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

since it seems that the rich man proceeds to ignore Lazarus, and treat him as a servant or
simply an instrument to fulfill his own desires rather than acknowledging his position of
honour at Abraham’s bosom. The rich man in v. 30 is thoroughly convinced that if someone
goes to them from the dead, they will repent, in contrast to Abraham’s reference to Moses and
the prophets in v. 29. It seems at the very least to imply not only that this revelation is
insufficient for his brothers according to the rich man’s experience, but also that they are not
listening to Moses and the prophets. It is untenable that his brothers would not have heard
Moses and the prophets at all. The concerns of Abraham here lie in how they are hearing
them, in which case the meaning of “listening” is “obeying,” not simply ‘to listen’.
In keeping with Jesus’ saying in Luke 16:16-18, in which Jesus underlines the continuity
between the Jewish scriptures and his proclamation about God’s kingdom in his ministry, the
sufficiency of the Scriptures is underscored by the repetition of the expression “Moses and
the prophets.” Nothing is more important than listening to Moses and the prophets, so as not
to fall into Hades suffering like the rich man. In Luke 24:27-32, 60
44-47, when the Risen
Christ expounds Scripture, the law of Moses and the prophets and the Psalms, this gives rise
to true faith. Even though Scripture shows the ideal behaviour of justice and assistance for the
poor, the rich man eventually failed to listen to Moses and the prophets, but rather lived
selfishly caring for himself alone.
Luke’s readers in v. 31 could see an allusion to the resurrection of Jesus, or the continued
unbelief of the Jews, since the phrase has reflected Christian
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language of the resurrection of Jesus. At this point, the phrase raises the issue of the
authenticity of this verse, since it appears to connote an early Christian interpolation designed
to explain that people will not listen to the risen Jesus, as proofs of this “not listening” are
showed in Acts. 62
In this case, the meaning is that “if persons are not converted to belief in
Jesus as the Messiah on the basis of Moses and the prophets, neither will they be on the basis
60. Eugene S. Wehrli goes so far as to contend that the reader has incorrect understanding of the message of the
parable, without given the culmination of Luke’s Gospel in the Emmaus story (24:13-35). Eugene S. Wehrli,
“Expository Articles: Luke 16:19-31,” Int 31 (1977), 276-280.
61. See Luke 18:33 and 24:26. The majority of manuscripts read , but P75 reads . See also
Fitzymyer, Luke, 1128; Donahue, The Gospel in Parable, 172; Hultgren, Parables, 114; David B. Gowler, “At
His Gate Lay a Poor Man: A Dialogic Reading of Luke 16:19-31,” Perspectives in Religious Studies 32 (2005),
249-65, here 257. But Blomberg argues that the word , here has general meaning or less theological
meaning in comparison with the word used commonly for Jesus’ resurrection. Blomberg, Interpreting
The Parables, 207. On the other hand, Schottroff stands opposed to this view. See Schottroff, The Parables of
Jesus, 166.
62. C.F. Evans, “Uncomfortable Words — V,” ExpTim 81 (1969-70), 228-31, here 230-31; Crossan, In Parables,
66-67; Nolland, Luke, 826.
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