Who Is Luke?

Q: What was the profession of Luke, the Gospel writer?

A: Physician

Primary Reference: Colossians 4:14

Additional References: Luke 1:1-4, Acts 1:1, Acts 16:10-17, Acts 20:5-15, Acts 21:1-18, Acts 27:1-28:16

Luke’s Uniqueness: Luke is unique among New Testament authors as both a physician and a Gentile. Paul refers to him as "the beloved physician" (Colossians 4:14), and his medical background significantly influences his writing style and focus.

Medical Expertise Reflected in His Writings:

1) Technical Medical Language:

- Uses precise medical terms for diseases

- Describes symptoms with clinical accuracy

- Employs professional medical vocabulary of his time

2) Examples of Medical Detail in Luke's Gospel:

- Peter's mother-in-law's fever (Luke 4:38) - uses technical term for "high fever"

- The man "full of leprosy" (Luke 5:12) - specific medical diagnosis

- The woman with a "spirit of infirmity" (Luke 13:11) - detailed physical description

- The man with dropsy (Luke 14:2) - only mention of this condition in the Bible

Interesting Tidbit: Luke's medical background is reflected in his Gospel and Acts through his use of medical terminology and his detailed descriptions of healings. He's the only Gentile author in the New Testament and also wrote the book of Acts. His scientific training is evident in his emphasis on investigation and orderly account (Luke 1:1-4).

*Over 400 medical terms appear in his writings

**Many match terminology found in ancient medical writings by Hippocrates and Galen

- Luke was Paul's traveling companion and personal physician

- He wrote approximately 27% of the New Testament (Luke and Acts combined)

- His Greek is considered the most sophisticated in the New Testament

- Many scholars believe he interviewed Mary (Jesus' mother) for his infancy narrative

LSM Bible Study 11 DEC 24

The First Prophet

Q: Who was the first person in the Bible to be called a prophet?

A: Abraham

The first explicit mention of the word "prophet" (Hebrew: נָבִיא, navi) in the Bible occurs when God speaks to Abimelech about Abraham. The context is particularly interesting because it happens during one of Abraham's more morally questionable moments – when he passed off Sarah as his sister, rather than as his wife in Gerar…interesting exposition on how even prophets could make serious mistakes.

Reference: Genesis 20:1-18, Genesis 12:10-20, Genesis 15:1-21, Genesis 18:17-33

Interesting Tidbits:

- The Prophetic Call: While Abraham is first called a prophet in Genesis 20:7, his prophetic role began much earlier with his initial call from God in Genesis 12.

- The term "prophet" appears in a morally complex situation, suggesting that prophetic status doesn't imply moral perfection

- Abraham's prophetic role included predictive elements (Genesis 15:13-16, predicting Israel's Egyptian bondage)

His role as prophet was recognized not just by the Israelites but also by foreign kings like Abimelech

- Jewish tradition considers Sarah to also have had prophetic gifts, though she's not explicitly called a prophet in the Bible

- The Arabic term "nabi" for prophet derives from the same Semitic root as the Hebrew "navi"