Author: admin2018djc

Reading 1, Luke 13:1-17

Luke 13  

Repent or Perish & Parable of the Barren Fig Tree 

There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had ^[z]mingled with their sacrifices. ²And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? ³I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.⁴Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? ⁵No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as well!” 

⁶He also spoke this parable: “A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. ⁷Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, ‘Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it ^[aa]use up the ground?’ ⁸But he answered and said to him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ^9 [ab]And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.’ ” 

1) Question: 1) From what you have come to understand in the Gospels, what does Jesus mean by Repentance? 2) How essential is repentance to entering the kingdom of God?  3) What do you think Jesus was talking about in the parable of the fig tree? 

A Spirit of Infirmity 

¹⁰Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. ¹¹And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way ^[ac]raise herself up. ¹²But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” ¹³And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. 

¹⁴But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.” 

¹⁵The Lord then answered him and said, ^[ad]“Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? ¹⁶So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?” ¹⁷And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him. 

2) Question: What type of spirit is being revealed in the words of the ruler of the synagogue at this woman being set free on the sabbath after 18 years of being bent over?  How is this spirit revealing itself? 

Reading 2, Luke 13:18-35

The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Leaven 

¹⁸Then He said, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? ¹⁹It is like a mustard seed, which a man took and put in his garden; and it grew and became a ^[ae]large tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.” 

²⁰And again He said, “To what shall I liken the kingdom of God? ²¹It is like ^[af]leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures^[ag] of meal till it was all leavened.” 

3) Question: What do you think the parable of the mustard seed and leaven are revealing about the kingdom of God (Hint, compare the description of the kingdom of God in the present Luke 17:20-21 verses the future in Revelation 20:4-6? 

The Narrow Way 

²²And He went through the cities and villages, teaching, and journeying toward Jerusalem. ²³Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?” 

And He said to them, ²⁴“Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. ²⁵When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’ ²⁶then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ ²⁷But He will say, ‘I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.’²⁸There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. ²⁹They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the kingdom of God.³⁰And indeed there are last who will be first, and there are first who will be last.” 

4) Question: What is the narrow gate and what are ways that people try to enter through it but will not be able to (see verse 24? 

^31 [ah]On that very day some Pharisees came, saying to Him, “Get out and depart from here, for Herod wants to kill You.” 

³²And He said to them, “Go, tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be^[ai]perfected (accomplish my goal).’ ³³Nevertheless I must journey today, tomorrow, and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. 

³⁴“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! ³⁵See! Your house is left to you desolate; and ^[aj]assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ” 

5) Question: Why would Jerusalem have a history of killing the prophets and stoning those God has sent to her? 

Reading 3, Luke 14:1-14

Luke 14 

A Man with Dropsy Healed on the Sabbath 

Now it happened, as He went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, that they watched Him closely. ²And behold, there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy. ³And Jesus, answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the ^[ak]Sabbath?” 

⁴But they kept silent. And He took him and healed him, and let him go. ⁵Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a ^[al]donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” ⁶And they could not answer Him regarding these things. 

Take the Lowly Place 

⁷So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them: ⁸“When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place, lest one more honorable than you be invited by him; ⁹and he who invited you and him come and say to you, ‘Give place to this man,’ and then you begin with shame to take the lowest place. ¹⁰But when you are invited, go and sit down in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes he may say to you, ‘Friend, go up higher.’ Then you will have glory in the presence of those who sit at the table with you. ¹¹For whoever exalts himself will be ^[am]humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.” 

¹²Then He also said to him who invited Him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not ask your friends, your brothers, your relatives, nor rich neighbors, lest they also invite you back, and you be repaid. ¹³But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the ^[an]maimed, the lame, the blind.¹⁴And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” 

6) Question: Ask the Holy Spirit to identify ways in which you can humble, rather than exalt yourself.  What comes to mind? 

What do you think is the point of Jesus teaching in verses 12-14 about inviting people for diner than cannot pay you back? 

Reading 4, Luke 14:15-35

The Parable of the Great Supper 

¹⁵Now when one of those who sat at the table with Him heard these things, he said to Him, “Blessed is he who shall eat ^[ao]bread in the kingdom of God!” 

¹⁶Then He said to him, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, ¹⁷and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’ ¹⁸But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’ ¹⁹And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’ ²⁰Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ ²¹So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the ^[ap]maimed and the lame and the blind.’ ²²And the servant said, ‘Master, it is done as you commanded, and still there is room.’ ²³Then the master said to the servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. ²⁴For I say to you that none of those men who were invited shall taste my supper.’ ” 

7) Question:  what do you think the parable of the great supper is talking about? 

Leaving All to Follow Christ 

²⁵Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, ²⁶“If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. ²⁷And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. ²⁸For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it— ²⁹lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, ³⁰saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’? ³¹Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? ³²Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. ³³So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. 

8) Question: How do we go about forsaking all as described in 25-33 to become Jesus’ disciple? 

Tasteless Salt Is Worthless 

³⁴“Salt is good; but if the salt has lost its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? ³⁵It is neither fit for the land nor for the ^[aq]dunghill, but men throw it out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” 

9) Question: What do you think Jesus is talking about with salt that has lost its flavor.  How do we avoid becoming like tasteless, worthless salt? 

Reading 5, Luke 15:1-32

Luke 15 

  The Parable of the Lost Sheep and Lost Coin 

Then all the tax collectors and the sinners drew near to Him to hear Him. ²And the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying, “This Man ^[ar]receives sinners and eats with them.” ³So He spoke this parable to them, saying: 

⁴“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? ⁵And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. ⁶And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ ⁷I say to you that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine^[as]just persons who need no repentance. 

