The Testimony of Luke

Enthroned above all creation towers the exalted, glorified Christ. Descending into the darkest recesses of human agony and sin reaches the warm, caring Jesus. These two are the same person. Luke’s testimony introduces us to this man become God—God the Son. He comes into our world already bearing a divine nature, already carrying divine qualities. His birth is a miracle; he is “Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). But he does not stride through mortality without mental and physical challenges. Contemplating his future suffering, he declares, “I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened [distressed] till it be accomplished!” (Luke 12:50). Months later, he has resolved his fears when he leads his disciples on the long, steep climb from Jericho to Jerusalem, ready to face his destiny. Only Luke’s testimony captures Jesus’ inner transformation.

The most distinguishing element of this line-by-line, word-by-word commentary is the introduction of Latter-day Saint scriptures—the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price—to illuminate Luke’s Gospel. For example, important LDS doctrines arise from Jesus’ activity in the spirit world immediately after his death.

More than all other gospel accounts, Luke captures the compassion and love of the Savior. Such sweet concern manifests itself particularly for the downtrodden and those forced to the margins of society. Within this frame, most notable is Jesus’ compassion for women and children, a compassion that springs into view in story after story. This aspect of Luke’s Gospel derives neither from his own special interest nor from his sources. Jesus’ compassion is genuine and cannot be hidden; he gives dignity back to women involved in divorce (see Luke 16:18) and appeals to the women and children of Jerusalem as he is led to the cross (see 23:27–33). Similarly, Luke introduces us to Elisabeth and Mary, recipients of God’s blessings both for them and, through their expected children, for the rest of humankind. Within these stories and others, Luke discloses the deep, divine love that runs through his narrative of Christ.

Prof. Brown's Commentary is, to put it bluntly, an astonishing achievement. . . . I learned a lot from it, and that learning took place on multiple levels. . . . Prof. Brown's book is a virtuoso performance. . . . The focus on family is not surprising, given that Mormons are well known for putting family at the center of their religious practices, but Prof. Brown's commentary is the first, as far as I know, to show how fruitful it is to put family at the center of the reading of the Gospels. Luke's Jesus, in Brown's hands, is not the solitary hero, sadly misunderstood, of much modern biblical theology, nor is he a downtrodden man who is born into solidarity with the poor and dispossessed. This is a Jesus who is from a stable, loving, and quite traditional family, who is well educated (knowing four languages, Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek and Spoken Egyptian), who rises early in the morning to worship and work, and who is a lover of conversation, indeed, a consummate talker who always has an appropriate story on hand to deal with any situation. The result is that details of the Gospel come alive in new ways, like the easily overlooked mention that Peter and his wife have been taking care of Peter's mother-in-law (Luke 4:38–39).

— Stephen H. Webb, former Professor of Religion and Philosophy, Wabash College