City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

The Word

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Luke 1:1–4 (ESV)

Commentary

I love history, and I love reading history. I usually look for the oldest book on that era that is still being published, preferably a classic. Herodotus (The Histories), Tacitus (The Annals, The Histories), Bede  (The Ecclesiastical History of the English People), and Edward Gibbon (Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire), are some of my favorites.  

The reason these books have survived centuries (and sometimes millennia) is not because they are accurate but because they are entertaining.  Herodotus, Tacitus, Bede, and Gibbon were all great writers. If you want something more accurate, you read something more modern and probably more boring.

The Gospel of Luke, however, has not survived two millennia because Luke is a great writer. Sure, there is an interesting story and the subject is of ultimate importance, but one does not find in Luke the wit and elegance of Gibbon, the dramatic tension and character development of Herodotus, or the structure and narrative of Bede. Instead, Luke promises something Herodotus, Tacitus, Bede, and Gibbon do not — “certainty.”

As much as I love reading history, I am not going to make life-changing decisions based on whether what Bede or Gibbon wrote is true. The Gospel of Luke, however, demands just that. Recognizing the cost of following Jesus, Luke assures the excellent Theophilus that he has fully investigated the story he is about to tell, including discussions with eyewitnesses, so that Theophilus “may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.”

Application

Certainty demands action. It sweeps away all excuses and leaves us alone in a room with decision. The clarity with which certainty allows us to see comes with a necessity that requires we act. If we are certain Jesus was who He said He was, we must do what He said we must do. Certainty comes with a cost.

Prayer

Lord, as we read the through the Gospel of Luke show me what You demand of me as I follow You.