Having Investigated Carefully

Luke 1:1-4

1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us,

2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word,

3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus ;

4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.

Luke from the start acknowledges that many people had already written about Jesus and the event surrounding his life, but now offers his own account.  The writer’s approach is unique in that he didn’t just write about what he had heard, but looked into the matter carefully.

In what ways had Luke done this?  He would have visited sites where these events occurred, interviewed those who had witnessed these events, check his facts and made sure that what was written was accurate.  Evidence of this journalistic approach include several references to actual times and rulers, specifically 1:5, 2:1, 3:1, Jesus genealogy (3:23-38), and from the book of Acts, chapter 2 (the one following the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, in which would be significant to the people of the time), Act 18:12, and Acts 12:20-23 (the historian Josephus records this event as well).  These specific references not only help give the reader a better sense of when things happened in Luke and Acts, but also add authenticity, as they could be checked by anyone at the time.