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Scripture Reading: Luke 1:1-4
In the previous message we pointed out that the subject of the Gospel of Luke is the Man-Savior and His salvation in the highest standard of morality. We have seen that the Lord Jesus as the Man-Savior was conceived of the Holy Spirit with the divine essence and born of a human virgin with the human essence. Therefore, He possesses both the divine nature with its divine attributes and the human nature with its human virtues. In this message we shall go on to consider what it means to say that the Man-Savior’s salvation is in the highest standard of morality.
The Man-Savior’s salvation, which is in the highest standard of morality, is a salvation in His human virtues with His divine attributes. Such a salvation is illustrated in the gospel parables and shown in the gospel cases recorded in Luke.
The parable of the good Samaritan in chapter ten is an excellent example. When we come to this chapter, we shall see that this Samaritan signifies the Lord Himself, who was slandered by being called a low and mean Samaritan (John 8:48; 4:9) by the self-exalting and self-justifying Pharisees.
According to this parable, a “certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who having stripped him and beat him, went away, leaving him half dead” (10:30). Both a priest and a Levite observed him and then passed by on the opposite side. Then a certain Samaritan came down to him and was moved with compassion (v. 33). “And coming to him, he bound up his wounds, pouring on them oil and wine. And placing him on his own beast, he brought him to an inn and took care of him” (v. 34). In this simple story, which even children may appreciate, we see that the Man-Savior lived in the highest standard of morality. He cared for the wounded man, brought him to the inn, and said to the innkeeper, “Take care of him; and whatever you spend in addition, when I return, I will repay you” (v. 35). This is not only a matter of love; it is also a living in the highest standard of morality.
The three parables in Luke 15 also illustrate the Man-Savior’s salvation in the highest standard of morality. These three parables form a full set. The good shepherd signifies God the Son as our shepherd, the woman signifies the Holy Spirit, and the loving father, of course, signifies God the Father. Hence, in these three parables we have the Trinity working together to seek, save, and receive a repentant sinner. The good shepherd loves the lost sheep, the woman treasures the lost coin, and the loving father receives the prodigal son when he returns.
Some readers of the Gospel of Luke may regard these parables merely as illustrating love. But we need to realize that it is Luke’s intention in his narration to portray the Divine Trinity full of the divine attributes shown in human virtues. In these parables we see not only the divine attributes, in particular, the attribute of love; we also see the divine attributes in human virtues.
The Man-Savior’s salvation in the highest standard of morality is also shown in the gospel cases recorded in Luke. In 7:36-50 we have the case of the Lord Jesus forgiving a sinful woman. This woman was despised by the Pharisee who had invited the Lord Jesus to eat with him. As we read this portion of the Gospel of Luke, we see that in dealing with this sinful woman, and also with the Pharisee, the Lord lived according to the highest standard of morality.
Another case that reveals the same high standard is the case of Zaccheus (19:1-10). Although Zaccheus, a tax collector, was an evil person, he was seeking the Man-Savior. Because he was seeking Jesus, “he ran on ahead and climbed up in a sycamore tree that he might see Him” (v. 4). The Lord Jesus responded to Zaccheus, saying, “Zaccheus, hurry and come down; for today I must stay in your house” (v. 5). The Man-Savior’s response must have far exceeded all that Zaccheus could have hoped for. The Man-Savior was not held back by the fact that Zaccheus was a despised man, one rejected by society. The Lord went with Zaccheus and stayed in his house. In His dealing with Zaccheus, the Man-Savior lived in the highest standard of morality.
Even when the Man-Savior was on the cross, He acted in the highest standard of morality in relation to the two criminals who were crucified with Him. One of the criminals said to the Lord Jesus, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom” (23:42). Immediately the Man-Savior answered, “Truly I tell you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise” (v. 43).
