Luke 1-13 Twenty Questions

 1. Based on Luke 1:1-4, is it more likely that Luke’s account of Jesus Christ was one of the first ones composed, or one of the later ones?

2. How does Gabriel’s proclamation in Luke 1:13-17 indicate that John the Baptist will be a fulfillment of Malachi 4:5-6 and Isaiah 40:3?

3. What is the difference between Zechariah’s and Mary’s responses to the angelic message of an impending miraculous birth?

4. What does the story of Jesus as a 12-year-old at the Temple reveal about His priorities?

5. How would you react if someone called you “a snake”?  How did John’s audience respond to him calling them “a brood of vipers”?

6. How should we interpret the differences in the genealogies of Jesus between Matthew 1 and Luke 3?

7. What do you make of the fact that in Luke 4:10-11, “the devil can cite scripture for his purpose?”

8. In Luke 4:18-19, why do you suppose Jesus did not finish the entire quote from Isaiah 61:1-2?

9. What made the good synagogue-going citizens of Nazareth want to throw Jesus off a cliff?

10. What is Simon’s initial reaction to the miracle of the great catch of fish?

11. In contrast to Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, Luke’s Sermon on the Plain includes corresponding “woes” to the beatitudes.  Where do we see this idea of a “reversal of fortunes” elsewhere in Luke?

12. Do you think Jesus honestly meant for His followers to practice “turning the other cheek” (Luke 6:29) or was He exaggerating?

13. What factors motivated Jesus to a) heal the centurion’s servant and b) raise the son of the widow of Nain?

14. Why would John the Baptist question if Jesus was the Messiah in Luke 7:19?  Was Jesus offended at his doubt?

15. What does Jesus say is the surprising connection between love and forgiveness in Luke 7?  How does He reveal this?

16. What role did women play in the ministry of Jesus, according to Luke 8:1-3?

17. Reconcile the apparent contradiction of Luke 9:50 (“Whoever is not against you is for you.”) and Luke 11:23 (“Whoever is not with me is against me.”)

18. Based on the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37, how should we answer the question, “Who is my neighbor?”

19. In what way does Jesus draw unfavorable comparisons between the people of His day with earlier Bible times (Luke 10:8-15; 11:29-32)?

20. How do you interpret the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast?  How is the Kingdom of God like these things?