Monday 18 October 2021

Psalm 145

Background

This week we are mostly studying Mark’s Gospel, but today we take a break  to acknowledge St Luke the physician. We have much cause to be grateful to him. In his Gospel, while Luke follows the same pattern as Matthew and Mark in telling the overall story of Jesus, there is much that only he includes. Were it not for Luke, we would not know Jesus’ stories of the good Samaritan, the prodigal son, the Pharisee and the tax collector, and many more. Only in Luke do we find the account of two travellers on the road to Emmaus discovering that the stranger who walked with them was none other than the risen Jesus. Much Christian worship sings the songs recounted by Luke in the first two chapters of his Gospel, which we call the Benedictus, the Magnificat, the Nunc Dimittis, and the Song of the Angels.

Furthermore Luke’s second volume, The Acts of the Apostles, takes us into the whole world of the Early Church. From him we learn of the events of the Day of Pentecost, the enthusiasm of the early followers of Christ and their struggles. The story of Paul’s experience on the Damascus road is recounted three times and Luke himself becomes our fellow traveller as we journey with Paul on land and sea, experiencing frustration, danger and yet huge encouragement through the power of God.

Since, between Luke’s two volumes, we have 52 chapters of inspiration, you might wonder why today’s passage from 2 Timothy was chosen. Only five words seem to refer to him. However they tell us that, in the clear turbulence that surrounded Paul and his colleagues, Luke was trustworthy. Paul may not have been a particularly affable companion. We don’t know. But even though others came and went, Luke stayed faithful. In his writings, Luke with enthusiasm and great skill takes us into the life of Jesus and the world of the Early Church. In his living he shows us what faithfulness is all about. We give thanks for him today.

To Ponder:

• In the prefaces both to his Gospel and to Acts, Luke is clear that he wants the reader to know the truth about Jesus and the Church. What steps do we need to take to tell the story today?

Prayer

Almighty God, you called Luke the physician to be an evangelist and physician of the soul. By the grace of the Spirit, give your Church the same love and power to heal, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.