1st. You need: a readable Bible, a notebook and a pen.
2nd. “ Before You Read ” will give you some background info on New Testament culture, the Jewish religion, and historical data.
3rd. “ As You Read ” will provide a “ heads up ” to certain points for which to look.
4th. Print this plan so you don't have to fuss with your computer every time you want to read. Here's the link for a pdf: Gospel of Luke
5th. Overlook headings that publishers have added to your Bible. Read as if reading a story.
6th. Take notes of things that are new to you or that you would like to know more about.
7th. Your Bible probably has a dozen maps in the back. Find the one that is about the era of Jesus. Take a bit of time to find:
~ Nazareth, about halfway between the Mediterranean Sea and the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee
~ Jerusalem and Bethlehem just northwest of the Dead Sea
~ The Jordan River running from Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea
~ Notice the distance scale.
You can do this. Let's read!
Luke 1
Before you read:
o Elijah was a Prophet in the Old Testament. Malachi, the last Prophet in the Old Testament, had prophesied that before the promised Savior of Israel would come, another ‘ Elijah ’ would come to announce him.
o David had been Israel's greatest king 600 years before Jesus was born. God had promised David that one of his descendants would rule over Israel forever.
As you read:
Zacharias and Mary both saw and heard an angel. Compare their reactions and write them in your notebook.
Thought for your Day:
"My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior" (1: 46-47).
Luke 2
Before you read:
o When a writer of a New Testament book has been quoted from the Old Testament, the publishers of your Bible have probably used a different type font to let you know this. Look at verses 23-24 to see what that looks like.
o “ The Law of the Lord ” is God's word and commands given to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament.
As you read:
What were the people who loved and cared for God waiting for? What would he do for them? Jot these things down.
Thought for Your Day:
“For my eyes have seen Your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples; a Light of Revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people, Israel" (2:30-32).
Luke 3
Before you read:
Baptism was – and still is – a ceremony to publicly express identification with a religious movement. In this context, the Baptism with water was to indicate that the person had already repented of his or her sins and, on that basis, had been forgiven. There are two more mentions of Baptism in these verses, but not with water.
As you read:
As mentioned in this chapter, describe Jesus. Write down everything you can find in these verses. Oh, and he's in King David's line (reverse 31)!
Thought for Your Day:
“. . . A voice came out of heaven, 'You are My beloved Son, in You I am well-pleased'" (3:22).
Luke 4
Before you read:
o The synagogue was the local place for the Jews to worship. The Temple was only in Jerusalem, and most good Jews went there at least once a year.
o The Jews thought they were better than Gentiles, and Sidon and Syria were Gentile areas. The stories of Elijah and Elisha are in the Old Testament, which the Jews knew well.
As you read:
o How did Jesus answer the devil's temptations?
o What were the various reactions to Jesus' teaching and miracles? What is yours? Write it in your notebook.
Thought for Your Day:
“. . . It is written: You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only ” (4: 8).
Luke 5
Before you read:
o Moses was Israel's first and greatest Prophet.
o Pharisees were the religious leaders of Israel at this time, though they had very little clout because Israel was occupied by the Roman Empire. They did have a lot of clout over their people and how they were to live.
o The Scribes were in charge of making copies of God's word and of making sure it was kept as error-free as possible.
As you read:
In what ways did the people see Jesus' power and authority? Add them to your notebook.
Thought for Your Day:
“ Seeing their faith, He said, ‘ Friend, your sins are forgiven you. ’ ” (5:20).
Luke 6
Before you read:
The Sabbath was a day of rest commanded by God in the Old Testament. Nice idea! As you will see as you continue to read, the Jewish leaders had added thousands of little laws and caveats which were impossible to follow. And they lost the main point: a day of rest. Ahhhhh!
As you read:
Jesus does a lot of teaching in this section. Watch for things you have never thought about before and write your thoughts in your notebook.
Thought for Your Day:
“ But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you" (6:27-28).
Luke 7
Before you read:
A centurion was Roman, not Jewish. He was the commander of 100 men, and this one had been stationed in Capernaum, on the north coast of the Sea of Galilee.
