The Message of Luke

The Bible Speaks Today: New Testament

by Michael Wilcock

Luke the physician was fascinated by people--rich and poor, Jews and Gentiles, men and women, rulers and slaves. In his Gospel he delights to portray Jesus as the Saviour not of an elite group but of anyone, in any condition, who turns to him. Jesus is indeed the Saviour of the world. Luke knew exactly what he was doing when he wrote his Gospel. He tells us his goal in the opening verses: to set forth an orderly and accurate account of what had been accomplished by the life and teaching of Jesus Christ. In this up-to-date exposition, Michael Wilcock gives special attention to these opening words. Then, as he examines the individual deeds and sayings of Jesus, he shows how the structure of Luke's narrative brings out their meaning. The good news of Luke is still true today. No one is beyond redemption unless he chooses to put himself there. This message has implications not only for our personal lives but for our churches and for society as a whole.

Genres: Theology, Reference, Christian, Biblical Studies, Christian Non Fiction, New Testament

215 pages, Paperback

First published August 13, 1984

Reviews

[Abigail Hartman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed Wilcock's exposition of Revelation when I read it two years ago, and after rereading Luke and falling in love with this particular Gospel, I was excited to dig into Wilcock's treatment of it. I thought the introduction was slightly odd in tone and I wasn't at first sure where he was going to go with it, but he quickly hit his stride. One of the things I appreciated in this study of the book is how it brought to the forefront of my mind the fact that Luke accompanied Paul on some of his missionary journeys, clearly knew Paul well, and ministered with Paul in the spread of the gospel to Gentile communities. Wilcock presents Luke as the quintessential evangelist of the gospel-to-the-nations, presenting Jesus as the Savior/Healer (he underscores the dual meaning of the same word in Greek) of the world, and it is striking how Pauline Luke's theology is. Not that any part of the New Testament is at odds with any other, but in this read through I was constantly struck by connections to passages in Paul's letters. E.g., Luke recounts Jesus saying repeatedly that there is nothing hidden that will not eventually be revealed, a comment that reminded me of Paul's description of "the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints" (Colossians, the letter in which Paul names Luke as one of those sending greetings alongside him to the recipients!).

Wilcock's exposition, like his exposition of Revelations, emphasizes the deep Old Testament roots of the Gospel narrative. He puts Luke in its redemptive-historical context and shows how Luke from the very beginning of the book presents Jesus as the fulfillment of all God's promises to Israel: "all these great New Testament matters are to be found 'written' in the Old Testament, not in proof texts in its obscure corners, but as the very warp and woof of it." THE MESSAGE OF LUKE is an enriching and exciting discussion primarily because Wilcock is so steeped in this context, recognizing that "the two Testaments are one, and the theology which is the sap of the church can rise only from roots which run thus deep and wide through the whole of Scripture." Even though there were sections where I wanted more explanation of difficulties in the text (why does Jesus tell the disciples to buy swords??), dealing with all of these issues is not the point of the book. Wilcock instead gives a sweeping picture of what Luke was trying to achieve in his unique account of Jesus' life and ministry; my main regret is that he didn't include Acts, the sequel!

[Gabriel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong gospel content, and the book was appropriately entitled the “Message of Luke”. I felt like I was reading a transcript of a jumbo sermon on Luke. With barely 200 pages, and with lots of references to and some discussions of other books of the Bible - I don’t think the author wanted to bequeath his readers with a textual analysis on Luke through this book. No doubt that the gospel was richly taught front and centre here. But I wouldn’t have purchased this book had I known that I may derive similarly strong content from good sermons available online for free. I suppose if I had read this with the expectation of simply having an overview of Luke, I would have been more satisfied.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Deep, Penetrating, and Provoking”. These are the words you will be thinking when you finish “The Message of Luke” by Michael Wilcock, as it is one of the most well written books on the Gospel of Luke that I have had the privilege of reading. This book is parts of the ever-growing series called “The Bible Speaks Today”, produced by IVP Academic.  “The Bible Speaks Today” is a thoroughly Evangelical series which serves as an introduction as well as practicality explaining the Gospel of Luke through a thoroughly Evangelical perspective. 

In the introduction, with regard to the dating of Luke, Wilcock argues well for an early date while, briefly, against critical arguments for older dating. His arguments systematically destroy any critical arguments that have been put forth to this time. His arguments are up today and even focus on the most critical and modern viewpoints, even ones that have just recently been published.

Wilcock is a excellent exegete specifically and when it comes to the Gospel, it shines in this volume.  Wilcock makes sure that the reader is getting an important look into the culture of the day and its influence on the text. Through this process Wilcock brings about conclusions which are gold for any pastor preaching exegetically through the Gospel of Luke.

Through exegeting the Gospel of Luke, Wilcock demonstrates why he is a great Old Testament scholar of the modern age, which makes this a must-read by pastors preaching or Layman teaching through this Gospel either in the Pulpit or in the Sunday School room. I highly recommend this volume as an aid in either of these circumstances.

This book was provided to me free of charge from IVP Academic in exchange for an unbiased, honest review.

[Tim Sandell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the BSTs - this one included. From time to time I work through a BST in my quiet times, alongside reading the Bible through cover to cover and working through the prayers in Valley of Vision and those on my prayer sheet.

[Nancy Moffett · Rating 4 out of 5]

I appreciated Wilcock's insight into Luke's gospel. Not dully preachy, but inspiring. Needs to be read with the text (of Luke).

[Rick Hogaboam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Concise commentary that provides many biblical-theological nuggets throughout.