Year C, The Gospel of Luke- What to look for in Year C
As we prepare for the coming of Advent and the Christmas season, we will enter the new liturgical Year C, which primarily focuses on the gospel of Luke. Here are some things to keep in mind as we read Luke’s message throughout out the year.
Gospel of Luke: Brief Overview
Luke’s Gospel was most likely written around 70-90 AD to a non-Jewish audience. Scholars believe Luke was a disciple of St. Paul, not one of the original 12 Apostles. Luke’s purpose was to present an “orderly account” of Jesus’ life based on the eyewitness traditions of early disciples. Also, to show how the salvation of the world started in an obscure village and spread to the very heart of the Roman Empire. Central to this gospel’s message is the theology of salvation, the awareness of how people are being healed and redeemed through the message of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit.
Themes in Luke:
• Luke’s Gospel account is one that is obtained second-hand, from witnesses who personally saw what took place. From all that we know, Luke was not a personal disciple of Jesus, and not an “apostle” in any sense that the 12 were.
• Luke was a man who traveled with Paul and was probably greatly impacted by his life and ministry. It would seem that Luke had a fair bit of contact with the personal witnesses to these events in the life of our Lord, and that his account in Luke is the result of research he did over a period of time. He may well have recognized the need for a gospel account that was geared to Gentile followers during his ministry with Paul, and set his hand to the task, inspired by the Holy Spirit as he did so. Having said all this, we should realize that Matthew and John were witnesses (John alone stayed close to the Lord, to provide the great detail of Christ’s trials and crucifixion), and Mark’s account may be largely gained through Peter.
• Second, Luke’s account is selective. Luke’s account of the trials, crucifixion, and death of Jesus leave out much that has been reported elsewhere, in the parallel accounts. Luke, unlike the other gospel writers, does not often seek to emphasize the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, simply because, I believe- (the scholar believes), these were not well known to the Gentile audience that he was addressing. (They were not Jews)
Some of the content unique to Luke’s Gospel:
• Luke is the longest of the four gospels
• The parables about, the Prodigal Son, the Good Samaritan, the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, and the Rich Man and Lazarus are some of the stories only found in Luke.
• Luke’s Gospel is the only account where we find details about Jesus’ childhood
• Only Luke gives an account of Jesus’ ascension after the resurrection
• Luke draws from both oral and written sources
• Luke’s Gospel is paired with the book of Acts which continues Jesus’ story beyond His death and resurrection
Sources:
A Walk Through the New Testament, Margaret Nutting Ralph
Meeting St. Mark Today, Daniel J. Harrington SJ,
The Spiritual Wisdom of The Gospels, Fr. John Shea
