Luke for Everyone by Tom Wright

Luke for Everyone Reviews

• 
  Ron

  Well done, new translation and relevant commentary. Good insights to what Wright thought the text was actually about without descending into an esoteric discussion of sources and conflicting interpretations.
  
  Some of his speculation is silly, but that would be true for most of us, and he suffers the extra burden of being an Anglican bishop. We should be thankful that it's so readable. And it is.
• 
  Russrook

  As ever, a rich and accessible resource for personal devotion, group study or sermon preparation.
• 
  Neil R. Coulter

  It’s great when my daily Bible reading happens to work out so that I’m reading the Passion narrative during Holy Week. Reading the last few chapters of Luke this week was perfect to keep my mind on this special time. N. T. Wright’s commentary has been helpful all through Luke’s Gospel. I especially appreciated his comments about the story of the couple who meet Jesus on the road to Emmaus, in chapter 24:

  It is both a wonderful, unique, spellbinding tale, and also a model (and Luke surely knew this) for a great deal of what being a Christian, from that day to this, is all about. The slow, sad dismay at the failure of human hopes; the turning to someone who might or might not help; the discovery that in scripture, all unexpected, there lay keys which might unlock the central mysteries and enable us to find the truth; the sudden realization of Jesus himself, present with us, warming our hearts with his truth, showing us himself as bread is broken. This describes the experience of innumerable Christians, and indeed goes quite a long way to explaining what it is about Christianity that grasps us and holds us in the face of so much that is wrong with the world, with the church, and with ourselves. (293)

  Another comment on this same passage is a good summary of one of Wright’s primary themes throughout this entire commentary series:

  In this and the following passage Luke emphasizes what the church all too easily forgets: that the careful study of the Bible is meant to bring together head and heart, understanding and excited application. This will happen as we learn to think through the glory of God and the world, of Israel and Jesus, not in the way that our various cultures try to make us think, but in the way that God himself has sketched out. (297)

  Luke is a long book, and Wright has helped me stay focused on the main points where I might otherwise get distracted by minutiae along the way.
• 
  Kyle McFerren

  I love the fact that N.T. Wright can write both 1000+ page scholarly books and also this commentary series, which even kids could probably get a lot out of. I've read a couple of his For Everyone commentaries, and this was by far the best one I've read so far. He includes a lot of his ideas from his denser books, but in very easy to understand language.
  
  I especially liked this volume as it gave probably the most coherent explanation of the gospel accounts that I've heard. I tend to think of the gospels as Jesus' birth, followed by a hodge-podge of random teachings, and then his death and resurrection. Wright did a really good job showing how Luke very intentionally assembled his account as the story of Jesus working his way towards Jerusalem and the cross, and how being his follower means preparing ourselves to go down that same road. I also appreciated how he brought everything back to its original 1st century Jewish context and explained how Luke's original audience would have understood his account.
• 
  Garrett

  Can't recommend this series enough. Wright brings the text alive with his own translation, fresh observations, and vital historical context.
• 
  Jon Anderson

  Sermon series on Luke 3-6 for Fall 2023
• 
  Christopher

  Thus far in my continuing read through Mr. Wright's popular commentaries on the New Testament, this is one of the longest and perhaps the most passionate. Mr. Wright notes how Luke had the chance to compile his Gospel by talking to eyewitnesses and bring in his own medical knowledge (Christian tradition says that Luke was a doctor) into the stories as Luke describes the hearings Jesus performed with a closer eye to detail than any of the other Gospel writers. In fact, that could be said of Luke's Gospel in general. The format of this commentary is easy to follow and the prose simple and never over-burdened with theology making it excellent for the average lay Christian. This book can be a great complement to any devotional reading of the Bible. If you're unfamiliar with the works of N.T. Wright and/or looking to dive a little deeper into the New Testament, I highly recommend this book and this series to you.
• 
  Tim

  My wife has walked off with Wright's book on Luke. I will finish it soon enough, but she will enjoy it in the short term. You get Wright's translation of the passage from Luke and a short reflection on the meaning of the passage in a fairly homiletic fashion. He tells short stories about today and relates the immediate stories of Jesus to the larger story of the kingdom. It is not an attempt at a full commentary, but it is deep, while at the same time remaining brief and thus perfect for devotional use. I may not agree with all of his points, but it is excellent and challenging overall.
• 
  Jon Beadle

  Easy and accessible. This is Wright using his mind as a pastor. Love!
• 
  Simonfletcher

  A really, REALLY good commentary on Luke, for those who want to dig a bit deeper. This was the 10th time I have read through Luke in about a year, and reading through with Tom's accessible, extremely insightful, detailed commentary really helped ground this Testament of the ministry and life of Jesus, and helped me understand a few things I needed context on.
  
