The Bible Course Sample

Messiah and the Gospels – Jesus enters the story  

Reflect  

What memories do you have of literature lessons? The stories you read then stay with you. The best books leave you feeling something or considering a change of perspective. That doesn’t happen unintentionally. Authors desire an outcome, so they carefully craft their words. The Gospel writers are no different; they write with intention.  

What do we learn about Luke’s purpose in writing?  

One of the most frequently asked questions around the Bible is about its reliability.  

After all, sensational stories sell books but are they based on facts? Can we really trust the accounts written of the life of Jesus? 

Luke’s is one of the earliest accounts of Jesus’ life. He starts by telling us how and why he wrote. There’s nothing cryptic about this preface!  

Luke wants the authentic testimonies he heard captured on paper so that Theophilus may have ‘certainty of the things’ he had been taught. He wants Theophilus (who we know little about, but his name means ‘friend of God’) to have confidence that Jesus really is who he said he is. Every Gospel writer writes with intention. Luke wants all who are doubting to see the story of Jesus as the fulfillment of the story of God and Israel and indeed the whole world!  

Luke’s ‘how’ will satisfy many readers. He’s a doctor, so he knows the importance of carefulness and order. Read his work and you’ll see that these primary sources are not hearsay but history. This is no ordinary biography because Jesus is no ordinary man. It’s God entering His own story and walking onto the stage of human history. 

Unlike most biographies, the Gospels only briefly mention Jesus’ first 30 years. Instead, they focus on the final three years. And they go into slow motion for His final week as if to say, ‘This is not a typical end – His death is the climax of His life!’ So their clear intention was not just to record a great life from the past but to call us to put our faith in Jesus now. 

After reading the Gospels, we must face the most important question of all: Do we believe Jesus is who He says He is – that He’s God’s son? And will we make Him our Lord and Savior? 

Respond 

Are you struggling for certainty today? Why not in a community be honest with one another and work through doubts that you have today?