“Or what woman, having ten silver ^[at]coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp, sweep the house, and search carefully until she finds it? ⁹And when she has found it, she calls her friends and neighbors together, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the piece which I lost!’ ¹⁰Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”  

The Parable of the Lost Son 

¹¹Then He said: “A certain man had two sons. ¹²And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his livelihood. ¹³And not many days after, the younger son gathered all together, journeyed to a far country, and there wasted his possessions with ^[au]prodigal living. ¹⁴But when he had spent all, there arose a severe famine in that land, and he began to be in want. ¹⁵Then he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country, and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. ¹⁶And he would gladly have filled his stomach with the ^[av]pods that the swine ate, and no one gave him anything. 

¹⁷“But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger! ¹⁸I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, ¹⁹and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” ’ 

²⁰“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. ²¹And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 

²²“But the father said to his servants, ^[aw]‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. ²³And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; ²⁴for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry. 

²⁵“Now his older son was in the field. And as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶So he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. ²⁷And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and because he has received him safe and sound, your father has killed the fatted calf.’ 

²⁸“But he was angry and would not go in. Therefore his father came out and pleaded with him. ²⁹So he answered and said to his father, ‘Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends. ³⁰But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him.’ 

³¹“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. ³²It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ” 

10) Question:  What was Jesus addressing when He told the three parables of the lost sheep, lost coin, and lost son (see Luke 15:1-3).  What should we practice from what Jesus was taught the Pharisees in this chapter. 

Reading 1, Luke 10:1-37

Luke 10  

The Seventy Sent Out 

After these things the Lord appointed ^[dh]seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. ²Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. ³Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. ⁴Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. ⁵But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ ⁶And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. ⁷And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house.⁸Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. ⁹And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ ¹⁰But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ¹¹‘The very dust of your city which clings to ^[di]us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.’ ^12 [dj]But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city. 

Woe to the Impenitent Cities 

¹³“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. ¹⁴But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. ¹⁵And you, Capernaum, ^[dk]who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. ¹⁶He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” 

The Seventy Return with Joy 

¹⁷Then the ^[dl]seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” 

¹⁸And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.¹⁹Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. ²⁰Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but ^[dm]rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” 

1. Question: Why do you think Jesus told His disciples to not rejoice that spirits were subject to them, but rather that their names were written in heaven? 

Jesus Rejoices in the Spirit 

²¹In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight. ²²All^[dn] things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” 

²³Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; ²⁴for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it.” 

The Parable of the Good Samaritan 

²⁵And behold, a certain ^[do]lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 

²⁶He said to him, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” 

²⁷So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ” 

²⁸And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” 

²⁹But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 

³⁰Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among ^[dp]thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. ³¹Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³²Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. ³³But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. ³⁴So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. ³⁵On the next day, ^[dq]when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.’ ³⁶So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?” 

³⁷And he said, “He who showed mercy on him.” 

Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” 

2. Question: Ask the Holy Spirit to show you ways you can expand loving your ”neighbor” and showing mercy because God has loved you and shown you mercy.  What comes the mind? 

Reading 2, Luke 10:38-11:23

Mary and Martha Worship and Serve 

³⁸Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. ³⁹And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at ^[dr]Jesus’ feet and heard His word. ⁴⁰But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” 

⁴¹And ^[ds]Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. ⁴²But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.” 

4. Question:  Consider your own life.  How much of it is spent with busyness (even Christian busyness) and how much of it is spent focused on your relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?  What changes can you make to what you are doing to set aside time for what is more important in your relationship and fellowship with God? 

Luke 11  

Jesus teaches the disciples about prayer 

Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 

²So He said to them, “When you pray, say: 

Our^[a] Father ^[b]in heaven, 
Hallowed be Your name. 
Your kingdom come. 
^[c]Your will be done 
On earth as it is in heaven. 
³Give us day by day our daily bread. 
⁴And forgive us our sins, 
For we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. 
And do not lead us into temptation, 
^[d]But deliver us from the evil one.” 

⁵And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; ⁶for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; ⁷and he will answer from within and say, ‘Do not trouble me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you’? ⁸I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs. 

⁹“So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. ¹⁰For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. ¹¹If a son asks for ^[e]bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish? ¹²Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?¹³If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” 

5. Question: What do you learn about prayer from what Jesus taught His disciples in verses 2-13? 

A House Divided Cannot Stand 

¹⁴And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute. So it was, when the demon had gone out, that the mute spoke; and the multitudes marveled. ¹⁵But some of them said, “He casts out demons by ^[f]Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.” 

¹⁶Others, testing Him, sought from Him a sign from heaven. ¹⁷But He, knowing their thoughts, said to them: “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls.¹⁸If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? Because you say I cast out demons by Beelzebub. ¹⁹And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. ²⁰But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you. ²¹When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. ²²But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his ^[g]spoils. ²³He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters. 

6. Question: What was a specific sign that the kingdom of God came upon them in verse 20?  What reason would there be for us doing the same in His name? 

Reading 3, Luke 11: 24-54

An Unclean Spirit Returns 

²⁴“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ ²⁵And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. ²⁶Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.” 

Keeping the Word 

²⁷And it happened, as He spoke these things, that a certain woman from the crowd raised her voice and said to Him, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and the breasts which nursed You!” 

²⁸But He said, “More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” 

7. Question: What does Jesus’ response in verse 28 about those who are more blessed than Mary speak to you? 

Seeking a Sign 

²⁹And while the crowds were thickly gathered together, He began to say, “This is an evil generation. It seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah ^[h]the prophet. ³⁰For as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so also the Son of Man will be to this generation. ³¹The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here. ³²The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. 

The Lamp of the Body 

³³“No one, when he has lit a lamp, puts it in a secret place or under a basket, but on a lampstand, that those who come in may see the light.³⁴The lamp of the body is the eye. Therefore, when your eye is ^[i]good, your whole body also is full of light. But when your eye is ^[j]bad, your body also is full of darkness. ³⁵Therefore take heed that the light which is in you is not darkness. ³⁶If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, the whole body will be full of light, as when the bright shining of a lamp gives you light.” 

