THE STORY OF JESUS: Luke 1:1-4
“So that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” (Luke 1:4)
Was Theophilus a person, or a ‘friend of God’ as the word means?
Was he Paul’s lawyer, a Jewish priest, a converted Roman official (‘most excellent’)?
We know that Luke was a dear friend of Paul, and a doctor (Colossians 4:14).
But how did these 2nd (or 3rd) generation believers come to know about Jesus?
Many people reported on what they knew about Jesus.
Luke investigated these claims, speaking directly to the eyewitnesses.
Assuming the Jesus stories are true (and I believe they are), there would lots of eyewitnesses.
There were more than 500 eyewitnesses to Jesus’ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).
It is difficult to explain the amazing growth of this movement without eyewitnesses.
Or to explain why all of Jesus’ first followers were prepared to die for their claims.
The ‘proof’ may not satisfy modern skeptics, but there is ample support for Jesus.
But it is Jesus, not just the stories, that needs to win over our hearts.
This is not just information, it is intended to lead to transformation.
That we “may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.” (Luke 1:4)
And that by knowing Jesus, we may become ‘friends of God’, and ‘servants of the word’.
What do you sense the Lord saying to you?
PRAYER
Lord, I can’t reach the eyewitnesses directly, but I have read their reports, and I have seen the dramatic impact You made. I believe in You, help me to know You better.