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

3. Prayer
It should go without saying that the three parables (11:5-8; 18:1-8, 9-14) in Luke are what
Jesus’ teaching on prayer is all about. Jesus in the Friend at Midnight (11:5-8) teaches in
effect, the certainty of a prayer response on the basis of the character of God. The parable
begins with the petitioner’s viewpoint, which includes the boldness of the petitioner in the
face of opposition, and ends with the sleeper’s standpoint, which is compared to God
willingly granting the request. That is, the point of view of the parable shifts naturally to the
attitude of prayer toward the character of God. The Judge and the Widow (18:1-8) makes two
main points from one of the characters in the story: That is, the certainty of God hearing
prayer in comparison with the character of the judge and persistence in prayer from the
widow. The two points are tightly interwoven in the application (v. 1 and vv. 6-8). The matter
of how we remain faithful until the coming of the Son of the Man depends on persistence in
prayer in the certainty of God’s hearing prayer, namely, faith in God. 1
Needless to say,
persistence in prayer is a sign of faithfulness. The Pharisee and the Tax Collector (18:9-14)
instructs directly on both the manner and content of prayer which occur in the comparison
between the Pharisee’s and the tax collector’s prayer. While the Pharisee depends on selfjustification,
the tax collector entrusts himself to the mercy and grace of God, with
straightforward confession. Crucial in prayer is the relationship between the attitude of the
one praying and the efficacy of the prayer. The humility before God certainly calls forth
God’s compassion and restoration. God is indeed open and receptive to the sincere prayer of
his people. Taking all that into consideration, it becomes clear that ‘Prayer’ is also one of the
major theological themes that occur repeatedly in the Lukan parables in the travel narrative.
In what follows, I will show how this theological theme is in accordance with the theme of
prayer in Luke’s theology.
That Luke has a special interest in prayer can be explained from the following
2
observations: First, unlike the other Gospels, Luke begins with prayer and ends with prayer.
On the one hand, Luke at the outset introduces the people and Zechariah at prayer in the
temple at the hour of incense (1:10, 13), including three canticles in Luke’s Infancy Narrative
(1:46-55; 1:68-70; 2:29-32). On the other hand, he brings the Gospel to a close with Jesus’
1. Marshall, “Jesus-Example and Teacher of Prayer in the Synoptic Gospels,” in ed., Richard N. Longenecker,
Into God’s Presence: Prayer in the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Edermans Publishing, 2001), 122.
2. Craig G. Bartholomew and Robby Holt, “Prayer in/and the Drama of Redemption in Luke: Prayer and
Exegetical Performance,” in ed., Craig G. Bartholomew, Joel B. Green, Anthony C. Thiselton, Reading Luke:
Interpretation, Reflection, Formation (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan, 2005), 350-75, here 354.
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