8. Question: How does 1 John 1:5-7, 1 John 2:9-11) help in understanding what Jesus is talking about in verses 33-36 in talking about the lamp and eye relating to you? 

Woe to the Pharisees and Lawyers 

³⁷And as He spoke, a certain Pharisee asked Him to dine with him. So He went in and sat down to eat. ³⁸When the Pharisee saw it, he marveled that He had not first washed before dinner. 

³⁹Then the Lord said to him, “Now you Pharisees make the outside of the cup and dish clean, but your inward part is full of ^[k]greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰Foolish ones! Did not He who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹But rather give alms of ^[l]such things as you have; then indeed all things are clean to you. 

⁴²“But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. ⁴³Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the ^[m]best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces. ⁴⁴Woe to you, ^[n]scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves which are not seen, and the men who walk over them are not aware of them.” 

⁴⁵Then one of the lawyers answered and said to Him, “Teacher, by saying these things You reproach us also.” 

⁴⁶And He said, “Woe to you also, lawyers! For you load men with burdens hard to bear, and you yourselves do not touch the burdens with one of your fingers. ⁴⁷Woe to you! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. ⁴⁸In fact, you bear witness that you approve the deeds of your fathers; for they indeed killed them, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute,’ ⁵⁰that the blood of all the prophets which was shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation, ⁵¹from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah who perished between the altar and the temple. Yes, I say to you, it shall be required of this generation. 

⁵²“Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.” 

^53 [o]And as He said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to assail Him vehemently, and to cross-examine Him about many things, ⁵⁴lying in wait for Him, ^[p]and seeking to catch Him in something He might say, ^[q]that they might accuse Him. 

9. Question: How do we prevent being like the Pharisees who looked nice and spiritual on the outside, but Jesus said they were full of greed, wickedness, and evil on the inside? 

Reading 4: Luke 12:1:34

Beware of Hypocrisy 

Luke 12  

In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, “Beware of the ^[r]leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. ²For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, nor hidden that will not be known. ³Therefore whatever you have spoken in the dark will be heard in the light, and what you have spoken in the ear in inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops. 

10. Question: How did the Pharisees practice hypocrisy? 

Jesus Teaches the Fear of God 

⁴“And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. ⁵But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him! 

⁶“Are not five sparrows sold for two ^[s]copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. ⁷But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 

11. Question: Why would Jesus tell them to fear God in verse 5, but to not fear in verse 7? 

Confess Christ Before Men 

⁸“Also I say to you, whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. ⁹But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 

¹⁰“And anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven. 

¹¹“Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say. ¹²For the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” 

12. Question: How can we practice confessing Jesus before people?  

What do you think blasphemy against the Holy Spirit looks like?  

The Parable of the Rich Fool 

¹³Then one from the crowd said to Him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 

¹⁴But He said to him, “Man, who made Me a judge or an arbitrator over you?” ¹⁵And He said to them, “Take heed and beware of ^[t]covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.” 

¹⁶Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. ¹⁷And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ ¹⁸So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. ¹⁹And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ ²⁰But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ 

²¹“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” 

13. Question: What takeaway do you find in verses 13-21? 

Do Not Worry 

²²Then He said to His disciples, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. ²³Life is more than food, and the body is more than clothing.²⁴Consider the ravens, for they neither sow nor reap, which have neither storehouse nor barn; and God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds? ²⁵And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? ²⁶If you then are not able to do the least, why ^[u]are you anxious for the rest? ²⁷Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you, even Solomon in all his glory was not^[v]arrayed like one of these. ²⁸If then God so clothes the grass, which today is in the field and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will He clothe you, O you of little faith? 

²⁹“And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. ³⁰For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. ³¹But seek ^[w]the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you. 

³²“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. ³³Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. ³⁴For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 

14. Question: What should we practice instead of worrying about our jobs, income, what we will eat, etc…? 

Reading 5, Luke 12:35-59

The Faithful Servant and the Evil Servant 

³⁵“Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning; ³⁶and you yourselves be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knocks they may open to him immediately. ³⁷Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.³⁸And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants. ³⁹But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would ^[x]have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. ⁴⁰Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” 

⁴¹Then Peter said to Him, “Lord, do You speak this parable only to us, or to all people?” 

⁴²And the Lord said, “Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food ^[y]in due season? ⁴³Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. ⁴⁴Truly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all that he has. ⁴⁵But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, ⁴⁶the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. ⁴⁷And that servant who knew his master’s will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. ⁴⁸But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more. 

15. Question: What do you think being a faithful and wise servant, ready for Christ’s return looks like? 

Christ Brings Division 

⁴⁹“I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! ⁵⁰But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! ⁵¹Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. ⁵²For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. ⁵³Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” 

16. Question:  How is it that Christ brings division rather than peace referencing what Christ said in 49-53? 

Discern the Time 

⁵⁴Then He also said to the multitudes, “Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, ‘A shower is coming’; and so it is.⁵⁵And when you see the south wind blow, you say, ‘There will be hot weather’; and there is. ⁵⁶Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time? 

⁵⁷“Yes, and why, even of yourselves, do you not judge what is right?⁵⁸When you go with your adversary to the magistrate, make every effort along the way to settle with him, lest he drag you to the judge, the judge deliver you to the officer, and the officer throw you into prison. ⁵⁹I tell you, you shall not depart from there till you have paid the very last mite.” 

17. Question: What do you think Jesus was really talking about here in discerning the time and making yourselves right with the judge before it is too late? 

Reading 1, Luke 7:1-35

Luke 7  

Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant

Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum. ²And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die. ³So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant. ⁴And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving, ⁵“for he loves our nation, and has built us a synagogue.” 

