Thursday 28 January, 2016

1 Many people have attempted to write about the things that have taken place among us. 2 Reports of these things were handed down to us. There were people who saw these things for themselves from the beginning. They saw them and then passed the word on. 3 With this in mind, I myself have carefully looked into everything from the beginning. So I also decided to write down an orderly report of exactly what happened. I am doing this for you, most excellent Theophilus. 4 I want you to know that the things you have been taught are true.

The first four verses of the book of Luke are a simple introduction that Luke writes to Theophilus. Luke succinctly outlines his intentions in writing his book, and then continues on to depict the events at hand.
Luke is the only gospel writer who includes an introduction, and it provides us with a small glimpse of personal understanding of who he was. From these four verses alone we can see that Luke was a man who was interested in carefully investigating the stories of Jesus that had been passed down, from the beginning, & that he wanted to write the full truth about what was being taught.
I am encouraged by Luke’s eagerness to know and share the truth and to speak from a place of assured accuracy. By carefully investigating what was being spoken & taught about the life of Jesus and the events at the time, Luke was able to present a thorough & truthful account that has been proven invaluable to many, many people since it’s intended audience at the time, including myself.
Lord, let us be encouraged by this to be people who know the truth of the Word of God and seek to share it with those around us.

Written by Madelaine Tarasenko