Luke wrote his Gospel to provide a trustworthy historical record of Jesus Christ. From the start Luke s Gospel is catechetical: it teaches the facts of Jesus ministry for the purpose of instilling saving faith and strengthening the knowledge and appreciation of how Christ continues to redeem sinners through the ministry of Word and Sacrament. Dr. Arthur Just develops four central themes in Luke: Christology, sacramentology, ecclesiology, and eschatology. In addition to exploring what Luke s narrative states, Just also asks how the narrative would have been appropriated by Luke s first readers, and how it contributes to the church s faith and worship today. The same Christ who became incarnate and was born of the Virgin Mary is present today with his gifts of grace, conferred through Holy Baptism, the hearing of God s Word, and the Lord s Supper.
This commentary s literary technique is based on a careful examination of the original Greek text. It reveals the intricate structure of Luke s Gospel and how that structure contributes to its message. The commentary includes outlines of each pericope that facilitate preaching and teaching the text. At appropriate junctures, Just provides extensive discussions of vital themes in the text, such as Baptism in Luke-Acts; Luke s prophet Christology; Jesus table fellowship, the Passover, and the Lord s Supper; the Lukan Beatitudes; Luke s travel narrative, in which Christ journeys to the cross and open tomb; and Luke s use of the Old Testament to witness to Christ.
About the Series:
The Concordia Commentary Series: A Theological Exposition of Sacred Scripture is written to enable pastors and teachers of the Word to proclaim the Gospel with greater insight, clarity, and faithfulness to the divine intent of the biblical text.
This landmark work will cover all the canonical books of the Old and New Testaments, interpreting Scripture as a harmonious unity centered in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Every passage bears witness to the Good News that God has reconciled the world to Himself through our Lord's life, death, and resurrection.
The commentary fully affirms the divine inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of Scripture as it emphasizes "that which promotes Christ" in each pericope.
Authors are sensitive to the rich treasury of language, imagery, and themes found throughout Scripture, including such dialectics as Law and Gospel, sin and grace, death and new life, folly and wisdom, demon possession and the arrival of the kingdom of God in Christ. Careful attention is given to the original Hebrew, Aramaic, or Greek. Further light is shed on the text from archaeology, history, and extra-biblical literature. Finally, Scripture's message is applied to the ongoing life of the church in terms of ministry, worship, proclamation of the Word, Baptism, the Lord's Supper, confession of the faith--all in joyful anticipation of the life of the world to come.