Many of the students in your youth group likely know that Luke is among the four Gospel accounts and that it chronicles Jesus’ earthly ministry. Perhaps others have never read any of the Gospels, making them unfamiliar with the story of Jesus’ life altogether.
Whether your students are well-versed in these accounts, completely ignorant of who Jesus is, or somewhere in-between, teaching through Luke’s Gospel will help them fall in love with the Jesus Luke wants us to know: a humble Savior who is on a mission to rescue the weak, the poor, and needy. This Savior has much to offer teenagers, who themselves often feel disenfranchised or powerless.
Historical Reliability
Luke tells us exactly why he wrote his Gospel. As he writes to his Gentile correspondent, Theophilus, Luke’s goal is to offer an “orderly account” of Jesus’ life. Why? So that Theophilus (and we modern readers!) might have “certainly concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:3-4). This introduction clues us in that what we are about to read is historically accurate and therefore true. Luke isn’t trying to paint a flashy picture or wow his audience. Rather, he’s telling the story as it really happened—the way any decent reporter would. Yet unlike a reporter, Luke’s words are inspired by the Holy Spirt and are therefore all the more trustworthy.
Our students live in a world that is often hostile to the claims of Christianity. Or they might doubt the credibility of Scripture themselves. We need to remind students that God’s Word to them is reliable, true, and trustworthy. Luke’s words present are an “orderly account” of some of what Jesus did and said during his earthly life. Jesus was a real person who was born in a real place in a real time. He really did live, die, and rise from the dead. When storms of doubt arise, Luke’s Gospel gives students a front-row seat to Jesus’ earthly ministry—as it really happened.
An Upside Down Kingdom
A cursory scroll down any teenagers’ Instagram feed will reveal what the kingdom of this world prioritizes: beauty, wealth, success, and self-promotion. In a “you do you” world, students are desperate to see an earthly kingdom turned on its head. Perhaps more than any other book in Scripture, Luke presents a beautiful picture of the “upside down kingdom” of God: a kingdom that prioritizes those on the fringes of society.
As your students study Luke, they will learn that Jesus’ values often directly contradict what this world values. Jesus loves the poor, the needy, the destitute, and the lost. He is most interested with those who have nothing to offer but their hearts; not those who are thirsty for power and glory. Luke shows us that God in flesh came down to earth to life a life of humble servitude. The King of Kings dined with sinners, touched the sick, and befriended the isolated.
Luke invites teenagers to live similar “upside down lives.” He calls us to take up our crosses and experience the joy and freedom of dying to self. He invites us to follow him in caring for the least of these and seeking Kingdom-oriented values.
Perhaps even more importantly, Luke reminds students that when they feel weak, poor, needy, helpless, sinful, or forgotten, they are closer to the Kingdom of God than they might expect. Students will be comforted to learn that when they wander away, they have a Heavenly Father who will come to rescue them while they are still a long way off (Luke 15:20). Such is the beauty of the upside-down kingdom of God.
Who Is Jesus?
Luke offers a compelling and beautiful picture of Jesus of Nazareth that will lead students to a greater adoration and devotion to him. In Luke, students will learn about Jesus’ humble birth in a stable, his compassion towards women, his divine ability to heal, the way he loved and cared for his disciples, the parables he told, his death on a cross, and his glorious resurrection three days later. As your students learn more about Jesus’ gentle, kind, majestic, and merciful nature, they will be more inclined to trust him with every part of their lives.
The more teenagers get to know Jesus through Luke, the more they will see him as someone who is worthy of their devotion and trust. With Luke’s help, students will come to see Jesus as their Savior who is has the tenderness of a trusted friend and the power of God himself. They will learn that Jesus always keeps his word and that he desires for them to walk with him in humble dependence.
Because we will never learn all there is to know about Jesus, Luke has something to offer to a student who is brand-new to Christianity or to a student who has been faithfully walking with Christ for years. Luke invites students to a beautiful picture of discipleship: a life oriented to dying to the things of this world in order to walk in the abundant life of Christ. In a world that competes for their attention and allegiance, Luke helps us show students that following Jesus is the true pathway to peace, joy, and freedom.
As you teach Luke’s Gospel to teenagers, may you tell them about the Savior who announces good news to the poor, liberty to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, sets at liberty the oppressed, and proclaims the year of the Lord’s favor (Luke 4:18-19).
Rooted is excited to announce the launch of our new Luke/Acts curriculum on Rooted Reservoir. As you plan for fall teaching, consider adding Luke/Acts to your teaching list!
