Transcript

A man returned to the U.S. after a trip abroad feeling very ill. He went to see his doctor and was immediately rushed to the hospital to undergo a barrage of extensive tests.

The man woke up after the tests in a private room at the hospital, and the phone by his bedside rang.

He picked it up and the voice said, “This is your doctor. We’ve got the results back from your tests, and we’ve found you have an extremely horrible virus that is very contagious!”

Panicked and concerned, the man cried, “Oh no! What are you going to do, Doctor?” He replied, “Well, we’re going to put you on a strict diet of pizzas, pancakes, and quesadillas.”

The man asked hopefully, “Will that cure me, doctor?” The doctor answered, “No. But it’s the only food we can get under the door.”

Our next co-worker of Paul that we will look at is Luke. Luke was a physician and probably much braver than the doctor in this joke. Luke was a faithful companion with Paul and stayed with the apostle to the end of his life. And with all the physical persecution and suffering that Paul endured for Christ, he needed a doctor as a co-worker.

Acts 16:9-12: “And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us.

“And after he had seen the vision, immediately WE endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them.

“Therefore loosing from Troas, WE came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis; And from thence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia, and a colony: and WE were in that city abiding certain days.”

Paul mentions his co-worker, Luke, by name in three of his epistles, and these are the only times Luke is mentioned by name in the entire New Testament: in Colossians 4:14, Philemon 1:24, and 2 Timothy 4:11.

And all three times his name appears, it does so in Paul’s writings from prison, which tells us something about Luke and his faithfulness to Paul.

From these three references we learn that Luke was a physician, that he was one of Paul’s fellow-laborers, and that he was with Paul at Rome during Paul’s final imprisonment.

But though only three passages name this man, he is a central and leading character in the whole New Testament by virtue of the two important Books he wrote: the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles.

52 chapters of the New Testament were penned by Luke, and they reveal the capable historian that he was.

The Gospel of Luke is the longest of all the four gospels. Though it only has 24 chapters and Matthew has 28, it has more verses and more words than Matthew.

And then he wrote 28 chapter of Acts. He chronicled the life of Christ in his Gospel under the inspiration of the Spirit, and then he chronicled the fall and casting away of Israel and God turning to the Gentiles through the ministry of Paul in the Book of Acts.

Luke does not name himself in either of his books. And he humbly kept himself in the shadows as much as he could.

From the book of Acts we learn how Luke was a frequent companion of Paul, who was often faithfully at his side. But his modesty is evident in Acts by the way we have to sense his presence through his use of pronouns in the book.

Within Acts, there are distinct passages where Luke, the author, wrote in first person plural, using pronouns such as “we”, “our” and “us”.

For the first 15 chapters of Acts, Luke described the activities of the apostles and characters using the third person pronouns, “he,” “his,” “they,” “them.”

However, in chapter 16, Luke started using first-person plural pronouns such as “we”, “our” and “us”. The obvious conclusion to draw is that Luke had joined Paul during these phases of his ministry. However, after Luke first joined Paul and it changed to first-person plural pronouns, this does not remain the same until the end of Acts.

Rather, Luke swapped back and forth between first person and third person pronouns, but this has the benefit of all allowing us to track and pinpoint when Paul was accompanied by Luke in his travels.

The first “we” passage occurs in Acts 16. Leading up to it in verses 6-8, Luke wrote of “they” and “them.” Speaking of Paul, Silas, and Timothy on Paul’s second apostolic journey, Luke wrote “Now when THEY had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia.”

Luke then wrote, “After THEY were come to Mysia, THEY assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered THEM not. And THEY passing by Mysia came down to Troas.”

Here in Troas is when Paul had the vision of the man of Macedonia begging them to come to Europe to help them. It is then that the pronouns change.

In Acts 16:10-11, we read: “And after he had seen the vision, immediately WE endeavoured to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called US for to preach the gospel unto them. Therefore loosing from Troas, WE came with a straight course to Samothracia, and the next day to Neapolis.”

From Neapolis, Paul, Silas, Timothy, and Luke went to Philippi, and Luke wrote that “WE were in that city abiding certain days.”

Luke joined up with the team of Paul, Silas, and Timothy in Troas. From Troas, he sailed with them to Neapolis and then traveled to Philippi. There he witnessed the beating and imprisonment of Paul and Silas.

