The Theology of the Gospel of Luke

New Testament Theology

by Joel B. Green

The Gospel of Luke, often mined for information about the life of Jesus, is also one of the earliest Christian examples of narrative theology. Unlike some writers of New Testament books, Luke has engaged in the theological task by shaping a narrative representation of the coming and mission of Jesus. In doing so, he goes to great lengths to ground the work of Jesus in the continuing story of God's redemptive plan, especially witnessed in the Scriptures, and he also emphasizes the ongoing character of that story, with the result that Luke's audience is challenged to discern the purpose of God in order that they may embrace it and order their lives around it. This exploration of the way in which Luke accomplishes his theological task in the first century is both informative and illuminating for contemporary readers seeking approaches to cultural criticism and constructive theology today.

Genres: Theology, Biblical Studies

186 pages, Paperback

First published April 20, 1995

About the author

Joel B. Green (PhD, University of Aberdeen) is professor of New Testament interpretation and associate dean of the Center for Advanced Theological Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. Prior to moving to Fuller, he taught at Asbury Theological Seminary for ten years. He is editor-in-chief of the Journal of Theological Interpretation and has authored or edited numerous books, including the Dictionary of Scripture and Ethics.

Reviews

[David Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was awesome. If anyone is taking a deep dive on Luke, this was a really insightful text. I already like Joel B. Green for his commentary on 1 Peter. This is a good read.

[Caleb Rolling · Rating 4 out of 5]

A useful little guide to a theology of Luke.

[Kendall Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked his emphasis on how Jesus is an agent accomplishing the mission of God as a continuation of the story of the people of Israel. This is a great theocentric way of talking about the Gospel narrative. He has a lot of great literary insights, especially with regard to Luke's unique and ambiguous discussion of the dynamics of possessions and faith. His discussion of poverty and care for the poor being more about extension of kinship than just resource redistribution is also excellent.

I like that he emphasizes the intentionality with which Luke has been composed. This is particularly helpful since we have a tendency to atomize pericopes from the original contexts and then miss the point entirely. However, I didn't understand why he seemed to think that this literary intentionality detracts from Luke's value as a historical reference. I thought he seemed to underestimate that part of Luke's intention is to provide a historical account of Jesus and the movement he started. Of course Luke doesn't have some Modernist, just-the-facts view of history, but that doesn't mean he isn't an ancient historiographer in his own right. This was really my only major quibble with the book, which was really rather minor. All in all, a good intro to Luke and his theology.

[Sanjuro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Green's theological introduction is now 30 years old, but still helpful and relevant. Especially good is Green's emphasis on Luke's continuation of Israel's story (as opposed to a supersessionist approach). Green does well to describe the enemy of God and Christ as Satan and the climax of the journey as Jerusalem. Where I differ with Green is on his emphasis on Luke's anti-imperial tendencies, which I think are overdrawn if not almost entirely missing. A mention of Caesar is not, by definition, a contrast with Jesus. Overall, this is a helpful guide to Luke's basic theology.

[Devin Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great introduction to the theology of Luke. His stance on the parousia and one or two other topics are “outdated” in some regards but his stances are still valid. The term parousia, for example, isn’t in Luke but the concept is without question there. I have causally looked through Bock’s theology of Luke-Acts and I think I may lean more towards Green.

[Philip Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine overview of some of the main theological themes in Luke. Excellent links to the OT. I think a lot of this material is in his NICNT Luke volume but it would still be a great help to those who are preaching through Luke.

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good short discussion of the main theological themes in Luke's gospel. Definitely not a primer, it rattles through everything too quickly, but covers all the key aspects before moving on to the next area. Perhaps a little bit more on the unique Lukas parables might have been welcome.

[Michael Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

A concise and helpful introduction to the themes and theology of Luke's Gospel. My one critique is the lack of any meaningful discussion about sin when addressing the topic of salvation. This seems a pretty bad oversight. E.g. in Luke 1:77, Zechariah sings of God's salvation coming through the forgiveness of sins; in Luke 24:47, Jesus says repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached to all nations.

[Zach Waldis · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent little introduction to Luke, better than Marshall's volume.

[Jon Anderson]

Bit outdated but still one of the best short introductions to the big picture themes of the Gospel of Luke. Read in 1999 for a directed study on the Lukan prologue

[Andy Hickman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Green, Joel B. The Theology of the Gospel of Luke. Cambridge, ENG: Cambridge University Press, 1995.
e.g.
And who are the “lost” that he came to save? Socially, the lost is anyone separated from that which gives identity and meaningful value. Furthermore, Luke's non-formulated depiction of salvation challenges the individualistic, subjective definition of being “saved” of today's Christian subcultures. The Lukan view takes in the totality of life and makes salvation an all-encompassing accomplishment.

The fact that all disciples were commissioned by Jesus (22:28-30; 24:47; Acts 1:2) leads to the pertinent need to reflect on the church's mandate and application of “seeking the lost”. Luke's communication of Christ portrays a “narrative theology” with flesh on its bones and sandals on its feet.

In summary, the two main themes of Luke's gospel are tersely expressed as salvation offered to all who believe and the subsequent responsibility to the socially disenfranchised.

Section C
Without forgetting that the Gospel of Luke is a first-century Mediterranean document, quite different to the majority world of our twenty-first century, reflecting on 19:10 allows us to be open to the transformation (both personal and social) that results from capturing the same vision for serving God's purposes in our own generation. The responsibility of today's Christian is to discover how to engage theology and ethics, that is, to strategically apply Gospel truths to our own immediate local context.

[Tim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joel Greene's slim book opens up the distinctiveness of Luke's thought. Focusing on God's plan and on the breaking of social and status barriers, this book is intellectual in its description of Luke's world and narrative arc (and its interaction with scholarship) and also spiritually challenging, especially as it addresses issues like wealth and discipleship.

This quote is hardly at the center of his arguments, but I just like it:
"No doubt, our limited notions of salvation have been fed by the loosening and in many cases the breakdown of kinship and village ties ushered in with the onset of modernity. Framing the evangelistic task as 'winning souls' and articulating salvation as a preeminently spiritual activity, in Protestant circles especially as the justification by faith of individuals, is naturally related in a cause-effect alliance to the modernist impulses of liberation-by-individuation and freedom through mobility and separation from social obligation.... More and more, people of the West are learning the wisdom of the African proverb, 'We are, therefore I am.'" (135)

[Jabbott · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great narrative reflection and commentary on the Gospel according to Luke. Green's understanding of the story as a literary form lends credence to his overall argument that the Third Gospel holds different ideas in tension but all focused around the directive purpose of God as displayed in Jesus, the Christ and Savior.

[Jared Mcnabb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good introduction to Luke's theology. Green's hermeneutical emphasis on the need to read Luke-Acts as a unit is fine, but that point should simply be taken for granted anymore. His emphasis on Luke's narrative being driven forward and shaped by the "purposes of God" is very helpful in reading Luke.

[Nicholas · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Theology of the Gospel of Luke (New Testament Theology) by Joel B. Green (1995)

[Zachary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine as far as theology books go, and a fine reading of luke in several places, but any insights he has are largely only excerpted from his commentary. Either book could largely replace the other...