Book of Luke

Lk 1 HerodtheGreat2
Herod (37 B.C.E. – 4 B.C.E.), also known as Herod the Great and Herod I, was a Roman client king of Judea, referred to as the Herodian kingdom.
He has been described as “a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis”, “the evil genius of the Judean nation”, “prepared to commit any crime in order to gratify his unbounded ambition”, and “the greatest builder in Jewish history”.
He is known for: his colossal building projects throughout Judea, including his expansion of the Second Temple in Jerusalem (Herod’s Temple), the construction of the port at Caesarea Maritima, and the fortresses at Masada and Herodium.

Have you ever lost a wallet or a purse? Or far worse, perhaps you’ve had a moment when you turned around and realized your child had wandered off in a crowd.  It’s an awful feeling to know someone or something is lost.

Luke, the Bible’s only Gentile author, was gripped by the needs of lost people.  As we read his Gospel we notice how he emphasized stories of the poor and downtrodden.  Luke was a physician, sensitive to the needs of those who crossed his path.

As he tells the story of Christ, the humanity of Jesus is revealed, we see how our Lord made salvation available to people on the margins of society, like needy widows, obscure shepherds, despised tax collectors, and troubled children.

In chapter 15, Luke tells of three people who lost things very precious to them, and each story ends with the joy of reclamation.

In Luke 19:10, he drove home his theme, saying: “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Luke wrote with passion and conviction, but his Gospel isn’t emotionally-driven; it’s factually-based. In his opening paragraph, Luke prefaced his book by calling it an orderly account, well investigated, setting forth the certainty of the facts related to the life of Christ.

From a literary perspective, Luke’s writing stands out within ancient literature. From a faith perspective, his accuracy provides well-researched reasons to believe in Jesus, the one who came to seek and to save those who are lost.

Key Thought:

Jesus Christ is Savior for the entire world, for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike, for all are lost and need to be saved.

Key Verse:

Lk 2 Herod coin
The coinage of Herod the Great continued the Jewish tradition of not depicting a graven image.
However, a prutah of Herod was the first coin since the Persian period to depict a living creature – an eagle, which may have been an allusion to the golden eagle that Herod erected over the entrance to the Temple, and which caused such great offence to the Jews.

“For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk 19:10).

Key Action:

The followers of Christ must be gripped by the needs of lost people, seek them with the message of life, and rejoice with the angels when they come to Christ.

Scroll to Top
Skip to content