Luke 1:1–9:50

Luke wrote his Gospel to provide a trustworthy historical record of Jesus Christ. From the start Luke’s Gospel is catechetical: it teaches the facts of Jesus’ ministry for the purpose of instilling saving faith and strengthening the knowledge and appreciation of how Christ continues to redeem sinners through the ministry of Word and Sacrament. Dr. Arthur Just develops four central themes in Luke: Christology, sacramentology, ecclesiology, and eschatology. In addition to exploring what Luke’s narrative states, Just also asks how the narrative would have been appropriated by Luke’s first readers, and how it contributes to the church’s faith and worship today. The same Christ who became incarnate and was born of the Virgin Mary is present today with his gifts of grace, conferred through Holy Baptism, the hearing of God’s Word, and the Lord’s Supper.

This commentary’s literary technique is based on a careful examination of the original Greek text. It reveals the intricate structure of Luke’s Gospel and how that structure contributes to its message. The commentary includes outlines of each pericope that facilitate preaching and teaching the text. At appropriate junctures, Just provides extensive discussions of vital themes in the text, such as Baptism in Luke-Acts; Luke’s prophet Christology; Jesus’ table fellowship, the Passover, and the Lord’s Supper; the Lukan Beatitudes; Luke’s travel narrative, in which Christ journeys to the cross and open tomb; and Luke’s use of the Old Testament to witness to Christ.