Bible Study – Luke. Session 1: Who is he? – An introduction to the Gospel according to Luke

I. A few days before the session, the following text could be sent to the participants in order to better prepare and be active.

a. Like it or not, we have to walk. Why is it good to take a walk?

– do I like to walk?

– walking as time with and about places and people;

b. Choosing the route.

– I choose a route or walk at random. How do I think it’s better?

c. Choosing who to walk with.

– does it matter to me who I walk with?

d. To walk in unknown places we need a map or a guide. To talk to new people, we need to introduce ourselves.

– Luke our guide;

– His gospel, our map;

– Luke introduces us to Jesus and introduce Jesus to us.

IA. Drawings

Drawing 1a. In the drawing above, you have two choices. Choice no 1 is what we want to do. Choice no 2 is want we have to do. Write in the orientation poll what you would like to do and what you have to do.  Drawing 1b. I went for a walk or I just started a new day. The drawing above has no sky. Draw above the girl what could describe how you feel at the moment. Butterflies or hearts for love. Sun for warmth. Birds for forgiveness. Stars for hope. The moon for meditation. Clouds of sadness. Leaves that fall for loneliness and forgetfulness, etc. If you use signs other than those shown here, explain them.

Completing the drawings is personal. Keep each drawing to end the course. The whole process will make sense. You don’t need to share with anyone what you did with the drawings. They can be helpful in better understanding our relationship with Jesus and understanding the Holy Scriptures.

I look forward to meeting you.

Revd. Bernard Noghiu

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II. The following materials are intended for the group leader, in order to prepare the meeting.

a. Luke’s whole life, presented as a walk.

– Life leads him to various places and he meets different people.

– The stories Luke hears:

– of the places and about places;

– of the people and about people;

– about gods and God.

b. Luke must always choose:

– a pagan intellectual

– Christian and disciple of Paul;

– from a doctor to a travelling apostle;

– leader of the community in which he was born;

– storyteller and writer – guide.

The leader should prepare a presentation of Luke and his gospel, using resources, but adapting them for o Bible Study group. It is very important that the leader does not forget that the purpose is not to present information, but to understand the message of Scripture in context. The information should help to understand the message, without putting it in a secondary place.

Contextual information about Luke that may be useful to the leader:

– from Antioch, Syria, physician, converted to Christianity;

– disciple of the apostle Paul;

– community leader in Antioch;

– writer and storyteller – write a diary and listen to people’s stories;

– in the year 80 AD he writes a work in two volumes, the first volume being the gospel.

– the gospel written by Luke is the most complete of the four gospels.

Within the time available, the leader may suggest the following:

– Who spoke to you for the first time about Jesus or where did you first hear about him?

– When you received your first Bible?

– When did you start reading the Bible, alone not at church or in a group?

Recommended bibliography:

1. Howard Marshall, “Luke”, in The Lion Handbook to the Bible, ed. By David and Pat Alexander (Berkhamsted: Lion Publishing, 1973), 514.

2. Who is Who in the Bible, ed. Joseph L. Gardner (New York: Reader’s Digest, 1994), 272-273.

3. Luke Timothy Johnson, The Writings of the New Testament. An Interpretation (London: SCM Press, 1999), 213-220.