The
Book of Luke is the third book of the New Testament of the Holy Bible, and the third of the Four Gospels.
In a
nutshell, the
Book of Luke has 24 chapters that include the following: the reason Luke wrote the book; the birth of John the Baptist; the birth of Jesus; the preaching and message of John the Baptist; the baptism and temptation of Jesus by the Devil; Jesus begins ministry in Galilee; Jesus goes from Galilee to Jerusalem – Jesus chooses his 12 disciples and his instructions to them; Jesus teaches and preaches through stories and parables, Jesus heals, and Jesus delivers the Sermon on the Mount; the last week of Jesus – his trial and death; and the resurrection of Jesus from his death, that he is alive; Jesus is taken to heaven, the ascension.
The main thrust of the Book of Luke is God's love and that Jesus came to be Savior of humankind. Some of the best-known stories that Jesus used to teach about God's love are found in Luke's book, including The Good Samaritan, A Lost Sheep, and A Lost Son. It is also Luke who tells how Jesus visited in the home of a hated tax collector and promised life in paradise to a dying criminal.
Luke shows the concern of Jesus for the poor: they receive God's blessings, they are invited to the great feast, and the poor man, Lazarus, is taken to heaven. Jesus also orders his disciples to sell what they have and give the money to the poor.
The Book of Luke mentions about the spirit of God more than any other writers of the New
Testament. For example, we find this from what Luke said about John the Baptist, the power of the Spirit was with John the Baptist from the time he was born, in chapter 1, verse 15; and to Mary, mother of Jesus, when an angel promised her that the Holy Spirit will come down to her. Jesus himself taught that the spirit is God's greatest gift, in chapter 11, verse 13.
Luke imparts that prayer is very important to Jesus. Jesus often prayed – after being baptized, before choosing the disciples, and before giving up his life on the cross. In the Book of Luke we learn about the three stories that Jesus told us about in order to teach the importance prayer.
Regarding the physical death of Jesus and his resurrection, Luke makes sure that this is clearly communicated in chapter 24, the last chapter of the book. Luke writes that Jesus is resurrected physically from death by writing that the risen Jesus ate a piece of fish, which means that Jesus's resurrection is real and not imagined. Luke ends the book with the return of Jesus to heaven, the Ascension, with the last words of Jesus to his disciples that they should tell everyone about the things that happened.