BIBL 110: New Testament Survey
4 The Gospels: Luke and John
Luke
Unique Features of Luke
oLuke is the longest book in the New Testament (14% of the New Testament)
oLuke-Acts was written as a volume work recounting the life of ________ and the
activity of the ________ in the birth of the ________ (Lk. 1:1-4; Acts 1:1-3)
Introductory Issues: Authorship
oExternal Evidence
Church Traditions affirms consensus that Luke, the beloved physician and
companion of Paul, wrote Luke-Acts (Col. 4:14; Lk. 1:40, 3:1; 14:47;
22:51)
Luke was neither ________ nor an ________ . It is unlikely that Luke
would have been named as author if this were not the consensus
understanding.
oInternal Evidence
The writer of Acts and the writer of Luke is the (Lk. 1:1-4; same person
Acts 1:1-3)
Both are dedicated to " "Theophilus
Acts follows the and of writing as Luke. Luke ends story manner
and Acts begins with the ________ of Jesus
The ________ (Acts 16:10-17; 20:5-15; 21:1-18; 27:1-28:16) suggest that
Luke was a traveling companion of ________
Introductory Issues: Date
oSuggested Dates
Pre-70 AD
Around 80 AD
End of the first century AD
Dating hinges on predictive prophecy
oMost likely date
Around
Introductory Issues: Setting & Destination
oThe recipient is named: "Theophilus"
"Lover of God"
Influential believer
New Christian
Monetary backer and literary patron who sponsored the publication for
Luke's work
oLuke most likely wrote for a audience. These were perhaps Gentile gentile
Christians who struggled with the success of the Gentile mission and apparent
failure of the church's outreach to the Jews, and who had doubts about
worshipping a rejected Jewish Messiah .
Structure of Luke
o1:1-4:13 - Prologue; Jesus' Birth and PreparationMinistry
o4:14-9:50 - Jesus' MinistryGalilean
o9:51-19:44 - Jesus' Journey to Jerusalem
o9:45-24:53 - Jesus' , Death and ResurrectionSuffering
Luke 1:1-4:13 - Prologue and Jesus' Birth and Ministry Preparation
oKey Figures in the Birth Narrative:
Zechariah and Elizabeth
John the Baptist
Mary
Shepherds and Angels
Simeon and Anna
4:14-9:50 - Jesus' Galilean Ministry
oJesus' Mission: A fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy
oJesus' reveals his divine power and compassion
Calms a storm(8:22-25)
Casts out (8:26-29)demons
Forgives sins(5:20)
Heals the (7:1-10; 8:48)sick
Raises the (7:14; 8:54)dead
oJesus reveals his expectations for his disciples: responsive faith in God
Parable: Parable of the (8:1-15)Sower
Example: the synagogue leader and the (8:40-56)Jairus bleeding
Principle: "Where is your faith?" (8:25)
9:51-19:44 - Jesus' Journey to Jerusalem
oThe advancement of Jesus' meant the of the King on behalf of kingdom sacrifice
the (9:18-27).helpless
oJesus' Kingdom is counter intuitive. Jesus teaches
about and obedience greatness in God's Kingdom.
Parable of the (10:25-37)Good Samaritan
Mary listener learner as a and (10:38-42)
oJesus teaches about the ________ and ________ of God toward a ________
Parable of the lost ________ (15:1-7)
Parable of the lost ________ (15:7-10)
Parable of the lost ________ (15:11-31)
oJesus' interaction with ________ demonstrates God's ________ of sinners (19:1-
10)
Theological Themes
o________ and the ________
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oIn Jesus, God is at work ________
oJesus' concern for the ________
Jesus ________ the widow of Zarephath (4:25-27)
Jesus praised the Gentile ________ (7:9)
Parable of the ________ (10:30-37)
oJesus is the ________ and ________ of the ________
Women (7:36-50; 10:38-42)
________ (2:17, 27, 40)
Sick (4:38-41)
________ (8:26-39)
John
Unique Features of John
oJohn contains a large amount of material ________ to his Gospel
oJohn probes more deeply than other writings into the mystery of the ________
oJohn and ________ are considered the most ________ -dense NT books
oJohn's ________ has decisively shaped the church's understanding of Jesus' nature
Authorship
oInternal Evidence: John, the Son of Zebedee & the ________ of Jesus Christ
The author identifies himself as "the ________ " (21:20, 24)
The author uses first person in 1:14, "________ ", revealing that he was
an ________
In passages in which the author provides eyewitness testimony, other
disciples are ________ . Those who are named can be ________ as the
possible author.
oExternal Evidence:
John, the Son of Zebedee & the apostle of Jesus Christ
________ (130-200 AD) and ________ (150-215 AD) are two of the
earliest witnesses to state John as the author.
