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

miracle, apocalyptic, apothegm. According to him, the same chiastic pattern in Luke’s
arrangement of the geography constructs Luke-Acts as a whole: “Galilee, Samaria, Judaea,
Jerusalem, the Resurrection, Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria, the uttermost part of the earth.” 33
In the central section, before and after the great interpolation (9:51-81:14) they implicitly
display the presence of chiasmus in that the second prophecy of the passion in 9:44
corresponds to the third prophecy of the passion in 18:31, and that the setting of a child in the
disciples’ midst in 9:46 is parallel to Jesus’ receiving the children in 18:15. However, a real
chiasmus in the travel narrative does not appear until Luke’s exposition of Deuteronomy in
10:25. The chiastic structure is built on two Deuteronomic pillars of the Shema in Dt. 6:5 and
Decalougue in Dt. 5:16. They are respectively parallel to 10:25 and 18:18. The main
chiasmus in the Journey is as follows:
a) 10:25 a’) 18:18 The Question how to inherit eternal life,
b) 11:1 b’) 17:5 Faithful Prayer, illustrated by
c) 11:14 c’) 17:11 A Healing
d) 11:37 d’) 16:14 Pharisaic Hypocrisy, illustrated by
e) 12:1 e’) 16:14 The love of Money
f) 12:35 f’) 15:1 Repentance
g) 13:10 g’) 14:1 Rejection of Israel and Invitation to the Outcast.
In this way the travel narrative forms a chiasmus between the two Deuteronomic pillars:
That is to say, the Great Commandments by which we shall inherit eternal life in 10:25 and
18:18. Amidst these are Jesus’ teaching about faithful prayer, his healing, his warning against
Pharisaic hypocrisy and their love of money, his teaching about repentance, and finally a
contrast between the rejection of Israel and invitation to the outcast. The intersection of the
chiasmus is 13:34 with Jesus’ first lament over Jerusalem, thereby recalling Jesus’ word when
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he comes to Jerusalem (19:41-44).
C.H. Talbert who follows Goulder adds much more detail. He first divides it into eleven
parts, beginning in 10:21:
a) 10:21-24 a’) 18:15-17 Kingdom revealed to children,
b) 10:25-37 b’) 18:18-20 Inheriting eternal life
c) 10:38-42 c’) 18:9-14 De-emphasizing good works
d) 11:1-13 d’) 18:1-8 God’s willingness to answer prayer
33. M.D. Goulder, “The Chiastic Structure of the Lucan Journey,” in ed., F.L. Cross, Studia Evangelica II (TU,
87, Berlin, 1964), 195-202, here 196.
34. Ibid., 195-202.
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