Please read Chapter 13-24 of the Gospel of Luke. Look at the list of passages "special" to Luke (Section VI of the outline I passed out in class). Choose one or two of these passages and speculate on why Luke chose to include this material while Matthew did not. If others have commented on this passage before you, say whether you agree with their suggestions or not.If you do not have the outline I passed out, see the online version here.
26 comments:
The parable on the prodigal son is a great example of the material Luke includes in his gospel.
The prodigal son is about the younger of two brother who sold his "inheritance" to squander it on partying. When he ran out of money, he was hired to feed the pigs. He was so poor that he wanted to eat what the pigs were eating. After he realizes what he has done, he returns to his father's home.
The father, overwhelmed by joy, organizes a celebration. The older brother, when he sees the celebration, is very upset. However, the father justifies it by stating in 15:32 "But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found."
Luke included this to show that everybody is accepted into God's family, no matter your past or your heritage. As long as you embrace God and repent, God will accept you into his family and celebrate your "rebirth" in Him.
I agree with Warren Berry and would like to expand just a bit on the prodigal son. We can break it down a little bit more.
His father has been watching for his younger son to return home for a very long time. During that time, no one seemed to know if his son was even alive. One day, after watching all day, everyday, his son is spotted walking back to the house. Now, many of us can relate. When we go home for a visit, our parents are excited to see us. If you have a pet,like a dog, he/she will most likely run to meet you. That is what this father did: he ran to meet his son.
Luke is sharing that not only is everyone accepted, but also if you haven't been hanging around God or if you have strayed away from God, don't worry, just come walking back. God is going to run to meet you when He sees you coming, because He loves us so much.
--Amanda Blood
In the Gospel of Luke, there are numerous references to women. For example, Luke 8:1-3, 10:38-42 are just two examples of the numerous times that Jesus ministers to or has women serve him, whereas in Matthew, women are seldom mentioned.
I believe that Matthew excludes the mentioning of women because he was not writing to that type of audience. The Sadducees and Pharisees were all men who were in positions of power. Luke on the other hand is constructing a story for the Gentiles, who would be more apt to have women involvement. Luke needed to convince Gentile families that Christianity and Jesus’s teachings were the right path to salvation. Matthew on the other hand, had to prove using the Old Testament, why the interpretations of God’s commandment have been lost due to the small factions of Jews who interpret the laws and have turned them into a circus.
Luke does an excellent job pointing out the flaws in the current system. Time after time, Luke tells us to repent, love our brothers and sisters, give to God what is his, and honor our Lord God.
By including women into this Gospel, Luke is able to connect with a wider audience.
there
I chose "The friend at midnight" Luke 11:5-8. I would guess that this teaching would have been included in Luke's gospel since it introduces new reasoning in why prayer works. I would imagine that this teaching would contradict the traditions of a Jew, where, in contrast, a gentile may have more easily accepted the teaching, since there beliefs were not based on Judaism. Since Luke's gospel was aimed at gentiles and not Jews, it makes sence to me that this teaching would be found here.
The Rich Man and Lazarus is a passage tells us that we should not be greedy and care for those who have less fortunes than us. Lazarus was a poor desparate man who slept at the gates of the home of the rich man. He was so poor off that even the dogs who were supposed to gaurd the rich man's estate, wouldn't bark. They would go up and lick the wounds of Lazarus.
The rich man saw Lazarus and knew how poor he was. He would never help out or share his luxaries with Lazarus he just ignored him.
When they both died, Lazarus went to heaven. The angels carried him to Father Abraham. The rich man went to hell and suffered as Lazarus had when he was on earth. The rich man may have gone to heaven if he had cared for Lazarus.
Luke mentions Samaritans a few times. Once in Luke 9:51-56 when the apostles want to destroy the Samaritan villagers, again in Luke 10:29-37 in the story of the good Samaritan and then in Luke 17:11-18 when the only one of the 10 lepers to return to praise Jesus is a Samaritan.
I think Luke mentions the Samaritans in the first instance because he wants to show the reader that Jesus didn't see anything wrong with being foreign. In the other two passages, the Samaritan is the only one to do the right thing. This would apeal to gentiles because the Samaritans were hated by the Jews, and if Jesus could show kindness for a group of people he was supposed to hate, he could show kindness to other non-jews.
Kevin Dahlberg
i agree with Kerry Konda, Women are not really mentioned in matt, as they are in luke. It seems that matt focuses more on the will of god and the actions of jesus
Ka'Nova
I fell that Luke 15: 1-10 gives a clear message to people, esspecially people of the Gentile decent. Jesus gives us a parable about a sheep that was lost and searched for by the sheperd. The sheperd left his other ninty-nine sheep in the forest to go look for the lost one. Once it was found he rejoiced and gave thanks to God.
This parable is showing the Gentiles, who all ready believed in God to reach out. We as christians should go out of our comforate zone and seek those that are lost. I think that the flock of sheep might also represent the church which is a group of beleivers. If one gets lost along the way it is necessary to leave our shelter or flock and face the forest or society around us to seek out and find those that have become lost.
