the role of the lukan parables in terms of the purpose of luke's gospel

kingdom of God, a new epoch has opened up. In other words, the old period of God’s
revelation through the law and the prophets has ended and a new period of revelation through
Jesus’ coming and ministry has begun. Now the kingdom of God is being preached and
everyone is forcing their way into it. 17
Through Jesus the new epoch has come, but
nevertheless the law in v. 17 has permanency and abiding validity as before. In v. 18, Jesus
takes an erroneous example of their observances of the law in which they pride themselves,
the topic of divorce, and affirms the permanency of the law. The saying that “they have
Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.” in the latter half of the parable of the rich
man and Lazarus is connected with the Pharisees’ attitude of the law in vv. 16-18, and the
first half of vv. 19-31 is suitable for the Pharisees who loved money and justify themselves vv.
14-15. Thus vv. 14-18 reinforces and amplifies Jesus’ teaching in vv. 1-13, putting wealth and
money into the law, and eschatology as preparation for the kingdom.
The parable of the Unjust Steward in vv. 1-13 and the parable of the rich man and Lazarus,
as has been pointed out previously, are closely related to each other thematically. The two
parables beginning with the phrase are tied together into the theme of wealth
as both a positive instance and negative one for stark contrast. Seen in the instruction of v. 9,
the rich man in vv. 19-31 fails to use his wealth to make friends who will welcome him into
eternal dwellings, by not giving alms to Lazarus who begs at his gate, while the steward uses
wealth rightly to win friends who will welcome him into eternal dwellings, showing the right
way to behave.
18
Wealth in the two parables, what is more, is considered in an eschatological
17. For the correct interpretation, it is important to know how the word is to be understood, since it
may be taken as either a middle voice or a passive voice. Almost all of the commentators prefer the word
as reading in the middle voice that now all people have access to the kingdom, but resolute action is
necessary so that they enter into the kingdom, whereas there are some interpreters who claim and support
reading it in the passive voice rather than in the middle voice. According to their suggestion, the meaning of v.
16 is as follows: “The kingdom of God is being preached and everyone is forced into it.” or “Everyone is
earnestly invited or urged to enter into the kingdom.” or “everyone is under pressure.” For interpretation in
passive voice, see Godet, Luke, 2:259; Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke, 1117-18; Bailey, Poet and
Peasant, 116; Juan B. Cortés and Florence M. Gatti, “On the Meaning of Luke 16:16,” JBL 106 (1987), 247-259,
here 255, 257; Byrne, “Forceful Stewardship and Neglected Wealth: A Contemporary Reading of Luke 16,” 1-5;
Ilaria L.E. Ramelli, “Luke 16:16: the Good News of God’s Kingdom Is Proclaimed and Everyone Is Forced into
It,” JBL 127 (2008), 737-58. Ramelli, seeing the word as a theological passive in the sense that God is
mentioned as the Lord of the kingdom itself, understands v. 16 as the passive meaning that “everyone is pushed
by God into his kingdom through its proclamation.” In order to demonstrate it, he provides arguments derived
from Luke’s Gospel itself, the ancient translations and patristic exegesis by detailing ten items.
18. It is not surprising that the contrast between the two parables in ch. 16 has been noted by many
commentators, for it at first glance comes into view without difficulty. See Michael Ball, “The Parables of the
Unjust Steward and the Rich Man and Lazarus,” ExpTim 106 (1995), 329-330; Derrett, “Dives and Lazarus and
the Preceding Sayings,” 370; Marshall, Luke, 632; Morris, Luke, 252; Plummer, Luke, 390.
96