The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began to do and teach. Acts 1:1
Who was Theophilus? There are many theories and claims, none of which can be certain, but all of which are interesting. Tradition in the Coptic church says Theophilus was a Jew from Alexandria. Some experts say that because Luke referred to this man as ‘most excellent’, he was most likely a Roman official, because that is a title often applied to such officials. Other experts seem to think that Theophilus was a high priest in the temple from the years 37 to 41, and was a son of Annas who was a high priest mentioned in the Gospels. An alternative theory is that he was a later high priest known as Mattathias ben Theophilus who served from 65-66. There is yet another tradition that claims Theophilus was a converted Roman official, possibly Titus Flavius Sabinus II, who was a former Prefect of Rome and an older brother of future Roman Emperor Vespasian. There is even a theory that Theophilus was Paul’s lawyer when he was under trial in Rome. All of these possibilities are uncertain because we are simply not told. But we can look at this man’s name and realize that everything that Jesus did and taught was because He loved Theophilus and loved us.
The name Theophilus means ‘loved by God’. If we refer to John 3:16, we find that every one of us could bear the name Theophilus. Whoever named this man Theophilus must have had an appreciation of the love of God and, in particular, His love for us as individuals. And it is no coincidence that the Holy Spirit instructed Luke to address his two books (some people believe that Luke and Acts were originally written as one book) to a man named Theophilus, whoever he was. The Word of God, including the books written by Luke, are for everybody, and everybody is loved by God.
All the things that the Lord Jesus did, and all that He taught, are straight from the heart of a loving God. All that He did includes His virgin birth, His submissive and devoted childhood, His faithful testimony as a young man in Nazareth, His great miracles and sermons, His submission to the Father’s will in Gethsemane, His submission to the rejection and cruelty of men at Gabbatha, His crucifixion and death at Golgotha, His glorious resurrection and appearance to His followers, and His ascent to Glory with His promise to come again for us. All of these are recorded in Luke and the other Gospels. But all of the rest of the Bible is also part of the record of Jesus Christ. This includes all of the types and shadows of the Old Testament, the prophecies, the ordinances, the offerings, and so on. It also includes the New Testament account of the launching of the Great Commission, the epistles and their doctrine, and the mysteries of the Revelation. In all of these, we are reminded that we are loved of God.
The Scriptures are God’s message of love to us, as displayed in all that Jesus did and taught. -Jim MacIntosh