⁶Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof. ⁷Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁸For I also am a man placed under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.” 

⁹When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” ¹⁰And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well ^[bp]who had been sick. 

1. Question: Rather than begging our Heavenly Father to heal someone based on the merits of what they had done (3-5), how has Jesus taught us to ask and why (see John 14:12-13)? 

What was unusual in the demonstration of the centurion’s faith that caused Jesus to marvel at how much faith he had? 

Jesus Raises the Son of the Widow of Nain

¹¹Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd. ¹²And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her. ¹³When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.” ¹⁴Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, arise.” ¹⁵So he who was dead sat up and began to speak. And He presented him to his mother. 

¹⁶Then fear ^[bq]came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, “A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, “God has visited His people.” ¹⁷And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region. 

• Question:  When Jesus did miracles and good works, who did He bring glory to? 

John the Baptist Sends Messengers to Jesus

¹⁸Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things. ¹⁹And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to ^[br]Jesus, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or ^[bs]do we look for another?” 

²⁰When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ ” ²¹And that very hour He cured many of ^[bt]infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. 

²²Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. ²³And blessed is he who is not ^[bu]offended because of Me.” 

²⁴When the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ²⁵But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings’ courts. ²⁶But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.²⁷This is he of whom it is written: 

‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, 
Who will prepare Your way before You.’ 

²⁸For I say to you, among those born of women there is ^[bv]not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” 

²⁹And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors ^[bw]justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. ³⁰But the Pharisees and ^[bx]lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him. 

• Question: What is the connection between those that received vs. rejected the baptism of repentance of John, and those that received or rejected the teachings of Christ as seen in verses 29-30? 

^31 [by]And the Lord said, “To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like? ³²They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying: 

‘We played the flute for you, 
And you did not dance; 
We mourned to you, 
And you did not weep.’ 

³³For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’ ³⁴The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a ^[bz]wine bibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ ³⁵But wisdom is justified by all her children.” 

Note: The men of that generation were like children playing in the market place just making up stuff to justify their rebellion to God, but the kingdom of God bears good fruit that testifies to it’s truthfulness. 

Reading 2, Luke 7:36- 8:21

A Sinful Woman Forgiven

³⁶Then one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat. ³⁷And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, ³⁸and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil. ³⁹Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.” 

⁴⁰And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” 

So he said, “Teacher, say it.” 

⁴¹“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. ⁴²And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” 

⁴³Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” 

And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.” ⁴⁴Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. ⁴⁵You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. ⁴⁶You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. ⁴⁷Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.” 

⁴⁸Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 

⁴⁹And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 

⁵⁰Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.” 

• Question: How can we practice being like the woman whose sins were forgiven, rather than being like Simon who remained in His sin (see 1 John 1:8-10)? 

Many Women Minister to Jesus

Luke 8  

Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and ^[ca]bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him, ²and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and ^[cb]infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, ³and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for ^[cc]Him from their ^[cd]substance. 

The Parable of the Sower

⁴And when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable: ⁵“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it. ⁶Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture. ⁷And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.⁸But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded ^[ce]a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” 

The Purpose of Parables

⁹Then His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?” 

¹⁰And He said, “To you it has been given to know the ^[cf]mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that 

‘Seeing they may not see, 
And hearing they may not understand.’ 

The Parable of the Sower Explained

¹¹“Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. ¹²Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.¹³But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of ^[cg]temptation fall away. ¹⁴Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. ¹⁵But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.^[ch] 

• Question: What does this parable teach us about how to bear the fruit of God’s word and kingdom of God in your life?

The Parable of the Revealed Light

¹⁶“No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the light. ¹⁷For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light. ¹⁸Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he ^[ci]seems to have will be taken from him.” 

• Question: How do you think Jesus’ statement in verse 18, “Therefore take heed how you hear. For whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he ^[ci]seems to have will be taken from him.” ties in with the purpose of parables in verses 9-10 and the parable of the sower in general? 

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Come to Him

¹⁹Then His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd. ²⁰And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.” 

²¹But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” 

• Question: Why do you think Jesus said, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”  See also John 1:12-13 and 1 John 3:2-6. 

Reading 3, Luke 8:22-56

Wind and Wave Obey Jesus

²²Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. ²³But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in ^[cj]jeopardy. ²⁴And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” 

Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. ²⁵But He said to them, “Where is your faith?” 

And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” 

A Demon-Possessed Man Healed

²⁶Then they sailed to the country of the ^[ck]Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee. ²⁷And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons ^[cl]for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs. ²⁸When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” ²⁹For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness. 

³⁰Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” 

And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. ³¹And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. 

³²Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them. ³³Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned. 

³⁴When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country. ³⁵Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid. ³⁶They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was ^[cm]healed. ³⁷Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the ^[cn]Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned. 

³⁸Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying, ³⁹“Return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him. 

• Question: How was this man who had been delivered from demons able to proclaim the good news throughout the city of what Jesus did for Him without a lot of training? 

A Girl Restored to Life and a Woman Healed

⁴⁰So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. ⁴¹And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house, ⁴²for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. 

But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. ⁴³Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, ⁴⁴came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. 

⁴⁵And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” 

When all denied it, Peter ^[co]and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, ^[cp]and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” 

⁴⁶But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.” ⁴⁷Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. 

⁴⁸And He said to her, “Daughter, ^[cq]be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.” 

⁴⁹While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the ^[cr]Teacher.” 

⁵⁰But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” ⁵¹When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go ^[cs]in except ^[ct]Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. ⁵²Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” ⁵³And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. 

⁵⁴But He ^[cu]put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” ⁵⁵Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. ⁵⁶And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened. 

• Question: What is the connection, or lack of connection between fear and faith (verse 50)? 

