To Seek & Save | Sunday, February 9, 2025

Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. (Luke 1:1–4)

Why four gospels tell one story—and why Luke's portrait of a Savior who seeks the lost is good news for everyone.

Why Are There Four Gospels?

Anytime we examine someone's writing, it's helpful to ask a number of questions at the outset: Who wrote it? Why did they write it? Who is the intended audience? Knowing the author's connection to the subject matter gives them credibility and authority. This is especially true when we consider the gospels.

One of the most common questions I've received over the years is, why are there four gospels—and why are they not identical? The first three—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—are called the synoptic gospels because they give a synopsis, an orderly account of the basic things about Jesus's life and ministry. They have a lot of crossover, but there is variation, and that variation is a stumbling block for some. They say it seems like error has been introduced if Matthew's account differs from Mark's.

But the fascinating thing is this: when you study historiography or how linguists assess literary works, you discover that the differences between these accounts are actually evidence toward authenticity. Eyewitness accounts naturally vary. When two or three accounts line up perfectly and are identical, that's normally where you find fabricated stories. My friend Ryan is a homicide detective, and when he interviews people and their stories come in identical, he knows something isn't right. The variation is proof of authenticity. It shows these individuals were not working from a single source—they had different perspectives, different focuses, and different audiences.

Matthew and Mark

The Gospel of Matthew was written by a firsthand eyewitness, Matthew, also called Levi, one of Jesus's twelve apostles. He was a tax collector—looked down upon in that society, but historians note that tax collectors had a certain studiousness, which you see in Matthew's orderly account. He records the largest sections of Jesus's direct teaching, such as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) and the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24–25).

Matthew is a Jewish writer writing for Jewish readers, showing that Jesus fulfills the law and the prophets. He repeatedly says, "as Isaiah the prophet said" or "as Jeremiah said." His purpose statement, recorded in Matthew 5:17–18, is Jesus's own words: I did not come to destroy the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them—not one jot or tittle will pass away.

Mark appears to be writing for Roman Gentiles, especially those in the city of Rome. It's believed Mark wrote down the account of Peter, who spent the last years of his life in Rome and was ultimately martyred there. Jesus in Mark is portrayed as a suffering servant, but also a man of power and action. You read the word "immediately" again and again. He has power over demons, disease, and death. His purpose statement in Mark 10:45 fits: "the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many."

The Purpose of Luke

That brings us to the Gospel of Luke, the focus of our study this year. Luke seems to record the gospel from the Apostle Paul's point of view, and he is writing for a Greek-minded Gentile—the intellectual, the philosophically minded pagan of his time. He addresses his letter to a man named Theophilus.

There's much speculation about who Theophilus was. The name means "friend" or "lover of God." Some think he was an actual person, perhaps the benefactor who funded Luke's ministry. Others think it symbolically refers to all friends and lovers of God—that is, all Christians, including you. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter exactly. I'm just grateful Luke recorded these things for us.

Luke states his aim plainly: it seemed good to me to write an orderly account, so that you would know the certainty of the things in which you were instructed. And the purpose of Jesus, as Luke presents it, is encapsulated in Luke chapter 19.

Zacchaeus and the Heart of Luke

Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature... And when Jesus came to the place, He looked up and saw him, and said to him, "Zacchaeus, make haste and come down, for today I must stay at your house." (Luke 19:1–5)

Jericho was the last city on the way to Jerusalem, and Jesus is on His final walk toward the cross. Zacchaeus, a wealthy chief tax collector, climbs a sycamore tree to see Him. Jesus has the great social grace of simply inviting Himself to people's houses. The crowd complains that He has gone to be the guest of a sinner. But Zacchaeus stands and declares he will give half his goods to the poor and restore fourfold anything taken falsely.

Then comes the key verse: "And Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house... for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost'" (Luke 19:9–10). That is Jesus's purpose statement in Luke. In Matthew, I've come to fulfill the law and the prophets. In Mark, I've come to serve and give My life a ransom. In Luke—and this is a big reason I want to go through this gospel—the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost.

