Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.- Luke 1:1-4
One of my favorite games to play around the Christmas season with my family growing up was the game Guess Who. In this game, you would draw a card of a person, and so would your opponent, and then you would look at the various cards asking questions to figure out who your opponent had. You would ask questions like, “Does your person have glasses?” or “Does your person have red hair?” “Is the person a boy?” to narrow down the choices.
In the Gospel of Luke, we play the game Guess Who almost immediately. We are confronted with the person Theophilus, and we try to guess who he is. Biblical scholars have it narrowed down to two choices. The first is this. Theophilus is a real person to whom the Gospel of Luke was written and produced for so that he could have “certainty concerning the things you have been taught” about Jesus. It is thought that perhaps Theophilus helped Luke to publish his Gospel.
The second alternative to Theophilus’ identity might surprise you, and, perhaps, might not have been something that you have thought of before. The Theophilus that Luke writes to is…you! The name Theophilus means “lover of God” or “friend of God.” Some commentators have taken his name as a symbolic reference to anyone who reads Luke’s Gospel in faith.
As the new Church Year begins, we begin our new year in the Gospel of Luke. As we study and hear this Gospel, we see that it is a special one. The Gospel of Luke is a perfect compliment to Matthew and Mark. It presents to us different themes and a different view of Jesus than is found in the other Gospels. Luke contains the most parables, and over half of Luke’s content is exclusive to his Gospel. Although Luke did not witness these things personally, his Gospel comes from those who did.
Now, regardless of who Theophilus is, I pray that you would be blessed this upcoming Church Year as you hear Luke’s trustworthy and life giving Gospel, and as you hear the story of how you have become a Theophilus, God’s friend, through Jesus’ death and resurrection for you.
Pastor Kooi
(Originally published in Emmaus Footprints, Vol. XX, Number 5, December 2018)