At this point, the “we” passages stop for a significant amount of time. Luke did not accompany them when Paul, Silas, and Timothy left Philippi. No negative reason is given for his staying. And we can be sure that Luke was a devoted and great help to the newly-formed church in Philippi.

We see Luke being left behind in Acts 17:1 as it reverts back to third person pronouns when Paul, Silas, and Timothy left Philippi, “Now when THEY had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, THEY came to Thessalonica…”

Not until Acts 20 does Luke rejoin Paul. This was at least 4 years later and he rejoined Paul during his third apostolic journey.

And Luke links up again with Paul in Philippi. Philippi was the drop off point for Luke in Acts 16 and Luke rejoined Paul from the same location in Acts 20. Whether he stayed in Philippi this entire time we can’t say for sure, but it is possible.

Acts 20:6 then reads, “And WE sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where WE abode seven days.”

When Paul journeyed from Philippi to Troas the “we” passages resume. On that return leg of Paul’s third apostolic journey, in Troas, Luke experienced the falling of Eutychus from the third loft after he had fallen asleep, and Paul raising him from the dead.

Luke was also present when Paul called the elders from Ephesus to meet him at Miletus, and on the seashore he challenged them to feed the church of God and warned them about grievous wolves entering in among them, not sparing the flock. And Paul then bade a fond farewell to these church elders.

Luke then traveled with Paul all the way to Jerusalem. Arriving there, Acts 21:17 reads, “And when WE were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received US gladly.”

Following this, Paul was falsely accused of taking a Gentile into the temple which led to a riot, Paul’s arrest, and being taken to Caesarea and imprisoned there for two years. When Paul was taken to Caesarea, the “we” passages stop again.

Where Luke resided during these two years we do not know for sure, but I think it was in Jerusalem. And it’s a very real possibility that it was at this time that the distinguished doctor wrote the Gospel of Luke.

For two years he could have traveled around the land of Israel and Jerusalem talking to those who had firsthand knowledge of Christ and His earthly ministry.

In Luke 1, Luke wrote how he depended on verbal reports for his Gospel record and had interviews with those who were eyewitnesses. Luke 1:2 reads, “Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word.”

Luke wrote his record by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but we see how the Spirit used his careful, precise investigation and thorough historical research as well.

And I think this research and investigation took place during this two year time period while Paul was in prison in Caesarea.

And as a result of his thorough research, the Spirit used Luke to record other things not found in the other Gospel records, such as the birth of John the Baptist and the Lord’s birth, the record of Christ in the temple at 12 years old, the two disciples who met Christ after His resurrection as they traveled home to Emmaus, and also many parables, including the parables of the prodigal son and Good Samaritan.

And in his sensitively written account off Christ’s life and earthly ministry, Dr. Luke highlights the God-man’s humanity more keenly than the other Gospel records.

After two years, because Paul appealed to Caesar, he was sent to Rome. At this point, in Acts 27, the “we” passages begin again. Luke reunited with Paul in Caesarea, and Luke accompanied Paul during his stormy voyage to Rome.

Luke gave a vivid nautical description of this journey, the storm, and the shipwreck he experienced and making it safely to the island of Malta. And as a doctor, Luke was careful to record Paul’s healing ministry on Malta.

Acts 27:1 reads, “And when it was determined that WE should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus’ band.” And it is “we,” “us” and “our” all the way to Rome.

Then in Acts 28:16, we read, “And when WE came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard…”

Paul was placed under house arrest in Rome and wrote the prison epistles of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. In Colossians, Paul referred to Luke as the beloved physician, and in Philemon, he called Luke his fellow-laborer.

And it was during the two years of Paul’s house arrest in Rome that Luke likely wrote the record of the Book of Acts. Luke does not mention Paul’s release and subsequent travels because the apostle was still in prison when he wrote Acts.

In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s Sir William Ramsey was a well-known archaeologist and historian. He was professor at Aberdeen University. He was the world’s most imminent scholar on Asia-Minor, and its geography and history.

He read the book of Acts and being critical of it said, “The book of Acts is a highly imaginative and carefully colored account of primitive Christianity.”

Then he went to the Middle East for the express purpose of proving the Bible wrong in its history. He came home and wrote the book, “Luke, the beloved physician” in which he proclaimed Dr. Luke to be one of the world’s foremost historians.

After looking carefully at the evidence, Sir William Ramsey wrote: “Luke’s history is unsurpassed in its trustworthiness. You may press the words of Luke in a degree beyond any other historian, and they will stand the keenest scrutiny, and the harshest treatment.”

