Background
As Matthew portrayed Jesus as the King and Mark as the Servant of the Lord, Luke portrays Jesus as the Son of man, emphasizing the fact that Jesus was not only fully God, He was fully man. For example, Luke recorded for us the childhood days of Jesus when He was at the temple (Luke 2:41-52).
Portraying Jesus as a man helps us to identify with Jesus and learn from Him how human beings can live their lives in a way pleasing to God.
The book of Luke was written by a physician Luke who carefully researched and recorded the testimonies of those who encountered Jesus.
Luke 1 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.
Luke is the largest contributor to the New Testament in terms of the volume of content. The book of Luke together with its sequel the book of Acts makes Luke the largest contributor, even more than the apostle Paul.
Jesus struggled through life like us
Luke wrote more about the childhood of Jesus than the other gospel writers. Jesus left the splendor of heaven and emptied Himself in order to come to earth.
Philippians 2:5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God,did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
He went from being God to being an infant who could do nothing and had to be looked after. This infant grew up to be a boy of stature talking to the religious teachers at the temple. Finally He went on to become the Savior of the world.
We mustn’t look for shortcuts in life. God intends for us to go through each stage and season of our life to learn valuable things before He moves us to the next stage.
Jesus can identify with our struggles
While on earth, Jesus had human needs. He was tired, hungry, thirsty, etc. He knew what it was to feel physical and emotional pain. He wept. Therefore, we don’t have a God who is distant and not able to identify with our human struggles.
Jesus also went through temptation and as a result understands what we go through when we encounter temptations. Since Jesus is able to understand our needs, the Bible says that we are able to approach Him with confidence.
Heb 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
It is important to note that when Jesus went through temptation, He did so as a man. He did not use the fact that He was God to resist Satan. He resisted Satan with the power of the Holy Spirit and with the Word of God. He used verses from the Bible that man are supposed to obey.
Luke 4:4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
Jesus was totally dependent on the Holy Spirit
Jesus was totally dependent on the Holy Spirit who was present at His birth, baptism, ministry and resurrection.
Jesus was conceived by the virgin Mary as a result of the Holy Spirit coming upon her.
Luke 1:35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
When Jesus began His ministry, He was first baptized and the Holy Spirit came upon Him in bodily form so that everyone can see.
Luke 3:21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.
The Bible also says that Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit before He went through Satan’s temptation. He withstood the attacks of the enemy by the power of the Spirit.
Luke 4:1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.
The verse above also tells us that Jesus was led by the Spirit. He did not do anything on His own accord but subjected Himself to the leading of the Holy Spirit as to what His next move should be.
Before Jesus did any miracles or began His ministry, He tells us that the Holy Spirit was upon Him.
Luke 4:16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”