Luke 1:1 Commentary and Bible Study

(Synoptics: Luke 1:1-4)Luke begins his Gospel by telling us his motive in writing, and by giving a brief account of how he went about the work and where he obtained his information. This is the only one of the four Gospels which starts with an introduction of this sort; the other Gospel writers plunge immediately into their subject without any comment about why they are composing their Gospel. Luke knows that others have written before him, and they too have attempted to set down a clear account of some or all of the events of the life of Christ. No criticism is implied by his saying that ‘many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us.’ Indeed, the fact that what others have written are things which are surely believed, is a conformation that what they wrote was also true. But Luke evidently believes that another Gospel needs to be written, and that he is called to do this work. He too is going to write with the greatest possible care, diligence, and accuracy. Since he refers to ‘many’ – and, as Barnes says, ‘many’ is certainly more than two, and the Gospel of John was not yet written – then ‘many’ includes at least some uninspired writers also, others who had written down some record of the events of Christ’s ministry and teaching. This is not a reference to false Gospels which included fictional elements and which were rejected by the church, but it may have included Mark’s Gospel, which it is believed was written before the Gospel of Luke.‘Most surely believed among us’ – there was already a recognized narrative, and agreement about the life and teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ. The word ‘us’ must refer to the Christian community, for Luke places himself among them and approves of what they believed. Some of that community had been eye-witnesses to the life of Christ, and so there were plenty who could verify the truthfulness of these early accounts, and of the Gospel that Luke was about to write. Luke too is going to write for the Christians, both in his own time, and in all the coming ages. Because his word is to be preserved for all generations, God has caused it to be written down and fixed in unchanging form. Luke fully understood the need for this, and took advantage of the position available to him to consult eyewitnesses still alive in his day. Obviously that was only possible in those days. Also, only in those days were the apostles able to give their seal of approval to what was written.‘Those things which are most surely believed among us’ are all the things recorded in his Gospel: the announcement of the birth of the forerunner, and of the Lord himself, the baptism of the Lord, the beginning of his ministry, the call of the disciples, Christ’s teaching and miracles, his dealing with his enemies, his death and resurrection and ascension into heaven. These are the things which are of vital importance to his disciples, and this is what Luke records for us.These things were ‘set forth in order’ – not necessarily a strictly chronological narrative, but a clear and well organised account. This was something Luke did with great care and attention. He fully believed that all he wrote in his Gospel, and what he wrote was of supreme importance to himself also. He had a sense of the enormous value of what he was communicating.