:For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in thekingdom of God.And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and said,Take this, and divide it among yourselves: For I say unto you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God shall come.And he tookbread,and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying,This is mybodywhich is given for you: this do inremembranceof me.Likewise also the cup after supper, saying,This cup is the new testament in myblood,which is shed for you.
- Account of theEucharistand theLast Supper,22: 14 - 20 (KJV)
- Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.
- 23:43 (KJV)
- Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them,Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
And they remembered his words, And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.- 24: 1 - 12 (KJV)
Quotes about the Gospel of Luke
edit- Many Christians have been misled for centuries about the nature ofGod’s kingdomby the well-known mistranslation of Luke 17:21: “The kingdom of God iswithinyou.” Today all serious scholars and translators would agree that the text should read: “The kingdom of God isamongyou orin your midst.”The Greek wordentoscan means “within” or “among.”
- Albert Nolan,Jesus Before Christianity: The Gospel of Liberation(1976), p. 46
See also
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Online translations of the Gospel of Luke:
- Bible Gateway 35 languages/50 versionsat GospelCom.net
- Unbound Bible 100+ languages/versionsat Biola University
- Online Bibleat gospelhall.org
- Early Christian Writings;Gospel of Luke: introductions and e-texts
Secondary literature:
- Gospel of Luke Reading Room:on-line virtual library (Tyndale Seminary)
Related articles:
- B.H. Streeter, The Four Gospels: A study of origins 1924.
- Willker,W (2007),A textual commentary on the Gospel of Luke,Pub. on-lineA very detailed text-critical discussion of the 300 most important variants of the Greek text (PDF, 467 pages)
- Gospel of Saint Luke @ 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia
- Gospel of St. Luke in the 1911Encyclopædia Britannica