路加福音 序言 Luke Intro
- 馬克牧師
- Feb 10
- 5 min read
各位弟兄姊妹，平安！
我們開始來閱讀《路加福音》。這一次，我們的學習將會花費接下來兩個月的時間，透過這本福音書仔細地來看看耶穌的生平。
現在來介紹一下這本福音書的作者——路加。路加是一位醫生，他不是使徒之一，但與耶穌的門徒，特別是保羅及其他門徒，有著非常親近的同工關係。他與保羅一同旅行，花了半輩子的時間到處宣教，建立教會，因此擁有大量關於使徒保羅及傳福音過程的第一手資訊。
路加是非猶太人，他沒有猶太人的文化背景。因此相對於另外三本福音書，他是以一個非猶太人的角度來寫作，使得這本福音書特別適合非猶太人閱讀。他沒有使用過多猶太人的名詞或語言，而是採用了當時最流行的希臘文，也就是大家都能聽得懂的「普通語」。因此，對於非猶太人背景的人來說，這是最容易閱讀的一本福音書。
在《路加福音》中，我們可以看到幾個明顯的特點。
首先，他所記載的年份都是按照當時官方標準的羅馬年曆，而不是猶太人的曆法。此外，他並沒有特別強調舊約猶太的預言與耶穌的應驗，因此在書中引用舊約經文的比例相對較少。這與《馬太福音》的寫作風格不同，馬太強調耶穌如何應驗舊約的預言，而路加則更關注福音的普及性。
其次，路加大部分的書寫都是使用當時的「通用語」——希臘文，而不是猶太人習慣使用的希伯來文。這使得即使是不懂希伯來文的讀者，也能夠輕鬆理解他的記述。他的寫作方式讓外邦人更容易接觸並明白耶穌的生平與教導。
還有一個值得注意的細節，在記錄耶穌的家譜時，路加不僅追溯到亞伯拉罕（猶太人的始祖），更一路追溯到《創世紀》中的亞當——全人類的始祖。這顯示出路加的視角不僅侷限於猶太民族，而是將耶穌放在整個人類歷史的框架中，表明福音是為所有人預備的。
因此，在《路加福音》中，我們可以看到路加的寫作風格刻意避免過多地聚焦於猶太人的傳統與文化，而是強調福音的普世性，讓所有人都能聽見並領受福音，而不只是猶太人的特權。這一點至關重要，因為它突顯了福音的核心信息——耶穌來是為拯救全人類，而不只是某一個民族。
而且，路加是一位擁有極高文學造詣的醫生。他所寫的希臘文非常優雅且完整，展現出極佳的表達能力。同時，他也是一位出色的歷史學家，以精準的文筆詳細記錄了當時歷史上所發生的一切。因此，《路加福音》不僅僅是一本福音書，更是一部值得參考的權威歷史書籍。
後世的考古學家在進行研究時，參考了《路加福音》的記載，發現其內容極為準確，並且大大幫助了聖經考古學的進展。因此，路加不僅是一位出色的同工，更是一位優秀的歷史學家。
此外，我們也知道，路加在完成《路加福音》後，寫下了他的第二本書——《使徒行傳》。他先是完整記載了耶穌的生平，接著詳細記錄了保羅及其他使徒們在各地宣教的歷程。當我們將這兩本書一起閱讀，就能看到一條清晰的歷史脈絡：從耶穌開始的事工，到聖靈的接續工作，再到福音如何一步步傳遍整個羅馬帝國。我們將獲得一個極為精準且完整的歷史記錄，見證福音如何改變世界。
今日的屬靈反思：我是否了解耶穌的生平？他在地上的事工和傳道僅僅有三年半，為何能夠影響後世千百年，而且是跨文化的各族人民？
在接下來的兩個月，我們一同來深度閱讀這本極為優美且記載詳細的福音書，深入瞭解耶穌的生平和他所說過的話語吧。
Brothers and sisters, peace be with you!
Let’s begin our study of the Gospel of Luke. This study will take the next two months as we carefully explore the life of Jesus through this Gospel.
Now, let me introduce the author of this Gospel—Luke. Luke was a doctor, and although he was not one of the apostles, he had a very close working relationship with Jesus’ disciples, particularly Paul and other apostles. He traveled with Paul and spent much of his life preaching and establishing churches, thus he had access to firsthand information about the Apostle Paul and the process of evangelism.
Luke was a Gentile, without a Jewish cultural background. Therefore, in contrast to the other three Gospels, he wrote from a non-Jewish perspective, which makes this Gospel especially suitable for Gentile readers. He did not use many Jewish terms or language but instead adopted the most common Greek language of the time, the "common tongue" that everyone could understand. Hence, for those without a Jewish background, this is the easiest Gospel to read.
In the Gospel of Luke, we can observe several distinct characteristics.
Firstly, the years mentioned in Luke are based on the official Roman calendar, not the Jewish calendar. Additionally, Luke does not place heavy emphasis on Old Testament Jewish prophecies being fulfilled in Jesus, so there are fewer Old Testament citations in his writing. This is in contrast to Matthew’s Gospel, which emphasizes how Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies, while Luke focuses more on the universality of the Gospel.
Secondly, most of Luke’s writing is in the commonly spoken Greek language of the time, rather than Hebrew, which was the language traditionally used by the Jews. This approach made it easier for readers unfamiliar with Hebrew to understand his account. His writing style helped Gentiles engage with and comprehend the life and teachings of Jesus.
Another noteworthy detail is that when recording Jesus' genealogy, Luke traces it not only back to Abraham (the father of the Jewish people) but all the way back to Adam—the ancestor of all humankind. This shows that Luke's perspective is not limited to the Jewish people but places Jesus within the broader context of human history, indicating that the Gospel is meant for all people.
Therefore, in the Gospel of Luke, we see that Luke intentionally avoids focusing too much on Jewish traditions and culture and instead emphasizes the universal nature of the Gospel, making it accessible to all people, not just a privileged few. This is crucial because it highlights the core message of the Gospel—Jesus came to save all of humanity, not just one particular nation.
Moreover, Luke was a highly literate doctor. His Greek is elegant and complete, demonstrating exceptional expressive ability. He was also an excellent historian, recording in precise detail everything that occurred during his time. As a result, the Gospel of Luke is not only a Gospel but also a valuable historical document.
Subsequent archaeologists, in their studies, have referred to Luke’s accounts and found them to be highly accurate, greatly contributing to the advancement of biblical archaeology. Thus, Luke was not only an outstanding collaborator but also a skilled historian.
In addition, we know that after completing the Gospel of Luke, he wrote his second book—Acts of the Apostles. He first fully recorded the life of Jesus, then detailed the missionary journeys of Paul and the other apostles. By reading both books together, we gain a clear historical timeline: from the ministry of Jesus, to the continuing work of the Holy Spirit, and how the Gospel gradually spread throughout the Roman Empire. This gives us an extremely accurate and complete historical record, witnessing how the Gospel changed the world.
Spiritual Reflection for Today: Do I truly understand the life of Jesus? His ministry on earth lasted only three and a half years, yet it has influenced countless generations and transcended cultures across nations.
Over the next two months, let’s delve deep into this beautiful and detailed Gospel, and gain a deeper understanding of the life of Jesus and His words.
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