Mary exemplifies the obedient servant of the Lord. John the Baptist represents the last of the Old Covenant prophets. Luke concludes with the scene of Jesus' ascension which is recapitulated in the beginning of Acts (1:6-11).Įach of the characters in Luke plays a particular role that helps illumine the life of Jesus and his message. Luke gives a different version of the Beatitudes than Matthew (6:20-23). Luke also provides the first half of the Hail Mary prayer in Gabriel's and Elizabeth's greetings to Mary (1:28, 42). He also is the only one who gives us songs that are still used in the Church's liturgy: the Benedictus (1:68-79), the Magnificat (1:46-55) and the Nunc Dimittis (2:29-32). He alone tells us the stories of Mary and Martha (10:38-42) and of the disciples on the road to Emmaus (24:13-35). Luke is the only gospel writer who tells the parables of the prodigal son (15:11-32) and the good Samaritan (10:25-37).
Next the Lucan gospel traces Jesus' genealogy back to Adam in order to show the universality of the salvation which he brings. Gabriel foretells two miraculous births: the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah's post-menopausal wife and the virginal conception of Jesus in the womb of Mary. Luke's gospel begins with dramatic appearances of the angel Gabriel to Zechariah and to Mary. As a careful historian, Luke sets the scene of Jesus' birth in its political context by mentioning various rulers and places at the time (2:1-4). Luke wrote his work for Theophilus, a Gentile Christian who may have been his benefactor. The Gospel of Luke is the first volume of Luke-Acts, which was composed by "Luke the beloved physician," a traveling companion of St.
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