Why do you think Jesus put outside all that ridiculed Him for saying, “she is not dead, but sleeping” before raising the girl to life?  (See also Matthew 13:58, John 11:39-40.) 

Reading 4, Luke 9: 1-27

Sending Out the Twelve

Luke 9 

Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. ²He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. ³And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. 

⁴“Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. ⁵And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” 

⁶So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. 

10. Question:  What was the whole package Christ gave the disciples when He sent them out on this mission (1-2)? 

Herod Seeks to See Jesus

⁷Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, ⁸and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. ⁹Herod said, “John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?” So he sought to see Him. 

Feeding the Five Thousand

¹⁰And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. ¹¹But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. ¹²When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.” 

¹³But He said to them, “You give them something to eat.” 

And they said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people.” ¹⁴For there were about five thousand men. 

Then He said to His disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of fifty.”¹⁵And they did so, and made them all sit down. 

¹⁶Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. ¹⁷So they all ate and were ^[cv]filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them. 

Peter Confesses Jesus as the Christ

¹⁸And it happened, as He was alone praying, that His disciples joined Him, and He asked them, saying, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” 

¹⁹So they answered and said, “John the Baptist, but some say Elijah; and others say that one of the old prophets has risen again.” 

²⁰He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 

Peter answered and said, “The Christ of God.” 

Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection

²¹And He strictly warned and commanded them to tell this to no one, ²²saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.” 

Take Up the Cross and Follow Him

²³Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross ^[cw]daily, and follow Me. ²⁴For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. ²⁵For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? ²⁶For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. ²⁷But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.” 

11. Question: What do you think Jesus meant by, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross ^[cw]daily, and follow Me.  

What do you think is the difference between sharing Jesus and His words (verse 26), and a canned method of trying to get someone saved (I.e., 4 spiritual laws)?  

Reading 5, Luke 9:28 – 62

Jesus Transfigured on the Mount

²⁸Now it came to pass, about eight days after these sayings, that He took Peter, John, and James and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His robe became white and glistening. ³⁰And behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, ³¹who appeared in glory and spoke of His ^[cx]decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³²But Peter and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they were fully awake, they saw His glory and the two men who stood with Him. ³³Then it happened, as they were parting from Him, that Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; and let us make three ^[cy]tabernacles: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 

³⁴While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. ³⁵And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is ^[cz]My beloved Son. Hear Him!” ³⁶When the voice had ceased, Jesus was found alone. But they kept quiet, and told no one in those days any of the things they had seen. 

A Boy Is Healed

³⁷Now it happened on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, that a great multitude met Him. ³⁸Suddenly a man from the multitude cried out, saying, “Teacher, I implore You, look on my son, for he is my only child. ³⁹And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams at the mouth; and it departs from him with great difficulty, bruising him. ⁴⁰So I implored Your disciples to cast it out, but they could not.” 

⁴¹Then Jesus answered and said, “O ^[da]faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you and ^[db]bear with you? Bring your son here.” ⁴²And as he was still coming, the demon threw him down and convulsed him. Then Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the child, and gave him back to his father. 

Jesus Again Foretells His Death

⁴³And they were all amazed at the majesty of God. 

But while everyone marveled at all the things which Jesus did, He said to His disciples, ⁴⁴“Let these words sink down into your ears, for the Son of Man is about to be betrayed into the hands of men.” ⁴⁵But they did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them so that they did not perceive it; and they were afraid to ask Him about this saying. 

Who Is the Greatest?

⁴⁶Then a dispute arose among them as to which of them would be greatest. ⁴⁷And Jesus, perceiving the thought of their heart, took a little child and set him by Him, ⁴⁸and said to them, “Whoever receives this little child in My name receives Me; and whoever receives Me receives Him who sent Me. For he who is least among you all will be great.” 

Jesus Forbids Sectarianism

⁴⁹Now John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we forbade him because he does not follow with us.” 

⁵⁰But Jesus said to him, “Do not forbid him, for he who is not against^[dc]us is on ^[dd]our side.” 

A Samaritan Village Rejects the Savior

⁵¹Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, ⁵²and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. ⁵³But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. ⁵⁴And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, ^[de]just as Elijah did?” 

⁵⁵But He turned and rebuked them, ^[df]and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. ^56 [dg]For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village. 

The Cost of Discipleship

⁵⁷Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, “Lord, I will follow You wherever You go.” 

⁵⁸And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” 

⁵⁹Then He said to another, “Follow Me.” 

But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 

⁶⁰Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” 

⁶¹And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” 

⁶²But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” 

12. Question: Why do you think Jesus told someone to, “follow me,” and then said, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.” 

Reading 1, Luke 4:1-30

Luke 4  

Satan Tempts Jesus

Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit ^[ac]into the wilderness, ²being ^[ad]tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. 

Study Note: See also Hebrews 4:14-16. 

³And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” 

⁴But Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, ^[ae]but by every word of God.’ ” 

1. Question: What was the devil tempting Jesus to do, and what was bait the devil used to tempt Him. 

^5 [af]Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. ⁶And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. ⁷Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.” 
 
⁸And Jesus answered and said to him, ^[ag]“Get behind Me, Satan! ^[ah]For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ” 

2. Question:  How do you think “all this authority” was delivered to the devil?  What was the devil tempting Jesus to do, and what was bait the devil used to tempt Him. 

⁹Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. ¹⁰For it is written: 

‘He shall give His angels charge over you, 
To keep you,’ 

¹¹and, 

‘In their hands they shall bear you up, 
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ” 

¹²And Jesus answered and said to him, “It has been said, ‘You shall not^[ai]tempt the Lord your God.’ ” 

¹³Now when the devil had ended every ^[aj]temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. 

3. Question: What was the devil tempting Jesus to do, and what was bait the devil used to tempt Him. 

Jesus Begins His Galilean Ministry

¹⁴Then Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news of Him went out through all the surrounding region. ¹⁵And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. 