As you read:
What type of man was Jesus? List how you know this from reading this chapter.
Thought for Your Day:
“ For this reason, I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." (7:47).
Luke 8
Before you read:
o The purpose of a parable is to arouse curiosity. Jesus explains the parable to those who ask. See verse 10.
o Pigs (or swine) were unclean and inedible to the Jews.
As you read:
In what areas do you see Jesus' power displayed? How did the people who saw this respond? What is your response? Write it down.
Thought for Your Day:
“ Now the parable is this: the seed is the word of God ” (8:11).
Luke 9
Before you read:
Samaritans were half Jewish and half Gentile. There was a lot of racial tension between the Jews and the Samaritans. They lived in an area north of Jerusalem but south of the Sea of Galilee.
As you read:
o According to Jesus, what is the evidence of someone who is following Jesus? Why are these things not easy?
o Where is Jesus determined to go?
Thought for Your Day:
“ If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me" (9:23).
Luke 10
Before you read:
o Although we usually hear of the twelve disciples, Jesus had many other followers as well. These are often called disciples. We also saw many of the women who were following Jesus and supporting his ministry at the beginning of chapter 8.
o Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities that had been destroyed because of their cruelty to the nation of Israel.
o Priests and Levites were Jewish religious leaders. Samaritans, as you will remember were hated half-breeds.
As you read:
This is the middle point in this Gospel of Luke. Jesus, whose name was written down in a Roman census in chapter 2, now tells his followers where it is more important to have their name written down.
Thought for Your Day:
“. . . Only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which should not be taken away from her" (10:42).
Luke 11
Before you read:
o Beelzebul is “ Lord of the Flies, ” a name for Satan.
o Note that Jesus spoke of the story of Jonah and the fish as a historical fact.
As you read:
What are some points Jesus makes about prayer?
What did the Pharisees, scribes, and lawyers do to set up Jesus?
Thought for Your Day:
“ 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" (11:9).
Luke 12
Before you read:
o It is interesting that although the Scribes and Pharisees were plotting against Jesus, his popularity was not diminished.
o Leaven is what makes bread rise. Once added, it is impossible to remove it. In Jewish culture, leaven represented sin.
As you read:
o This is another section where Jesus teaches a lot. Take notes of parables that cause you to think, and write your thoughts and questions.
o What teaching and warning does Jesus give to those who are wealthy?
Thought for Your Day:
“ Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also ” (12:34).
Luke 13
Before you read:
The incidents mentioned at the beginning of this chapter are mentioned nowhere else in the Bible or in history. They probably happened, but Jesus is using the stories to make a point.
As you read:
o Where is Jesus still going?
o What does Jesus tell them about the Kingdom of God?
Thought for Your Day:
“. . . Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” (13:35).
Luke 14
Before you read:
Jesus is teaching the people about the Kingdom of God. They were looking forward to it to save them from the Romans, but Jesus was talking about a kingdom much more long-lasting.
As you read:
o Jesus gives so many illustrations in this chapter, that it will be difficult for you to think about them all. After you have read this section, go back and choose one or two illustrations to figure out.
o Don’t give up; keep reading!
Thought for Your Day:
“For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (14:11).
Luke 15
Before you read:
Jesus teaches three parables that have become famous.
As you read:
What was the point of the three stories to the people listening? What is the point for you?
Thought for Your Day:
“I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (15:10).
Luke 16
Before you read:
More veiled teaching in the form of parables.
As you read:
o What does Jesus teach about wealth?
o What does he teach about death and the after-life?
Thought for Your Day:
“No one can serve two masters . . .. You cannot serve God and wealth" (16:13).
Luke 17
Before you read:
o Leprosy was a terrible, contagious disease. No one was allowed to touch a leprous person. If they were cured, they had to prove it to the authorities.
o The times of Noah and Lot were characterized by the most wicked and damaging evils human beings could commit.
As you read:
o Where is Jesus still going?
o What additional teaching does Jesus give about the Kingdom of God? Do you think the people listening could understand everything he said?
Thought for Your Day:
“Whoever seeks to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it" (17:33).
