Luke 1 Commentary

Who is “Theophilus” (Luke 1:3)?
Theophilus, whose name is Greek and means “loved of (philus) God (Theo),” was a gentile government official, probably in King Herod's court. Since Luke addresses him as “most excellent” (Luke 1:3), which is akin to a high government official being addressed as “Your Excellency” today, Theophilus is likely to have held a high ranking post.

To which “us” is Luke referring in Luke 1:1 and 1:3?
Followers of Jesus, including Luke.

What had been “fulfilled among us” (Luke 1:1)?
God fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies by coming and saving sinners Himself.

Was Luke the first to recount it?
Others, including “eyewitnesses” (Luke 1:2), already had been talking about it and even wrote it down or had it written down - “taken in hand to set in order an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us” (Luke 1:1).

What do we call those accounts today?
The Gospel of Matthew, who was one of Jesus' twelve apostles, and the Gospel of Mark, who recorded the account given by apostle Peter (The Gospel of John was written after the Gospel of Luke).

Since the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Mark already were written, why did Luke bother to write his gospel?
κατηχηθης (katechethes), the original Greek word translated “you have been instructed” (Luke 1:4), typically means oral instruction, so the proximate reason is that Luke wanted Theophilus to read and have “certainty” (Luke 1:4) of what he had heard. The ultimate reason is that God wanted us to have the third of the four independent accounts of how He saved us.

What qualified Luke to write his account?
He accompanied apostle Paul during his missionary journeys from Troas onward; he stayed in Judea while Paul was imprisoned in Caesarea for two years, during which he is likely to have interviewed the eyewitnesses of Jesus' life, death and resurrection; he was a “physician” (Colossians 4:14) - a doctor - and therefore trained to “carefully investigated everything from the beginning” (Luke 1:3); and most importantly, he was inspired by God, as evidenced by what he recorded.