BIBLE STUDY OF BOOK OF LUKE WEEK # 5 (1/2/15)

A Christmas Bible Study "Good News of Great Joy:"

The Book of Luke

DATE:  (1/2/15) New Year post 2015

Week # 5

 

Prayer:

Father God in Heaven, we give You praises for Your grace and mercy this new year. We ask for the grace on our lives to be in Your presence when the roll is called in Heaven. Help us to live totally dependent upon You in our personal life.  We desire to be dedicated to You in our life, to be a witness for Your glory. Dr. Luke was a great man in what he did, help to be great in our walk with You. We give You praise, glory, and honor. You are the Great Creator! As we spread the Good News this year enable us to stand strong in the power of Your might, and not ours. Thank You for more knowledge of the book of Luke, and its purpose. We ask this in Jesus' name, AMEN.

 
Roll Call:        Part (1)

Apparently, Luke was the only New Testament writer who was a gentile.  He was called "The Beloved physician."  According to Paul, he was a physician by profession and seems to have been in contact with Paul during Paul's last years in prison (Colossians 4:14). No doubt Luke used his friendship with Paul as a primary resource as he prepared to write Acts, his account of the first decades of the New Testament church. God inspired Luke the historian to include in his works stories of women that were not a part of the other New Testament writings. For how could we otherwise know how prominent women were in the early church without Luke telling us of the faith of women, of the healing of women, of women's role as disciples, of women's part in the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Women in discipleship is particularly emphasized by Luke. He not only reports about the female followers of Jesus Christ, but specifically names them.

"After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; Joanna the wife of Cuza, the manager of Herod's household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means" (Luke 8:1-3).

 

Mary and Martha:

In Luke's story of Mary and Martha, he records Christ's emphasis on women putting their spiritual responsibilities ahead of their physical ones.

Jesus and his disciples were visiting the home of Martha and Mary in Bethany, a small town about two miles east of Jerusalem. With such a large group to feed, Martha was understandably concerned that the preparations for the meal were successfully completed.

You can imagine the scene. Here Martha was rushing about, trying to do several things at once to prepare to feed this large group of people in her home.
Her sister Mary, in the meantime, sat with the men listening to Christ talk, oblivious to or perhaps ignoring Martha's frustrated glances her way.
Martha's next action shows how close this family was to Jesus. Martha openly complained that her sister, Mary, was not helping her prepare the meal. Please tell her to help me, Martha said to Christ.

Instead, Jesus Christ gently rebuked her: "`Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, `you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her'" (Luke 10:41-42).

Surprising words in a culture where women's primary task was to take care of domestic concerns rather than study God's Word.

The importance of spiritual concerns, of having a relationship with God is emphasized again in Luke's report of a woman calling out to Jesus: "`Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.' He replied, `Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it'" (Luke 11:27-28).

 

Women in the book of Acts

Although women are not depicted as often in Luke's book of Acts as in his Gospel account, in Luke's portrayal of the theme of the last becoming first and the first becoming last is the example of the seven men chosen to distribute food to the gentile widows.

Witherington comments on this story from Acts 6:1-7: "Stephen and Philip, both prominent preachers and teachers of the Word, are among the seven chosen to supervise the food distribution to the widows. Thus, leading men are chosen for a task that normally a male servant would fulfill in a [Judean] Jewish setting, or a woman would fulfill in a Hellenistic or Roman setting. In the eyes of the Hellenists, for a prominent man to fulfill such a task would be demeaning and a reversal of roles with a man doing a woman's or servant's work" (Women and the Genesis of Christianity, page 212).

Luke showed by this and many other examples that service to others was not to be looked down on and delegated as "woman's work," but was an integral part of being a Christian for both men and women.
 

First European Convert:

In Acts, Luke goes on to tell us that a woman was Paul's first convert in Europe. In the remarkable story of the Macedonian woman Lydia, Luke shows Paul beginning a local church with women converts.

But before we read Luke's story, notice in Acts 16:9-10 that while in Troas Paul has a vision of a man of Macedonia begging him to come there to help the Macedonians.

The apostle Paul concludes that God has called him to preach the gospel to the Macedonians and sets sail for that region. Imagine Paul's surprise when his "man of Macedonia" turns out to be a woman!
Paul no doubt raised an eyebrow when he found only a group of women to speak to when he first arrived in Macedonia. "On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there."