John's Gospel

So I don't overlook it, let me give a brief synopsis of John, the last of the gospels written, by the eyewitness Apostle John, who lived well into the AD 90s. His depiction is drastically different—some researchers say as much as 80 to 90 percent of John differs from Matthew, Mark, and Luke. But there's a reason. John tells us in John 20:30–31 that he wrote these things so that you might believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing, you might have life in His name.

John is writing for a general audience to show that Jesus is God in the flesh—"the Word became flesh and dwelt among us." Jesus reveals Himself through seven "I am" statements: I am the bread of life, the light of the world, the door of the sheep, the good shepherd, the resurrection and the life, the way, the truth, and the life, and the true vine. And His purpose statement in John 10:10 is: "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."

One Core Message

So why do we have four gospels? Because they were independent accounts from four different individuals, four different perspectives, for four different audiences, with four different purposes. But in every single one, the core message is the same: Jesus is the anointed Messiah, the Christ, the fulfillment of the prophets and the law.

He is titled the Son of Man—a title every Jewish reader would understand, coming from Daniel some 500 years earlier, the one who brings the kingdom of God. He is the Word become flesh, God Himself, who brings abundant and eternal life through resurrection. He is the Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine to seek the one lost sheep and lays down His life for others.

He is on a mission to reach both Jews and Gentiles, the top of the hierarchy and the lowest of the low. He seeks not just good people but the unrighteous—the sick, the maimed, the lame, the deaf, the blind. He is no respecter of persons. He is not arrogant or aloof, too busy for normal people. He does not reject children, widows, or foreigners—the lowest of the low in His day, the minorities who received no time. He gave time to them. He even gave time to the religious elite.

The Savior of Sinners

This is point number one: Jesus is the Savior of sinners and the Redeemer and restorer of wrecked and destitute lives. There is not a single person here today who does not fit that category. Comparatively, your life might look better than your neighbor's. But measured against Christ, you are a sinner with a wrecked and destitute life—and Jesus came to save and restore you.

Why did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John record these things? Because they wanted people to meet this Jesus. And why were they so passionate? Because they themselves had met the Savior of sinners, had their sins forgiven, and their wrecked lives redeemed. They had seen Him heal the sick, raise the dead, feed the hungry, walk on water, restore sight to the blind, preach freedom to the captives, heal the brokenhearted, and free the oppressed.

Then they saw Him suffer and die—but most importantly, they saw Him alive after His death. That's what they proclaimed. Even skeptical New Testament scholars who do not believe in the resurrection will at least tell you this: it is very clear that the early followers of Jesus genuinely believed He had risen from the dead. Why? Because they said they saw Him alive after His death. If you had seen Him perform miracles and then alive after the crucifixion, you too would be unable to keep quiet, even under threat from the religious leaders.

The Gospel Paul Preached

The Gospel of Luke is believed to be Paul's gospel, received from Paul and written down by Luke. Around AD 57, while ministering in Ephesus, Paul wrote to the carnal Greek city of Corinth and outlined the core message of the gospel.

Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you... For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once... then by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all He was seen by me also. (1 Corinthians 15:1–8)

That is the simple summation of the gospel, preached within twenty-five years of Jesus's crucifixion: Christ died for our sins, was buried, rose again according to the Scriptures, and was seen by witnesses.

Who Was Luke?

The author of Luke is also the author of Acts. Though not named directly in either book, historic tradition holds that Luke—a co-laborer and close companion of Paul, mentioned in Colossians, 2 Timothy, and Philemon—is the writer. By deduction, since all of Paul's other close associates are named in Acts except Luke, it seems Luke is the author.

Luke very likely came to faith through Paul's preaching. On Paul's second missionary journey he passed through Galatia, was forbidden by the Spirit to go into Asia, and tried to enter Bithynia near the Black Sea but could not. Eventually he came to Troas, and there the language of Acts shifts from third person—"Paul and Silas went"—to what scholars call the "we" passages.

