Important Themes in the Gospel of Luke

by Courtney Jacob
Jun 13, 2025

Have you ever felt like an outsider? Like the story of Jesus was meant for someone else? Maybe for someone more qualified, more spiritual, or more in the know. The gospel writer, Luke, understood this feeling and intentionally wrote his account of Jesus' life for people just like us. Join Groundwork for our series, “Important Themes in the Gospel of Luke,” to explore Luke’s prominent and recurring themes and discuss how his message continues to be profoundly personal and relevant for our world today.

What is a gospel?

If you’ve spent any time at all in a church, listening to Christian radio, or studying the Bible, then you’ve encountered the term “gospel.” The word itself means “good news” and for Christians, it specifically refers to the good news of Jesus Christ. But there are also four books of the Bible called gospels. As a genre, these are the books written to tell an account of Jesus Christ’s life and ministry. These four gospels record Jesus' teachings, ministry, and important life events. However, the gospels are not biographies. They are historical but not comprehensive. Just as light shining through a prism highlights different colors and patterns more vividly from varied perspectives, each gospel was written by its author to inspire and encourage faith in Jesus Christ. Each gospel writer composed his account with a particular audience in mind and was inspired by the Holy Spirit to include and highlight important aspects of Jesus’ life and ministry that would convince that audience—and future audiences like us—of the truth of the good news of Jesus Christ.

What do we know about the gospel of Luke?

The gospel of Luke gives us one of the longest, most detailed accounts of Jesus’ life. The author doesn’t give his own name, but due to his use of “we,” many scholars believe that he traveled with Paul on some of Paul’s missionary journeys. His style is educated and cultured, and while he likely was not one of the twelve original disciples of Jesus, he had access to those close to Jesus and was able to conduct interviews and thoroughly research what he recorded in his gospel account. Some say he was a physician by trade, and—due to their introductions and similarities in style—it is commonly accepted that the same author wrote Luke and Acts.

In chapter 1 verse 3, Luke identifies his original audience: Theophilus. We don’t really know if Theophilus was an actual person or represented a people. But the name Theophilus means “lover of God,” and scholars agree that unlike Matthew who wrote to convince Jews and Mark who wrote to a Gentile audience, the target audience of Luke’s gospel is all believers. Like each of the other gospels, we notice recurring themes that Luke emphasizes to support his goal to draw all people to believe in Jesus.

Discovering important themes

As Luke draws us in and shows us Jesus, we discover a unique portrayal of Jesus as he repeatedly draws our attention to the work of the Holy Spirit, economic justice, the welcoming of people who are marginalized or far away from God, celebration, the victory of God, and discipleship.

Through each of these themes, Luke wants his readers to be certain about Jesus—who he is, what he came to do, and how his message transforms lives.

Accept the invitation

I invite you to join Theophilus and believers throughout the ages in deepening your relationship with God by knowing Jesus more deeply through our Groundwork series, “Important Themes in the Gospel of Luke”:

...and together we’ll let Luke’s unique theological perspective challenge, inspire, and encourage us still today.

Posted in:   Books of the Bible, Prayer, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit

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Important Themes in the Gospel of Luke

 

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