A structure of the Gospel according to Luke

There is no agreement on a plan for the Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. We propose one that follows the geography of the scenes and is probably not far from Luke's intention. The infancy narrative, for its part, represents a kind of conclusion of the Old Testament: all the main characters are pious Jews, the best of the Old Testament, and their prayers are made up of Old Testament material, especially the psalms. For Luke, the Old Testament is part of the larger story of salvation, and his infancy narrative creates a kind of pivot through which one can move into the New Testament. In this framework, the mission of Jesus appears as the middle of the story that follows the Old Testament, and will be followed by the time of the Church.

VersesDescriptionContentGeography
Old Testament Time
1: 1 – 2: 39Contribution of the Old Testament and infancy narratives
  • Luke's intention (1: 1-4)
  • Annunciation to Zechariah (1: 5-25)
  • Annunciation to Mary (1: 26-38)
  • Mary's visit to Elizabeth and prayer of praise (1: 39-56)
  • Birth of John the Baptist (1: 57-58)
  • Circumcision of John the Baptist (1: 59-66)
  • Zechariah's Prayer of Praise (1: 67-79)
  • Summary on John the Baptist (1: 80)
  • Birth of Jesus and visit of the shepherds (2: 1-20)
  • Circumcision of Jesus (2: 21)
  • Presentation of Jesus in the temple: prophecies of Simeon and Anna (2: 22-39)
  • Summary on Jesus as a child (2: 40)
  • Jesus in the midst of the temple teachers (2: 41-52)
Judea (Jerusalem) and Galilee (Nazareth)
The middle of time: the Jesus event
3: 1 – 4: 13Prelude to the mission
  • John the Baptist's preaching and arrest (3: 1-20)
  • The baptism of Jesus (3: 21-22)
  • The genealogy of Jesus (3: 23-30)
  • The temptations of Jesus (4: 1-13)
Galilee
4: 14 – 9: 50The initial mission
  • Jesus' initial preaching (4: 16-30)
  • Jesus in Capernaum: preaching and healings (4: 31-44)
  • Miraculous fishing and the calling of the first disciples (5: 1-11)
  • Healings: a leper, a paralyzed man (5: 12-26)
  • Calling Levi and the sinners (5: 27-32)
  • Debates: fasting, the old and the new, the Sabbath (5: 33 – 6: 11)
  • Selection of the twelve apostles (6: 12-16)
  • Sermon in the plain (6: 17-49)
  • Healings: centurion's slave, young man from Nain (7: 1-17)
  • Questioning of John the Baptist and discussions about him (7: 18-35)
  • Jesus and the sinner (7: 36-50)
  • The women who accompany Jesus (8: 1-3).
  • Predication in parables: the seed (8: 4-18)
  • Speech about the true family of Jesus (8: 19-31)
  • Miraculous interventions of Jesus: storm stilling, a woman, daughter of Jairus (8: 32-56)
  • Sending the Twelve on a mission (9: 1-6).
  • Herod and Jesus (9: 7-9)
  • Jesus feeds a crowd (9: 10-17)
  • Peter's confession and first announcement of the passion (9: 18-22)
  • Following Jesus and the cross (9: 23-27).
