Circuit Study

The Gospel of Luke

Gospel of Luke stands out as the most comprehensive account of Jesus' life among the four gospels. It is unique in that it is the only gospel to have a sequel, the Book of Acts. Together, these two works form a significant part of the story of Christianity's beginnings. Both are addressed to a man named Theophilus and written with the same purpose: to demonstrate how God's plan unfolds through the life, ministry, and followers of Jesus Christ.

Luke carefully compiled his gospel from reliable, first-hand sources, striving to present an accurate and truthful account of the events in Palestine during Jesus' lifetime. He is not merely a biographer; his overarching goal is to reveal the truth of Jesus' mission. Through Luke's writing, we see Jesus as the Saviour of all humanity--His coming a pivotal event in history.

Luke's gospel offers a particularly human portrayal of Jesus. It reflects Luke's compassion for people, especially the marginalised--the sick, the poor, women, children, and social outcasts. While each gospel has its unique emphasis, it has been said that Matthew's keynote is royalty, Mark's is power, John's is love, and Luke's is compassion and joy. The Gospel of Luke overflows with joy as it shows how God's love transforms human lives.

Purpose of the Gospel

Luke's purpose is twofold:

1. To present an accurate, orderly account of Jesus' life.

2. To present Christ as the perfect human and Saviour of the world.

About the Author

Luke was a physician (Colossians 4:14), a Greek, and a Gentile Christian. He is the only known Gentile author in the New Testament. A close companion and friend of the Apostle Paul, Luke wrote both the Gospel of Luke and Acts, which together provide a seamless narrative of Jesus' ministry and the early church.

To Whom It Was Written

The Gospel was addressed to Theophilus, whose name means "lover of God" Gentiles. It was also written for all people everywhere who seek to understand God's work through Jesus.

Date and Setting

Luke likely wrote his gospel around AD 60, possibly from Rome or during Paul's imprisonment in Caesarea.

Key Verse

"Jesus said to him, 'Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.'" (Luke 19:9-10).

Key Figures and Locations

Key People: Jesus, Elizabeth, Zechariah, John the Baptist, Mary, the disciples, Herod the Great, Pilate, and Mary Magdalene.

Key Places:

Bethlehem, Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.

Special Features of Luke's Gospel

• Luke's gospel is the most comprehensive of the four, showing a broad vocabulary and educated diction.

• It frequently references angels, prayer, and miraculous events.

• Luke places a strong emphasis on Jesus' relationships with people, especially the marginalised.

• It contains inspired hymns and praises, and gives significant attention to women.

• A large portion of Luke's gospel (9:51-18:35) is unique and not found in the other gospels.

The Miracle of Miracles

Every birth is a miracle, and every child is a gift from God. Yet, nearly 20 centuries ago, a miraculous birth changed the course of history. A baby was born--not just any child, but the Son of God. While all the gospels tell of this event, Dr. Luke, as though he were an attending physician, provides the most detailed account of Jesus' birth. With a divine Father and a human mother, Jesus entered history as God in the flesh.

Key Passages and Stories

Here are some of the best-known stories and key moments from Luke's gospel:

• The Births of John and Jesus (Ch. 1-2)

• Mary's Song (The Magnificat) (1:46-56)

• Simeon's Praise (Nunc Dimittis) (2:29-32)

• The Boy Jesus in the Temple (2:41-50)

• Jesus' Teachings and Miracles (Ch. 4-13)

• The Sermon in the Synagogue (4:16-22)

• The Good Samaritan (10:25-37)

• Martha and Mary (10:38-42)

• The Lost Sheep (15:4-6)

• The Prodigal Son (15:11-32)

• Zacchaeus' Transformation (19:1-10)

• Jesus' Last Week and Crucifixion (Ch. 22-24)

• The Road to Emmaus (24:13-35)

• The Ascension of Jesus (24:50-53)

Luke's gospel gives us an unparalleled look at Jesus' life and mission. It portrays a Saviour who meets people where they are--loving, healing, and transforming lives. As you read, let the joy and compassion of Christ fill your heart and inspire your walk with Him.

(from Life Application Study Bible, The New Lion Handbook to the Bible)

Heegon

The Gospel of Mark

Author:
Mark is generally identified as the author who figures in the New Testament (Acts 12-15; Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24; 2 Timothy 4:11; 1 Peter 5.13). Mark developed into an effective missionary and later became a valued companion of the Apostle Paul himself (Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24; 2 Timothy 4.11). And Peter speaks of Mark as a dearly loved son (1 Peter 5.13). Some described Mark as a follower and "interpreter" of Peter, who is usually identified as the John Mark of Acts, whose mother had a house in Jerusalem. He accompanied Barnabas and Paul on the "First Missionary Journey" and may have helped Peter and Paul in Rome in the 60s. Those who rejected this tradition claimed that the author may have been an unknown Christian named Mark. The unanimous tradition is that the Gospel of Mark was written in Rome.

