Session 4: New Testament

Session 4: The Gospel of Luke

Aims

By the end of this session you should be able to:

give an overview of the themes and structure of the gospel of Luke
be able to state approximately when the gospel was written and who the author may have been
give an account of the main themes of the gospel and how they relate to your faith journey and ministry as well as that of the church as a whole
reflect on how the gospel of Luke helps us to live out the Diocesan vision outcome of challenging injustice.

Prayer

God love and life

May I learn more of you and of your love for

your people and your world

as I look into this gospel.

Open my eyes to new things in familiar passages and open my heart

to the moving of your spirit.

Amen.

Introduction

Again, this session is made up of three parts: Part One is a short overview of the gospel from Bibledex with some questions for reflection; Part two is a video of just over 20 minutes which has been split into several sections so you can pause and reflect on the questions underneath before continuing.

Part 3 is another overview video which will help you to consolidate and deepen what you have learned in Part 2. There is some overlap and repetition in all the videos - this is deliberate as repetition is what makes things 'stick' in our minds and it's how we learn best. Please treat the questions as a buffet and choose one or two that interest you to think about rather than trying to do all of them. If you'd like to watch the Bible Project Overview of the book you can find it in the Resources Section.

Part One - Bibledex

Watch the video opposite then think about the following questions:

Did you realise that Luke was a gentile? What effect do you think this had on his writing and his view of God?
.
Had you ever noticed how much about the 'outcast' there is in the gospel of Luke? Why do you think there is so much emphasis on this and what does it say to you for your Christian walk and for the Church today?
.
Had you noticed the importance of women in the gospel? What do you make of that and what does this say to you today?

Write your thoughts in your Learning Journal.

Part 2 - Considering Luke

Watch the video. To access it, click on the picture then click 'Sign In' next to the green box that says Subscribe to Watch This Video. Input these details:

Email Address: dos@gmail.com

Password: Videos1!

This should enable you to watch the video.

Please email dawn.glen@derby.anglican.org if you have any problems. The transcript can be found here

Questions for Reflection

Select and consider one question only from those below and note your thoughts in your journal for discussion in your Learning Support Group.

0:00 - 4.35 Who was Luke?

Luke was a gentile but knew the Old Testament very well. Why do you think Luke felt it was so important to know the OT? How well do we know it as Christians today and what implications might that have for our faith?

4.36 - 13.05 Date of Writing & the Book of Acts

Had you ever thought of Luke and Acts as a two volume book? How does this idea impact your reading of both books?
What do you think about Gooder's idea that 'the real heart of the world is heaven'? What effect might that have on how we live our Christian lives?
Luke is very clear that Paul is not like Jesus. Do you think that sometimes in our churches we can magnify Paul too much? For example, many churches preference the epistles over the gospels, having the epistle reading every week rather than the the gospel and preaching more on the epistles than the gospels. What effect do you think that has on our theology as Christians?

13.05 - 16.06 Imitating the Old Testament

What do you think about Gooder's suggestion that Luke saw himself as continuing the writings of the Old Testament? What effect do you think that might have had on his Gentile audience?

16.07 - end Details and Storytelling

Had you ever noticed how many details are missing from the stories in Luke's gospel? How do you think this affects to our reading? Do you agree with Gooder that it draws us in more because we can use our own imaginations? What effect do you think this has on our interpretation of the gospel?

Part 3 - Going Deeper

Take the quiz here (this is required).

You must now do one or the other of the tasks below and then note your thoughts in your learning journal for discussion in your Learning Support Group and to inform the Reflect section below.

Either watch the 50 minute video opposite
Or read Chapter 11 of 'Exploring the New Testament Volume 1' on the Hub - instructions for how to access this can be found here

If you would like to, download and read the documents in the Resources section below - but this is optional.

Spotlight on Doctrine

The doctrine of the incarnation (God becoming a human being in Jesus) demonstrates God's desire to reach all of humankind. Luke says a lot about those on the margins of his society - outcasts and women. Mary's beautiful song of praise in Luke 1, often called 'the Magnificat', is a clear declaration of this. The angels' appearance to the Shepherds is also a clear indication of this because shepherds were on the very lowest strata of society at the time. So even before Jesus' birth, Luke tells us that God's mercy and love reaches out to everyone. How does your church demonstrate this and how do you demonstrate it in your own journey of faith?

Spotlight on Spirituality

Mary's song from Luke 1 is often said or sung in churches, either as a metrical setting (ie a hymn or chorus) or as a chant. This lovely piece of writing from Luke presents Mary as being so full of joy in God and so full of God's spirit that she can't help but declare God's praise.

Has that ever happened to you? How did you react? For some people it might be singing, for others dancing, for yet others shouting with joy etc. When did you last sing or say the Magnificat in your church?

Reflect

What has struck you most from Part 3 of this session?
How has your learning challenged you to grow in your faith and ministry?
How might you, in your life and ministry, deliver, and encourage others to live out, the Diocesan vision outcome of challenging injustice?

In no more than 300 words, post your thoughts on the Forum