The Apostle Paul lived a hard and sometimes dangerous life and it wasn’t easy being his friend and travelling companion. After Paul was thrown into prison Luke stayed by his side for at least two years, walking past the Roman guards every day. He also travelled with Paul on his second and third missionary journeys.
Paul’s enemies said he was a troublemaker who slandered the Jews, dishonored the temple and disdained the authority of the Roman Empire (Acts 24:5). In reality Paul’s enemies were the slanderers, but their accusations resulted in Paul being thrown into prison, where few dared to accompany or visit him, so Luke must have been a source of great encouragement to him.
Luke was a learned man, who spoke and wrote classical Greek, and could also converse and write in Hebrew, Aramaic and Hellenistic Greek. The Gospel that bears his name and the book of Acts are two parts of one comprehensive work. He addressed both books to the same person, Theophilus (Luke 1:3; Acts 1:1) whose name means ‘friend of God’. Some scholars have concluded Theophilus was a wealthy patron who helped support Luke while he wrote his Gospel and the book of Acts. Luke refers to him as “the most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:3), typically a title used for officials high in the Roman government (compare Acts 23:26), so perhaps Theophilus held such a position.
Luke appears to have written mainly, though not entirely, for gentiles, when compared with the other three Gospels. For example, Luke used Roman dates when he identified the Roman emperor and governor and often used Greek equivalents of Hebrew words, making his writings more easily understood by Greeks. These small differences hint that Luke probably wrote his Gospel account so gentiles could more easily identify with Jesus and His teachings.
Most biblical scholars agree Acts was written around A.D. 63 and reflects events in the Church up until that time. The final chapter of Acts concludes with events that preceded Nero’s persecution of Christians (in 65) and Paul’s death. The book ends with Paul under house arrest in Rome awaiting trial for the charges brought against him. Luke must have written his Gospel a few years earlier, around A.D. 60-61, some 30 years after Jesus’ death. Apparently he was not an eyewitness of Jesus’ mighty works and teachings, but relied on other accounts (Luke 1:1-2).
Luke was unwavering in his commitment to the truth, faithful to the words of Jesus Christ and the Apostles and, as the Apostle Paul’s trusted and loyal friend, supported and encouraged him. Paul’s deep respect and Christian love for Luke surface when he refers to him as “the beloved physician” (Colossians 4:14).