Jesus Rejected at Nazareth

¹⁶So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. ¹⁷And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: 

¹⁸“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, 
Because He has anointed Me 
To preach the gospel to the poor; 
He has sent Me ^[ak]to heal the brokenhearted, 
To proclaim liberty to the captives 
And recovery of sight to the blind, 
To set at liberty those who are ^[al]oppressed; 
¹⁹To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” 

²⁰Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. ²¹And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” ²²So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” 

²³He said to them, “You will surely say this proverb to Me, ‘Physician, heal yourself! Whatever we have heard done in Capernaum,^[am] do also here in Your country.’ ” ²⁴Then He said, “Assuredly, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. ²⁵But I tell you truly, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, and there was a great famine throughout all the land; ²⁶but to none of them was Elijah sent except to^[an]Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.²⁷And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” 

²⁸So all those in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with ^[ao]wrath, ²⁹and rose up and thrust Him out of the city; and they led Him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw Him down over the cliff. ³⁰Then passing through the midst of them, He went His way. 

4. Question:  What was it that angered the people in the synagogue so much that they tried to kill Jesus? 

Reading 2, Luke 4:31-5:16

Jesus Casts Out an Unclean Spirit

³¹Then He went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and was teaching them on the Sabbaths. ³²And they were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority. ³³Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon. And he cried out with a loud voice, ³⁴saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” 

³⁵But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ^[ap]“Be quiet, and come out of him! ”And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it came out of him and did not hurt him. ³⁶Then they were all amazed and spoke among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” ³⁷And the report about Him went out into every place in the surrounding region. 

Peter’s Mother-in-Law Healed 

³⁸Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was ^[aq]sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. ³⁹So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them. 

Many Healed After Sabbath Sunset

⁴⁰When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. ⁴¹And demons also came out of many, crying out and saying, “You are ^[ar]the Christ, the Son of God!” 

And He, rebuking them, did not allow them to ^[as]speak, for they knew that He was the Christ. 

Jesus Preaches in Galilee

⁴²Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; ⁴³but He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”⁴⁴And He was preaching in the synagogues of ^[at]Galilee. 

Luke 5  

Four Fishermen Called as Disciples

So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret, ²and saw two boats standing by the lake; but the fishermen had gone from them and were washing their nets. ³Then He got into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And He sat down and taught the multitudes from the boat. 

⁴When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 

⁵But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.” ⁶And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking. ⁷So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. ⁸When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” 

⁹For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; ¹⁰and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.” ¹¹So when they had brought their boats to land, they ^[au]forsook all and followed Him. 

5. Question:  What was the purpose and impact of the miracle of the great catch of fish? 

Jesus Cleanses a Leper

¹²And it happened when He was in a certain city, that behold, a man who was full of leprosy saw Jesus; and he fell on his face and ^[av]implored Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” 

¹³Then He put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately the leprosy left him. ¹⁴And He charged him to tell no one, “But go and show yourself to the priest, and make an offering for your cleansing, as a testimony to them, just as Moses commanded.” 

¹⁵However, the report went around concerning Him all the more; and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by Him of their infirmities. ¹⁶So He Himself often withdrew into the wilderness and prayed. 

Reading 3, Luke 5:17-Luke 6:11  

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralytic

¹⁷Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was present ^[aw]to heal them. ¹⁸Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. ¹⁹And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. 

²⁰When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” 

²¹And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 

²²But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? ²³Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? ²⁴But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the man who was paralyzed, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.” 

²⁵Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on, and departed to his own house, glorifying God. ²⁶And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen strange things today!” 

Matthew the Tax Collector

²⁷After these things He went out and saw a tax collector named Levi, sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, “Follow Me.” ²⁸So he left all, rose up, and followed Him. 

²⁹Then Levi gave Him a great feast in his own house. And there were a great number of tax collectors and others who sat down with them. ^30 [ax]And their scribes and the Pharisees ^[ay]complained against His disciples, saying, “Why do You eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 

³¹Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ³²I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” 

6. Question: What do you think Jesus meant when He said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ³²I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” 

Jesus Is Questioned About Fasting

³³Then they said to Him, “Why^[az] do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?” 

³⁴And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? ³⁵But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.” 

³⁶Then He spoke a parable to them: “No one ^[ba]puts a piece from a new garment on an old one; otherwise the new makes a tear, and also the piece that was taken out of the new does not match the old. ³⁷And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine will burst the wineskins and be spilled, and the wineskins will be ruined. ³⁸But new wine must be put into new wineskins, ^[bb]and both are preserved. ³⁹And no one, having drunk old wine, ^[bc]immediately desires new; for he says, ‘The old is ^[bd]better.’ ” 

Luke 6  

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

Now it happened ^[be]on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grain fields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. ²And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” 

³But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: ⁴how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?” ⁵And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” 

Note: Jesus taught that man was not made for the Sabbath but the Sabbath was made for man.  In God’s infinite wisdom, He knew that the people He created needed a day of rest each week from their labor.  This was also to be a day for His people to remember their God, exercise trust in Him for their provision, and be thankful for all their blessings that came from Him.  The religious leaders, whose hearts were far from God, turned the Sabbath into another self-righteous box to check off, and made extra rules around it to make sure everyone did not break the Sabbath.  They held these extra rules up as being as important as the Word of God.  Jesus spoke against this in Matthew 15:9. 

Healing on the Sabbath

⁶Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁷So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. ⁸But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood. ⁹Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or ^[bf]to destroy?” ¹⁰And when He had looked around at them all, He said to ^[bg]the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored ^[bh]as whole as the other. ¹¹But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. 

7. Question: What was the problem the scribes and Pharisees’ had with Jesus in the above (6-11)? What was God’s problem with them?  Did Jesus respond to their words or thoughts?  How important are our thoughts before God? 