-Matthew Scott
Luke 9:51-56
Luke 10:29-37
I would have to agree with Kevin D. about Luke putting the verses about the Samaritans within his Gospel. He includes these passages to show that Jesus was very welcoming to outsiders, and not exclusive like many of the Jews of that time were. I feel that that message is reveiled the most in Luke 9:51-56. When the Samaritans refused to welcome Jesus into the village, James and John suggested burning the village. To this Jesus rebuked them. This shows the readers of this Gospel, that even if you did not believe in Jesus as the Son of God, he would still treat you with dignity.
Eric Saathoff
I thought that the story of the Ten Healed of Leprosy was an excellent example of how Luke wrote his gospel more for the Gentiles.
In Luke 17:11-19, the story is told of ten men with leprosy who ask for healing from Jesus. He told them to head to the preists and on their way there were healed. However, only one man--a Samaritan, a foreigner--chose to come back and show his gratitude to Jesus. Consequently, Jesus told him that his "faith has made him well." Here I dont think that Jesus was talking about physical wellness, but the kind of spiritual wellness and righteousness that this man would henceforth have because of the faith he placed in God and of his thankful heart.
The fact that Luke chose to include this story when he only had limited space in which to write shows that he wanted to show people, especially Gentiles, that anyone could be on the receiving end of God's grace, not just the Jewish people. The story stresses that faith, not action or ritual or ethnic background, leads to righteousness.
Rachelle Rasmussen
I agree with Kerry Konda's comment about the numerous references to women in the gospel of Luke. As Kerry mentioned, women were not part of Matthew's audience, where Luke's audience of gentiles included women.
In Luke 10:38-42, the story of Jesus visiting Martha and Mary is told. In this story, Martha is distracted from Jesus by all of her daily tasks, while Mary ignores them and sits at Jesus' feet. Jesus eventually explains that Mary is focusing on the important aspect of her life, "which will not be taken away from her." This passage shows that women have a role in Christianity which is more than the typical female tasks that society had placed upon them.
Luke also talks about Mary a lot in his gospel, which reinforces the importance of motherhood.
Alyson Guthrie
in luke 15, he refers to things that happen to people that look bad but end up good, examples given of 100 sheep, 100 sinners, 10 pieces of silver, as well as the story of hte two sons where on goes off and wastes his time and starves while the other works hard and gets by, the father of these two rejoices when the son who wasted his earnings and time comes back and asks for forgiveness. This shows that no matter what you do, you may repent and be accepted in to a life with God. In the first part of this chapter luke gives the examples of people rejoicing for themselves and asking their friends to rejoice for themselves, the prodigal son example shows how god and the angels feel when a sinner repents, it teaches the Gentiles that you might stray from god, but repent and you will be forgiven.
-landon lawson
Among the various references and interrelated circumstance in both Luke and Matthew, Luke addresses women in a more respectable and compassionate manner. For example, in Luke 10:38-42, Mary believed listening and devoting her whole self to Jesus was true devotion while Martha believed in doing difficult tasks and other labor to show her devotion. This is crucial because it illustrated that the type of worship did not matter. Furthermore, this was even more important because these women, Mary and Martha displayed the objectiveness of worship. Also, it exemplifies the symbiotic relationship between religious devotion and the lack of prejudices. These two women had a close relationship with Jesus.
Another important element in Luke is modeled by the healing of the widow’s son at Nain. Not only does this parable create faith and disbelief in the audience by raising the widow’s son, but it shows such unbridled compassion. The importance of this act is much deeper than just for the purpose of compassion. For example, Jesus brings back the widow’s son so now she has someone to take care of her. Before the miracle, the widow was left without a family and support system. She now has the ability to live her life with male support. Maybe this shows the weakness of the women and the frailty of women’s roles; however, these women help support Jesus’ salvation through their continued support and religious obedience. The widow woman helped support Jesus through her new faith and salvation and Mary and Martha exemplified religious diligence and faithfulness.
Kirsten Saunders
I agree with Kevin on his points about Luke's usage of the Samaritans. When Luke writes about Samaritans receiving the grace of Jesus, this shows that Jesus doesnt care when your ethnic backround is or where you come from as long as you believe in him. Also when Luke uses the story of the 10 healed lepors with only the Samaritan coming back to thank Jesus, I think this is to show that maybe the Jews take what Jesus does forgranted. It makes it appear that the Jews think they deserve what Jesus gives, whereas the Samaritans are more grateful.
An excellent example of the shift in audience is the Good Samaritan.
The is almost a direct example of the total encompassing aspect of love that Jesus taught about. It shows how action in the day to day life of an individual means far more than if they followed only the letter of the law and not the spirit of it.
This is also seen in the Healing of the Infirm Women (Luke 13:11-13). Jesus is at first berated for healing the women on the sabbath. However he gives the example of freeing the women from the bonds that Satan has laid upon her. Also equating healing her to letting a beast of burden to water.
