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Luke 1:1-4 “Knowing the Real Jesus”

Jonathan Homesley

GRAB THEIR ATTENTION

Life is full of mysteries. Where did we come from? What happens when we die? What is love? Why is the sink full again? Many historical mysteries have never been solved. Where is Cleopatra’s tomb? Who has Jack the Ripper? Who built Stonehenge? What’s the deal with the Bermuda Triangle? For many of us men in the room, the biggest mystery is where we left our keys, or what are women thinking? And, women, if you were honest, it’s a mystery to you as well. Well, there are many mysteries in life that appear to be impenetrable. We may never know where dreams come from or why mortgage companies still use fax machines in 2024.

RAISE THE NEED, SIGNPOSTS, STATE THE DESTINATION

But consider this question: Who is Jesus? Many would like you to believe that the answer is a mystery; that we can’t know anything for certain about Jesus of Nazareth other than that he was a man who lived around 2,000 years ago.

Any time there’s a dry spell in the news cycle, major periodicals break out the old “What was Jesus Really Like” editions of their magazines. Every 2-3 years a “New Testament Scholar,” publishes a book claiming that we can’t know the historical Jesus, and everything the church has taught about Jesus is propaganda fabricated by power hungry religious leaders in the 4th and 5th centuries.

Is that true? Who was the real Jesus? Can we know him? And what ought we believe concerning him? Was he a real person? Was his mother, Mary, a virgin when she conceived? Did he teach and perform miracles? Most importantly, did he claim to be to divine Son of God who came into the world to save sinners through his death and resurrection?

I wonder if you have asked those questions. Some of you grew up in the church, were taught the Bible at a young age and have always “believed” in Jesus. But others of you are new to Christianity; reading the Bible for the first time and have questions about how it all fits together. Or maybe you are not a Christian at all. You may be skeptical of Christianity. You may think it unreasonable and irrational, but you’re curious about what Christians really believe. You know what late-night show hosts say about Christians, or you may have read a popular book claiming that the historical Jesus was much different than the Jesus presented by the New Testament.

Whatever your reason for coming here today, I assume that at the least it’s because you want your questions answered. I pray we can answer many of these questions for you as we begin our study of the gospel of Luke.

This morning we’ll study Luke’s prologue, which introduces us to his purpose, his method for writing, and his audience, and as we do, we’ll learn three truths:

  1. The Gospel Welcomes Curiosity
  2. The Gospel is a Reliable Story
  3. The Gospel Fulfills God’s Redemptive Plan

Christian, nothing is better for us than getting our eyes on Jesus Christ. I pray this study will strengthen the faith you have. Non-Christian, as we introduce Jesus to you, my prayer is that you wouldn’t simply learn facts, but that you would begin to see yourself as someone in great need—a need that can only be met by Jesus through faith in him. Luke says those who are questioning can know the real Jesus and even believe that he is the Savior because Luke has given us a reliable and accurate record of who Jesus is and what he has done.

THE TEXT:

The text for the sermon today is Luke 1:1-4. Our text can be found on page 855. These are the words of God:

Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.

  1. THE GOSPEL WELCOMES CURIOSITY

Luke addresses his gospel to Theophilus. The name means “Lover of God.” Some have wondered whether Theophilus was a historical person, or if Luke simply used that name to describe anyone who is searching for the truth about God. It’s best to assume that Theophilus was a historical person for several reasons.

First, Luke calls him, “most excellent.” This isn’t just a compliment, it’s a Roman title. It’s a term that means Theophilus was a man of status within the Roman social hierarchy. He was highly educated.

Second, there’s a high probability that Theophilus served as Luke’s patron. As a ranking member of society, he would have been vastly wealthy, and funded Luke’s efforts to compile a gospel. As Luke travelled the Mediterranean, interviewing eyewitnesses and writing his gospel narrative, Theophilus would have been the financial backer.

Third, Luke writes the gospel in order to confirm, or give assurance to Theophilus, that he might know the certainty of the things he had been taught. (v. 4) We aren’t told whether or not Theophilus is a converted Christian. But he had been taught something of Jesus and he wanted confirmation. He wanted evidence.

In other words, Theophilus was a ranking Gentile who had heard the gospel message and wanted assurance that the things he had heard were true. He wanted his potential faith to be grounded on evidence. You may have a lot in common with Theophilus. In every generation, there are people who are curious about Jesus—they want to know more—but they are skeptical. They don’t believe easily.