Date:

Mark was written first among the canonical gospels. It is thought to have been written just before before or after Peter's death around the mid-or late 60s. Some thought it could be in the 70s.

Style:

Mark is one of the synoptic gospels and is known as the Action Man. Mark is the briefest, and in some ways the most attractive, of the four Gospels. His preamble is brief. Jesus is God's Son. His sparse, unpretentious prose provides uniquely vivid images of Jesus as a man of action. His narratives are marked by the frequent use of the Greek word, "immediately" that sequentially carry us along from scene to scene, which culminates in Jesus facing the cross. His use of the present tense draws us into the scenes he sketches and helps us see events as he does. Mark's vigorous but blunt Greek reflects the language of the common man.
Mark writes with a Gentile audience in mind. Shorter than either Matthew or Luke. Mark often uses graphic imagery to get the story across, for example: he looks round with anger (3:5), or takes a child and sets him in the midst (9:36), or takes an invalid by the hand (1:31, 5:41, 1:41).

Mark is broken down into two parts:

Introduction (1:1-3:6)

Jesus chooses the Twelve and trains them as disciples by parables and mighty deeds; (3:7-6-6)
Sending out the Twelve; feeding 5,000; walking on water; controversy; feeding 4,000; misunderstanding (6:7-8:26)
The encounter on the road to Caesarea Philippi is often seen as the hinge, as after Peter makes his confession Jesus then begins to explore what is going to happen.

Features:

1:1-8:26: Part One:

Ministry of Healing and Preaching in Galilee

8:27-16:8: Part Two:

Suffering Predicted; Death in Jerusalem; Resurrection 16:9-20
Three passion predictions; Peter's confession; the transfiguration; Jesus' teaching (8:27-10:52)
Ministry in Jerusalem: Entry; Temple actions and encounters; eschatological discourse (11:1-13:37)
Anointing, Last Supper, passion, crucifixion, burial, empty tomb (14:1-16:8)
An abrupt ending (describing resurrection appearances) (16:9-20)

Passages worth looking at

Mark 1- Mark's goal is dual. He intends to show us in Jesus the ideal man, committed, active, and vigorous. And he intends to show that Jesus was the Son of God: God here in the flesh. This key theme is emphasized over and over in Mark's brief Gospel.
Mark 6 -(vv. 45-53).Jesus' miracles of feeding the 5,000 (vv. 30-44), of walking on the stormy sea of Galilee
Mark 7:1-13 -Mark deals with the religious leaders who evaluated Christ's teaching and miracles – and rejected His claims. The religious focus on tradition and ritual (7:1-8) and in doing so "nullify the Word of God" (vv.9-13). Jesus points out the hypocrisy of their external approach to religion, when the real issue is the state of one's heart (vv. 14-23).
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Noreen

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As with any subject, a knowledge of the background and context can add massively to our understanding of what an author might be saying, and the Bible is a good example of that in practice. Often some passages may seem a little odd or difficult to understand, so to help us all in our understanding, alongside our Good News features from the churches we will be introducing some extra items along the lines of the article below.

We start with an introduction to the Gospel of St Matthew.

The Gospel of Matthew

Author: Probably not Matthew the tax collector and disciple named in the Gospels. More likely to be somebody with a Jewish religious background who was familiar with the structure of the laws of the Old Testament.
Date: Nothing certain but scholars assume it was written after Mark for the reasons below. Asked about dispute when Mark was written this influence is possible dates but likely to be in the 60s or 70s AD.
Style:One of the three synoptic gospels. In simple terms this means that Mark, almost in its entirety Is copied by both Matthew and Luke. Then there are the stories that are unique to Matthew and Luke.
Features: Matthew is the most Jewish of the Gospels, he talks about the Kingdom of Heaven rather than the Kingdom of God reflecting the Jewish unwillingness to use God's name.
His Jewishness is also thought to be reflected in the way in which he arranges his material. In the flow of his narrative there are five distinct teaching blocks which may relate to the five books of the Law in the Old Testament. The first of these, the sermon on the mount, is the most important exploration of Christian morality.
The genealogy in Matthew 1 traces the line of Jesus back to Abraham while Luke, the most Gentile of the Gospels, takes the line back to Adam.
You might like to look at the 5 teaching blocks to try and sense how the theme runs through. They are:
Matthew 5-7- The Sermon on the Mount – the discipleship discourse
[{
Matthew 10}]- the missionary discourse
[{
Matthew 13}]- the parabolic discourse

Matthew 18 – the discourse on the church

Matthew 23-25- the Olivet discourse

Passages worth looking at:

Matthew 5:1-12the Beatitudes – how do these words resonate with us?

You could compare the three versions of the Parable of the Sower to see how similar they are
(Matt 13:1-89, Mark 4:1-9, Luke 8:4-8).
Then have a look at the following passages that are only in Matthew and ask what they tell us about Matthew's belief:
Matthew 25- the three parables are all unique to Matthew.

Matthew 28:16-20 – some would say this is the most impactful ending of all the Gospels.

Richard