Free printable Bible study guide
Luke Bible study guide
Read Luke as a whole before working through the sessions. Let its own structure set the agenda.
Short path · 30 to 45 minutes
Luke at a glance
Luke describes the coming of Jesus as good news for the entire world-for people of every race, age, gender, ethnic group, and social position. [1]
- Context
- Author: Luke, a physician and occasional companion of the apostle Paul. Date: Either around AD 59-63, during Paul’s imprisonment in Rome, or between AD 70-90, using the Gospel of Mark as a source. Setting: Written during a time of increasing tension between Jews and Christians, in which Luke sought to demonstrate that those-both Jew and Gentile-who believed that Jesus was the Messiah made up the new people of God. [1]
- How to read it
- Read this Gospel as a coherent witness to Jesus. Notice scene order, repeated questions, fulfillment, conflict, and the movement toward the cross and resurrection.
Group study · 6 sessions
Work through Luke in order
Read each passage aloud before discussion. The questions begin with observation, then move toward interpretation and faithful response.
Session 1 · 170 verses
Luke 1-3
People and terms: Mary, Zechariah, Elizabeth, Jesus, John, Jerusalem
- Before anyone explains it, walk through what actually happens here. Who does what, in what order?
- What does the writer repeat? Repetition is usually the point, not a habit.
- What surprised you, or what did you have to read twice?
- Zechariah turns up in this section. What does the passage actually show, as opposed to what you already assumed?
- The word angel is doing real work here. What did you assume it meant, and does the passage agree?
- What did the writer choose to include here, and why that detail?
- Where does this cut against something you already believe or already do?
Session 2 · 182 verses
Luke 4-7
People and terms: Jesus, John, Sabbath, Pharisees, Judea, Andrew
- Tell the story back in your own words. What is easy to skip over?
- Who is being addressed here, and what do they already know that we do not?
- What is assumed rather than argued? Those assumptions are often the real claim.
- Read this section from where Andrew was standing. What changes?
- Define synagogue from this passage alone, without reaching for what you already know.
- This is a story, not a lesson with a moral attached. What is it showing rather than telling?
- What would actually be different this week if you took this seriously?
Session 3 · 214 verses
Luke 8-11
People and terms: Jesus, John, Peter, Elijah, Jerusalem, Jonah
- What happens in this section that you would struggle to explain to someone who has never read it?
- Which single verse carries the weight of this section?
- What is left unsaid that you expected to be said?
- What does the writer tell us about Jonah, and what is deliberately left out?
- Where else have you heard kingdom used, and is it being used that way here?
- Whose perspective are we given, and whose are we denied?
- Who do you know who needs to hear this, and what stops you saying it?
Session 4 · 192 verses
Luke 12-16
People and terms: Abraham, Sabbath, Pharisees, Jerusalem, Lazarus, Jesus
- Read it once more, slowly. What do you notice the second time that you missed the first?
- Where does the tone shift, and what causes it?
- What question does this section answer that you had not thought to ask?
- What would this section sound like if Lazarus were telling it?
- The word kingdom is doing real work here. What did you assume it meant, and does the passage agree?
- What would you have written differently if you wanted to make a point?
- What is the hardest thing in this passage to accept, and why that one?
Session 5 · 212 verses
Luke 17-21
People and terms: Jesus, Jerusalem, David, Scribes, Lot, Abraham
- If this were the only part of the book you had, what would you conclude about Jesus?
- What does the writer repeat? Repetition is usually the point, not a habit.
- What surprised you, or what did you have to read twice?
- Lot turns up in this section. What does the passage actually show, as opposed to what you already assumed?
- Define kingdom from this passage alone, without reaching for what you already know.
- What did the writer choose to include here, and why that detail?
- If this is true, what have you been getting wrong?
Session 6 · 179 verses
Luke 22-24
People and terms: Jesus, Pilate, Peter, Jerusalem, Passover, Judas
- Where does the pace change here, and what is the writer slowing down for?
- Who is being addressed here, and what do they already know that we do not?
- What is assumed rather than argued? Those assumptions are often the real claim.
- Read this section from where Judas was standing. What changes?
- Where else have you heard kingdom used, and is it being used that way here?
- This is a story, not a lesson with a moral attached. What is it showing rather than telling?
- What would you want to be reminded of from this section in six months?
Deep study
Keep the book in context
Major themes
- To write a reliable historical account of the life of Jesus that would confirm the truth of the Christian message
- The book's literary movement and central claims
- Faithful response within the people of God
- Hope, judgment, grace, and obedience in their proper context
Interpretive care
- Read each episode in the Gospel's unfolding portrait of Jesus.
- Do not turn miracles or encounters into techniques readers are promised they can reproduce.
For fuller background, use the companion Luke commentary and the Bible dictionary as you work through each session.
Sources and reuse
This guide follows a historical-grammatical approach. It aims to read each passage in its literary and canonical context, and it names interpretive cautions where a text is commonly mishandled.
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers. Book background, purpose, setting, and structural orientation. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Protos study guide editorial
Protos. Reading structure, discussion questions, and application prompts. CC BY-SA 4.0.
Edition 2026.1. This guide is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. You may copy, print, adapt, and share it with attribution under the same license.
Common questions
What is Luke mainly about?
Luke describes the coming of Jesus as good news for the entire world-for people of every race, age, gender, ethnic group, and social position.
How should I read Luke?
Read this Gospel as a coherent witness to Jesus. Notice scene order, repeated questions, fulfillment, conflict, and the movement toward the cross and resurrection.
Is this Luke study guide free?
Yes. Read it online or print the PDF. No account, email, or purchase is required.
How long does this Luke study take?
The group path has 6 sequential sessions. The short path can be used in one 30 to 45 minute meeting.
Can a church use this guide?
Yes. You may print, share, and adapt it with attribution under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