Is that you? Is there part of the gospel message that you struggle to understand or believe? Is there part of the story that doesn’t make sense?

Perhaps you doubt the reliability of the Bible. I mean, when was it written? Who wrote it? How can we know that our English Bibles say the same things that the Apostles wrote? Didn’t a lot get lost in translation?

Or maybe there is a Christian doctrine that confuses or even angers you. How can God allow evil? How can a good God send people to Hell? What about miracles? Did the virgin birth really happen?

You see, so many of us are a lot like Theophilus. We’ve been instructed in parts of the gospel story, but we still have questions. We still have doubts. And the gospel invites curiosity.

Luke didn’t ignore or downplay Theophilus’ questions. He didn’t minimize his doubts. He didn’t tell him not to question. Quite the opposite, Luke likely spent a year or more of his life compiling a gospel account in order to answer Theophilus’ questions.

Christian, do you know someone who is skeptical of the gospel? Be patient with them. The Bible is a big book. Christian doctrine can be intimidating. The road from unbeliever to Christian usually isn’t walked in 5 minutes. Not anymore. Most non-Christians have not grown up with a working knowledge of the Bible. So be patient. Explain. Read. Discuss.

Parents, God has placed curious little minds into your care. Use your time wisely to teach the Bible in your home. That may look like reading a children’s Bible at bedtime when they are young. It may mean discussions around the dinner table. I know a lot of people who say, “I don’t want to force my beliefs on my child, so I’m not going to do that.” Just realize that the decision to not force a belief is to force a belief. It forces the belief that belief really isn’t all that important.

Non-Christian, do you have questions? Do you wonder if there is a God, and how you can know him? Just consider this for a moment: the book of Luke was written for one person: Theophilus. Of course we get the benefit of reading it as well, but Luke wasn’t writing for an entire church, or a group of people. He went through all this work to answer the curiosity of one man.

If it’s true that there is a God and he has spoken in the Bible, then it’s also true that God personally concerned himself with the salvation of this one person, Theophilus. Does God love the nations? Yes. Does he offer salvation to the world? Of course. But don’t miss the fact that 2,000 years ago God set Luke aside for the purpose of assuring one Gentile man of the gospel message. And this means that God is concerned with you as well. He welcomes your curiosity. So, ask away.

  1. THE GOSPEL IS A RELIABLE STORY

Having greeted Theophilus, Luke takes a moment to explain his method. How can Theophilus be sure that what Luke is telling him is reliable? And Luke is clear with Theophilus; he wants to persuade him of the gospel message. He isn’t writing disinterested history. His goal is Theophilus’ faith in the message. But if the message isn’t true, then no amount of faith will make a difference. So, let’s think about Luke the author and his method for a moment.

Believe it or not, Luke makes the largest single contribution to the New Testament. The gospel of Luke and the book of Acts makes up over 25% of the New Testament. Luke never appears in this gospel narrative. But he does appear in Acts, as a travelling companion with Paul.

In Colossians 4:14, Paul refers to Luke as the “beloved physician,” and in 2 Timothy 4:11, Paul tells of how he’s been abandoned by a friend in the ministry, and says, “Only Luke is with me.” So, Luke was an educated man who was willing to stick by others who suffered for the sake of the gospel.

And in the prologue to his gospel, Luke describes his method of recording with 4 characteristics. His writing is investigative, comprehensive, precise, and persuasive.

First, investigative. In v. 3, Luke says “I’ve been following the story of Jesus and I have a complete understanding of the facts.” Remember, Luke himself was not an eyewitness to the life of Jesus and when he wrote, there were no libraries with books about Jesus. So, what did he do? He investigated. He personally followed the story.

He says this gospel message has been delivered to us from eyewitnesses and “ministers of the Word.” In other words, even in the first years of the church, there were ordained ministers set aside for the purpose of teaching and defending the true record of Jesus, and Luke personally investigated with them.

All four gospel narratives were written, copied, and distributed within the lifetime of the eyewitnesses of Jesus. Do you know one of the reasons we know that? P52. What’s P52? It’s a papyrus scrap of John, chapter 18, that was found in Egypt. It’s in the John Rylands Library in the UK, and it’s dated to around AD 100. You say, big deal, didn’t Jesus die around AD 33. Well, it is a big deal because scholars agree that John was certainly the last gospel written, and here’s a copy of it all the way down in Egypt.

