I. A few days before the session, the following text could be sent to the participants in order to better prepare and be active.
1. Read the text from the Gospel according to Luke, chapter 1, verses 1 to 4. Have a pencil with you, with which to write down the followings:
– Look for the characters in the text:
– What the characters want to know:
– What tools were used to make it possible to present the events that make up the whole story:
– Who is the guide and who follows him:
Drawing 2a. The above drawing is divided into several areas. Write in each area ways you got to know Jesus.
Drawing 2b. The above outline is divided into several areas. Choose to think of a very dear person to you and try to remember what were the ways / sources through which you met and love her/him so much.
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.
– Luke (we know already who is Luke, as we presented him in the first Session – we can recap, go to the end of the source material, following the link: https://www.meaningscbn.com/bible-study-luke-session-1-who-is-he-an-introduction-to-the-gospel-according-to-luke/) presents a complete history wanting to help Theophilus know as well as possible what he wants to discover.
– The name of Theophilus means “Beloved by God”, God-Friendly”, “Friend of God”. It seems that Theophilus is an intellectual who wants to know.
– Luke wants to present not an idea, not a thing, not an ideology, not a myth, but a person.
– Luke makes Jesus known through what has been said about him by his enemies, by those who have only heard of him but are indifferent, by his friends, by those who have witnessed what Jesus did, by those who who knew him in the way Jesus came into their lives, at different times, through what was written about and against Jesus, and so on: story handed by witnesses; servants of the word; investigating; writing; compiling books; putting all the bits together in order to set down a complete story.
– Theophilus wants to walk a new path about which he has heard such wonderful and controversial things at the same time. Luke wants to be his guide. He is our guide, too.
Within the time available, the leader may suggest the following for discussion:
– What kind of relationship do we have with Jesus? Love, friendship, someone strong who helps us, inspires us, distant when we need him, silent in weights, etc;
– Are we disturbed by the things said by those who do not believe in Jesus, or are they useful for us to know him even better? Does it challenge us to get even closer to him or does it distance us?
– What kind of stories do we think Theophilus heard about Jesus before Luke wrote to him?
– The story we tell about Jesus always leads to a better knowledge of him or …
Recommended bibliography:
1. Who is Who in the Bible, ed. Joseph L. Gardner (New York: Reader’s Digest, 1994), 416-417.
2. Carroll Stuhlmueller, C.P., “The Gospel According to Luke”, in The Jerome Biblical Commentary, ed. by Raymond Y. Brown, Joseph Fitzmyer, Roland Y. Murphy (London: Casell Ltd., 1984), vol. II, 115-164.
3. David Pawson, Unlocking the Bible. A Unique Overview of the Whole Bible (London: HarperCollinsPublishers), 829-836.