A Year in Luke/ActsSample

What themes have stood out over the last year? We will highlight four in our study this week.

Outsiders

Luke has a habit of bringing characters who would usually be considered outsiders to front and center stage. In the beginning of the gospel, we highlighted the shepherds and Mary as examples. Further in the gospel, we met characters like Zacchaeus the tax collector who on paper should’ve been one of the last people to be part of Jesus’ kingdom. Or we might also think back to Jesus’ use of parables like the Good Samaritan which dramatically emphasize this theme. This is all preparing us for the spread of the gospel in Acts when the Gentiles as outsiders of the people of God, will be accepted. Even Paul is in a funny way the great outsider who realizes he is, in fact, an insider when he is brought into the fold and sent to the Gentiles.