Luke is also comprehensive. He says these were eyewitnesses from the beginning. A unique feature of Luke’s gospel is that he doesn’t begin with Jesus. He goes back even earlier, to the birth and ministry of Jesus’ cousin on his mother’s side, John the Baptist. Luke doesn’t record everything Jesus said and did, but he includes much that isn’t contained in the other 3 gospels. Around 50% of Luke’s gospel is unique to Luke. For instance:

Luke is the longest of the 4 gospels and roughly half of Luke’s gospel is just quoting the words of Jesus. So, Luke gives us a sweeping and comprehensive understanding of who Jesus is.

Luke writes with precision. In v. 3 he says, “It seemed good to me also… to write an orderly account.” The word for orderly means to pay attention to sequence in time, space and logic. In other words, Luke says, “I’m writing with accuracy. You may decide not to follow Christ, but I’ve presented him to you with precision. My narrative can withstand scrutiny.”

Finally, persuasion.  V. 4 says “That thou mightiest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed” Luke believes Jesus Christ is the Son of God, the Savior of the whole world, and that you can know for certain that this is the case. The word for instructed here is the same word we translate “catechize.”

Why does Luke go to such great lengths to give us a thoroughly investigated, comprehensive, precise narrative of the life of Jesus? Why travel around the Mediterranean interviewing people? Why give up a career as a highly educated medical doctor?

It’s because Luke was absolutely convinced that…

  1. THE GOSPEL FULFILLS GOD’S REDEMPTIVE PLAN

    In the very first verse of the gospel, Luke says, “Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us,” Now those words, “most surely believed among us” can also be translated “completed among us,” or “fulfilled among us.”

What Luke is saying is that the events of Jesus life aren’t just history, they actually reveal the unfolding and fulfillment of a divine plan of redemption.

How do I know that? At the very end of Luke’s gospel, listen to the final words of the risen Christ in Luke:

44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, 46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Do you see what Jesus is saying? If you study Luke you’ll get an accurate historic portrait of the life of Jesus, yes, but it’s more than that. Jesus unveils, he fulfills the eternal plan of God’s redemption for the entire world.

That’s what the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Writings are all about. The Old Testament! They foreshadow, they anticipate Jesus, the one who God will send to deal with our sin and disobedience. In other words, you could summarize the entire Old Testament in two words: promises made.

God made promises to Adam and Eve, to send one to crush the serpent’s head. God promises the children of Israel a leader who could deliver them from slavery into a promised land. God promised David a son who would sit on his throne forever and rule the nations. Promises made.

And, you can summarize the New Testament gospel story with two words: promises kept. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the seed of Eve who crushed the head of Satan at the cross. He’s the true and better Moses who led his people out of their slavery, not to Egypt, but the greater slavery of sin and death. He’s the true and better Son of David, the true king who takes up his throne first in our hearts and will one day come to rule the nations. You see, Jesus isn’t just another story that points to the salvation of God. No. Jesus is the salvation of God to which all of the other stories are pointing.

We are not given the story of Jesus first and foremost so that we can try to imitate him. Jesus isn’t given to us primarily as a moral example. We are not given the story of Jesus primarily because we need a good teacher. No, we need a substitute. And in Christ, we see the only human in history who has loved and obeyed God in all the places we failed. We don’t need someone to tell us what to do. We need someone who does what we cannot do for ourselves.

And this is why the story of Jesus has to be true. It has to be accurate. It has to be historically reliable. Why? Because if the story of Jesus is just an inspiring morality tale, it’s useless. We can’t possibly live like he did on our own.

But if it’s a fact, it changes everything. If it’s true, it means that God has broken into history. It means there’s hope. It means that the mistakes you’ve made, the failures, the sins—they can be cleansed, forgiven, and you can receive a new life.

And here’s what that means: it means you are not saved by obeying Jesus’ teaching. You are only saved by believing in what he has done. You aren’t saved by his teachings. You’re saved by his actions—his life. That’s what Christianity is. You aren’t justified by keeping the moral law. You are justified by faith in Jesus—that he kept the law in your place, and then died under the penalty of your sins!

Jesus says, “You are not the hero of your story. I am. You can’t save yourself. I’ll save you. You can’t justify yourself. Let me be your justification.”

Are you curious? Read the story of Jesus. Are you skeptical? See that it’s a reliable story. Are you afraid, guilty, condemned? Let him be your justification. Believe in him today.

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