Luke was a Greek doctor, Colossians 4:10-14 who converted to Christianity early in the first century. After his conversion he became a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul, accompanying him on his missionary journeys. When Paul went to Jerusalem, Luke had the opportunity to meet first-hand with many of the disciples of Christ, including Mary, the mother of Jesus, and his brothers. Acts 21:15 Luke also stayed with Paul when he was imprisoned in Rome. Philemon 1:24, 2 Timothy 4:11 Given the fact that Paul and his missionary companions were frequently attacked, beaten, and imprisoned, Acts 14:19, Acts 16:20, 2 Corinthians 11:24, 2 Timothy 3:11 it was a mercy from God that the physician Luke was with them to treat their many wounds. In a way, Luke was the first medical missionary, but he was much more than a doctor. Luke was also an eyewitness and an historian who documented the triumph of Christ.
After becoming a believer, Luke, under the inspiration and direction of the Holy Spirit, 2 Timothy 3:16-17 wrote a detailed account of Christ’s life for a high-ranking Roman official, the Most Excellent Theophilus. His history, known as the Gospel of Luke begins:
Luke 1:1 Since many have undertaken to set in order a narrative concerning those matters which have been fulfilled among us, 2 even as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus; 4 that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed.
For over four thousand years before Christ’s birth, prophets, some of whom had stood, bowing and trembling, in the presence of God, had had revealed to them the details of the coming of a King: The Prince of Peace, who would rule the world in righteousness. In his opening sentence Luke makes it clear that he will be explaining to Theophilus how all of the ancient prophecies were fulfilled in Christ.
We live in a time when religion is considered to be a private affair. Religion is considered by many of the thought leaders to be unscientific and intolerant. In the minds of many today, if you are religious, you are unscientific, denying the truth of science. You are labeled as intolerant and told that you must keep your religion to yourself. If you insist on telling others about your faith, in some cases telling even your own children and other family members, you may find yourself an enemy of the enlightened State. In fact there are a growing number of anti-conversion laws around the world designed to prevent people from sharing the truth about Christ and preventing people from converting to Christianity without government permission. (BBC.com, India: Christians face attack and jail over conversions, 12-21-21)
But Luke, an eyewitness to the miracles and life of Paul, and familiar with the first-hand witness reports of the disciples and family of Christ, wrote his books so that his friend Theophilus as well as all future generations could know with certainty about the life of Christ.
Christianity is true. Demonstrably true. The evidence of history screams Jesus…Jesus showed his followers that he was far more than human. He demonstrated this directly and indirectly with his words and actions…Jesus spoke as though he was God, equated himself to God, accepted the worship of others as though he were God, described himself as God using the Jewish title “I Am,” and even claimed to have God’s power to forgive sins… Finally, according to the eyewitnesses, Jesus rose from the grave… It’s one thing to reject Jesus’ claims; It’s another to deny he made them. Given the nature of Jesus’ assertions, only one option remains: each of us must decide if the claims of Jesus are true.
(J. Warner Wallace, Person of Interest, Zondervan, 2021)