  Just some of my notes below:
  
  –
  Jesus’ strength came from slipping away to pray. After the healing and preaching, he would always do so. Straight after he heals the leper, Jesus slips away to be alone with God, to remote places, to pray. Luke picks up on this again and again and again.
  –
  Peter, a practical man, accustomed to nature and the natural work, is faced with a man who shows him the supernatural. If any man is worth following, it is this man. He and his fellows followed without knowing the cost and reward up ahead, they just saw the Man Jesus.
  Yet “When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” - Deitrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
  –
  The arrival of Jesus in the synagogue in Nazareth deserves serious study - why did they get SO offended? The Grace was for the others, the other nations, not just the (worthy) chosen people. This was like saying salvation for the Germans in the middle of WWII. The story of Jonah. They had heard of his miracles in Capernaum, but he bypassed their riddles and world-focused questions. He practically said God was looking for faith, and the only people he found it in was the heathens, the brood of oppressors and slave drivers, the rapers and destroyers of the chosen people of God. And they could not accept it. Can you sense the rage and entitlement here?
  
  –
  Luke 5.24-26 The Pharasees were a movement, more than an organisation. They were the revolution, as far as they were concerned - a revolution of extreme holiness. So that’s why Jesus was such a problem for them. He appeared on the scene and seemed to be talking about the same things, but he was doing it all wrong!
  
  When Jesus said ‘if you want to be convinced that the son of man has authority to forgive sins’, referring to himself as the one mentioned in Danial 7 ‘one like the son of man’, one who is brought before God, after a time of great persecution, and given authority over the world.The way Daniel 7 was read by many Jews of the day had a specific meaning - the son of man is the Messiah, the one through who God would set up an everlasting kingdom.
  
  His sharp dispute with the leading pressure / protest group of the time, plus the authority of power from God for healing and implied forgiveness, was beyond what the Pharisees had feared.
  
  -
  Luke 7.1-10. The roman centurion understood and believed Jesus’ absolute authority — he lived within a tight authority structure himself — and this was accounted to him as FAITH. Jesus was astonished. His faith wasn’t abstract ‘God will do what he will do’ ‘God works in mysterious ways’. It was concrete and sure. If Jesus says someone will get well, they will.
  The centurion, a gentile and heathen, outside the holy circle of Judaism, had realised in faith that this one true God was personally present and active in Jesus of Nazareth.
  Our prayers are often prayed in unbelief. “Lord, if its possible, if its your will, if you would like to, please…” Yes, Sometimes the answer is a resounding NO. But how we ask for something, and the way we speak to God (demonstrating our heart) is important. Is our prayer growing up from unbelief or from faith?
  -
  A question - What sort of soil is the seed being sown in today. What responsibility for we have, to weed, to remove stones, to replenish the soil? And in our own lives, are we looking after the garden the word of God is growing in?
  -
  Mary and Martha - the real problem was not the housework - it was that Mary was behaving as if she was a man, she was in a male space (not the kitchen and female dominated rooms of the house), and she was sitting at Jesus’ feet in adoration. For Mary to settle at Jesus’ feet, in the public room usually reserved only for men, was bordering on scandalous.
  
  To sit at someone's feet meant to be their student - you did this if you wanted to be a rabbi yourself. Mary had taken her place a disciple, would be teacher and preacher of the Kingdom! And Jesus affirms her right to do so.
  
  This doesn't have much if anything to do with women's rights groups of our day - Jesus was teaching the value of each human being was equal under God’s overflowing love, a love that was irrigating all parts of society, not just the male part, Jesus was not just speaking to men, but women also.
  -
  
  
  RECOMMENDED
  
• 
  Jeremy Manuel

  I use N.T. Wright's New Testament for Everyone as a devotional book, reading a section each day and it works really nice as this. I have enjoyed doing this through a number of the entries in the series and his work on the Gospel of Luke is no exception.
  
