Luke 18:35-24:53
In his first two volumes of this commentary on
the Gospel of Luke, Dr. John Nolland offered an
extensive introduction to the literature of Luke,
expertly tracing Jesus' general ministry throughout
Palestine, and then focusing on Jesus' purpose as
the suffering Servant and his inevitable fate in
Jerusalem. Now the author concludes his exhaustive
study of the third Gospel, delineating for us both
the method and content of Luke's theological
reflections on our Lord's death, resurrection, and
ascension.
Few Biblical studies have offered the reader
a more complete bibliography of past and
contemporary works on a focused subject than the
one Dr. Nolland includes in this volume. Drawing
from his extraordinarily broad grasp of studies on
Luke's writings, Dr. Nolland offers a rich work filled
with technical analysis and practical observations. In
this commentary, Dr. Nolland
synthesizes insights scattered throughout the
literature on the field;
evaluates competing interpretations of specific
items in the Gospel account in the light of the
whole scope of Luke's work;
provides a fresh translation of each section of
the Gospel text;
reviews the journal articles and academic
monographs on Luke's Gospel, materials often
unseen by pastors and serious lay students of
the Scriptures.
Dr. Nolland sees the Gospel of Luke as "an
exercise in communication, deliberately undertaken
by the Gospel writer" who had a clear view of the
needs of his audience. Dr. Nolland likewise has kept
his audience clearly in view; he interacts irenically
with his colleagues and challenges pastors everywhere
to undertake serious textual study.