Luke Chapters 2 & 3 

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Take the Quiz on Luke chapters 2 & 3 when done

Luke 2 Outline:
2:1-7  The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
2:1-3  The census decreed by Caesar Augustus.
2:4-5  Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem.
2:6-7  Mary gives birth to Jesus.
2:8-14  The Angels appear to the shepherds by night.
2:15-20  The shepherds visit Jesus at the manger.
2:21-38  Jesus is presented at the temple.
2:25-35  Simeon gives a prophesy about Jesus.
2:36-38  Anna the prophetess sees Jesus.
2:39  Joseph and Mary return to their home in Nazareth.
2:40  Jesus grew and became strong. 
2:41-51  Jesus amazes the teachers at the temple.
2:52  Jesus increased in wisdom, stature and favor.

Luke 3 Outline:
3:1-2  Luke gives historical events and times to establish the date.
3:3-6  John comes on the scene fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy.
3:7-18  John preaches his message.
3:19-20  A reference to John’s imprisonment.
3:21-22  Jesus is baptized by John and the Holy Spirit descended on Him and remained.
3:23-38  The genealogy of Jesus. 

Fun Facts:
— A manger is a feeding box for livestock like horses or cattle. 
— The Roman census was for the collection of taxes.
— The word “Christ” means “Anointed.”
— Jesus began His ministry at thirty years of age (Luke 3:23).

Study Notes:
— The roman emperor Caesar Augustus held a census to count the people for tax purposes. This is a historical fact called the “Census of Quirinius.” Some dispute the date but no one disputes that it happened. It is recorded in Luke chapter 2:1-3. Luke based his writing upon the facts and true events of the time. God used a heathen rulers tax system to fulfill the prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). This was certainly an “inconvenience” to Joseph and Mary. God was at work the whole time, but no one saw it happening. 

— Joseph and Mary lived in Nazareth, a small town in the region of Galilee. Because Joseph was descended from David, he had to travel to Bethlehem to register. This was 70-80 miles away and would have taken at least 4 days on a donkey. Everyone was traveling because of the census and finding somewhere to spend the night would have been difficult, so Jesus was born in a stable. That hotel missed a great opportunity, the birth of the Son of God. The manger was an open box where the livestock ate their food. 

— The professional workers of God, priests, scribes and others completely missed what God was doing, while the poor shepherds in the field tending sheep saw it. They were the minimum wage workers of the time, the “marginalized.” Also Simeon and Anna who had waited and waited yet still served God faithfully praying and fasting, both recognized Jesus. 

— When Jesus was 12, He knew that God was his Father (Luke 2:49).

— Change always begins with a word from the Lord. It is the great “Equalizer” and is not a respecter of persons, and is all that you need. John had the true word, a crazy diet of locusts, wild honey and wore camel hair, yet thousands turned out to hear him because he carried the word even though he called them a “brood of vipers.”

— John’s message was that they were not saved merely because they were a descendant of Abraham. The religious and self-righteous of the day viewed themselves as saved by inheritance and everyone else was lost. Today, you are not saved because you go to church or because your parents were Christians. Walking into a church does not make you a Christian anymore than walking into a McDonalds makes you a hamburger.

Religious people compare themselves to others as a form of measurement. They take pride in the things that they do right, but tolerate their own “honest” (judgmental) attitudes. They measure people by their own rules like whether others cut their grass on Sunday, fish on Sunday, or vote a certain way, or support a certain cause, in order for them to be a Christian. None of those things are in the Bible, they are all added by religion. 

Map of Mary and Josephs journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem:

Discussion Questions (if your answers are very long, you may want to type them first in something like Word or Notepad, which doesn't require an Internet connection, then copy and paste (Ctrl-A to select, Ctrl-V to copy, Ctrl-V to paste), to prevent mishaps.  Also, there is a 3K character limit, so if they are super long, feel free to post more than once, and just answer a couple of questions at a time. We look forward to your thoughts!)

1) When the angel and heavenly host announced the birth of the Christ, why do you think they made the proclamation to a group of shepherds and not to the rulers of the day?

2) The original Hebrew spelling for “Jesus” was “Yeshua”, meaning “deliverer” or “savior”. Joshua, who led the the Israelites into the Promised Land (Joshua 1) also shared the same name. Do you believe God is making a connection here? What are your thoughts on that?

3) Though He was God incarnate, as a boy Jesus went to connect with the teachers at the temple and ask them questions. Why do you think that He did that? 

4) John the Baptist said that said that he would baptize with water, but that Jesus would baptize with “the Holy Spirit and with fire”. Why do you think two baptisms were required and what does that mean to you?

5) Why do you think God included the entire genealogy of Jesus in the Bible?

Take the Quiz on Luke chapters 2 & 3