A FEW days ago, in the church calendar, we remembered St. Luke’s Day. Like many saints' days, this was no more memorable than any other – or was it?

Luke is known primarily for putting his name to one of the Gospels. A lot of what he wrote used the same sources as Matthew and Mark. But some of the material unique to his gospel is particularly well known, the two best being Jesus’ parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. In several of these stories that Luke alone used, it is the little person who finishes on top. Also he alone of the writers mentions the group of women who travelled around to look after Jesus and his disciples.

St Paul spotlights a very different aspect of Luke’s work when he calls him ‘our dear friend Luke the doctor’, or ‘the beloved physician’, to use an older translation. With all our modern medical knowledge, we might wonder what Luke knew so long ago. But if his gospel is anything to go by, he certainly knew how to care for people by giving help and encouragement whenever he could, making people feel that they mattered.

It is this that caused Luke to be known as the patron saint of medicine. In one town where I used to serve, there was always a special service for hospital and community staff, as well as grateful patients, at St Luke’s tide.

But who was Luke? Certainly he was not one of Jesus’ disciples, unlike the other gospel writers. In the book, the Acts of the Apostles, linked to Luke’s gospel, he is a companion of Paul on some of his travels, notably on visits to some European cities.

This has led some Bible students to suggest that Luke was Greek, and so one of the first Europeans to believe in Jesus, helping to launch the good news of Christ in our direction.

Gospel writer, doctor, companion, traveller, in Luke we have much to be thankful for.

The Rev Roger Smith

Retired Anglican vicar, Cross Hills