Slideshow image

October 13, 2025

Dr. Luke's Research: Why the Gospel of the Gentile Physician is Credible

by Jason Neill

Scripture reading: Luke 1-2

The Identity of Jesus: From King to Son of Man

The four gospels provide four unique perspectives on the life of Jesus of Nazareth. Matthew presented Jesus as the long-awaited King, who fulfilled Old Testament prophecies. Mark presented Jesus as the Divine Servant, going about performing miracles and, in his final act of service, dying as our substitute on the cross and three days later rising from the dead, thereby proving his claims to be God were true. Luke provides us with another detailed portrait of Jesus, namely, as the "Son of Man."

This is by far the most frequent title Jesus used to describe himself (see Luke 5:24; 6:5; 6:22; 7:34; 9:22; 9:26; 9:44; 9:56; 9:58; 11:30; 12:8; 12:10; 12:40; 17:22; 17:24; 17:26; 17:30; 18:8; 18:31-32; 19:10; 21:27; 22:22; 22:48; 22:69; 24:7). The title "Son of Man" carries two primary meanings as used in the Gospel of Luke:

  1. It refers to the humanity of Jesus. This is important to Luke’s gospel because it was written to Theophilus (see Luke 1:3) and a wider Hellenistic (Greek-speaking) audience, and they were intrigued by the concept of what the perfect man would look like. Jesus is that perfect man.
  2. It refers to a messianic title which has its origins in Daniel 7:13-14. This passage discusses the messiah being “given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed” (Daniel 7:13-14, ESV). This passage harmonizes with Revelation 19-20, perfectly describing the establishment of Jesus’ kingdom on the earth.

The Author: Luke's Background as a Gentile Physician

Luke was not one of the original disciples. In fact, according to scripture and scholarly consensus, he was a Gentile (non-Jewish) physician (see Colossians 4:14). We believe that he was a Gentile because the Apostle Paul, in his closing letter to the Colossians, separates his co-workers by those who are circumcised (see Colossians 4:10-11) versus those that are not (see Colossians 4:12-14). Luke fits into the latter category.

It is also thought that Luke was not an original eyewitness to the life of Christ but gathered his information by interviewing people who were (see Luke 1:1-4). For instance, Luke 2:41-52 records an incident from the life of Jesus when he was 12 years old; no other gospel reports this story. Part of verse 51, referring to this story of Jesus’ childhood, says, “But his mother treasured all these things in her heart” (Luke 2:51, NIV). Therefore, it is likely that we have a record of this incident from the childhood of Jesus because Dr. Luke interviewed Jesus’ mother, Mary. Another reason we think Luke interviewed Mary is because we have a detailed record of the birth of Jesus in Luke 2 compared to what Matthew tells us concerning the same event in his gospel, which is told from the perspective of Joseph (see Matthew 1:18-2:23).

Luke is probably best known for being a traveling companion to the Apostle Paul on his missionary journeys (see Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-21:18; 27:1-28:16). These sections are typically referred to as the "we" sections where Luke clearly identifies himself as a companion of Paul. Acts 16:10 reads, “After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them” (NIV). This, of course, makes Luke the author of the book of Acts as well as the gospel that bears his name (compare Luke 1:1-4 & Acts 1:1-2).

Practical Application

Considering Luke’s gospel, I think two points of application are appropriate.

Application #1: The Credibility of the Gospel: Why Luke's Research Matters

We can have confidence in what we find in Luke’s gospel because it is a record of eyewitness accounts to the life of Christ. The opening of his gospel attests to the fact that Luke was careful with his research on the life of Christ (see Luke 1:1-4).

Application #2: Finding Empathy and Strength in the "Son of Man"

When facing personal trials, stress, or temptation, we can take comfort in knowing that Jesus fully experienced the human condition. He is our high priest who experienced the trials and temptations we face (see Hebrews 4:14-16). Considering this fact, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16, NIV). Don’t hesitate to speak to God in prayer expressing your need for mercy and grace. Jesus is readily available to listen.