Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Wednesday, September 04, 2013 Some concluding remarks about the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts We have also noticed how Luke has dealt with the inclusion of Gentiles into Christianity. Luke tells this story from a Jewish point of view. Luke contends that it has been God’s intention all along to include Gentiles into the people of God. He has good OT backing to argue for that understanding. The prophets had foreseen the inclusion of the Gentiles. But, it is important that we understand that, from Luke’s point of view, the Gentiles are grafted into Judaism. Paul would have agreed with Luke’s view as he states so well in his letter to the Romans (Romans 11). From Luke’s point of view there can be no “Gentile Christianity” that stands apart from Christianity as the true expression of Judaism. Gentiles are included but have no standing on their own. Luke has also unveiled to us just how difficult it was for Jewish Christians to include Gentiles. The stories of Cornelius and then the Jerusalem conference bear witness to just how difficult this was and that it took many years for Jewish Christianity to break the barrier. And when the Gentiles are included it is not without some stipulations – they are included but required to observe some basic injunctions to make them suitable to associate with Jewish Christians without causing those Jewish Christians to become unclean. The deference within Luke and Acts is toward the Jews. As we have noticed this also creates a problem historically when Paul’s letter are read in conjunction with the book of Acts. Luke and Paul do not agree about the injunctions that Gentiles are to follow.