Greetings, listeners. Maybe you've asked yourself, would God really welcome somebody like me? Luke's gospel answers that question with a resounding yes. In these pages, we see Jesus embracing outsiders, lifting up the overlooked, and throwing open the door of God's kingdom. If you've ever felt left out, Luke wants you to know there's a seat at the table for you. Well, welcome everyone. I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole, and this is the Bible Basics Podcast, where every two weeks we break down the basics of the Bible into understandable bite-sized chunks. Today we're opening up the Gospel of Luke together. The Gospel of Luke is actually part one of a two-volume story, Luke and Acts. Both were written to someone named Theophilus, which means beloved by God. Now we don't know for sure who Theopolis was. Maybe a Roman official, maybe simply a believer Luke wanted to encourage. What we do know is that Luke wanted him and us to be certain about what we've been taught. He says that right in the opening lines, chapter one, verses one through four. I carefully investigated everything from the beginning so that you may know the certainty of the things that have been taught. Now let's talk about the man behind this gospel. Luke wasn't one of Jesus' original disciples. Instead, he was a physician, a doctor, who later became a close companion of the apostle Paul. We see that in Colossians chapter four, verse 14. And being a doctor, he noticed things others didn't. Luke notices pain, pays attention to detail, and records Jesus' compassion with the care of someone who's used to tending to people's needs. He shows us a Savior who heals more than bodies. There's something else that's unique about Luke. He's the only non-Jewish writer in the entire Bible. That means he wrote as an outsider to Israel's traditions. And that matters because Luke's big theme is that Jesus didn't come just for one group of people, but for all of us. And if you're curious about the size or the scale of this gospel, Luke is considered the most comprehensive. It gives us a narrative from the birth of Jesus to his ascension. And the events that are described in this book are described in great detail. So it ends up being the longest gospel. Matthew has 28 chapters, Mark has 16, but Luke gives us 24 chapters packed with detail. And when you add Acts, Luke actually wrote more words in the New Testament than Paul himself. Think about that. More than a quarter of the New Testament comes from Luke's pen. In his gospel, you'll find 20 miracles, 23 parables, and nearly half of those parables you won't find anywhere else. Stories like The Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son are treasures we would never know if not for Luke. That's why some people have called this the most beautiful book ever written. Luke's gospel was written somewhere around 60 to 61 AD, about thirty years after Jesus' death and resurrection. And what he gives us is the fullest account of Jesus' humanity, his birth, his childhood, his tears, his prayers, his joy from the manger to the empty tomb. Luke paints Jesus' story in full color. Now let's focus on the purpose of this book. What is Luke really trying to do with this gospel? Well, let's look at the key themes. First, he's given us clarity and certainty. Right at the start, Luke tells us in chapter 1, verses 1 through 4, he wants us to be certain about what we've been taught about Jesus. Let me read these verses to you in the NLT or the New Living Translation. Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. They use the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write an accurate account for you, most honorable Theophilus, so you can be certain of the truth of everything you've been taught. The second thing Luke focuses on is salvation. In Luke's gospel, salvation doesn't mean going to heaven someday. It means God's forgiveness, his welcome, and his healing right here and now. We see forgiveness when Jesus tells a paralyzed man, Friend, your sins are forgiven. That's chapter 5, verse 20. And in chapter 7, verse 50, he tells a woman who anointed his feet, Your faith has served you. Go in peace. And in chapter 5, 29 to 32, and 15, 1 and 2, we see welcome when Jesus eats with tax collectors and sinners, even when people criticize him for it. And we see healing in story after story, like when he touched a man with leprosy and said, Be clean. That's chapter 5, verse 13, or chapter 18, verse 42, when he gave sight to a blind beggar near Jericho. The next thing we see throughout this book is that it focuses on present tense. And there's this word that Luke loves, and that