Who is Luke?

The Book of Luke has been completed. As I begin to dive into the Book of Acts, I want to begin by introducing some key individuals. I want to begin with Luke. I want to give a history of each of the Apostles as well as individuals referred to in the Book of Acts. This week I will introduce Simon.

The books of Luke and Acts are written by Luke. Luke is a Gentile. From Colossians 4:10-14 it is determined he is a Physician. He is a Historian, which is told in Luke 1:1-4. He is writing to Theophilus an account of all Jesus did from his birth to his death. Luke explains all are important, women, children, Gentiles, Jews, free, or slaves. Colossians 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:11, and Philemon 24 are where Luke's name is present. There are hints throughout the book that confirm Luke is a Gentile. The references can be found in Luke 4:31, 8:26, 21:37, 23:51, and 24:13. In these verses, he explains Jewish localities. In the original language of Greek, his vocabulary is more Gentile than Jewish because of references to Roman Emperors in designating the dates of Jesus' birth. His accounts are more historical than the fulfillment of prophecies. He emphasizes forgiveness as in 3:3, 5:18-26, 6:37, 7:36-50, 11:4, 12:10, 17:3-4, 23:34, and 24:47. In the same manner, he emphasizes prayer in 3:21, 5:16, 6:12, 9:18, 29, 22:32, and 22:40-41.

Simon is the brother of Andrew. The relationship between them comes from John 1:44. As I continue to introduce Peter, I will put in parentheses the scripture text.

Who is Simon (Peter)?

Simon Peter known in Greek as petros which means rock can be found one hundred eighty-three (183) times in the New Testament. His name is Simon, but Jesus called him Peter. (Matthew 16:18) Cephas is Aramaic for rock. He is the son of Jona. (Matthew 16:17; Luke 1:42) His hometown was Bethsaida. (John 1:44) He was a Galilean fisherman. (Mark 1:16, Luke 5:2-3, and John 21:3) His business partners were James and John. (Luke 5:10) He was married. (Mark 1:30) He lived in Capernaum. (Mark 1:21-31) He associated with John the Baptist. (John 1:40)

Peter was the leader and spokesman for the disciples. (Mark 8:29 and Matthew 17:24) He posed questions to Jesus regarding others concerns. (Matthew 15:15, Matthew 18:21, Mark 11:21, and Luke 12:41) He was presumptuous (Matthew 16:22, John 13:8, and John 18:10), timid (Matthew 14:30 and Matthew 26:69-72), self-seeking (Matthew 19:27), self-sacrificing (Mark 1:18), spiritually perceptive (Matthew 16:16, John 6:68), slow to understand spiritual matters (Matthew 15:15-16), arrested twice and warned to stop preaching about Jesus (Acts 4:1-22, Acts 5:12-40, Acts 12:3-5), and arrested by Herod and freed by an angel. (Acts 12:6-11)

Peter helped establish the Jerusalem church. (Acts 1-5) He spread the gospel to the Gentiles. (Acts 11-12) He served as a bridge to hold together the diverse people of the early church. (Acts 15)[1]

Bibliography

Schreiner, Thomas R. “Peter,” In Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 1254-1255. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015.

[1] Thomas R. Schreiner, “Peter,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 1254-1255.