Had It Not Been for Luke's Gospel . . .

I'm reading Mark Goodacre's The Synoptic Maze , a great, short, bullet point summary not only of the relationships between Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but also of Goodacre's theories on dispensing with Q. Great stuff and his tables are very helpful. Why don't more people make lists and tables of data?

I also recently finished my second year of reading through and commenting on a daily portion of Luke in my Daily D'var email list (email me at yeshuaincontext at gmail if you'd like to be on the Daily D'var email list).

Luke's gospel has a lot of material not in Matthew and Mark (this is a well-known fact). Luke is the second-most unique of the four gospels (John takes the prize, of course). Have you ever thought of the things you might not know if you didn't have Luke's gospel? And, if with me you believe that Luke is one of the last two to be written (perhaps at the same time or a little before John), consider that, in some sense, these stories almost did not survive and make it to posterity. Here is a rundown and the unique material in Luke is powerful and some of the best-known material in the life of Yeshua:

The Best Known and Loved Parables are Often in Luke

• The Prodigal Son, Lk 15:11-32 - Perhaps the best-loved parable of Yeshua.
• The Good Samaritan, Lk 10:29-37 - Maybe a close second to the Prodigal Son.
• The Rich Man and Lazarus, 16:19-31 - Well known, rarely applied.
• The Pharisee and the Tax Collector, Lk 18:9-14 - Don't judge the Pharisee or you become him.
• The Rich Fool, Lk 12:13-21 - Also rarely applied.
• The Unjust Judge, 18:1-8 - It's a long wait for Yeshua's return.
• The Friend at Midnight, Lk 11:5-8 - Marginalized people must have wondered if God was listening.
• The Fig Tree, Lk 13:6-9 - In mercy the Gardener has left it a little time.
• The Unrighteous Steward, Lk 16:1-9 - Use possessions to make friends.
• The Humble Servant, Lk 17:7-10 - The Master is great and the disciple does his or her duty.
• The Lost Coin, Lk 15:8-10 - The Father searches and rejoices in finding.

Healings Only in Luke

• The Widow of Nain's Son, Lk 7:11-17
• The Bent Woman, Lk 13:10-17
• The Man with Dropsy (Edema), Lk 14:1-6
• Ten Lepers, Lk 17:11-19

Stories Only in Luke

• Infancy Narratives of Yeshua, Lk 1-2 (very little overlap with Matthew)
• Yeshua in the Temple as a Boy, Lk 2:41-52
• Genealogy of Yeshua, Lk 3:23-38 (very little overlap with Matthew)
• Women disciples, Lk 8:1-3
• Yeshua in the Samaritan Villages, Lk 9:51-56
• Martha and Mary, Lk 10:38-42
• Tower of Siloam, Lk 13:1-5
• Zaccheus, Lk 19:1-10
• Trial before Herod, Lk 23:6-12
• Road to Emmaus, Lk 24:13-35
• Post-Resurrection Appearance in Jerusalem, Lk 24:36-49

Other Sayings (non-Parables) Only in Luke

• Names written in heaven, Lk 10:17-20
• Revealed to babes and all things handed over to the Son, Lk 10:21-22
• Blessed are they who hear and keep the word, Lk 11:27-28
• Invitations to Feasts and Banquets, Lk 14:7-14
• Two Swords, Lk 22:35-38