Luke 9 & 10
The beheading of John the Baptist must have been devastating to Jesus. His sense of urgency to share the news of salvation increases because he knows his time is short also.
Jesus' ministry grows as the disciples are sent out two by two with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They tell others about the gospel message but do they really get it yet? Do they truly understand that Jesus had to give up his life to win theirs? Sometimes it seems Jesus' messages go right over the disciples heads. How good is God that our faith isn't based on our flawed scholarly efforts but rather the gentle work of the Holy Spirit. He reveals truth to our hearts!
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure." Luke 10:21
Did you read that? God takes pleasure in revealing himself to us by the Holy Spirit! Reading God's Word isn't some grueling homework assignment. No, it is a rich filling gift to us of love, wisdom, and grace. God's Word feeds our faith!
Luke 9 & 10 have some of the most recognized stories of the Bible; one of the feedings of the five thousand, the parable of the Good Samaritan, and the sisters Mary and Martha with their famous hospitality quarrel. It must have been refreshing for Jesus to see Mary focusing on his words.
Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken from her. Luke 10:42
Below is a Bible study sheet that will serve as a guide for Luke 9 & 10. Click here or on the image below and print pages 13-14. Most notes will be written in the margins of your Bible or printed Luke text but there are some specific questions to be answered on the Bible study sheet as well.
Here‘s what else you need: - A Bible journal with wide margins OR you can print the whole book of Luke double spaced with 12 font. - An additional Bible translation to compare. NIV, NKJV, NASB, & ESV are some reliable ones. - An audio Bible, audio Bible app, or you can listen online here. - A trusted Bible commentary. I have the Luke People's Bible Commentary. - A regular pencil & some colored pencils. - A Holy Hen House annotation bookmark (below).
It may feel hard at first. Jen Wilkin in her book Women of the Word reassures us, "...Bible study becomes more intuitive the more you do it. It is the process for an orderly, long-term building project with cumulative benefits. Even if you are in a season of life that won't allow you to use ALL the tools of the process exhaustively, you can use them as far as your time does allow. Build slowly if you must, but by all means, build."
One important aspect that should not be overlooked during our time in God's Word is prayer. Before, during, and after. As Jen Wilkin says,
Prayer is what changes our study from the pursuit of knowledge to the pursuit of God himself.
Let's encourage one another throughout the week by sharing images of us studying the book of Luke on Instagram and Facebook using #HHHBibleStudy. It is an extra motivation to know we are reading God's Word together!
If you haven't already, don't forget to join our private online bible study Facebook group of 250+ women! That's where we will be discussing our questions, answers, and thoughts throughout the week.
