Luke: The Gospel of Amazement

by Michael Card

Overview

"His father and mother were amazed at what was being said about Him." Luke 2:33 "Everyone was amazed at all the things He was doing." Luke 9:43 "He went home, amazed at what had happened." Luke 24:12 From start to finish, the book of Luke is filled with amazement. Throughout the life and ministry of Jesus, those who met him were astonished by their encounter, from the shepherds at the nativity to the disciples at the empty tomb. With careful attention to detail, Michael Card embarks on an imaginative journey through the Gospel of Luke. He introduces us to Luke the historian and imagines his life as a Gentile, a doctor and a slave. Card explores Luke's compelling account of this dynamic rabbi who astounded his hearers with parables and paradoxes. What might Luke have experienced as he interviewed eyewitnesses of Jesus? What leads Luke to focus on the marginalized and the unlikely? Why does Luke include certain details that the other Gospel writers omit? Join Michael Card in the work of opening heart and mind to the "Gospel of Amazement."

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780830838356
Publisher:	InterVarsity Press
Publication date:	01/03/2011
Series:	The Biblical Imagination Series
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	511,673
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

In a career that spans 30 years, Michael Card has recorded over 31 albums, authored or co-authored over 24 books, hosted a radio program, and written for a wide range of magazines. An award-winning musician and performing artist, he has penned such favorites as "El Shaddai," "Immanuel" and many other songs. He has branched his ministry beyond music and written numerous books, including A Sacred Sorrow, A Violent Grace, The Parable of Joy and Sleep Sound in Jesus (a children's book). He has also written the Biblical Imagination Series, with a book and accompanying music CD for each of the four gospels. A graduate of Western Kentucky University with a bachelor's and master's degree in biblical studies, Card also serves as mentor to many younger artists and musicians, teaching courses on the creative process and calling the Christian recording industry into deeper discipleship. Card lives in Tennessee with his wife and four children.

Table of Contents

Preface: The Biblical Imagination

Introduction: Who Is Luke?

Major Themes

Luke 1
A Self-Conscious Writer
Parallel Pre-Birth Stories
Mary Sings
Zechariah Sings

Luke 2
The King in a Cattle Trough
The Line Between Old and New
The Boy Who Would Be Messiah

Luke 3
The Doleful Days of Tiberius
The Voice of a Slave in the Wilderness
The Baptism of Jesus
The Genetics of Jesus

Luke 4
The Son in the Desert
Good News for the Poor
"Be Muzzled"
The Reluctant Healer

Luke 5
The First Miraculous Catch
A Practical Secret
The Healing Faith of Friends
Paradoxical Unorthodoxy
Wedding Guests and New Wine

Luke 6
Lord Over Orthodoxy
The Choice of the Twelve
The Shape of the New Community
The Impossible Command
How to Build Your House in the Kingdom

Luke 7
How to Amaze Jesus
A Meeting of the Crowds
A Most Remarkable Question
Moving from the Head to the Heart

Luke 8
The Women
The Parable of the Soils
A Demonic Storm
A Demonized Man
The Healing of Two Daughters

Luke 9
A First Foray
The Miracle Behind the Miracle
A Final Clarity: Who Jesus Is
Confirmation from the Father
The Impotence of Unbelief
The Final Journey Begins

Luke 10
The Sending of the Seventy
The Joy of Jesus
A Parable of Unexpected Mercy
A Monumental Shift

Luke 11
A Breath of a Prayer
The Finger of God
The Sign of the Son of Man
The Prophet at the Dinner Table

Luke 12
What to Fear and What Not to Fear
I'll Say to Myself, "Self . . ."
The Slaving Savior
Fire on the Earth

Luke 13
A Commentary on the "Job Equation"
The Unexpectedly Closed Door
Three Days Out

Luke 14
A Not Unfriendly Dinner
The Heart of the Master of the Banquet
Faith Over Family

Luke 15
The Shepherd with the Lost Sheep
The Woman with the Lost Coin
The Father with the Lost Son(s)

Luke 16
The Parable of the Desperate Manager
The Line Has Been Crossed
A Parable of Radical Reversal

Luke 17
Simple, Trusting Obedience
The Perfect Prayer
The Coming(s) of the Kingdom

Luke 18
Persistence and Justice
The Perfect Prayer, 2
One Broken Link
The Perfect Prayer, 3

Luke 19
A Paradigm for a New Value System
A Blueprint for Centuries to Come
A Tearful Entry
The Second Temple Cleansing

Luke 20
Six Trick Questions
1 By Whose Authority?
2 John's Baptism: From Heaven or Humans?
3 What Will the Owner Do?
4 Pay Taxes or Not?
5 Whose Wife Will She Be?
6 How Can Christ Be David's Son?

