SPM Bible Knowledge key terms

The person to whom Luke addresses both his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles, called "most excellent," suggesting a patron or official of high social standing who received these writings.

The two-volume work by the same author, the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles, joined by a shared preface, style, and theme of salvation spreading from Jerusalem to Rome.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke, so called because they share much material and can be set side by side in parallel columns for comparison, unlike the Gospel of John.

Mary's song of praise in Luke 1, beginning "My soul magnifies the Lord," celebrating God's mercy and his lifting up of the humble and hungry.

The scene in Luke 1 where the angel Gabriel appears to Mary in Nazareth and announces that she will conceive and bear a son named Jesus.

The angel who appears to Zechariah in the temple and later to Mary, announcing the births of John the Baptist and Jesus in the opening chapters of Luke.

Simeon's prayer in Luke 2, beginning "Lord, now let your servant depart in peace," spoken when he holds the infant Jesus in the temple.

The episode in Luke 2 where Mary and Joseph bring the infant Jesus to Jerusalem, where Simeon and the prophetess Anna recognize and speak about him.

The prophet and forerunner born to Zechariah and Elizabeth, who preaches repentance and baptism and prepares the way for Jesus in Luke's Gospel.

The event in Luke 3 where Jesus is baptized in the Jordan by John, the Holy Spirit descends like a dove, and a voice from heaven declares him God's beloved Son.

The list in Luke 3 tracing Jesus' ancestry backward from Joseph through David and Abraham to Adam, presenting him as son of God and connected to all humanity.

The account in Luke 4 where the devil tests Jesus three times over forty days in the desert, and Jesus answers each temptation with Scripture.

The scene in Luke 4 where Jesus reads Isaiah in his hometown synagogue, claims the prophecy is fulfilled, and is rejected by the townspeople.

The biblical year of release and restoration that Jesus evokes in Luke 4 when he announces good news to the poor, liberty to captives, and recovery of sight to the blind.

A central Lukan theme declaring that the gospel is addressed especially to the poor, hungry, and outcast, as seen in the Nazareth sermon and the Beatitudes.

Luke's version of Jesus' teaching on blessings and woes, delivered on a level place, including love of enemies and the command to be merciful as God is merciful.

Jesus' instruction in Luke 6 to treat others as you would want them to treat you, set within his teaching on love of enemies and generosity.

A story in Luke 10 in which a Samaritan helps a wounded traveler after a priest and a Levite pass by, illustrating who is a neighbor.

The twofold command to love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself, which Jesus affirms in Luke 10.

Two sisters in Luke 10 who host Jesus; Martha is busy serving while Mary sits at his feet, and Jesus commends Mary's choice to listen.

A story in Luke 15 about a son who wastes his inheritance, returns in repentance, and is welcomed by a forgiving father, alongside a resentful older brother.

A short parable in Luke 15 in which a shepherd leaves ninety-nine sheep to search for one lost one, and rejoices when it is found.

A story in Luke 12 about a wealthy man who builds bigger barns for his crops but dies that night, showing the folly of storing up treasure for oneself.

A recurring Lukan theme warning the rich about complacency and materialism while commending generosity, as in the rich fool and the story of Zacchaeus.

A chief tax collector in Jericho who climbs a tree to see Jesus, receives him gladly, repents, and promises to repay those he has defrauded.

People who gathered taxes for Rome and were widely despised as collaborators and sinners; Luke shows Jesus eating with them and calling one, Levi, to follow him.

The post-resurrection story in Luke 24 in which two disciples walk with the risen Jesus, recognize him in the breaking of bread, and return to Jerusalem to report.

The accounts in Luke 24 of the risen Jesus appearing to the women at the tomb, to Peter, to the Emmaus disciples, and to the gathered disciples in Jerusalem.

The event at the end of Luke and the beginning of Acts in which Jesus is taken up into heaven after commissioning his disciples to be his witnesses.

The second volume by Luke, narrating the spread of the gospel from Jerusalem to Rome through the work of the Holy Spirit and leaders like Peter and Paul.

The day in Acts 2 when the Holy Spirit descends on the disciples with wind and tongues of fire, enabling them to speak in other languages and launching the church.

The power and presence of God that fills, guides, and empowers the disciples throughout Acts, directing mission and confirming the spread of the gospel.

The address in Acts 2 in which Peter explains Pentecost using Scripture, proclaims Jesus crucified and risen, and calls the crowd to repent and be baptized.

A turning away from sin that Luke and Acts repeatedly join to faith and baptism as the proper response to the gospel message.

The early Jerusalem community described in Acts 2 and 4, devoted to teaching, sharing possessions, breaking bread, and prayer, with goods held in common.

One of the seven chosen to serve the Jerusalem church, who becomes the first Christian martyr after a speech before the council and is stoned in Acts 7.

The persecutor of the church who becomes the apostle Paul after encountering the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, as recounted in Acts.

The route where Saul is blinded by a light and hears the risen Jesus, an event in Acts 9 that turns him from persecutor into apostle.

A Roman centurion in Acts 10 whose vision and reception of the Holy Spirit convince Peter that the gospel is open to Gentiles as well as Jews.

The extension of the gospel beyond Jewish circles to non-Jews, affirmed in Acts through Peter's visit to Cornelius and Paul's missionary work.

The meeting in Acts 15 where church leaders decide that Gentile converts need not be circumcised or follow the whole Mosaic law to belong to the church.

The series of travels in Acts in which Paul and companions plant churches across Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece, later ending in his journey to Rome.

The storm and wreck described in Acts 27 during Paul's voyage to Rome, in which all aboard survive and Paul reaches Malta.

The practice of welcoming and hosting travelers and missionaries, a prominent theme in both Luke's Gospel and Acts as a sign of belonging to the community.