The Genius of the Gospel of Luke

Episode Outline:
0:00 The Gospel of Luke and its distinctive portrait of Jesus
0:49 Bart and Megan on busy days, memory, and school prep
2:23 Who wrote Luke, and when was it written?
5:28 How Luke relates to Mark, Matthew, John, and Acts
8:06 Is Luke’s Jesus like Mark’s and Matthew’s, or something different?
10:37 Luke’s emphasis on Gentiles and the universal scope of salvation
15:20 How Luke shows Jesus’ message moving beyond the Jews
18:42 Why Luke’s Passion is often called a “passionless passion”
20:42 Comparing Mark’s crucifixion scene with Luke’s
23:47 How Luke removes atonement language from Jesus’ death
29:07 What Luke’s theology says about repentance, forgiveness, and persecution
31:32 Why the Gospels should be read separately, not blended together
34:01 Weekly Update: free Gospel authorship webinar
35:55 Final conference spotlight: Amy-Jill Levine and Bart’s own talk
40:41 Outsmart Bart: James, Adam, and Philemon
45:06 Final summary: Luke’s theological message and literary genius

Episode Description

The genius of Luke’s Gospel is frequently overlooked by those who simply breeze through it or assume it is saying the same thing as Matthew and Mark. In fact, it is strikingly different. What especially matters are not so much the contradictions one finds, but the larger picture. Luke has radically edited Mark’s account in places to create a new portrait of Jesus. In this episode we see how he did it and what the end result is. Among other things, when you look carefully at the details of Luke’s account, you find that, unlike the other Gospels, here Jesus does not suffer during his passion and his death does not bring an atonement for sins. These are not minor differences. Why would Luke change the story so significantly?

Also watch these episodes:
The Genius of the Gospel of Mark
The Genius of the Gospel of Mark

The Gospel of Matthew is Pure Brilliance!
The Gospel of Matthew is Pure Brilliance!

Did Jesus Predict his Own Death?
Did Jesus Predict his Own Death?

This week, Bart addresses:

-What do we know about who wrote Luke and when?

-In broad terms, how does it relate to the other Gospels?

-Mark depicts Jesus as the son of God who has to die for the sins of others, but that no one recognizes him and Matthew portrays him as a distinctly Jewish Messiah come in fulfilment of the Jewish Scriptures. Does Luke agree with these views, or is it completely different?

-Do we have examples of Luke’s concern with Gentiles?

-Why would Luke make a passion without suffering?

-How can we explain Luke’s removal of atonement?

-How does Luke combine all of these different features to support his own theological message?

-What does this say about how we ought to read the Gospels? Should we take them all as parts of the same story, or as different stories?