word is today. In chapter 4, verse 21, today the scripture is fulfilled in your hearing. In chapter 19, 9, today salvation has come to this house. And in chapter 23, 43, today you will be with me in paradise. In Luke, salvation is never just someday. It's here and it's now. Luke picks up an old testament theme that God's Messiah would bring good news to the poor, freedom for the oppressed, and hope for the broken. In chapter four, verses eighteen and nineteen, Jesus reads from Isaiah, The Spirit of the Lord is on me because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor, freedom for the prisoners, recovery of sight for the blind, and to set the oppressed free. And then he says, That's me. Later, when John the Baptist's followers ask if he's the Messiah, Jesus answers in chapter seven, verse twenty two, go back and report what you've seen. The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. And Luke drives this home in some powerful ways. For example, his genealogy in chapter three doesn't stop at Abraham like Matthew's does. Luke traces Jesus' family line all the way back to Adam, the very first human being. We see that in chapter 3, 23 through 38. Why does he do that? Because he wants us to see that Jesus isn't just the savior for Israel, he's the savior for all people everywhere. And this last theme we see running through Luke is faith. Luke often flips our expectations about who has real faith. Sometimes it's not the religious leaders, it's the outsiders, like the tax collector in Jesus' parable, who simply prayed, God have mercy on me, a sinner. And he left and went home in right standing with God. That's chapter 18, verse 13 to 14. Or also there was Zacchaeus, another tax collector, who climbed a tree just to see Jesus and ended up receiving salvation that very day. That's chapter 19, verses 1 through 10. That's Luke's purpose to show us that Jesus is God's Messiah, the Savior, whose life, death, and resurrection bring salvation for everyone everywhere, Jew and Gentile, rich and poor, men and women, the insider and the outcast. Or to put it simply, Jesus came for the lost. And in Luke's gospel, that means every single one of us. Now let's look at how Luke tells the story. In every episode, I've reminded you that while God is the true author of the Bible, he worked through human writers, letting their personalities and styles shine through. So what does that look like here? Let's see how God used Luke to tell the story of Jesus. One thing you'll notice is that Luke has a special way of highlighting ideas that run all the way through his gospel. Let me point a few out for you. First, there are songs and joy. Luke's gospel is full of music. In the first two chapters alone, we get Mary's song of praise called the Magnificant. That's in chapter 1, verses 46 to 50. And then there's Zachariah's song, the Benedictus in chapter 1, verse 68 to 79. The angels are singing, Glory to God in the highest. That's in chapter 2, verse 14. And then there's Simeon's song, the Nunc Dimittis. These aren't just poems, they're worship, and they set the tone for the whole book. Joy keeps bubbling up everywhere, whether it's the shepherds celebrating, chapter 2, verses 10 to 20, a lost son coming home, chapter 15, verses 11 to 24, or disciples rejoicing when they recognize the risen Jesus, chapter 24, verses 30 to 52. The second thing, aside from the joy and the music, are meals. If you pay attention, Jesus is constantly at someone's table in Luke. He eats with the Pharisees, 736, with tax collectors like Levi in 529, and Zacchaeus in 1957, with his disciples twenty two, fourteen to twenty, and with strangers on the road to Emmaus twenty four thirty. In Luke, these meals are never just about food, they're moments of mercy, forgiveness, and life change. The third element that we see throughout Luke is prayer and the Holy Spirit. Luke shows Jesus praying more often than any other gospel. He prays at his baptism three hundred twenty-one, before choosing his disciples, six twelve, before Peter's confession, nine eighteen, at his transfiguration, nine twenty eight and twenty nine, and on the cross twenty three, thirty four and forty-six. Out of the fifteen prayers of Jesus we have in the Gospels, eleven are in Luke. And the Holy Spirit is present at every stage of this story, from Jesus' conception one hundred thirty five to his baptism three hundred twenty two to his ministry for one fourteen and eighteen. And even his resurrection. Luke is showing us that Jesus' life and mission are carried out in the power of the Spirit, and he invites us to pray and live the same way. A fourth element we see is the