October 18 is the date that the church commemorates St. Luke, the Evangelist. Luke was a physician (Col. 4:14) and wrote the 3rd book in the New Testament, the Gospel according to Luke, as well as the book of Acts. In his Gospel, which is the longest and most detailed of the four, Luke tends to emphasize the sacrifice and atonement of the Messiah; Christ’s work as Priest to make atonement for the world by His sacrifice on the cross. The largest sacrifice in the Old Testament was the ox, which is why the symbol for St. Luke is the ox, and it’s given wings to show that it is a heavenly sacrifice. Along with the symbols for the other three Gospel writers, the ox is one of the four living creatures mentioned in Revelation 4:6–8. Luke, as a physician, through showing us the incredible mercy of Jesus, also points us to Jesus as the Great Physician.
Sermon by Rev. Jeff Hendrix from Luke 10:1-9 + 2 Timothy 4:5-15.