Luke continues: "One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message" (Acts 16:13-14). Luke goes on then in the same chapter to tell of the conversion of a man, Paul's jailer (verses 29-34).

"Luke's intention is once again to convey a certain male-female parallelism in order to stress the equality of man and woman in God's plan of salvation, and their equal importance to the new community" (Witherington, Women and the Genesis of Christianity, page 215).

 

A new life:

All Christians have a new relationship with God. Through Christ, we — both male and female — have become God's own children and one in Jesus Christ.

"You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26-28).

Christ is calling all to repentance and a new way of life. Those of you who are women, Jesus Christ calls you equal in his sight, and heirs to all of his promises. And, as you humbly follow him, Christ will use you in his service.
Let's thank God for caring for women so much that he inspired Luke to record these accounts of Christian women in the New Testament. What a legacy he has left us, and what a responsibility.
 

The Dedication to Theophilus and the Birth of John the Baptist:  (1:1-4)

 

Luke is the only one of the four Gospel writers to state his methods and purpose at the beginning of his book. Luke's statement in verse 1 that many have attempted to prepare a narrative of the things "fulfilled" among his fellow believers is one of the relatively few instances in which Luke refers to fulfillment of prophecy. Luke's relatively infrequent use of "fulfillment" language is one of the supporting arguments for the conclusion that Luke's intended audience was Gentile. Fulfillment of the prophecies of Hebrew prophets would be of less concern to Gentiles than Jews.  Luke was familiar with other accounts of Jesus' life (v 1). However, his purpose was so that 'Theophilus' might know the certainty of the things that he had been taught. Luke was not an eyewitness, but he was a researcher. We don't know who Theophilus was. He may have been an official based upon the adjectives "most excellent" (v 4 cf. Acts 23:26; 24:3; & 26:25 all of which use the Greek word ________) and/or he could have been a financer of Luke's research.

 

John's Birth Announced to Zacharias (1:5-25)

 

The Births of John and Jesus (1:5) Compared

 

Topic                                 John                       Jesus

 

Parents introduced             1:5-7                     1:26-27

Angel appears                     1:8-23                 1:28-30

Sign given                            1:18-20               1:24-28

A woman without any children became pregnant                

                                             1:24-25               1:42

 

Herod, the King of Judea

 

This is King Herod who was appointed by the Roman emperor and who reigned from 37 to 4 B.C. over Judea, Samaria, Galilee, and much of Perea and Syria. (See chart below). Herod is the name of a family or a surname that belonged to all the generations of the Herodian house.

All the descendants of Herod the Great through the fourth generation, who were identified with the government of Palestine and are mentioned in the New Testament are known in history by the surname Herod.

 

Herod the Great was an Idumaean and as such a descendant of Esau (Jacob's brother who sold his birth right for food – Gen 25:29-34). The Idumaeans occupied a southern district of

Palestine known as the Negeb, located between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea and southward. Even though the Idumaeans had largely embraced the Jewish religion (e.g. they conformed to the Jewish rite of circumcision), the Jews regarded them with a great deal of suspicion and prejudice. Jews considered them half-Jews. To conciliate the Jews who had been alienated by his cruelties, Herod the Great rebuilt the Temple in Jerusalem.

Having been exposed to the Jewish religion, Herod knew that he was not the rightful heir to the throne. He was not a king from the line of David. The Jews hated him and never truly

 

 

Roman Emperors mentioned in the New Testament:

• Augustus: orders an empire-wide census at time of Jesus' birth (Luke 2:1)
• Tiberius: John the Baptist begins preaching in the 15th year of Tiberius' reign (Luke 3:1)
• Claudius: Christian prophets in Antioch predict a famine that occurs during Claudius' reign (Acts 11:28); 
          Claudius had expelled all Jews from Rome (Acts 18:2);
          [note: "Claudius Lysias" in Acts 23:26 is not the emperor, but a Roman "tribune" in Jerusalem ca. 58 AD]
• [Nero: not explicitly named, but probably alluded to as the "Beast" in Rev 13:11-18, and in Rev 17:10-11]

Roman Prefects (Procurators/Governors) of Judea mentioned in the New Testament:

