The Gospel of Luke has been called "the most beautiful book ever written," and it is, for many people, their favorite gospel.
For Tuesday's class, please read through my study questions on the Gospel of Luke (also attached to the syllabus for the sake of those who prefer hard copy). Then read through the first twelve chapters of Luke's Gospel.
For the blog entry here, please do *both* of the following:
1. Pick out a verse or passage that you think particularly well shows why people find this gospel attractive and explain your choice of this particular passage.
2. Choose one of the study guide questions and suggest an answer.
Please come to class ready to discuss in class the verse/passage you chose and to suggest an answer to at least one of the study guide questions.
The verse I think that makes this gospel attractive is Luke 6:43-46. It says," A good tree does not produce bad fruit nor does a bad tree produce good fruit. Each tree is known by its own fruit. People don't gather figs from thornbushes and they don't get grapes from bushes. Good people bring good things out of the good they stored in their hearts. But evil people bring evil things out of the evil they stored in their hearts. People speak the things that are in their hearts." This means that you are who you make yourself to be. It is what you let out of heart. This is an attractive passage because it can relate to everyone. It is easy to understand also. 1. What reason does Luke give for writing his gospel? What sources does he claim for his information? To help people who already heard many of the stories know that they are true. He claims that he studied under Theophilus.
ReplyDeleteThe verse that I believe shows why people think Luke is such an attractive Gospel is Luke 8:16. It talks about how no one covers up a candle or a lamp with a bowl or puts it under a bed. People put candles and lamps on a nightstand or a table so other people can see the light when they come in the house. I believe this verse is one that many people can relate to. It is a very simple analogy that Jesus uses to show people how it is not right to cover up the light of the world and reject the Word of God.
ReplyDeleteAs for question number three for the Gospel of Luke, it seems to me that Luke treated the Pharisees and Sadducees very similar than Matthew did. They both portray the Pharisees and Sadducees as stuck-up hypocrites who think they are better than everyone else. The difference is that Luke spends much less time talking about the Pharisees and Sadducees as Matthew does. This is probably due to the fact that Matthew was writing his Gospel particularly for those who felt that they needed no gospel. The Pharisees and Sadducees definitely fit that description.
1: I think the first chapter of Luke is the most interesting because it really informs us about some things that went on before Jesus was born. Luke talks more in-depth about Mary and how Jesus came to be conceived, and we hear about how John the Baptist was named and the story that happened with his parents. The gospel of Matthew jumps right into the birth of Jesus without any ‘backstory’ and I think the info on Jesus’s family really attracts people to this gospel.
ReplyDelete2: I chose study question 4 because the Old Testament citations in Matthew really intrigued me, and the fact that Luke doesn’t cite the OT as much struck me as interesting. I think we have to keep in mind that Luke was writing to Theophilus, who probably wasn’t a Jew, and as such he probably knew much less about Israeli history. I’m guessing the way Matthew cited things - quote the beginning of a passage and know his readers would remember the rest of the passage - wouldn’t work with someone who didn’t know that OT passage well enough to remember it. This is my guess as to why Luke has fewer mentions of the OT, and when he does they are longer. Theophilus wouldn’t have understood the significance as much as a Jewish reader, and for the important times where an OT citation was needed, he would have had to have more of the passage written out for him as it wasn’t something he’d know already.
I. The passage that I find most valuable would be Luke 10:25-37; the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In it, as we all know, Jesus teaches of a man robbed and beaten near death on his travel from Jerusalem to Jericho. A priest and a Levite, both supposedly pious Jewish men, went to the other side of the road and continued on their journey. Then a Samaritan who were hated by Jews for having similar religious beliefs stopped, bandaged, fed, and took him to an inn. He even paid the innkeeper and asked him to watch him and he would reimburse him for any other expenses. This is a great message for those who anyone to hear. I take away that it doesn't matter on your religious beliefs, the only way to get eternal life is to love your neighbor as yourself, even if every nerve in your body tells you to just walk away.
ReplyDeleteII.3. Luke, just like Matthew, doesn't cast the Pharisees and Sadducees in a particularly good light. If you think about it it make perfect sense why; the Pharisees and Sadducees are stuck in their way of thinking and this Nazarene comes to town teaching new ideals that conflict what they have taught for years? Not on their watch! So they want to catch him slipping up so they can show the Jews that he is blaspheming against their teachings instead of receiving the teachings with open mindedness.
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ReplyDeleteI was going to write about Luke 2:1-19, but I have already done that. Instead I chose Luke 5:27-32, I chose this because of the sheer dedication of people during this time. Jesus said "Follow me" and they dropped everything and did. Levi was a tax collector and he left his profession to follow Jesus. He then put together a huge feast which Jesus attended. Also in attendance were more tax collectors.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 3. How does Luke treat the Pharisees and Sadducees? Is his portrayal of these groups any different than Matthew's?
In this verse the Pharisees are asking the diciples why Jesus is "lowering" himself to eat with sinners. Luke chapter 5:31-32, 31 Jesus answered them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
This may be the best answer ever given. Luke is portraying the Pharisees the same way Matthew did. He is showing them what they are doing incorrectly.
1. The passage that I chose was Luke 11:5-10. This passage talks about how one should keep asking and searching for what you want and you will receive and find what you are looking for. I chose this because it is a good passage to remember when you feel like giving up on something. It can be applied to everyday life where you are searching for an answer to something. If you keep looking, you will eventually find it.
ReplyDelete2. I chose study question #1 to look at. Luke's reasoning for writing his gospel is this: "Many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us" (Luke 1:1). He is writing his gospel because others have tried writing of the events of Jesus's lifetime, and he wants to take a shot at writing those events in his own words. As for what sources he used, he describes them as "the original eyewitnesses and servants of the word." Luke uses the historian route and uses primary sources to document these events.