Reading 4, Luke 6:12-36

The Twelve Apostles & Jesus Heals a Great Multitude

¹²Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. ¹³And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: ¹⁴Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; ¹⁵Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; ¹⁶Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor. 

¹⁷And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, ¹⁸as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. ¹⁹And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. 

8. Question:  Why did Jesus spend so much time alone talking with His Father?  What did He do and what happened following His night of talking with the Father? 

The Beatitudes

²⁰Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: 

“Blessed are you poor, 
For yours is the kingdom of God. 
²¹Blessed are you who hunger now, 
For you shall be filled.^[bi] 
Blessed are you who weep now, 
For you shall laugh. 
²²Blessed are you when men hate you, 
And when they exclude you, 
And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, 
For the Son of Man’s sake. 
²³Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! 
For indeed your reward is great in heaven, 
For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. 

9. Question:  From what you have learned so far in the Gospels, what do you think Jesus is talking about in verses 20 – 23? 

Jesus Pronounces Woes 

²⁴“But woe to you who are rich, 
For you have received your consolation. 
²⁵Woe to you who are full, 
For you shall hunger. 
Woe to you who laugh now, 
For you shall mourn and weep. 
²⁶Woe ^[bj]to you when ^[bk]all men speak well of you, 
For so did their fathers to the false prophets. 

10. Question:  What do you think Jesus is talking about in the four woes in verses 24-26? 

Love Your Enemies 

²⁷“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. ²⁹To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. ³⁰Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. ³¹And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. 

³²“But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. ³⁵But love your enemies, do good, and lend, ^[bl]hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. ³⁶Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. 

11. Question:  What is at the heart of Jesus’ teaching to His follower’s various ways of loving their enemies in verses 27 – 35 (hint, see verses 35 – 36)?  (See also Matthew 12:50, 1 John 4:16-17) 

Reading 5, Luke 6:37-49 

Do Not Judge

³⁷“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” 

12. Question:  Why should we not judge or condemn, but rather forgive? 

³⁹And He spoke a parable to them: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch? ⁴⁰A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. ⁴¹And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye? ⁴²Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye. 

13. Question: What does a blind person in the above represent? From what you have learned so far, what can help you with focusing on getting the plank out of your own eye before worrying about getting the speck out of your brother’s eye? 

A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit 

⁴³“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁴⁴For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.⁴⁵A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil ^[bm]treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. 

14. Question: What does our fruit look like?  If our fruit is not good, what do we do about that? 

Build on the Rock 

⁴⁶“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say? ⁴⁷Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: ⁴⁸He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was ^[bn]founded on the rock. ⁴⁹But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it ^[bo]fell. And the ruin of that house was great.” 

15. Question: the person who hears what Jesus says and puts it into practice demonstrates what (see 46-47)?  What the benefit(s) do you find for putting Jesus words into practice from what He says above? 

Reading 1, Luke 1:1 – 25

Luke 1  

Dedication to Theophilus

Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which ^[a]have been fulfilled among us, ²just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, ³it seemed good to me also, having ^[b]had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, ⁴that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. 

Note: The Gospel of Luke is believed to have been written sometime between A.D. 63 and 68.  The first letter Paul the Apostle wrote to the Corinthians was written around 57 AD, in which he wrote:  

1 Corinthians 3:3 … for you are still carnal. For where there are envy, strife, and divisions among you, are you not carnal and behaving like mere men? 4 For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not carnal? 9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 

Jesus said:

Matthew 7:24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 

1. Question: How do you think the follow three are related: 1) what Luke said to Theophilus above regarding what he had been instructed, 2) what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3 about building a foundation on Jesus Christ, and 3) what Christ said about building your house on the rock?   
   
   

Bonus question: What do you think the unintended consequences may be of being weak on Jesus’ teachings while being strong on the apostle’s teachings as we commonly see in the church today? 

John’s Birth Announced to Zacharias

⁵There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. ⁷But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. 

⁸So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, ⁹according to the custom of the priesthood, ^[c]his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹²And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. 

¹³But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ¹⁴And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 

2. Question: Why was John sent (what was his purpose, 16-17)? 

¹⁸And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” 

¹⁹And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you ^[d]theseglad tidings. ²⁰But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” 

²¹And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. ²²But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. 

3. Question: In spite of all of Zacharias’ good points, what did he lack when the word of the Lord came to him from Gabriel? 

²³So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. ²⁴Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, ²⁵“Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.” 

Reading 2, Luke 1:26 – 58

Christ’s Birth Announced to Mary

²⁶Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. ²⁸And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; ^[e]blessed are you among women!” 

²⁹But ^[f]when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. ³⁰Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. ³¹And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. ³²He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. ³³And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 

³⁴Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I ^[g]do not know a man?” 

³⁵And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God. ³⁶Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren. ³⁷For with God nothing will be impossible.” 

³⁸Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. 

Mary Visits Elizabeth

³⁹Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah, ⁴⁰and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth. ⁴¹And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁴²Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! ⁴³But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? ⁴⁴For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. ⁴⁵Blessed is she who ^[h]believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord.” 

4. Question: Why was Mary’s reaction to the what the angel told her acceptable and Zacharia’s reaction not to what the angel told him not acceptable? 

The Song of Mary

⁴⁶And Mary said: 

“My soul ^[i]magnifies the Lord, 
⁴⁷And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. 
⁴⁸For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; 
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed. 
⁴⁹For He who is mighty has done great things for me, 
And holy is His name. 
⁵⁰And His mercy is on those who fear Him 
From generation to generation. 
⁵¹He has shown strength with His arm; 
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. 
⁵²He has put down the mighty from their thrones, 
And exalted the lowly. 
⁵³He has filled the hungry with good things, 
And the rich He has sent away empty. 
⁵⁴He has helped His servant Israel, 
In remembrance of His mercy, 
⁵⁵As He spoke to our fathers, 
To Abraham and to his seed forever.” 

