Luke 1:3 Commentary and Bible Study

He had obtained ‘perfect understanding’ from the eye-witnesses. Luke worked hard to get all the details straight in his understanding, and he was evidently gathering information by speaking to many people in order to write a reliable account of the life of Christ.Luke’s Gospel is written to an individual. Because of the meaning of his name – ‘Lover of God’ – some think that this name is used as a placeholder to stand for all believers. But ‘most excellent Theophilus’ shows that a particular Theophilus is in mind, distinguished by being ‘excellent’. Unlike the other Gospels which were written for believers in general, Luke writes for one man. Theophilus may have been a seeker who needed to close with Christ, but it seems much more likely that he was to be a custodian of the truth – a reliable man, who would study this Gospel and pass it on to other believers. The Gospel was followed up by Luke with the Book of Acts, which supplied Theophilus with a complete history of the foundation of Christianity. But clearly this is an account written for more than one man. Luke is not unaware that he is writing for Christ’s church for all time. Like others who wrote before him, he too wrote ‘a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us.’ Luke explains his motivation in writing – ‘it seemed good to me’. That was a deeply settled conviction, endorsed by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit puts into the hearts of God’s people a strong sense of the value of what they are doing when he calls them to a task. Luke had great joy in setting down these things in his Gospel, because of the good that he knew would come from it. God gave him a share in the joy of seeing his people strengthened and grow. The Lord’s work is its own reward.Luke then explains why he is qualified to write these things. ‘From the first.’ Is this the same as ‘from the beginning’ in verse 2? No, a different word is used here. The word ‘beginning’ is used in verse 2, and, given the material recorded in Luke’s Gospel, this refers to the beginning of the history of Jesus Christ, including his conception and virgin birth. In verse 3 the word means literally, ‘from above’, and when referring to the past, as here, means ‘from the first’, ‘from an early time’, ‘for a long time’. Luke is not claiming to have been there right at the beginning of Christ’s ministry with the apostles, but only to have been a disciple from earliest times. We do not know when he was converted. Hendriksen understands this to also be an introduction to the Book of Acts, which refers back to the Gospel and summarises its contents, going on to document the wonderful beginning and growth of the church through the apostles’ ministry. What a treasure Theophilus must have realised he had in his hands when he received this from Luke. It would have been recognised, under the guidance of the apostles, as inspired literature belonging to the word of God, and would have been copied by competent scribes for circulation among the churches.