LUKE 1:1-4
“Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.”
ACTS 1:1-2 “The first account I composed, Theophilus, about all that Jesus began to do and teach until the day when He was taken up to Heaven, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.”
Dr. Luke could rightly be called “The first Christian historian.” Today we'd most likely call him “an investigative reporter.” He could have read the Book of Mark because it had been published earlier than his writing of Luke. He also may have interviewed Mary to get her perspective and exact details of Christ's birth, their flight to Egypt, and the issue of Jesus in the Jerusalem temple at the age of twelve.
The two books Luke wrote – Luke and Acts – are more than a fourth of the New Testament.
Even though Paul called “Doctor” Luke “the beloved Physician,” in Colossians 4:14, doctors were totally unskilled in the first century, often trying to cure infections with cow dung and other such things. Once Luke realized the truth of Mark 16:17, “My believers – and Luke was definitely a believer in Christ – will lay hands on the sick and the sick will be healed,” he had a FAR GREATER HEALING POWER than any medicines known in his day...or ours! ...Then when he saw Paul and Peter laying hands, he undoubtedly did that too.
Philemon 24 – Luke was with Paul while Paul was under house arrest in Rome. There, Paul called Luke “a fellow worker.”
In the very last chapter Paul ever wrote – 2 Timothy – Luke was with him. In fact, Paul wrote, “Luke alone is with me.” At that time, Paul was about to be put to death.
Many biblical scholars assume Luke was a Gentile who became a Christian, BUT THE BIBLE DOESN'T SAY THAT. If Luke was a Gentile, he was the only non-Jewish author of the New Testament.
Another thing the Bible doesn't tell us is who Theophilus was. That name was a popular one in that time. It could have been a name Luke used to describe ALL Christians. But it is also very possible that Luke wrote it specifically for a Christian in royalty whose name was Theophilus, a government member who wanted a totally accurate history from the birth of Christ to the death of Paul. It shouldn't shock you to know that that government member may have paid Luke to write these books, knowing how accurate Luke would be, and that many eye-witnesses, including disciples, were still living and could give accurate reports from their perspectives too, just as Mary did.
And Luke wasn't only a historian, he was a theologian. Luke had been with the disciples as well as with Paul long enough to thoroughlly understand the theology of Christianity first-hand. If Theophilus was royalty, he learned from reading Luke's two books exactly how Christ died for the gentiles, just as He'd died for the Jews. Acts furthur expands the truth that Gentiles were every bit as much a part of the Christian life as the Jews were. As the angel announced to the shepherds in Luke 2:10-11, “I bring you good news that will bring great joy TO ALL THE PEOPLE. The Savior – yes. The Messiah, the Lord – has been born today.” ...Savior was Luke's favorite word to describe Jesus, and He uses it throughout the book that bears his name.
Luke tells us several really powerful things the three other gospel writers left out:
For example, there's what we call “the Christmas story” of Jesus born in a manger and so much of what happened at that time.
Luke also is the only author who includes the parable of the good Samaritan; the widow who gave her last mite; and the parable of the prodigal son. His major emphasis is on Jesus' ministry to the outcasts, the poor, and to the religiously unfit. He also shows how vital women were in the spreading of the gospel.
Because it was so many centuries ago, how do we know it was Luke who wrote both Luke and Acts? First, because the still-living disciples could have denounced it as a fraud if it wasn't the truth. And from the time he wrote each book, people identified Luke as the author.
The mentions in various portions of each book concerning both government members and geography, cofirms their historicity. Since there is no mention of the fall of Jerusalem in 70 a.d. or Nero's persecution of the Christians which began about 64 a.d., Acts was most likely completed in 62 a.d. Which was prior to the execution of Paul. That's why his execution is not recorded.