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

2. Wealth and Possessions
It is all the more obvious that four parables in the Travel Narrative (12:13-21; 14:15-24; 16:1-
13, 19-31) are explicitly of wealth and possessions, since these parables are immediately
accompanied by teaching on the same theme in their context. 1 Covetousness of possessions
(12:13-15) and anxiety about life (12:22-34) surround the parable of the Rich Fool. The
parable of the Great Feast is instantly followed by the teaching of Jesus that “when you give a
feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind” (14:7-14). In the same vein, the
parable of the Unjust Steward has the instruction that “you cannot serve God and mammon”
(10-13) as its conclusion, whereas the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus has, as its
introduction, the lesson about “the Pharisees, who were lovers of money” (14-18). As a result,
all these parables serve to stress the theme of wealth and possessions in Luke as a warning of
dependence on, and indulgence in, wealth without recognizing God’s ownership to
possessions, 2 and caring for the poor, and using one’s possessions sensibly, wisely and
generously. The Good Samaritan (10:25-37) and the Prodigal son (15:11-32) also implicitly
carry teaching of the right use of possessions respectively either positively or negatively. On
the other hand, in the attitude to wealth and possessions, a nameless ruler (18:18-30) stands in
a sharp contrast to Zacchaeus the tax-collector (19:1-10). In this case, a change of attitude to
possessions plainly functions as a sign of repentance. Apart from the above parables, if we
cast the net wider, we can see more examples of the teaching of possessions in Lukan
parables than there is thought to be, since almost every situation in life involves economic
resources (7:40-43; 12:57-59; 14:28-30; 18:1-7). 3
However, it is appropriate to not
enumerate more examples at this stage. All things considered, it becomes clear that ‘Wealth
and Possessions’ is one of the major theological themes that occur throughout the Lukan
parables. In what follows, I will show how this theological theme is in line with the major
themes of Luke’s theology.
Having seen that the theme of wealth and possessions which is one of the predominant
themes in Luke’s Gospel is closely connected with what we have examined thus far, the
1. Forbes, The God of Old: The Role of the Lukan Parables in the Purpose of Luke’s Gospel, 229-30.
2. In handling one’s own possessions, it may be a starting point to recognize, above all, that all possessions
came from God.
3. Nolland, “The Role of Money and Possessions in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32),” 192-93,
rules out the parable of the Prodigal Son from this category of parables about the use of money or possessions in
Lukan parables, and allocates only three parables (12:16-21; 14:12-14; 16:19-21), as opposed to Holgate, to the
category. See also Holgate, Prodigality, Liberality and Meanness in the Parable of the Prodigal Son: A Greco-
Roman Perspective on Luke 15:11-32, 69-88.
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