  The setup of the book is that he takes a small section of Luke, presents his own translation, and then gives a short writing about the passage. While they are somewhat considered commentaries, they aren't really structured like most commentaries, at least besides going through the book passage by passage. That's not to say you won't be able to gain insight into a passage, it's just easier to access I guess. I have used this series to help prepare for Bible Studies in the past, but I also really enjoy using them in a devotional capacity.
  
  If you're a beginner wanting to know more about what the Gospel's say, or just looking for something to help guide you through a more devotional reading of the New Testament, I do really recommend this volume and the series as a whole. I haven't been disappointed yet.
• 
  Eric

  I have read now most of the "everyone"series entries by N.T. Wright. And as I conclude this one, like all the others prior, I just keep asking myself, "How does he do it?" The profound insights of the text, and the accompanying challenges and encouragement to truly live the Gospel of Jesus Christ, permeate each page. I wish I had access to this work years ago when I was still active in parish ministry. You cannot finish reading a book like this and not see Christianity, and the pathway of daily living, in a different light. Accessible to theologian and every John/Jane Doe who is simply trying to live faithfully as a disciple of Christ, this book is a must read.
  
  I cannot more highly recommend a book for power and insight in contains.
• 
  An Te

  An easy-going and insightful look into the Gospel according to Luke. It's conversational and written in an engaging style. Tom remains faithful to the calling of Jesus of Nazareth in our lives. He is an exigent as ever. Read this and be compelled. It speaks to us then and continues to speak to us now.
• 
  Robert Lloyd

  A wonderful commentary
  
  I have grown up reading the gospels, and knew their message and importance. However I felt this commentary gave me a deeper appreciation for the Gospel of Luke, and helped me better understand some of the details and context that I had overlooked. I highly recommend this book.
• 
  Matt

  Excellent. Insightful and extremely accessible. Used this in a Bible study with 3 guys ranging from scriptural novice to some seminary classes and we all enjoyed it and learned a lot. Going forward this is the first thing I'll recommend to people who are new to the story of Jesus, but "veterans" like myself can benefit from it as well.
• 
  Charity

  Excellent, practical and readable. I have been immediately putting some of Wright's insights to use in a Bible study of Luke with a new believer. Personally, I enjoyed reading the whole book as a devotional with my own daily reading. I don't always agree with his eschatology, but on the whole this is useful and well done.
• 
  Brent

  I read this with a group of Christians I frequently hang out with. Due to my remarkable ability of procrastination I read about 98% of this book in one day, over a 13 hour period. Surprisingly I still found much I enjoyed.
  
  But, I should probably reread it.
• 
  Eden

  Though I have grown up in the church, I have not personally read the Gospel of Luke in its entirety. N.T Wright has very insightful and helpful commentary that made this very educational and comprehensive. This was also very nice to read leading up to Christmas as a devotional/ part of advent.
• 
  Bob

  NT WRIGHT offers an exceptional study of the gospel. His inspiration is the growth expectation of a learning, Christian community. His examples cause one consider Britain and British life. These are great considerations for a Methodist.
  
• 
  Graham Bates

  A great devotional book that stays away from stodgy, old, academic-style commentaries yet never feels pop-level or shallow. New readers of the Bible and seasoned Christians alike can learn much from Dr. Wright.
• 
  Matt Maples

  I really appreciate N.T. Wright, and this commentary series is extremely helpful. If you’re looking for an insightful and still digestible commentary on Luke this is a good one. And there are few things better in life than to spend time with Luke’s writing, need I say more?
• 
  Daniel Harding

  What did Jesus mean about the Kingdom of God? Does Luke have a grand plan in mind when he writes his Gospel? Wright makes it so simple for the reader to step into the moments with Jesus and see all things being made new.
• 
  Dan Glover

  Simple, accessible, helpful, devotional, but weighty and based on depth of scholarship. As with the other commentaries of Wright's that I've read (thus far, Matthew, Philippians, and parts of Hebrews and Colossians), this is really good.
• 
  Elena

  Lovely, simple beautiful exposition of Luke, section by section. Began as a Lenten reading and now finally finished.
• 
  Mark Lickliter

  Ehhhhh....
• 
  Christine V

  Walking through the gospel of Luke one chunk at a time, I found Wright’s commentary accessible and incredibly insightful.