  • Transfiguration (9: 28-36)
  • Healing of a possessed man (9: 37-43)
  • Second announcement of the passion (9: 44-45)
  • Questions of the disciples to Jesus: the greatest, the other exorcists (9: 46-50)
9: 51 – 19: 28The journey to Jerusalem
  • Sending disciples to Samaria (9: 51-56)
  • Demands of discipleship (9: 57-62)
  • Sending the 72 disciples (10: 1-20)
  • The revelation to the infants (10: 21-24)
  • Love of God and neighbor (10: 25-37)
  • Marthe and Mary: priority of the word (10: 38-42)
  • Teaching on prayer (11: 1-13)
  • Debate on the exorcisms of Jesus (11: 14-23)
  • Various teachings (11: 24 – 13: 9) :
    • Relapses are disastrous (11: 24-26)
    • True happiness lies in listening to the Word (11: 27-28)
    • Reproaches this generation for not recognizing the signs of the times (11: 29-32)
    • Call to clean up one's own house in order to see clearly (11: 33-36)
    • Attack on the Pharisees who focus on details and neglect the essential (11: 37-44)
    • Attack on the lawyers who crush people with rules (11: 45-54)
    • Various warnings to the disciples: against the Pharisees, against fear of proclaiming their faith or dying or taking a public stand for Jesus (12: 1-12)
    • On the use of worldly goods (12: 13-34):
      • Goods do not guarantee a person's life (12: 13-15)
      • Parable of the man who accumulated wealth, but dies without enjoying it (12: 16-21)
      • Exhortation to imitate the ravens and lilies who have no concern for tomorrow (12: 22-30)
      • Exhortation to seek first the Kingdom, whose gift is assured (12: 31-32)
      • Exhortation to sell one's possessions for treasure in heaven (12: 33-34)
    • Exhortation to be ready for the Lord's return (12: 35-40)
    • Exhortation concerning the responsibilities of community leaders (12: 41-48)
    • Reminder: Christian mission is transformative and divisive (12: 49-53)
    • Exhortation to the crowd to good discernment in the face of events (12: 54 - 13: 9)
      • Knowing how to discern the present time (12: 54-56)
      • Knowing how to discern the situation when facing the court (12: 57-59)
      • Knowing how to discern the meaning of certain disasters (13: 1-5)
      • The parable of the fig tree refers to the period of last chance before judgment (13: 6-9)
  • Healing of a woman on the Sabbath (13: 10-17)
  • Teachings about the kingdom and Jerusalem (13: 18-35)
  • Healing of a hydropic man on the Sabbath (14: 1-6)
  • Teachings on humility, on preference for the poor, on renunciation, on welcoming sinners, on managing money, on marriage, on the afterlife, on scandal, on forgiveness, on service (14: 7 – 17: 10)
  • The healing of the ten lepers (17: 11-19)
  • The coming of the kingdom and the son of man (17: 20-37)
  • Teaching in parables: on prayer and on the attitude to be justified before God (18: 1-14)
  • Teaching on the attitude required to enter the kingdom (18: 15-30)
  • Third announcement of the passion (18: 31-34)
  • Healing of a blind man in Jericho (18: 35-43)
  • The conversion of Zacchaeus (19: 1-9)
  • The parable of the pounds on the need to make fruitful what has been received (19: 10-28)
 On the way to Jerusalem
19: 29 – 24: 53 The activity in Jerusalem, the passion and the Easter day
  • The entry into Jerusalem (19: 29-44)
  • Jesus in the temple: cleansing and teaching (19: 45-48)
  • Debate with Jews: his authority, their rejection of God, question of tax to Caesar, resurrection, Messiah as son of David (20: 1-47)
  • Teaching about the poor widow who gave everything (21: 1-4)
  • Teaching about the end times (21: 5-38)
  • Jesus' last meal (22: 1-38).
  • Jesus' prayer at the Mount of Olives (22: 39-46).
  • Arrest of Jesus (22: 47-65)
  • Jewish trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin (22: 66-71)
  • Trial before Pilate and Herod (23: 1-25).
  • Crucifixion and death of Jesus (23: 26-56)
  • The scene of the empty tomb (24: 1-12)
  • The disciples of Emmaus (24: 13-35)
  • Meeting of the eleven with the risen Jesus (24: 36-53)
Jerusalem
The time of the Church (Acts of the Apostles)
1: 1 – 5: 42The Jerusalem community
  • Introduction: Jesus makes ready his disciples
  • Selection of Matthias
  • Pentecost
  • Activities of Peter and John
  • The pooling of assets
  • Arrest of the apostles and speech of Peter
Jerusalem
6: 1 – 15: 35Towards an Open Church
  • Missionary activity of the Hellenists
  • Peter's missionary activity
  • Missionary activity of the Church of Antioch: first mission of Paul
  • The Council of Jerusalem and the decision on non-Jews
Outside Jerusalem
15: 36 – 28: 31Paul's mission up to Rome
  • Paul's second mission
  • Paul's third mission
  • Paul is taken prisoner in Jerusalem
  • Paul is taken to Rome to be tried
Out of Palestine to the ends of the earth