ministry of women. Luke highlights women more than any other gospel writer. The birth story is told from the perspective of Mary and Elizabeth. Women are also the last at the cross, 2349, 55, and 56, and the first at the empty tomb, 24, 1 through ten. In a culture where women's voices were often dismissed, Luke goes out of his way to honor their faith and their place in God's story. And finally, Luke highlights the humanity of Jesus. More than any other gospel, Luke shows us a Jesus who feels what we feel. He gets tired eight hundred twenty three. He weeps over Jerusalem nineteen forty one. He sweats drops of blood in prayer twenty two forty-four. And on the cross, he shows compassion to the criminal beside him. Luke wants us to see that Jesus is fully God and fully human, the Son of Man who understands our struggles. Well, we've been walking through Luke's story, and by now you can see the portrait he's painting of Jesus. Let's pull it together and see why it still matters for us today. We meet Jesus, the Spirit's anointed Savior. In the synagogue, Jesus reads from Isaiah and says, The Spirit of the Lord is on me. He has sent me to proclaim good news to the poor and freedom for the oppressed. That's chapter 4, verses 18, 19, and 21. Luke reminds us that Jesus still meets us in our need, spiritually, emotionally, and in the places we feel stuck. If you've ever felt unseen away down, this is the Savior who notices you and brings freedom that reaches the heart. We also meet Jesus, a friend of outsiders. He heals lepers in chapter 17, verse 12 to 14, welcomes tax collectors like Zacchaeus, and makes a Samaritan the hero of his story. Chapter 10, verse 33. No one is too far gone or too far outside. If you've ever felt like you don't quite fit in, Luke shows us that Jesus moves toward people just like that. We meet Jesus, the Son of Man, who came to seek and save the lost. And that's not just ancient history, it's personal. Whenever or wherever we find ourselves lost, confused, guilty, or just unsure where to turn, Jesus seeks us out. Luke also shows us Jesus' humanity. He gets tired and falls asleep in a boat, 823. He weeps over Jerusalem, 1941. He sweats drops of blood in prayer, 2244. And he shows compassion to a thief hanging next to him on the cross, 2343. At the same time, he rises from the dead, eats with his disciples, and opens the scriptures so they can see God's plan from beginning to end. When you feel exhausted, overwhelmed, or afraid, you're not alone. Jesus has felt it too. We can see through this portrait of his humanity. He understands our struggles from the inside out. Luke's Jesus is fully God and fully human. Powerful enough to save anyone, and tender enough to understand everyone. That's hope you can hold on to today. Maybe as you hear all that, something in you wants to know Jesus more for yourself, to see what he said, how he lived, and who he welcomed. That's exactly what Luke invites us to do. So let's talk about how you can read this gospel for yourself this week. Let me give you three simple options. Option one, you can read it in one sitting. If you've got two or three hours, read the whole gospel straight through. From manger to empty tomb, you'll feel the sweep of the story in one sitting. Option two, read six chapters a day. Or option three, read it slow and steady. Just ten minutes a day. And whichever option you choose, pay attention to the details Luke loves. Circle every time you see the word today. Notice how often Jesus is praying and watch what happens around the dinner table. And don't stress if you don't catch everything. The two big questions to carry with you are these. Who is Jesus and what does it mean to follow him? Remember how we started asking if God would really welcome someone like me? In Luke 15, Jesus tells a parable, a story that answers that question. A father sees his son coming home, dirty, ashamed, smelling like failure. And instead of a lecture or punishment, the father runs down the road, throws his arms around him, and calls for a feast, a celebration. That's the kind of welcome Luke wants us to see in Jesus. So let me ask you, do you need that kind of welcome? And where might Jesus be inviting you to take one step toward him today? Here's your challenge. Pick one of those reading options and begin. Maybe start with Luke chapters 1 and 2 this week. Let the songs of Mary, Zechariah, and the angels lead you into the story. And maybe text a friend to join you. You never know who needs the reminder that God's table still has a chair open. Thank you so much for listening. Until next time, keep reading, keep seeking, and keep growing in your faith.