2024_10_21 Insight Post- Kim Feld
This week’s reading- Colossians 4:14, Acts 16:10-17, Acts 20:5-16, Acts 21:1-18, Acts 27:1-28, Luke 1:1-4
14 Luke, the beloved doctor, sends his greetings, and so does Demas. Colossians 4:14, NLT
Luke is a fascinating character in the Bible. He is believed to be the only Gentile author in the New Testament and wrote the most detailed biography of Jesus’ life. He also chronicled the events of the early church in the book of Acts. In the Colossian verse above, Paul refers to Luke as “the beloved doctor.” Luke was Paul’s companion and had opportunities to write himself into the narrative, but we only see his presence in the use of “we” when referring to their travels.
In his biography of Jesus (the Book of Luke), Luke emphasizes Jesus’ compassion in dealing with people and highlights the role of the women who were followers. His writing is rich with detail and helps us visualize the events as they occurred. We owe a lot that we know about the early church to Luke’s writing in the Book of Acts.
In Colossians 4:14, Paul refers to Luke as “beloved.” Given all that Paul and the other missionaries endured in Acts, I imagine Luke’s medical skills were put to good use. But he wasn’t just efficient or competent; Paul says he was dearly loved. From that, I imagine a trusted and close relationship between them—a relationship born out of times of deep adversity and times of unspeakable joy.
Thinking of Luke and Paul’s relationship reminds me of how blessed I have been to have relationships with people who have been with me through thick and thin—those people I have grieved, mourned, laughed with, and loved with. How empty my life would have been without them. Our faith journey was never meant to be a solo excursion; we are to work it all out, mess included, in the context of a community
Who do you consider beloved in your life? Are you the kind of friend someone else would describe as beloved? Today is a new day; let’s love well.
24 There are “friends” who destroy each other,
but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.
Proverbs 18:24, NLT
Kim Feld
Executive Director of Education and Outreach