Through this Jesus again shows that the spirit of the law is as important if not more important than the letter of the law.
John Schirado
The passage of the infirm woman shows who Luke's audience is. As others have commented, women are placed in more of these healings and passages and I agree that it is done because Luke wants to include a group that is excluded or seldom mentioned. I also think this passage is here for all gentiles with their questions concerning the Sabbath. Luke uses this healing to show that they don't have to change their already set lifestyles to follow God.
I agree with kerry on that luke is trying to reach a wider audience. To me he has put the teachings of christ that affect the average person in his gospel. For example the healing of the man with leprosy and the healing of the infirm woman also the one about the poor lady giving all she had while other wealthier people gave only a portion of what they had. These are stories that matthew never had in his gospel because he never tried to target these groups of people.luke was a common person none jewish gospel writer.
Dave potts
The Parable of the Rich Fool LK.12:13-21.
This fits into lukes gospel very well becuase he is preaching to the gentiles not to the Jews. The Jews already know that they are supposed to give a tenth of there wages to the lord but most of the gentile population doesnt. So Luke tells that we should not store up our earnings for ourselves but to give to God and to others the excess that we have. For we will have no use for earthly riches in heaven.
Jessica Hinners
One part that I found particularly interesting while reading over Luke for this class came right after Jesus recited the Lord's prayer. In Luke 11: 5-8, Jesus tells a story of a man asking his neighbor for three loaves of bread at midnight in order to serve his guests. Jesus mentioned that if the neighbor does not give you the bread due to their friendship then he will give it to him because of his persistence. I think the point the author is trying to make is very clear: in general, ppl. show good faith by being persistent because then it becomes a habit or a way of life. The author understood that his audience knew the general information about the message, but he consistently encourages ppl. to keep seeking out and pursuing that message. Luke wants the Gentiles to Persist in the faith.
Kyle Schwan
Like I mentioned before, Luke tends to address everyone, not just particular groups of Jews. Luke tends to emphasize the role of women and the roles Jesus had while dealing with the gentiles and Samaritans. Luke chapter 14 discusses Jesus’ dealings with the Pharisees. Luke chapter 17:11-21, discusses Jesus entering a village. All present asked for his healing and he turned them away saying, “go to your priests.” As they turned and went, they were healed. Only one who was healed came back and thanked God for his healing. This passage shows humanities lack of faith and lack of gratitude for God’s healing. Because those healed were Samaritans, shows that all those who dwell on earth are God’s children, not just the Jews.
The prodigal son is interesting. Most people can associate with going wayward and returning back. It is interesting that Matthew does not use this parable Jesus gave. I can understand how Pharisees and Sadducees could benefit from this parable, so it is unusual to me why he would omit something like this story.
amber eich
I think that the verse 9:49-50 is not mentioned in Matthew because the Pharisees and Saducces already think that they are right and that "their" way or devotion to the Lord is the best way. I think that Luke adds this in his writings because his audience is unsure and he is giving them the confidence that although they might not be perfect, or although they think a different way, not one nor the other is better.
-Maggie Madrid
Jin-Seop Lee
Luke 9:49~50
I choose those verses, especially "Don't stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you"
Actually, it is too hard to understand what exactly meaning.
"Who is not against" is very important principle. That is to say, we don't need to separate several parts in our world, just two parts are enought. We should do with people who are not against, and also we should do spread Jesus saying and blief to them because they are not our enemy.
The reason of why these verses included only the gospel of Luke, in my opinion, taht is suited to the needs and interests of gentile. Thus, they need to spread Jesus' thought and saying.
Parable of the rich fool Luke 12:13-21. I agree with what Jessica Hinners comment on this verse, especially Verse 15, where he warns them about material things.
The obvious passage that would apply to the Gentiles would be the (well exposed in our notes) parable of the Samaritan who returns to thank Jesus for healing him of being a Leper in Luke 17:11 and praised Jesus as God. The message that All are able to join the kingdom of God is clear.
One theme that is interesting is that, although weather you are a Jew or a Gentile you are able to enter the kingdom of God, it seems that Jesus is setting some Conditions to who will actually receive salvation:
A Humble Attitude,For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Luke 14:11 / When you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, “We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!” Luke 17:10 / He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt. Luke 18:9
A Willingness to Sell All Possessions and Leave Everything,Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:26&27 / So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions. Luke 14:33 / The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they ridiculed him Luke 16:14 / Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, then come follow me. Luke 17:22 / Child (Rich man), remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus (Poor man) in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here in Heaven and you are in agony in Hell. Luke 16:25 / Then Peter said, “Look, we have left our homes and followed you.” And Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not get back very much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.” Luke 18:28-30
And a Need for His Grace Every Day, Will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night Luke 17:7 / Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God. Those who heard this said, “Who then can be saved”, Jesus replied, “What is impossible for mortals is possible for God. Luke 17:2-27
-Nate Mills
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