The early church tradition ________ attributed the authorship to John
Date
o65 or 67 AD: ________ martyrdom (21:19)
o________ : ________ copy of the Gospel of John found
o________ : Best guess for dating John
Setting
oEarly patristic testimony supports the notion that John wrote in or
around Ephesus
Destination
oIt is reasonable to assume that living in and around Ephesus Jews and Gentiles
were John's primary intended audience.
oIt is also likely that John was written for a audienceuniversal
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Occasion
oDestruction of the Temple 70 in AD
oEmergence of thoughtGnostic
oFor readers to in Jesus (20:30-31)believe
Structure
oIntroduction: 1:1-18
o“The Book of ”: 1:19-12:50 – The signs of the Signs Messiah
o“The Book of ”: 13:1-20:31 – Anticipation of Jesus’ exaltation with Exaltation
the subsequent to his death, burial, and resurrectionfather
oEpilogue: 21
The Book of Signs (1:19-12:50)
o7 Signs of Jesus
oThe signs illuminate the of God in the person of Jesus and indicate his Glory
divinity.
The Book of Exaltation (13-20)
o7 “I AM” Statements
"I am the bread of life" -- John 6:35
"I am the of the world" -- John 8:12light
"I am the for the " -- John 10:7, 9door sheep
"I am the " -- John 10:11, 14good shepherd
"I am the resurrection life and the " -- John 11:25
"I am the , and the , and the " -- John 14:6way truth life
"I am the true " -- John 15:1, 5vine
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Jesus’ Final Words
oJesus teaches his disciples and prays for them, so that they may experience the
fullness of life that he offers.
Those who God the teaching of Jesus (14:23)love obey
They experience Jesus' ________ (14:27), ________ (15:10),
and ________ (15:11)
Those who love God are identifiable by their ________ (15:16)
and ________ (15:17) for one another.
Those who love God are set apart from the world, just as Jesus was
(15:18-20)
oJesus is going away, but this is best, because the will be sent (16:7).Spirit
Spirit
Spirit of Truth who goes out from the Father
o Testifies about Jesus (15:26)
oGuides us into truth (16:13)
Advocate
"He will prove the world to be in the wrong
about sin and righteousness and godliness " (16:8)
o"Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it
must remain in the vine" (15:4).
Theological Themes
oJesus is the word, the Lamb of God, and the Messianic Son of God
Word (Logos ): Jesus is presented as the Word sent from Heaven to
accomplish God's mission (1:1, 14; 13:1-3; 16:28)
oLamb of God : John is the only Gospel to describe Jesus as "the Lamb of
God". As the Lamb, he "takes away the sins of the world " (1:29). A vital part
of Jesus’ mission was the sacrificial removal of sin
oJesus is the Messianic Son of God sent by the Father (3:17, 35-36; 5:19-26;
6:40; 8:35-36; 14:13; 17:1)
The Gospel includes many "I have come " statements
Jesus is the performer of the Signs
oThe new community is made alive , empowered and guided by the Holy Spirit
(14-16; 20:22)
oSalvation and Substitutionary Atonement
The pre-incarnate Son of God is made flesh in the person of Jesus, the
Lamb of God and thus “Savior of the world " (4:42) who takes away
the sins of the world through substitutionary atonement.
God's purpose in sending Jesus was the salvation of the world ,
resulting in eternal life (3:16-17)
Salvation comes only through Jesus (14:6), is offered to all, and is
experienced by everyone who believes (3:16).
oJesus' fulfillment of Typology
The first half of John's Gospel (especially ch. 5-10), revolve
around Jesus’ fulfillment of the symbolism inherent in Jewish religious
festivals and other institutions.
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Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel’s destiny who brings into existence
a new community that believes in him (20:30-31)
Jesus predicted that the Temple would be destroyed and rebuilt in 3
days, a veiled reference to Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection (2:21)
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