Luke 18
Before you read:
o Jesus spent the first 10 chapters coming into the world. Now he is on his way out, and he wants to know who would like to come with him.
As you read:
o If people want to be citizens of the Kingdom of God, what are some things that characterize those citizens?
Thought for Your Day:
“The things that are impossible with people are possible with God" (18:27).
Luke 19
Before you read:
o This marks the beginning of what is known as “Passion Week.” It begins in verse 28 with what we call Palm Sunday and ends in the middle of chapter 24 with Jesus’s triumph.
o Tax collectors were Jews who collected taxes for the Roman government – traitors!
As you read:
o For those who don’t think that Jesus was really the Son of God, what proofs do you find in this chapter?
o What does Jesus say about himself? What kind of a person says those things about himself?
Thought for Your Day:
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (19:10).
Luke 20
Before you read:
The Sadducees were a Jewish sect that did not believe in a resurrection and after-life.
As you read:
Notice that Jesus seems to be on a collision course with the religious leaders of his day.
Thought for Your Day:
“Render to Caesar (the government) the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God's" (20:25).
Luke 21
Before you read:
Jesus teaches in this section about the end of the world as we know it. Some of it happened in A.D. 70 when Titus Caesar besieged and flattened Jerusalem. All of it will happen someday.
As you read:
What comfort and assurance does Jesus give his followers?
Thought for Your Day:
“Heaven and earth will pass away but My words will not pass away” (21:33).
Luke 22
Before you read:
o The Passover was Israel’s greatest celebration to remember when God had led the people out of slavery in Egypt. When Pharoah would not allow them to leave, God, through Moses, sent ten plagues upon the land of Egypt. The final plague took the life of every first-born in the country. The only way to be saved was to kill a lamb and paint its blood upon the outside of the door lintels. Then the Death Angel would see the blood and “pass over” the house. Every year, the people would celebrate by killing a lamb and having a feast, after offering the blood in the Temple.
o In the Jewish religion, it is a capital crime to claim to be God.
As you read:
o Notice how deviously good Judas was in his plot. No one suspected.
o What is Jesus’ attitude throughout this chapter?
Thought for Your Day:
“. . . Pray that you may not enter into temptation” (22:40).
Luke 23
Before you read:
o Just as it is today, back in Jesus’s day, there were many layers of government. In this case, there were the religious leaders, Herod, who was a Jewish king, and Pontius Pilate, who was the Roman ruler.
o Crucifixion was a very common punishment for traitors, murderers, and insurrectionists. The only ones authorized to carry out this punishment were Roman soldiers. They were very good at their job and no one ever survived.
As you read:
o Who were all the people Jesus interacted with, even in the midst of all the injustice?
o What could they learn from him, if they were really listening? Are you listening?
Thought for Your Day:
“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing” (23:34).
Luke 24
Before you read:
At the end of Matthew’s gospel, it’s made clear that a heavy stone was rolled across the mouth of the cave-like tomb, and a Roman guard was tasked with guarding the tomb so that Jesus’s disciples could not steal the body.
As you read:
o Notice how much proof there was that Jesus had indeed risen from the dead.
o What are your thoughts?
Thought for Your Day:
“Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and He said to them,
‘Thus, it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem'" (24:45-47).
Well, you did it!
You finished the Gospel of Luke. You deserve a mocha!
Reading the Bible, however, has its own rewards, and I hope you have found some of them.
I don’t know about you, but I feel as if I should read over the last couple chapters again. There is so much in them, and the events are so . . . holy and thought-worthy.
Before you leave Luke, take a look back at the “Thoughts for Your Day.” Isn’t it interesting that the early ones seem to match up with the later ones? I hope you are finding more new thoughts every day.
Remember, if you haven't done so already, you can download this study in pdf form. Click on this link: Gospel of Luke
Once
you have finished, Luke continues his story in the Book of Acts.
o What happened to Peter?
o What happened to Judas?
o What happened to all the women who were following Jesus?
o What happened to Jesus?
o How did this little Jewish sect evolve into churches?
Luke’s "Acts of the Apostles" answers all these questions and many more. Are you ready?
Let’s keep reading!
Check out my Reading Plan for Acts,
which will be coming soon.