Gospel of Luke Theme of Love

Let's face it: Luke is a hippie. "All you need is love." "Make love, not war." Doesn't sound too different from Luke, right?

There are at least three types of love worth tracking throughout Luke's story: love among people, God's love for mortals, and people's love for various non-human things, like honors, wealth, or God. The common thread here is the Greek word agape, which we see at least twelve times in Luke's gospel. It might be Greek to you, but that doesn't let you off the hook. Track it through the English and see how Luke interprets the oh-so-abstract concept.

1. If you really love someone, what actions would Luke say you should be performing?
2. Why do people love God in Luke and what are the consequences?
3. What does it mean for God to love mortals in Luke's gospel? How is this different from mortals' love for God?
4. Define love, Tweet-Style. That's right, 140 characters or less. Now do it again, using Luke's definition. What's the same? What's different?