Colossians 4:14: “Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas, greet you.”

Warren Wiersbe wrote of Luke, “He was a beloved Christian, a skilled physician, a devoted friend, and a careful historian, all wrapped up in one!” Luke was quite the man of God. He was an able and faithful co-worker of the apostle.

Luke was both physically and spiritually helpful to Paul. And if anybody ever needed a personal physician, it was Paul!

As 2 Corinthians 11 reminds us of Paul’s ministry, “…in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.

“Thrice I was beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck…In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness” (2 Cor. 11:23-25,27).

In 2 Corinthians 12, Paul also wrote of “a thorn in the flesh” and of his “infirmities,” plural. In Galatians 6:17, from all his beatings and whippings and suffering for Christ, Paul wrote, “for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.” These marks were the scars left after the assaults upon his person.

As a result of his zealous ministry, Paul faced much physical persecution and had many physical infirmities. As the Lord told Ananias after Paul’s conversion, “For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:16).

Paul suffered much for Christ as the apostle of the Gentiles, but God in His mercy also provided Paul with a companion who was a physician. Paul was not made of iron. He was made of the same kind of flesh we are. Paul needed the attendance of a physician who cared for his infirmities and nursed him back to health.

And there were plenty of aches and pains and wounds for Dr. Luke to attend to which kept him busy. But this was a tremendous help to Paul’s ministry.

And though Luke was an articulate, educated, and gifted man, he was content to come alongside the apostle Paul and be a servant, giving his life in service to his personal needs, so that Paul could continue to make the gospel of grace known to the nations.

Luke used his medical training and ability as a tool to further the gospel. Luke is a glowing example of the professional man who uses his skills in the service of the Lord and gives himself to go wherever God sends.

And Luke faced his own share of suffering also in being a co-laborer and traveler with Paul. But the fact that Paul called him the “beloved” physician shows Paul’s gratitude for his ministry and service to him as his personal physician.

And Luke was beloved because he worked in such a way that he brought glory to God, and was blessing to Paul and others by his service.

And because of his ministry and good work as a physician we have many hospitals named in honor of this coworker of Paul, as you find many of them called St. Luke’s!

John Phillips writes this about Luke being a physician. “At the time of Imperial Rome, there was an accrediting college at Rome that supervised the licensing of medical doctors. It was called the Collegium Archiatorum.

“It was responsible for examining all those who wanted to practice medicine in every city of the empire. Those newly admitted to the medical fraternity were interned under older physicians. Their methods of treatment were closely supervised, and their mistakes were severely punished. A doctor could even lose his diploma.”

Like physicians have to be today, being a doctor in that day as well tells us that Luke was well-educated. We see Luke’s education as well in how his writings reveal that he had a rich and extensive vocabulary and had an outstanding command of the Greek language.

One Greek lexicon shows that there are around 312 words in his Gospel that are found nowhere else in the New Testament.

You also see Luke being a doctor in how he wrote. In the account of the Good Samaritan, Dr. Luke revealed his knowledge of the first-aid treatment of his day, and the Spirit used that knowledge and experience of Luke as he wrote his Gospel record.

Luke 10:33-34 reads: “But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.”

The Good Samaritan treated the wound expertly, and Luke’s description showed that as a physician he was well-versed in wound treatment as practiced in his day.

Binding up the wounds and pouring in oil and wine, showed recognition of the antiseptic qualities of alcohol. And the use of oil helped wounds to heal better, as the coating of the oil served to protect the wound from contamination.

And Luke probably used this wound treatment more than once on the Apostle Paul as he ministered to him as a physician.

But it’s interesting to note also that the humble Dr. Luke, in all his writings, never recorded anything of his own professional cures or successes as a doctor.

Every year in Alaska, a 1000-mile dogsled race, a run for prize money and prestige, commemorates an original “race” run to save lives.

Back in January of 1926, six-year-old Richard Stanley showed symptoms of diphtheria, signaling the possibility of an outbreak in the small town of Nome.

When the boy passed away a day later, Dr. Curtis Welch began immunizing children and adults with an experimental but effective anti-diphtheria serum.

But it wasn’t long before Dr. Welch’s supply ran out, and the nearest serum was in Nenana, Alaska—1000 miles of frozen wilderness away. Amazingly, a group of trappers and prospectors volunteered to cover the distance with their dog teams!