• Pontius Pilate: ruler of Judea as John the Baptist begins preaching (Luke 3:1); responsible for a massacre of some Galileans (Luke 13:1); conducts the trial of Jesus (Mark 15:1-15; Matt 27:2, 11-26; Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28--19:31; Acts 3:13; 4:27; 13:28; 1Tim 6:13); permits Joseph of Arimathea to bury Jesus (Mark 15:43-45; Matt 27:57-60; Luke 23:50-53; John 19:38); permits the Jewish authorities to post a guard at Jesus' tomb (Matt 27:62-66; 28:11-15).
• [M. Antonius] Felix: after Paul was arrested in Jerusalem, he is imprisoned in Caesarea and has an initial hearing before Felix (Acts 23:23--24:27; 25:14)
• Porcius Festus: after being incarcerated for about two years, Paul receives a longer hearing before Festus (Acts 24:27; 25:1-27; 26:24-32).

Other Roman Rulers and Soldiers named in the New Testament:

• Quirinius: the governor of Syria in AD 6-12 (Luke 2:1).
• Cornelius: a centurion of the Italian cohort who becomes a Christian (Acts 10:1-48).
• Julius: a centurion of the Augustan cohort who takes Pal to Rome (Acts 27:1-44).

Herodian Rulers and Relatives mentioned in the New Testament:

• King Herod (the Great): King of the Judeans when Jesus is born (Luke 1:5); receives the wise men from the East; kills the male babies of Bethlehem in an attempt to kill Jesus (Matt 2:1-22).
• [Herod] Archelaus: succeeds his father as ruler over Judea and Samaria (Matt 2:22 only).
• Herod [Antipas]: tetrarch of Galilee and Perea during the ministry of John the Baptist and Jesus (Mark 8:15; Luke 3:1); responsible for the arrest and death of John the Baptist (Mark 6:14-28; Matt 14:1-11; Luke 3:19); curious about the preaching of Jesus (Luke 9:7-9); attempts to kill Jesus (Luke 13:31-33); possibly also active in the trial of Jesus (Luke 23:7-15; Acts 4:27).
• [Herod] Philip: tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis (Luke 3:1; cf. 3:19); his wife Herodias marries his brother, Herod Antipas (Mark 6:17; Matt 14:3).
• Herodians: court officials and supporters of the Herodian family, esp. Herod Antipas (Mark 3:6; 12:13; Matt 22:16; cf. Luke 8:3; Acts 13:1).
• Herod Agrippa I: responsible for the death of James and the arrest of Peter (Acts 12:1-19); horrible death reported (Acts 12:20-23); his palace in Caesarea is mentioned later as the place where Paul is incarcerated (Acts 23:35).
• King [Herod] Agrippa II: Paul is tried by the governor Festus in the presence of King Agrippa and his wife Bernice (Acts 25:13--26:32).
   
• Herodias: daughter of Aristobulus, first wife of Herod Philip; second wife of Herod Antipas (Mark 6:17-28; Matt 14:3-11; Luke 3:19).
• [Salome]: daughter of Herod Philip (not explicitly named, but see Mark 6:21-28; Matt 14:6-11).

• Drusilla: daughter of Agrippa I; later married Roman governor Felix (Acts 24:24).
• Bernice: daughter of Agrippa I; first wife of Herod of Chalcis; later sister/wife to Agrippa II (Acts 25:13, 23; 26:30).

 

QUESTIONS/ANSWERS:

1. Which disciples were with Jesus on the mountain where his face was altered, and his robe became white and glistening?

Peter, John, and James (Luke 9:28)

2. Who were the two men that appeared to be talking with Jesus, during the event that is known as the Transfiguration?

Moses and Elijah (Luke 9:30)

3. About which city did Jesus say that it will be brought down to Hades, though it is exalted to heaven?

Capernaum (Luke 10:15)

4. In the story of the Good Samaritan, from where to where was the man who fell among the thieves going?

From Jerusalem to Jericho (Luke 10:30)

5. Who was the sister of Mary who welcomed Jesus into her house?

Martha (Luke 10:38-39)

6. Who is known as the ruler of the demons?

Beelzebub (Luke 11:15)

7. Which Old Testament prophet did Jesus mention as a sign to this "evil generation"?

Prophet Jonah (Luke 11:29-30)

8. Which city repented at the preaching of Jonah?

Nineveh (Luke 11:32)

9. Jesus mentioned names of a few prophets and apostles who were killed and persecuted. Among them, who is mentioned as having perished between the altar and the temple?