In these three cases we have a portrait of the Man-Savior with the highest standard of morality. This is a crucial matter in the Gospel of Luke. This Gospel depicts a Man who possesses the divine nature with all the human virtues. In the Man-Savior the divine attributes are mingled with the human virtues as one unit. Therefore, the Lord’s human virtues, according to this Gospel, are strengthened and enriched by the divine attributes.
Today the very Christ who lives in us is still the One who possesses the human virtues strengthened and enriched by the divine attributes. While He was on earth, He lived a life in the highest standard of morality. Such a life was a composition of the divine attributes and the human virtues. Of course, the Lord Jesus lived this kind of life outside the disciples. But from the time of His resurrection He has been living this kind of life within the believers. This means that within us today the Man-Savior is still living a life in the highest standard of morality, a life that is a composition of the divine attributes and the human virtues. If we see this, we shall say with Paul, “It is no longer I, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).
Have you ever realized that the Christ who lives in you is a composition of the divine attributes and the human virtues? The kind of life He lived on earth He is now seeking to live in us.
We have seen that the Lord spoke in parables to illustrate a life in the highest standard of morality. We have also seen this life displayed in different gospel cases. Suppose you had been the criminal who asked the Lord to save him, and He immediately gave you more than you had asked without any terms or conditions. Perhaps you would say, “Oh, what love this is!” Actually, it is not adequate to call this love. This is the highest standard of morality.
Suppose you had been the one wounded by robbers and left to die without anyone to care for you. Then this good Samaritan came, was moved with compassion, and did everything necessary to save you. This also is something more than love — it is the highest standard of morality. I hope that we all shall see this.
The subject of the Gospel of Luke is the Man-Savior and His salvation in the highest standard of morality. If we have this view in our reading of this Gospel, it will become a new book to us. As we read chapter after chapter of the Gospel of Luke, we need to have the view of the Man-Savior and His salvation in the highest standard of morality.
The Gospel of Luke presents the Savior as a genuine, moral, and perfect Man. This Man revealed God among men in His saving grace to fallen mankind. I like the expression “saving grace.” In the Gospel of Luke God is revealed in a Man who saves sinners by His grace. In this book we have a picture of a Man who is genuine, moral, and perfect, a Man who reveals God in His saving grace to fallen mankind. This Man did not reveal Himself. Instead, He revealed God in His saving grace.
The contents of the Gospel of Luke impress us with the completeness and perfection of the Man-Savior’s humanity. The more we read this Gospel, the more we are impressed that it is the record of a Man, a full, whole, complete, perfect, and real Man. In this Man God is revealed. Hence, this Man is God’s expression. In all He did and said, He was a genuine, complete, moral, and perfect Man who revealed not Himself, but God primarily in the aspect of His saving grace.
The contents of this Gospel do not emphasize the dispensational aspect or the Jewish background. This is in contrast to the Gospel of Matthew, which does stress both the dispensational aspect and the Jewish background.
The Gospel of Luke contains many gospel messages, gospel parables, and gospel cases. The gospel messages are found in 4:16-21; 7:41-43; 12:14-21; and 13:2-5; the gospel parables, in 10:30-37; 14:16-24; 15:3-32; and 18:9-14; and the gospel cases, in 7:36-50; 13:10-17; 16:19-31; 19:1-10; and 23:39-43. None of these messages, parables, or cases is recorded in the other Gospels. All these gospel messages, parables, and cases are recorded uniquely in Luke’s narration. If we spend time to consider these gospel messages, gospel parables, and gospel cases, we shall be helped in our preaching of the gospel.
The Gospel of Luke is written to mankind in general. Instead of being written to a particular kind of people, it is written to the entire human race. Luke 2:10 indicates this: “And the angel said to them: Do not fear, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy, which will be to all the people.”
The Gospel of Luke bears a Gentile characteristic rather than a Jewish one. One strong indication of this is 4:25-27, where the Lord refers first to the widow of Sidon and then to Naaman the Syrian.
