Children of Acts - Theophilus' Daughter

CHILDREN OF ACTS

 

THEOPHILUS’ DAUGHTER

By Robert Allen

A monolog for a teen-age girl.

Acts 1:1

“In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach.”

                Father received a letter today.  I’m not even sure I should call it a letter since it came written on a papyrus scroll thirty-five feet long.  He will keep it in his library, one of the finest in the entire region.  I know that because he already has one letter from the same author, a man named Luke and anyone who wants to read that has to go to his library.

            Luke is one of my favorite people in all the world.  In fact, he is the physician who delivered me fifteen years ago.  So I guess in a way I owe him my life.  That’s a pretty large debt, wouldn’t you say?  Luke lived in our household as a slave, my father’s personal physician.  We are Greeks and most of the doctors and teachers in our society are slaves.  Father bought Luke when he was still a young boy, sent him to medical school and then brought him back here to live and work.  So he not only brought me into the world, he became my tutor as well.  Luke  introduced me to the books in my father’s library and now he is the one who is writing those books.

            You are probably wondering why Luke is writing letters to my father if he lives right here with us, but he doesn’t anymore.  That is one of the most exciting parts of the entire story.  You see, Luke went to school in Tarsus along with someone you probably know all about.  During their school years they called him Saul, but now he is known as Paul.  He and Luke were best friends and when Saul met Christ on the road to Damascus our Luke heard about it almost immediately.  He came to father with a very unusual request.  He wanted to travel to Jerusalem and investigate for himself this new religion Saul had found.  And father let him.  Father is like that, the best father in the entire world.

            The result of that journey can be seen in the first letter Luke sent.  He checked carefully into all of the accounts concerning the man Jesus, even talking to his mother Mary along with Peter and James and John and even the Roman soldiers who were there at the crucifixion and the ones who guarded the tomb.  He proved that everything Jesus said and did can be substantiated by numerous witnesses.  Everyone says his book is a masterful piece of investigative reporting.  I have read it myself numerous times and think it is probably the best book I have ever read.  Luke’s book is the reason I have placed my faith in Jesus.  So Luke not only brought me into this world, and taught me to read, he also brought me to faith in Christ.  That’s an even greater debt I owe to him.   You can see why I admire him so much.

            Since the time of his first letter, Luke has been traveling with Paul all over the world.  He can do that because father gave him a letter of freedom.  Luke is no longer a slave.  In fact, father calls him his brother.  That’s what all of us who are followers of Jesus call one another—sisters and brothers in Christ. 

            I’m sure that is what this new letter is all about.  I suppose I could read it over father’s shoulder but I know he doesn’t like that so I will wait.  Anxiously!   But I will wait.  Where do you suppose they have been?  What do you suppose they have been doing?  Oh, it is so exciting.  I just can’t wait.  I think I’ll go peek over his shoulder anyway.  Wish me luck.