Zechariah (Luke 11:51)

10. Fill in: "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against _________________________, it will not be forgiven." (Luke 12:10)

The Holy Spirit (Luke 12:10)

 

 

QUESTIONS

1).   God inspired Dr. Luke the historian to include who in his work?

2).   Name some rolls women played in Jesus' life.

3).   What was Jesus concern about with Mary and Martha?

4).   What did Martha choose? What did Mary choose?

5).   The important of spiritual concerns, of having a relationship with God is emphasized again      

in Luke's report of a woman calling out to Jesus: Who was this woman?

6).   What did Dr. Luke think about women work?

7).    Who was the first European convert?

8).    Explain Acts 16:9-15.

9).    What do new life in Christ means to a convert?

10).  What is the comparison of John the Baptist and Jesus?

11).  The Idumaean people was descendant of Esau, which was the brother of who?

12).  Name the Roman Emperors mentioned in the New Testament.

13).  Who was the king of Judea when Jesus was born?

 

 

A Christmas Song:

Now behold the Lamb, the Precious Lamb of God
Born into sin that I may live again
The Precious Lamb of God, the Precious Lamb of God

Holy is the Lamb, the Precious Lamb of God
Why You love me so, Lord, I shall never know
The Precious Lamb of God, the Precious Lamb of God

Now behold the Lamb, the Precious Lamb of God
Born into sin that I may live again
He's the precious Lamb of God

When I always didn't do right
I went left, He told me to go right
But I'm standing right here
in the midst of my tears, Lord
I claim You to be the Lamb of God

Thank You for the Lamb, the Precious Lamb of God
Because of Your grace I can finish this race
The Precious Lamb of God

Even when I broke Your heart, my sins tore us apart
But I'm standing right here in the midst of my tears
I claim You to be the Lamb of God

New life can begin
(Yeah)
For You washed away, washed away every one of my sins
Whom the Son sets free, is truly free indeed
Lord, I claim You to be the Lamb of God

Now behold the Lamb, the Precious Lamb of God
Born into sin that I may live again
The Precious Lamb of God
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Why You love me so, Lord, I shall never know
Why You love me so, Lord, I shall never know
Why You love me so, Lord, I shall never know
The Precious Lamb of God
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Why You love me so, Lord
I shall never know, the Precious Lamb of God
Uh, uh, oh, You love me, Jesus
You died for me, Jesus
You shed your blood for me, Jesus On Calvary

Thank you for being born for me, Jesus
Thank you Jesus for lovin' me so
Never never never know for lovin' me so yeah
Thank you for your blood yeah

Why you love me so, Lord, I shall never know
The Precious Lamb of God

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Quiz:

 

Love is a human emotion. Everybody loves someone. Match each person Jesus loved with the correct statement about that person.

 

1). Bartimaeus                                               a.  a despised tax collector

2). Lazarus                                                     b.  a sister of Lazarus

3). Zacchaeus                                                 c.  a blind man

4). Mary                                                         d.  Jesus raised his daughter

5). John                                                          e.  a disciple hard to convince

6). Martha                                                      f.  betrayed Jesus

7). Mary Magadalene                                    g.  denied Jesus

8). Jairus                                                        h.  a dead man

9). Thomas                                                     i.  the beloved disciple

10). Peter                                                        j.  his mother

11). Judas Iscariot                                         k. a forgiven woman

 

 

Reading the book of Luke: Chapters 1-24

Week 5                        Luke 13-15

Luke 13:10-30   Jesus Heals the Crippled Woman, Entering the Kingdom of God

Luke 13:31-14:24   Jesus Heals a Man With Dropsy, Seeking Honor, Parable of the Great Feast

Luke 14:25-15:10   Cost of Being a Disciple, Parables of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin

Luke 15:11-32   Parable of the Prodigal Son

 

Personal reflection question:

 

How does Mary being a model disciple of Jesus help you to be a disciple of Jesus?