The third evangelist tells the story of Jesus in clear, dramatically compelling, and humanly moving terms. His Jesus is a man of great power, a deep sense of mission, and profound compassion for those on the outskirts of society. And Lukes Gospel has the best stories--that is, parables--including a number that are unique to him. Lukes story fills in the gap between born of the virgin Mary and suffered under Pontius Pilate in the Apostles Creed. While it is usually important for those who write biography to report how the lives of their subjects began and ended, Lukes story of Jesuss birth differs from Matthews version, and the conclusion to Lukes account of Jesuss life ends neither with his death nor with his resurrection but with his being taken up from the earth to the heavens. The Gospel of Luke is historical in its approach, for which there are no apologies: a historical reading follows necessarily from the Christian doctrine of the incarnation, which teaches that God has entered the history of humanity through Jesus. At the same time, Lukes approach is theological: together with the other evangelists, Luke intends to show his readers that in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, God has drawn near to humanity in an inexpressible and unique way.
