Why do we have four gospels instead of just one, especially since there’s so much overlap between Matthew, Mark, and Luke (which are known collectively as the Synoptic gospels)? In the previous episode, I suggested that the gospel of Luke needs to be read in light of the book of Acts; here, I will suggest that we also need to consider how Luke’s gospel differs from those of Matthew and Mark. And when we look at what’s unique to Luke, one of the themes that emerges is that the Christian movement of his day was to be seen as the fulfillment of God’s ancient plan and promise.

Bible scholars agree that the gospel of Luke functions like the first volume in a two-volume set; we know volume 2 as the book of Acts. In our Bibles, the two books are separated by the gospel of John, so we rarely read them together. But if the two were written together, and Luke is the author of both, then our understanding of the gospel should be shaped by the way it anticipates the story of the Gentile mission in Acts. That’s why this show is entitled, “God’s Plan and People”—the title reflects two major themes of both Luke and Acts.

Let’s start with what might sound like a trick question: who wrote “The Gospel of Luke”? The tradition has been to assign the third gospel to Luke, the beloved physician, and I will assume the same here. But it’s instructive to consider why that assignment isn’t as obvious as it might seem at first. We’ll explore such issues in this opening episode, along with the question of why it was important to have a written gospel in the first place.