The verse that I think makes Luke a gospel that people want to hear is in the introduction to the gospel. This paragraph sets up for the entire gospel to be told his way. He added his own contributions and organized all of these materials in order to form a full and complete narrative. I think because Luke makes an effort with giving an "orderly account" and providing a narrative that people "may know the certainty of the things you have been taught."
ReplyDeleteIn comparing Luke 21 and Matthew 24 you can actually see a lot of similarities because it appears that they are discussing the same narrative. Both discuss what will happen at the "end of the age" when "He comes." However, there are still some subtle differences between the two. For example, Matthew 24:3 says that the disciples are asking Jesus for a "sign of His coming, and of the end of the age." But in Luke 21:7 the disciples ask to know when "will these things happen?" And there are quite a few other examples as well of how these two gospels differ.
The verse I chose was Luke 12:22-34; this is the passage where Jesus is telling his disciples not to worry about there life. I feel that this passage is a good example of why people find this Gospel so attractive because its really good advice for a problem quite a few people have. I also personally chose this passage simply because its something I needed to hear right now, as I'm pretty sure I have created a hole in the floor of my room as I pace trying to figure out something.
ReplyDeleteI chose to answer question 4. I feel that the reason that Luke doesn't quote the old testament as much but when he does he does so in greater length is because he is writing to a different audience then Matthew was. Matthew was writing for the Jews and so quoting small portions of the old testament would be of good use because the Jews would understand what Matthew was trying to get at based off of what the old testament said. Luke on the other hand is writing toward the gentiles, Luke could have quoted more old testament scripture but it would not have done him much good since the audience he is trying to reach isn't as familiar with the old testament scripture. because of there unfamiliarity with the old testament scriptures Luke need to quote longer portions of the old testament scriptures so that the gentiles would understand what the passage was saying.
The section I have chosen is 11:1-11. Just as John taught how people how pray. Jesus did the same thing he said when you pray say “‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread.4 Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.” I think this attract people because not many people know how to pray to God and Jesus told us and he also went on to say that Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” For me it lays it out that here in this passage that there will always be an open door or a clear path but you just need to ask.
ReplyDeleteQ1: It was written to strength of all believers and to answers the attacks of nonbelievers. He was not there personally so that makes him investigative journalists because he had to research and find the information from primary sources. :)
I've always thought that the book of Luke was particularly interesting. For academic types such as myself, they will gravitate to this book for the fact that Luke reads like a history book: info before Jesus' birth, Jesus' birth, life, death, resurrection, and briefly sets up the disciples' life post-Jesus (does that make sense?). As Luke was a doctor, and not of the Original 12, I expect his interviewing skills were excellent. The Gospel of Luke would be nicely read followed by the book of Acts.
ReplyDeleteAs for the answer to question 1, it was written to appeal both believers and non-believers alike. Believers use many Luke references apologetically, and it addresses the doubts of the non-believers. Since Luke had access to the best primary sources ever, I'm sure he grew exponentially in faith as he wrote it.
I believe chapter 2 verses 41 – 52 does a good job of explaining why the book of Luke is so attractive. This passage shows Luke’s amazing ability to give insight into the people he talks about. In this single story we learn more about the boy Jesus and how even in his young age he was already great in understanding. We also learn a little about his family. How they would go to Jerusalem every year and how they apparently went there with their kinfolk. Also it took them a day to realize he was missing because they thought he was with their kin which is another indication of what his family was like. We are shown that even though his parents had witnessed several miracles and even heard a prophecy concerning Jesus they still did not understand as can be seen with verse 49 “And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?” And finally we even learn a bit more about Mary. Even though she does not truly understand yet she still “kept all these sayings in her heart” rather than just brushing them aside and forgetting. He does all this while telling the story in a easy to grasp and enjoyable manner.
ReplyDeleteOverall the entire book of Luke is like this. He not only does a good job telling the story of Christ but he gives a great deal of insight into the main characters of the story. He also makes the story easy to grasp and even enjoyable for the average person. While Matthew focuses on a fairly factual account whose primary purpose is to establishing the legitimacy of Jesus as the Christ though his deeds and prophecy Luke, on the other hand, seems to focus on making the story come alive for us.
From the study questions, “Luke does not cite the Old Testament nearly as much as Matthew, but when he does cite the OT he does it at greater length. Why?” I do not know for a certainty but I believe it is because is primary purpose differs from Matthew is two big ways. First his audience is not just Jews. This means that many of his readers are not going to get as much out of small quotes from the prophets. They don’t have the same degree of understanding as a well-studied Jew. If that is the case than it makes since that he would generally quote less and when he did quote the prophets that he would put down more to make sure his non Jewish audience would get the point.
Second it appears that he is less interested in establishing Jesus’s legitimacy and more interested in chronicling the life of Jesus. While he does emphasize the miracles and even quotes some prophets these seem to only be used to better tell the story of Christ. Thus eye witness accounts and quotes from these eye witnesses seem to be of more value to his purpose than lots of quoting from the prophets.
I believe chapter 1 verses 26-55 is a rather beautiful description of the immaculate conception of Jesus. Rather than using riddles, it simply tells a story that everyone can understand easily. It tells a story of how an angel came to the Virgin Mary and gave her a son, the son of God. Another part I enjoy is when Mary tells Elizabeth, the child in Elizabeth's womb actually "jumps".
ReplyDeleteQ1: It was written for both believers and non-believers. It strengthened the beliefs of the believers and answered the doubts of the non believers. Luke uses primary sources for these writings, gathered from original eyewitnesses.