1. Introduction. Wouldn’t it be great to have the apostle Luke as a member–and leader–of your local church? What is special today about having one or more doctors in a congregation? In what ways did Luke’s occupation resemble the work of physicians today? How did Luke’s background qualify him for his ministry to the Gentiles?

Image © Darrel Tank from GoodSalt.com

[Thought questions for The Coming of Jesus March 3, 2015]

2.  Luke the author. Which area of church work apparently involved the majority of Luke’s time and efforts–preaching? healing? writing? Was Luke one of Jesus’ twelve disciples? If not, where did he obtain the information needed to write about Him?  How could he rely on sources external to the Scriptures and still be considered a writer inspired of God? 

3. “Call his name John.” What does Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus’ cousin John tell us about the similarities between the two babies? And the differences? What does Luke proclaim that his primary role in life was? What does it take for a person of God to accept the challenge of preparing the way on earth for the mighty King of the universe? Did John meet the challenge successfully? Will we?

4. “Call His name Jesus.” Jesus was born, like all babies, naked and gasping for breath, lungs expanding to accept life. He was the fulfillment of a promise given at the dawn of mankind’s history. What was significant about the name “Jesus” as his name? Did He go by that name throughout His earthly life?  

5. The manger of Bethlehem. Luke was a historian as well as a writer. What points of history did he mention in the story of Jesus’ birth and his family’s preparation for it? Was Jesus poor by modern standards? By the standards of His time on earth? Can you bring to mind the three “vital matters of Christian theology” that Luke made clear in his report of the birth of Jesus?

6. Witnesses to the Savior. Why did Luke take such great pains to link the Old Testament with the new in his story of Jesus’ birth? Was it hard for Luke’s audience to understand this? Why? What was the greatest episode of suffering that Mary endured because of Jesus her Son? Explain the following: Christ demands exclusiveness. What price do we pay for a door that opens to eternal salvation.

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