Precision. Accuracy. Truth.

Certain men and women make it their business to deal only with the facts. No hearsay. No speculation. No rumor.

Scientists belong in this category. Checking the data and conducting experiments, they test theories and draw conclusions. Detectives, too, work hard to discover the truth. Carefully gathering and analyzing evidence, they follow the clues to solve the crime. Add to the mix judges who weigh testimony, hear arguments, and consider the law before rendering just verdicts. Historians also strive to be accurate—to know precisely what happened at a certain time and place. And surely doctors stand with this group. With informative tests and diagnostic expertise, they examine patients, draw conclusions, and prescribe cures.

Luke wanted only the truth. As a historian, Luke’s research would be meticulous, interviewing reliable witnesses and primary sources. As a doctor, a man of science, he would carefully consider all the facts before rendering an opinion. That is exactly what he did. Addressing Theophilus, Luke wrote, “Having carefully investigated all of these accounts from the beginning, I have decided to write a careful summary for you, to reassure you of the truth of all you were taught” (Luke 1:3–4). To “reassure” his friend and other believers who never had the opportunity to see Jesus themselves, Luke’s investigation included reading “accounts about the events” (1:1) and analyzing “reports … from the early disciples and other eyewitnesses” (1:2). Thus, Luke sought and found the truth. Then he recorded it to affirm this truth in writing and to point his readers to the Truth, Jesus Christ.

As you read Luke’s Gospel, carefully investigate the facts for yourself. Analyze the evidence presented, follow the clues, and render your judgment. No doubt, you too will discover that Jesus is Christ, the Savior, God’s Son.

Bruce Barton et al., Life Application New Testament Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale, 2001), 231.