Continuing with Luke and adding in “Prayer”
Julie
Swannell
What with a visiting sixteen-month old grandson, and an
adventure on the high seas of Moreton Bay, Luke did not have much of a look-in
by me during September. A reader suggested we
continue on with Luke for September and another reader suggested we study the
chapter on Prayer in Science and Health
with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. It seems appropriate that we do both, and see
if we can find some connections between the two along the way.
While I’m told that Luke is the longest of all the Gospels,
the chapter on Prayer is rather short at 17 pages. It will be interesting to read the two in
tandem.
The other morning I was pondering the word “Physician” which
occurs six times in the Bible (twice in Luke’s gospel) and came across an
interesting piece by a Victor Shepherd.
Readers may like to have a look at it at http://www.victorshepherd.on.ca/Sermons/Luke.htm. Writing in 2005, Mr. Shepherd, Professor
of Systematic and Historical Theology at Tyndale, and Adjunct Prof. of Theology
at University of Toronto, says:
“Luke's gospel is easily the warmest of the four.”
“Luke was a physician. He used a medical
vocabulary instinctively. In the incident where the boy is said to be
"thrown down" (English text) by his affliction, the Greek word Luke
uses was the current medical term for convulsions. In the incident where the
distraught father cries to Jesus, "Look upon my son!", the word Luke
uses for "look upon" is the current medical term used of a physician
seeing a patient. Like most physicians Luke was understandably defensive of the
medical profession. When the menorrhagic woman approaches Jesus, Matthew and
Mark tell us she had exhausted all her savings on physicians but was no better.
Dr. Luke tells us the same story, but chooses to omit the part about costly
medical treatment that has proved ineffective.”
“There are three
emphases in Luke's mind and heart that receive more attention than anywhere
else in the NT. The three emphases are