Instead of being written according to the sequence of historical events, the Gospel of Luke is written according to the sequence of morality. However, many readers of the New Testament do not realize this. As we read the Gospel of Luke, we shall find certain cases that are recorded in a sequence different from that in the Gospel of Mark. The reason for this is that Mark was written according to the sequence of historical events. But Luke narrates the stories in his Gospel according to the sequence of morality, not of history. In this respect Luke is similar to Matthew. Matthew’s sequence is the sequence of doctrine concerning the kingdom, and Luke’s sequence is the sequence of morality. Therefore neither Luke nor Matthew was written according to the sequence of historical events.
A particular case that illustrates the fact that the Gospel of Luke was written according to the sequence of morality is that of Judas leaving the Passover feast. According to the Gospel of Mark, Judas did not participate in the Lord’s table. But Luke seems to indicate that Judas was present for the Lord’s supper and left afterward. There has been discussion among Bible students regarding this matter.
We need to see the different views presented in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. In Matthew we have the view of doctrine; in Mark, the view of historical events; and in Luke, the view of morality. The Gospel of Luke emphasizes the morality of the Man-Savior. My burden in this message is to point out that the Man-Savior and His salvation are in the highest standard of morality.
At this juncture I would like to explain further what we mean by the highest standard of morality. In chapter one of Genesis we see that man was created in God’s image and according to God’s likeness. God is love and light. Love is the nature of God’s being, and light is the nature of God’s expression. Furthermore, God is holy and righteous. God is holy in His nature and righteous in His actions. These four attributes — love, light, holiness, and righteousness — are revealed in the law of God. In the law we have the basic principle of divine love, divine light, divine holiness, and divine righteousness.
To say that man was created in the image of God means that man was created according to what God is. Man was created according to the God who is love and light and who is also holy and righteous. However, at the time of his creation man did not have God within him. For this reason, God placed the man created by Him in front of the tree of life. This indicates that it was necessary for the God-created man to take God into him as his life. If man had taken God into him as life, then the divine attributes of love, light, holiness, and righteousness would also have come into man.
The man created by God had only the appearance of God’s love, light, righteousness, and holiness. Man cannot have the reality of these attributes unless he receives God into him as his life. We know that according to the book of Genesis man failed to take God into him as his life.
One day God Himself became a Man named Jesus. This Man was conceived of the divine essence and born of the human essence, the very essence God created in man. This means that the human essence of which the Lord Jesus partook was that created by God according to what He is — the human essence with the appearance of God’s love, light, holiness, and righteousness.
As we have seen, the Lord Jesus, the God-man, was a composition of the divine essence with all the divine attributes and the human essence with all the human virtues. When He was on earth, He lived a life that was a composition of the divine attributes and the human virtues. This is the highest standard of morality. The highest standard of morality is the living of the One whose life was a composition of God with the divine attributes and man with the human virtues.
When we speak of the highest standard of morality, we are not using the word “morality” in a traditional way. By morality we mean the standard of life God requires.
From the beginning, in the first two chapters of Genesis, we see that man with the human virtues was created by God according to what He is. In particular, since God is light and love and is holy and righteous, He created man according to these attributes. The creation of man in the image of God is described in Genesis 1.
We have pointed out that at the time of his creation man did not have the reality of love, light, holiness, and righteousness. The reality of these divine attributes is actually God Himself. This means that through creation man had the image of these attributes, but he did not have the reality of them. This was the reason God in Genesis 2 put man in front of Himself as signified by the tree of life, indicating that God wanted man to take Him as his life so that he might have the reality of the divine love, light, holiness, and righteousness. This would enable man to live a life in the highest standard of morality.
Although the man created by God failed to live such a life, the Lord Jesus, the Man-Savior, possessing the divine nature and the human nature, lived a life on earth with the attributes of God expressed in the virtues of man. This crucial matter is revealed in the Gospel of Luke.
