Session 4: Luke Chapters 7-8 God Draws Near (Part 2)
This 12-session study looks at the heart of Jesus for all people, as seen in the book of Luke. It is in Luke’s gospel that we see the breadth of Jesus’ ministry to reach all people, to bring all into his arms and show them his heart for them personally. Since Christ and the Father are one (John 10:30), Luke provides the opportunity to see for ourselves how God interacts with his beloved, how he showers his beloved with goodness and mercy all of our days (Ps 23:6). And the good news is that you are his beloved! He delights in you (Zeph 3:17)!
This post is the second part of session four of the study, with each session opening with warm-up introductory questions, going on to a reading from Luke and questions related to the passage. Then the study goes to the comparative or referenced Old Testament passages found in the assigned reading with accompanying questions. Each study session ends with considerations for personal application. The study is appropriate for individual or small group application. Feel free to share the response to an application question or just comment on the study itself below.
Old Testament Links
Luke’s telling of the raising a widow’s son is not the first account like this in the Bible. 1 Kings 17:17-24 also tells of the raising of a son. Read 1 Kings 17:17-24 and compare it to Luke 7:11-17. What are the similarities and differences between the accounts? How is Jesus greater than the prophet?
How does the Centurion (Luke 7:1-10) also relate to 1 Kings 17:24?
Isaiah 63:7-9 extols the Lord’s compassions and mercy. How is this also shown in the raising of the dead in Luke 7:11-17?
Read Psalm 63. What powers are mentioned that belong to God alone. How are the disciples like the singers of the psalm and how are they not yet like them? Consider the actions and words of the disciples compared to the psalm.
Application
Share a time when fear overcame you and how you dealt with it. The Lord is sovereign; share how you now see his hand at work in that time.
What are now hoping for? How does your faith intersect with that hope?
