Luke
The seventh companion to be named is Luke, and so much could be said of this remarkable man, but we shall use an Old Testament term and call him the apostle Paul’s armour bearer, because that is what he was. So often he was there, treating the apostle’s very serious health problem. We don’t know exactly what Paul’s chief illness was, but we know it was extremely painful, unsightly, and a handicap to him. However, Luke, the beloved physician, was often there. He was also a preacher.
A Gentile from Antioch of Syria, he was almost certainly a bachelor, and some very early references to him in tradition suggest he was also an able artist. There is an interesting theory, but it cannot be proved, that Luke went to university with Saul of Tarsus in that city, and some say that Apollos was also there, but not necessarily at the same time. Paul and Luke were close friends and it is possible that their friendship had roots in a similar place of education.
Rather daringly, some say he was not only a doctor, but had also been a ship’s doctor, or physician to a fleet. Certainly Acts 27 demonstrates a remarkable command of correct nautical terms and maritime information.
Tradition says that Luke lived a very long life, but he still lives today through the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, and the record shows that he was always ready to preach, serve, look after the apostle and, of course, to be an inspired penman of holy Scripture.
Nothing can be said too highly of Luke. Although obviously a clever man and well-educated (as we see in his use of Greek), he was pledged to serve the apostolic mission in every necessary way. As ‘armour bearer’ to Paul he was pre-eminently a team person, and this is the challenge his life presents to us.
We are all in a team as members of a church. Ideally, every capacity and ability is pledged to the Lord’s service, with no one trying to stand head and shoulders above anyone else for self-notice. You can see how this was true of all the companions of Paul, but you see it particularly well in the long service of Luke.
The seventh companion to be named is Luke, and so much could be said of this remarkable man, but we shall use an Old Testament term and call him the apostle Paul’s armour bearer, because that is what he was. So often he was there, treating the apostle’s very serious health problem. We don’t know exactly what Paul’s chief illness was, but we know it was extremely painful, unsightly, and a handicap to him. However, Luke, the beloved physician, was often there. He was also a preacher.
A Gentile from Antioch of Syria, he was almost certainly a bachelor, and some very early references to him in tradition suggest he was also an able artist. There is an interesting theory, but it cannot be proved, that Luke went to university with Saul of Tarsus in that city, and some say that Apollos was also there, but not necessarily at the same time. Paul and Luke were close friends and it is possible that their friendship had roots in a similar place of education.
Rather daringly, some say he was not only a doctor, but had also been a ship’s doctor, or physician to a fleet. Certainly Acts 27 demonstrates a remarkable command of correct nautical terms and maritime information.
Tradition says that Luke lived a very long life, but he still lives today through the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, and the record shows that he was always ready to preach, serve, look after the apostle and, of course, to be an inspired penman of holy Scripture.
Nothing can be said too highly of Luke. Although obviously a clever man and well-educated (as we see in his use of Greek), he was pledged to serve the apostolic mission in every necessary way. As ‘armour bearer’ to Paul he was pre-eminently a team person, and this is the challenge his life presents to us.
We are all in a team as members of a church. Ideally, every capacity and ability is pledged to the Lord’s service, with no one trying to stand head and shoulders above anyone else for self-notice. You can see how this was true of all the companions of Paul, but you see it particularly well in the long service of Luke.
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