And after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. Therefore, sailing from Troas... we came to Philippi, which is the foremost city of that part of Macedonia, a colony. And we were staying in that city for some days. (Acts 16:10–12)

For the first time the gospel goes into Europe. After the church at Philippi is planted, the language shifts back from "we" to "they," and many scholars believe Luke remained in Philippi as the de facto pastor of this newly planted church. Imagine that—a recent convert, within weeks or months, made the pastor. And Luke did a great job: Philippi became one of the strongest early churches and supported Paul's ministry more than any other.

Jesus Rescues Those Who Trust Him

Later, while Paul was under arrest in Rome at the close of Acts, it seems Luke recorded the Gospel and the book of Acts. The message he preached is the power of God that brings salvation as you believe it, receive it, and stand upon it.

This is point number two: Jesus rescues those who trust in His death on their behalf for their sinful failings. That is good news, because every one of us—and everyone we'll interact with this week—falls into the category of people with sinful failings. Isaiah prophesied it 700 years before:

He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:5–6)

The Theme of Seeking the Lost

This is the theme repeated throughout Luke, and one reason I love this gospel so much. In Luke 15, Jesus tells of the lost coin, the lost sheep, and the lost son—the prodigal—each emphasizing that Jesus seeks the lost. In Luke 10, the Good Samaritan finds a man robbed, beaten, and left for dead, and restores him. Jesus is the Good Samaritan; the man left for dead is you and me, broken and battered by the one who comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

In Luke 18, the Pharisee thanks God he is not like the tax collector, while the tax collector beats his chest and pleads for mercy. In Luke 24, Jesus pursues the two disciples fleeing Jerusalem in fear. Over and over, Jesus seeks and finds those who are broken, distressed, or fleeing.

This is point number three: Jesus seeks to find and reach those whom we despise and reject—the down and out, the depressed, the dejected, the rejected, the lost. That is why we call this gospel good news.

An Invitation to Certainty, Transformation, and Mission

My hope as we go through Luke is that you will meet Jesus in a different way than before. I'll make an embarrassing confession: it's been sixteen years since I last taught through a gospel here. But we'll get there. For now, let me leave you with three considerations.

First, the Gospel of Luke is an invitation to certainty. Luke wrote it that you may know the certainty of the things you've been taught. Christianity is not built on cunningly devised fables or vague spiritual ideas. It is a historical reality that can be verified. Christ was seen by witnesses after His death. The gospel is not faith without reason; it is trust established in truth.

Second, it is an invitation to transformation. Repeatedly in Luke we see individuals changed by an encounter with Jesus—Zacchaeus, the prodigal son, the thief on the cross, the fearful disciples of Luke 24. The message is clear, and some of you need to hear it today: no one is too far gone. No one has sinned too greatly to be forgiven. No heart is too hard. Jesus still seeks the lost and changes them forever.

Third, it is an invitation to join Jesus's mission. Every gospel ends with a commissioning. Matthew has the Great Commission—go and make disciples of all nations. Mark says go preach the gospel to every creature. Luke 24 ends with these words: repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem, "and you are witnesses of these things."

If you become a believer in the life, ministry, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, you are now an ambassador for Him. Jesus says in Matthew 10:8, "Freely you have received, freely give." If He came to seek and save the lost, we who are His ambassadors are commissioned to do the same. The gospel is not just something we receive; it is something we give out to others.

So I leave you with a simple question: who in your life needs to meet Jesus? You have been commissioned and dispatched to introduce them. Yes, you need to get to know Him—that's why we'll continue through Luke. But there's a reason for it, not just that you will believe, but that you will introduce Him to others. There are many people you know who need to meet Jesus, and you're the one God has called to introduce them.

Closing Prayer

God, I realize that might be a fearful thing for some to hear this morning. I'm sure it caused great angst and fear in some of Your early disciples when You sent them to minister Your grace and truth to others. But by Your power and Your grace, by Your Holy Spirit, You enabled them to become bold witnesses, and I pray You would enable us to do the same. Lord, help us today, and as we continue through this book, to know who You are more fully. Help us to see You and to enter into a deeper relationship with You, so that we might introduce others to You. God, pour out Your Spirit upon Your people. Strengthen and enable us to be lights in a dark place. We ask this in Jesus's name, and all those that agreed said, amen.