Operating in relays from trading post to trapping station and beyond, one sled started out from Nome while another, carrying the serum, started from Nenana.

Oblivious to frostbite, fatigue, and exhaustion, the teamsters mushed relentlessly until, after 144 hours in minus 50-degree winds, the serum was delivered to Nome.

As a result, only one other life was lost to the potential epidemic. Their sacrifice had given an entire town the gift of life.

Luke was a fellow-laborer with Paul and others in the gospel ministry. As Paul wrote of Luke in Philemon 1:24, “Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellowlabourers.”

Luke’s sacrifice, and the sacrifice of the other companions of Paul, as they traveled great distances with Paul to take the gospel to the nations gave people the gift of life, the gift of eternal life.

Serving with Paul in the gospel ministry meant that Luke was a physician of both soul and body. As a doctor, Luke worked to save physical life, and as a servant of Christ, he also worked to save souls that they might have spiritual life.

By his life and writings, Luke ministered to the whole person. Human beings are made in the image of the Triune God, thus we are a three-part being with a body, soul and spirit. And as Luke ministered to individuals, he ministered to the whole person.

And his writings in God’s Word continue to minister to our souls to this moment.

Before we leave Colossians 4:14, it’s interesting to note that we have two men mentioned in this verse who went in completely different directions in their ministries, as Paul sent greetings to the Colossians from Luke and Demas.

Luke and Demas were both faithfully serving the Lord at the time of Paul’s first Roman imprisonment, but later we find that only one of these men remained faithful.

2 Timothy 4:9-11: “Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.”

After Paul was released from his first Roman imprisonment, we don’t know what happened to Luke. He may have stayed with Paul for those few years when he was at liberty or he may not have. We cannot say definitively.

But when Paul was arrested a second time and imprisoned in Rome and condemned to die, we find that Luke was right there with him. Luke was with Paul in both of his Roman imprisonments.

At the end of Paul’s life, we read that “Demas hath forsaken me” and that “Only Luke is with me.” Luke had remained faithful, while Demas abandoned the apostle.

Demas abandoned Paul because he loved with the world. When your heart loves this world, you love what unbelievers love.

And Demas’s love for the world commanded his heart, mind, soul, and strength. His affections were on things on the earth, and he lost sight of the world to come. And it led to him leaving Paul and leaving the ministry to live for the temporal.

Luke, however, stayed with Paul because he loved the Lord with all his heart, mind, soul, and strength. His focus was on the eternal, his affection was on things above and on Christ, and his desire was to care for lost souls and his friend, Paul.

In Paul’s first Roman imprisonment, he received many visitors. Acts 28:30 reads, “And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him.” But in contrast to this, only Luke was with Paul in this second and final Roman imprisonment.

This makes you ask, though, where were the Roman believers, and all those listed in Romans chapter 16? Where were the saints that were of Caesar’s household that Paul wrote about in Philippians 4?

They were likely driven underground, into hiding, or out of Rome altogether by the persecution of believers at that time. Nero had cranked up the persecution at that time to a high level and Christians were paying with their lives.

That makes it all the more meaningful that “Only Luke is with me.” Luke courageously remained with Paul in his darkest hour when so many other believers had fled or were hiding in fear. Luke stuck with him through thick and thin.

Luke remained true to the apostle Paul to the end. And in the days leading up to the day of his execution, he did what he could to relieve Paul’s suffering, pain, and infirmities.

And when the morning came that the aged apostle was led away to his execution, Luke was there. And when the sword flashed in the light, and Paul’s head was struck from his body, and his soul soared to the light and glory of heaven and the presence of Christ, it was likely Luke who cared for his body.

Kenneth Wuest writes the following: “How beautiful it is to see that the beloved physician should feel that his place was beside Paul when the end was approaching. How true to his medical instinct this was; not to depreciate the grace of God moving him in his heart to the same action. What a trophy of God’s grace Luke is.

“Here is a doctor of medicine, leaving his medical practice to be the personal physician of an itinerant preacher, to share his hardship and privations, his dangers, and toil.

“The great success of the apostle whom he attended in a medical way is due in some measure, to the physician’s watchful care over his patient who was the recipient of stonings, scourgings, and beatings, a man whose physical strength was always at the ragged edge of exhaustion because of his incessant and intense work and long difficult journeys.

“Now his patient, grown old before his time, was suffering the discomforts of a Roman cell. He had to be guarded against disease. ‘Only Luke is with me.’ What a comfort he was to Paul!”