Pastor's Page
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
This fall, I have been hosting a Bible study entitled “Looking Forward to Luke.” It is an
in-depth study of the Gospel according to Luke, and I chose to do it in the fall because
the primary gospel text for the new liturgical year beginning with the season of Advent,
the weekend of December 1, will be the Gospel, according to Luke.
Here is some background information on Luke’s gospel that you might find interesting:
Luke is the third gospel in the New Testament and is considered one of the synoptic
gospels along with Matthew and Mark.
The Gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles was intended to be a two-
volume work.
Luke was not a first-hand eye-witness to Jesus but writes what has been “handed on to
us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.” (1:2-3)
Luke’s nativity story is beloved and we look forward to hearing it every Christmas Eve.
But if Luke was not a first-hand eye-witness to the events, nor were any of the other
gospelers, where did he get his story? I am so glad you asked.
According to most biblical scholars, Luke's source for his nativity story is believed to be
primarily Mary herself. Luke's account includes details that seem to come from a
woman's perspective, particularly regarding her inner thoughts and experiences. Luke
explicitly mentions gathering information from "eyewitnesses" in his writings; this is often
referred to as the "L source," which is material unique to Luke's Gospel. Luke's nativity
story focuses heavily on Mary's emotions and thoughts, which further supports the idea
that he drew heavily from her perspective. This Advent, listen carefully and see if you
agree.
Did Luke know and interview Mary? Unlikely. Luke’s gospel has been dated to be
written around 80 AD, with the earliest surviving manuscripts dated from 175-225 AD.
Even if we add twelve to sixteen years for Mary’s age at the time of Jesus’ birth, that
would make her in her nineties when Luke would have met her, and people just did not
live that long in the first century.
Only two of the four gospels include narratives of the birth of Jesus, and both of them
have significant differences. As mentioned above, biblical scholars think Luke’s source
for his birth narrative came from Mary, either first-hand or passed down. Biblical
scholars think that Matthew’s source for the gospel that bears his name was Joseph,
but most likely passed down since he disappeared from the narrative of Jesus’s life
before he began his public ministry. Both agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the
reign of King Herod, that his mother was named Mary, and that her husband Joseph
was descended from King David (although they disagree on details of the line of
descent), and both deny Joseph's biological parenthood while treating the birth or rather
the conception, as divinely effected. But after that, the two gospels do not parallel each
other very well.
Is this a problem? Can we believe their stories? Another great question. The Bible
was never intended to be a history book, though it contains history. Many of the writers
wrote to specific audiences and nuanced their writing to be more understandable and/or
relatable to them. However, as always, we believe that the Bible is God’s inspired word,
given through human beings and we trust that that word is what God wants us to know.
Because Christmas is on a Wednesday this year, it is impractical for Carol and me to
travel to celebrate with our families. So, unlike most years, this year we will be with you
each weekend of Christmastide. As always, we look forward to seeing you and your
families as they come home for Christmas.
With you on the journey of faith,
The Rev. Duane A. Jesse, Pastor
This fall, I have been hosting a Bible study entitled “Looking Forward to Luke.” It is an
in-depth study of the Gospel according to Luke, and I chose to do it in the fall because
the primary gospel text for the new liturgical year beginning with the season of Advent,
the weekend of December 1, will be the Gospel, according to Luke.
Here is some background information on Luke’s gospel that you might find interesting:
Luke is the third gospel in the New Testament and is considered one of the synoptic
gospels along with Matthew and Mark.
The Gospel according to Luke and the Acts of the Apostles was intended to be a two-
volume work.
Luke was not a first-hand eye-witness to Jesus but writes what has been “handed on to
us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.” (1:2-3)
Luke’s nativity story is beloved and we look forward to hearing it every Christmas Eve.
But if Luke was not a first-hand eye-witness to the events, nor were any of the other
gospelers, where did he get his story? I am so glad you asked.
According to most biblical scholars, Luke's source for his nativity story is believed to be
primarily Mary herself. Luke's account includes details that seem to come from a
woman's perspective, particularly regarding her inner thoughts and experiences. Luke
explicitly mentions gathering information from "eyewitnesses" in his writings; this is often
referred to as the "L source," which is material unique to Luke's Gospel. Luke's nativity
story focuses heavily on Mary's emotions and thoughts, which further supports the idea
that he drew heavily from her perspective. This Advent, listen carefully and see if you
agree.
Did Luke know and interview Mary? Unlikely. Luke’s gospel has been dated to be
written around 80 AD, with the earliest surviving manuscripts dated from 175-225 AD.
Even if we add twelve to sixteen years for Mary’s age at the time of Jesus’ birth, that
would make her in her nineties when Luke would have met her, and people just did not
live that long in the first century.
Only two of the four gospels include narratives of the birth of Jesus, and both of them
have significant differences. As mentioned above, biblical scholars think Luke’s source
for his birth narrative came from Mary, either first-hand or passed down. Biblical
scholars think that Matthew’s source for the gospel that bears his name was Joseph,
but most likely passed down since he disappeared from the narrative of Jesus’s life
before he began his public ministry. Both agree that Jesus was born in Bethlehem in the
reign of King Herod, that his mother was named Mary, and that her husband Joseph
was descended from King David (although they disagree on details of the line of
descent), and both deny Joseph's biological parenthood while treating the birth or rather
the conception, as divinely effected. But after that, the two gospels do not parallel each
other very well.
Is this a problem? Can we believe their stories? Another great question. The Bible
was never intended to be a history book, though it contains history. Many of the writers
wrote to specific audiences and nuanced their writing to be more understandable and/or
relatable to them. However, as always, we believe that the Bible is God’s inspired word,
given through human beings and we trust that that word is what God wants us to know.
Because Christmas is on a Wednesday this year, it is impractical for Carol and me to
travel to celebrate with our families. So, unlike most years, this year we will be with you
each weekend of Christmastide. As always, we look forward to seeing you and your
families as they come home for Christmas.
With you on the journey of faith,
The Rev. Duane A. Jesse, Pastor
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