October 18 is the memorial feast of St. Luke the Evangelist in the Roman Catholic Church. Besides the fact that he penned down both the third Gospel, the Gospel of Luke, and its sequence (i.e. Acts 1:1-2), the Acts of the Apostles, as inspired by the Holy Spirit, Luke is a loyal companion of St. Paul, as described in the First Reading of his feast day (2 Timothy 4:10-17b), joining him from his second mission trip (Acts 15:36-18:22) in Troas in Asia Minor.
Luke is believed to be Greek, born in Antioch, and to
have practiced medicine according to Hippocrates ‘ teaching in Troas. It was
where Paul met him and converted him to Christianity during his second mission
journey.
First, how do we know that Luke met Paul in Troas and
began to follow him from there on to Rome, basically, the rest of his second mission
journey (Acts 16:10-18:22), third mission journey (Acts 18:23-21:14) and final
journey to Rome (Acts 27:1-28:31) ?
Luke himself gives a hint in this text.
They
traveled through the Phrygian and Galatian territory because they had been
prevented by the holy Spirit from preaching the message in the province of
Asia. When they came to Mysia, they tried to go on into Bithynia, but the
Spirit of Jesus did not allow them, so they crossed through Mysia and came down
to Troas. During the night Paul had a vision. A Macedonian stood before him and
implored him with these words, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” When he
had seen the vision, we sought passage to Macedonia at once, concluding that
God had called us to proclaim the good news to them
(Acts 16:6-10).
Luke begins this passage with “They” (Acts
16:6), referring to Paul and his companions, Silas and Timothy. It was shortly
after Timothy joined Paul’s mission in Lystra (Acts 16:1-3). Then, in Acts 16:10, Luke begins to use we–statement,
indicating that he began to accompany Paul, Silas, and Timothy. Therefore, from
this point on, the Acts of the Apostles was written as Luke’s first-hand
witness mainly of Paul’s apostolic mission. However, about things prior to
this, namely about the birth of John the Baptist, the incarnation of Christ and
birth of Jesus, Jesus’ childhood, Jesus’ baptism and ministries from Galilee to
Jerusalem, Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus’ post-resurrection
encounters with his disciples, Jesus’ ascension, the descent of the Holy Spirit
and the birth of the Church on Pentecost, and the growth of the nascent Church,
including conversion of Paul and his mission journey (Luke 1:1-24:53 and Acts
1:1-16:9), Luke wrote based what had
been written, including Mark’s Gospel (based on the two-source hypothesis), and
personal testimonies of the Apostle, whom he met when Paul returned to
Jerusalem (Acts 21:17-36).
In regard to his Gospel, because he was not a disciple
of Jesus and had never met him in person, Luke wrote it through his careful investigative
study of available documents on Jesus and his ministries. The sources of his
Gospel include Mark’s Gospel, which is the first-written Gospel, and his
interviews of those who had witnessed and encountered Jesus, including the Apostles.
Because his Gospel gives detailed accounts of Mary, it is likely that Luke
personally met her, perhaps in Jerusalem, and had the privilege to interview
her, in writing about Birth of John the Baptist, Annunciation, Visitation,
Nativity of the Lord, Presentation of the Lord, and Finding the Lord in the
Temple (Luke 1:5-2:52), covering the all five Joyful Mysteries of the Holy
Rosary.
In fact, Luke explains how he composed his Gospel in
its introduction.
Since many have undertaken to compile a
narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who
were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them
down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew,
to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so
that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received
(Luke 1:1-4).
Now how do we know who Luke is, since he neither wrote
about himself in his Gospel nor in the Acts of the Apostles?
The only scriptural source to know Luke is Paul’s
epistles since Luke was his companion from his second mission journey on.
First we learn from Paul that Luke is not only his
co-worker on his mission but also a beloved physician, in his introduction of
his co-workers to Colossians.
Aristarchus,
my fellow prisoner, sends you greetings, as does Mark the cousin of Barnabas
concerning whom you have received instructions; if he comes to you, receive
him), and Jesus, who is called Justus, who are of the circumcision; these alone
are my co-workers for the kingdom of God, and they have been a comfort to me.
Epaphras sends you greetings; he is one of you, a slave of Christ Jesus, always
striving for you in his prayers so that you may be perfect and fully assured in
all the will of God. For I can testify that he works very hard for you and for
those in Laodicea and those in Hierapolis. Luke the beloved physician sends
greetings, as does Demas (Colossians 4:10-14).
Then, to Philemon, whom he met in Colossae, Paul
introduces Luke, together with Epaphras, Mark, Aristarchus, and Demas, as his
co-workers on mission.
Epaphras,
my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, as well as Mark, Aristarchus, Demas,
and Luke, my co-workers. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit
(Philemon 23-25).
Later, in Rome, having lost some co-workers, such as
Demas, Paul described Luke as his loyal companion in his emotional message to Timothy
to install him as bishop of Ephesus:
Try to join me soon, for Demas, enamored
of the present world, deserted me and went to Thessalonica, Crescens to
Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Luke is the only one with me. Get Mark and
bring him with you, for he is helpful to me in the ministry. I have sent
Tychicus to Ephesus. When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in
Troas, the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments. Alexander the
coppersmith did me a great deal of harm; the Lord will repay him according to
his deeds. You too be on guard against him, for he has strongly resisted our
preaching. At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone
deserted me. May it not be held against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave
me strength, so that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the
Gentiles might hear it. And I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will
rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly
kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen
(2 Timothy 4:9-18).
Paul reminded Timothy that Luke was the only co-worker
of his to be with him in Rome, as other co-workers deserted him for their own
worldly interests, if not being sent to other places to minister. He really
counted on Timothy to join him and Luke in Rome, bringing Mark with him.
Sensing his martyr’s death in Rome, Paul wanted his trustworthy co-workers,
such as Luke, Timothy, and Mark, to be with him.
Reading through Luke’s writing of the Acts of the
Apostles and Paul’s epistles, we see
Paul’s missions were blessed with many co-workers, including Luke, Mark,
Timothy, and more. This reflect the fact that Paul’s multiple mission journeys
were to meet increasing pastoral needs through the Greco-Roman world. For this,
in the Gospel Reading of the fest of Luke (Luke 10:1-9), Luke and other
co-workers of Paul are in juxtaposition to the 72 disciples whom Jesus sent to
address greater needs of ministry in Galilee. And these words of Jesus on his
72 disciples sent on mission also reflect Luke and other co-workers of Paul,
whose mission took place on a much greater scale:
The
harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest (Luke 10:2).
In this sense, as a loyal co-worker of St. Paul, St.
Luke was an excellent labor of the harvest for the master of the harvest,
namely, Christ. Not only he was a companion of Paul’s journey from Troas on the
second mission journey on but also as the author of the Gospel of Luke and the
Acts of the Apostles, to chronicle the life and ministry of Jesus, and the birth and growth of the one holy
catholic apostolic Church.
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