In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. (Luke 3:1-3)
The older I get, the more I can see for myself both the cohesiveness of the gospel records of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, but also the distinctive style of each of the writers of the God-breathed Scriptures. And what is really standing out in my present journey through Luke is how detailed he was in describing what took place.
I have also noticed that the professional skeptics like to focus on their opinions of the documentation that is available in our day, when I find it so fascinating what was available in Luke’s day. His attention to detail is amazing, and all the more since some of the people involved were still alive to verify what was written.
Along with these things, I have also developed an ear for listening to people’s claims with a sense of wanting to know how they know what they think they know. I learned this from a young age since my parents didn’t agree on anything, especially anything to do with Jesus. So I learned to listen for the details. Who was their authority for what they believed? How did they know? Why was there such a broad range of emotions whenever Jesus was mentioned?
What I am sharing with you is simply a testimony of how my years of spending time with God in his word have made all these things stand out so clearly. Getting to know God for myself has given me an ear for those who speak the truth in love, and has given me radar for those professional skeptics who simply continue what the serpent said to Eve in the garden, “Did God actually say…?”
As it turns out, both my parents were partly right and partly wrong. Yes, Jesus is who he and his disciples claimed him to be in the Scriptures. No, a lot of what is done in churches is not the Christian life Jesus teaches in his word. But the Scriptures are “the word of truth” for good reason, and all the encouragement we need to “live by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”
In my present journey through Luke’s gospel account, it is clear that Luke was a speak-the-truth-in-love-in-the-most-detailed-way-possible kind of guy. I am really enjoying getting to know him as another mentor in following Jesus Christ as my Creator, Savior, and Lord. And I trust my sharing about his testimony of Jesus Christ encourages you to get to know God’s Son for yourself.
© 2024 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8
Email: in2freedom@gmail.com
Unless otherwise noted, Scriptures are from the English Standard Version (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.)
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