Lesson 9 - Luke (Intro)

Question 1

How does the date of Luke’s gospel relate to Acts?

Answer 1

• • Have to look at Acts to date Luke because he wrote Luke before Acts
• • Acts - mid-60’s (Acts gives no events after 60 AD)
• • Luke - late 50’s (before Acts)

Question 2

Discuss the opening of Luke’s gospel?

Answer 2

– Tells both purpose and audience

a. ) Audience - Theophilus
- - “most excellent” - apologetic to Greco-Roman official
- - “orderly report” - Mark might have been written in not an orderly fashion, and Luke is given more of an orderly report
- - “things you have been taught” - give certainty and assurance

b. ) Purpose - salvation to all
- - Luke is writing history, but salvation history
- - “things that have been accomplished” - Luke is not a neutral historian, but one that believes God works in history.
- - Luke is writing to a person to give him confidence about what God has done in history

Question 3

What is significant about Luke’s Travel Narrative?

Answer 3

• • Journey to Jerusalem (9:51-18:34)
• • The travel narrative is unique to Luke
• • He includes stories of Jesus’ traveling (Galilee –> Judea –> Samaria –> before he gets to Jerusalem)
• • This is where you get most of Luke’s original material
• • This is what makes Luke, Luke

Question 4

How does Luke have a focus on Gentiles?

Answer 4

a. ) Author - Luke is a gentile author
b. ) Audience - Theophilus is a gentile convert
c. ) Theme - salvation to the Gentiles in Luke
- - Luke 2 - Simeon’s song as light to Gentiles
- - Luke 2 - announcement of Jesus’ birth to all men by the angels
- - Luke 3:4-6 - Jesus cites Isaiah 40 - all mankind will see God’s salvation
- - Luke 24:47 - Great commission to all nations
d. ) Emphasis in Luke on Samaritans (parable of the good samaritan, 10 lepers healed)
e. ) Existence of Acts to all nations

Question 5

How does Luke have a unique focus on outcasts?

Answer 5

a. ) Samaritans
b. ) Women (Mary/Elizabeth’s pregnancy, Prophetess Anaa, Mary and Martha, Luke 8:2-3)
c. ) Poor (Luke 2 - Jesus grew up poor; Luke 4:18 - sent to preach the good news to the poor; parables of warning to the rich)
d. ) Other Outcasts (morally outcast; Levi the tax collector; Luke 7 - immoral past; Luke 18 - tax collector; Luke 19 - Zaccheus)

Question 6

What is the title of Savior as found in Luke’s Gospel?

Answer 6

Savior is a distinctive title found in Luke’s gospel for Jesus

a. ) 2 major words that Luke uses
- -Soter - Savior
- - Soteria - salvation
- - These words appear more in Luke than any other gospel
- - (Luke 1:47 - my savior; Luke 1:69 - horn of salvation; Luke 1:77 - knowledge of salvation; Luke 2:11 - savior is born)

Show’s Luke’s theme as a picture of salvation history

Question 7

What is the title of Prophet as found in Luke’s Gospel?

Answer 7

Jesus lines himself up as a prophet and so does his followers and the people around him

a. ) Luke 6:22-23 – “so their fathers did to their prophets” – foreshadowing to Jesus’ suffering as a prophet
b. ) Luke 4:24-28 – “No prophet is acceptable in his hometown” – Jesus identifies himself as a prophet and compares himself to Elijah
c. ) Luke 13:33-34 – “city that kills its prophet”
- - Jesus is acknowledging Jerusalem as a killer of prophets and setting up his own death
d. ) Luke 24 – “man who was a prophet”
- - Not just Jesus who says he is a prophet, but also the people.
- - Prophet = mighty in word and deed
e. ) Luke 7:11-17 (raising of widow’s son, compared to Elijah in the OT)
- -This story shows that Luke is framing Jesus as the great prophet in the likes of Elijah and Elisha in both the power of his word and deed