⁵⁶And Mary remained with her about three months, and returned to her house. 

Birth of John the Baptist

⁵⁷Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son. ⁵⁸When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy to her, they rejoiced with her. 

Reading 3, Luke 1:59 – 2:20

Circumcision of John the Baptist

⁵⁹So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias. ⁶⁰His mother answered and said, “No; he shall be called John.” 

⁶¹But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.” ⁶²So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called. 

⁶³And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, saying, “His name is John.”So they all marveled. ⁶⁴Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, praising God. ⁶⁵Then fear came on all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea. ⁶⁶And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him. 

Zacharias’ Prophecy

⁶⁷Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 

⁶⁸“Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, 
For He has visited and redeemed His people, 
⁶⁹And has raised up a horn of salvation for us 
In the house of His servant David, 
⁷⁰As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, 
Who have been since the world began, 
⁷¹That we should be saved from our enemies 
And from the hand of all who hate us, 
⁷²To perform the mercy promised to our fathers 
And to remember His holy covenant, 
⁷³The oath which He swore to our father Abraham: 
⁷⁴To grant us that we, 
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies, 
Might serve Him without fear, 
⁷⁵In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life. 

⁷⁶“And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; 
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, 
⁷⁷To give knowledge of salvation to His people 
By the remission of their sins, 
⁷⁸Through the tender mercy of our God, 
With which the ^[j]Dayspring from on high ^[k]has visited us; 
⁷⁹To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, 
To guide our feet into the way of peace.” 

⁸⁰So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel. 

Christ Born of Mary

Luke 2  

And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. ²This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. ³So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city. 

⁴Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the houseand lineage of David, ⁵to be registered with Mary, his betrothed ^[l]wife, who was with child. ⁶So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered. ⁷And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a ^[m]manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. 

Glory in the Highest

⁸Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹And ^[n]behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹²And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a ^[o]manger.” 

¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 

¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest, 
And on earth peace, goodwill^[p] toward men!” 

¹⁵So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger. ¹⁷Now when they had seen Him, they made ^[q]widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. ¹⁸And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds. ¹⁹But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. 

Reading 4, Luke 2:21 – 58

Circumcision of Jesus

²¹And when eight days were completed ^[r]for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb. 

Jesus Presented in the Temple

²²Now when the days of her purification according to the law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord ²³(as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”), ²⁴and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.” 

Simeon Sees God’s Salvation

²⁵And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. ²⁷So he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when the parents brought in the Child Jesus, to do for Him according to the custom of the law, ²⁸he took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said: 

²⁹“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, 
According to Your word; 
³⁰For my eyes have seen Your salvation 
³¹Which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, 
³²A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, 
And the glory of Your people Israel.” 

^33 [s]And Joseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him. ³⁴Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against ³⁵(yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” 

5. Question: Why do you think it matters that the “thoughts of many be revealed?”  Why does that matter to us (35)? 

Anna Bears Witness to the Redeemer

³⁶Now there was one, Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity; ³⁷and this woman was a widow ^[t]of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day. ³⁸And coming in that instant she gave thanks to ^[u]theLord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem. 

The Family Returns to Nazareth

³⁹So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. ⁴⁰And the Child grew and became strong ^[v]in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. 

The Boy Jesus Amazes the Religious Scholars

⁴¹His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. ⁴²And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. ⁴³When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And ^[w]Joseph and His mother did not know it; ⁴⁴but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. ⁴⁶Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. ⁴⁸So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” 

⁴⁹And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” ⁵⁰But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. 

6. Question:  What was His Father’s business, and how did Jesus know what His business was (49)?  How do we know what our Heavenly Father’s business is for us? 

Jesus Advances in Wisdom and Favor 

⁵¹Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was ^[x]subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. ⁵²And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. 

Reading 5, Luke 3:1-38

Luke 3 

John the Baptist Prepares the Way 

Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, ^2 [y]while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. ³And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission (forgiveness) of sins, ⁴as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: 

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 
‘Prepare the way of the Lord; 
Make His paths straight. 
⁵Every valley shall be filled 
And every mountain and hill brought low; 
The crooked places shall be made straight 
And the rough ways smooth; 
⁶And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’ ” 

John Preaches to the People

⁷Then he said to the multitudes that came out to be baptized by him, “Brood^[z] of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? ⁸Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. ⁹And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.” 

¹⁰So the people asked him, saying, “What shall we do then?” 

¹¹He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” 

¹²Then tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 

¹³And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed for you.” 

¹⁴Likewise the soldiers asked him, saying, “And what shall we do?” 

So he said to them, “Do not ^[aa]intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.” 

7. Question:  From what you have learned so far in the Gospels, what is repentance and what do you think fruits of repentance look like (or should look like) in your life?  What were the examples that John gave of walking in repentance (10-15)? 

¹⁵Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not, ¹⁶John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.” 

¹⁸And with many other exhortations he preached to the people. ¹⁹But Herod the tetrarch, being rebuked by him concerning Herodias, his ^[ab]brotherPhilip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done, ²⁰also added this, above all, that he shut John up in prison. 

John Baptizes Jesus

²¹When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. ²²And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” 

8. Question:  How do you think Jesus pleased His Father prior to His ministry beginning (see also Luke 2:46-49)? 

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

²³Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, ²⁴the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, ²⁵the son ofMattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son ofNaggai, ²⁶the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, ²⁷the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, ²⁸the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, ²⁹the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, ³⁰the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, ³¹the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son ofMattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David, ³²the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, ³³the son ofAmminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, ³⁴the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son ofTerah, the son of Nahor, ³⁵the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, ³⁶the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, ³⁷the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, ³⁸the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.