Luke 21
A Widow Offers Her Life
Two Questions, Two Answers
A Lesson from the Leaves

Luke 22
For the Price of a Slave
The Servant Savior
The Sifting of Simon
An Unsuccessful Angel
The Traitor's Kiss
The Gaze
The Early-Morning Hearing

Luke 23
The Innocence of Jesus: Pilate
The Innocence of Jesus: Herod
Barabbas!
The God-Forsaken God
The Death of Jesus
The Witnesses

Luke 24
No Expectations
Recognized by the Broken Bread
The Persistence of Doubt

Appendix
Notes
Resources
About the Author

What People are Saying About This

Max Lucado

"Michael Card has taught hundreds of thousands of us to love Jesus more deeply. Now, with this new book, he teaches us to follow Jesus more closely. Thanks, Michael!"
— Max Lucado, pastor and bestselling author

Makoto Fujimura

"In honoring his mentor William Lane, Michael Card illumines a forgotten path of biblical imagination by a thorough examination of the book of Luke. I have been using this book as a meditation in my studio to live and create as an artist of the twenty-first century; I found every page to be eye-opening. This book is a feast for truth seekers and creators. Michael Card invites all of us to a magnificent journey of hesed (grace and mercy). This humble offering is a sweet aroma and an invaluable contribution to all those who desire to know the Bible and live creatively."
— Makoto Fujimura, artist and writer

Reverend Edmund Chan

"Many know Michael Card as a celebrated songwriter. I know Michael as an inspiring theologian who loves the Word of God! I am thus so thrilled that he is writing The Biblical Imagination Series starting with the Gospel of Luke. Luke and Michael Card have much in common, not the least of which is that they both love stories and songs. But most significantly, they both love Jesus. We're in for a most wonderful treat!"
— Reverend Edmund Chan, senior pastor, Covenant Evangelical Free Church, Singapore

Editorial Reviews

"Though Card taps into the discoveries of scholars, his work is accessible to the lay reader. . . . He lives up to his goal of providing a fresh, rich approach to the biblical text."

Brian Smith McCallum

"Many know Michael Card as a celebrated songwriter. I know Michael as an inspiring theologian who loves the Word of God! I am thus so thrilled that he is writing the Biblical Imagination Series starting with the Gospel of Luke. Luke and Michael Card have much in common, not the least of which is that they both love stories and songs. But most significantly, they both love Jesus. We're in for a most wonderful treat!"

Reverend Edmund Chan

"In honoring his mentor William Lane, Michael Card illumines a forgotten path of biblical imagination by a thorough examination of the book of Luke. I have been using this book as a meditation in my studio to live and create as an artist of the twenty-first century; I found every page to be eye-opening. This book is a feast for truth seekers and creators. Michael Card invites all of us to a magnificent journey of hesed (grace and mercy). This humble offering is a sweet aroma and an invaluable contribution to all those who desire to know the Bible and live creatively."

Makoto Fujimura

"In its straightforwardness and simplicity of presentation . . . Card's exposition provides an uncomplicated guide to this gospel that well serves the novice reader."

Garwood P. Anderson

"Michael Card has taught hundreds of thousands of us to love Jesus more deeply. Now, with this new book, he teaches us to follow Jesus more closely. Thanks, Michael!"

Max Lucado

"In honoring his mentor William Lane, Michael Card illumines a forgotten path of biblical imagination by a thorough examination of the book of Luke. I have been using this book as a meditation in my studio to live and create as an artist of the twenty-first century; I found every page to be eye-opening. This book is a feast for truth seekers and creators. Michael Card invites all of us to a magnificent journey of hesed (grace and mercy). This humble offering is a sweet aroma and an invaluable contribution to all those who desire to know the Bible and live creatively."

--Makoto Fujimura, artist and writer

"In its straightforwardness and simplicity of presentation . . . Card's exposition provides an uncomplicated guide to this gospel that well serves the novice reader."

--Garwood P. Anderson, The Living Church, February 17, 2013

"Though Card taps into the discoveries of scholars, his work is accessible to the lay reader. . . . He lives up to his goal of providing a fresh, rich approach to the biblical text."

--Brian Smith McCallum, Christian Retailing, February 2011

From the Publisher

"Many know Michael Card as a celebrated songwriter. I know Michael as an inspiring theologian who loves the Word of God! I am thus so thrilled that he is writing the Biblical Imagination Series starting with the Gospel of Luke. Luke and Michael Card have much in common, not the least of which is that they both love stories and songs. But most significantly, they both love Jesus. We're in for a most wonderful treat!"

Reverend - Edmund Chan