Epaphras and Luke by Dave Jenkins for Servants of Grace
Colossians 4:12-15, “12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. 13 For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. 14 Luke, the beloved physician, greets you, as does Demas. 15 Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.”
Some of the most essential information in the Early Church comes from the closing greetings of Paul’s epistles. Here at the end of Colossians, we learn that Luke, the author of the third Gospel, was a physician, which is significant because this helps Bible scholars to identify him as the author of his Gospel since he uses medical language in both his Gospel and Acts. This particular information is relevant because it shows that Luke, who wrote Luke and Acts was most likely a medical doctor. Additionally, Luke was a Gentile and most likely the sole biblical author who wasn’t of explicit Jewish descent. Luke and Acts represent about one-fourth of the total length of the Scripture; Luke’s contribution to the canon is significant. Acts, for example, contains the information of Paul’s missionary journey’s which tells the story of Paul’s ministry in the various places where he planted churches.
