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

Paul’s sermons, God has raised Jesus from the dead (2:24, 32, 3:15; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30;
17:31). Beyond the time of Jesus, the activity of God is also at work in the early church
(2:16-18). All the growth of the community is due to divine action (2:47; 4:4, 33; 5:14; 6:1, 7).
The activity of God appears in miracles (8:10), the divine voice (9:4-6), and the vision (10:9-
16). As a consequence, all that God had done for them (14:27; 15:4) reveals the conviction
that the activity of God at work guarantees the certainty of His plan.
None of Satan’ plots work successfully. During Jesus’ ministry, he rebukes demons (4:41),
releases those afflicted by evil spirits (8:2; 13:32), drives out demons from those possessed
by them (8:32-35), and empowers his disciples to do the same (9:1; 10:1-16). In Acts, Jesus’
followers, as Jesus has done, also expel evil spirits (Acts 8:7; 16:18; 19:12). 153
As a result,
the spiritual forces of evil against God’s saving purpose ultimately cannot frustrate God’s
power to heal the sick, open the hearts of people to his word, and release people from Satan’s
bondage. Even hostility to Jesus is employed in service of the will of God. “for truly in this
city there were gathered together against thy holy servant Jesus, whom thou didst anoint, both
Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever thy hand
and thy plan had predestined to take place.” (Act 4:27-28). What is more, as Acts closes,
Scripture is cited to underscore that the Jewish rejection of Jesus is also a part of the plan to
send the God’s salvation to the Gentiles (Acts 28:25-28, cf. Isa. 6:9-10). Luke shows that God
directs the plan, and that the aim in spite of any opposition is certainly accomplished under
God’s initiative.
Luke shows clear proof of its divine origin and wants to express that the divine plan in
Luke-Acts is rooted in the old authoritative story of Israel, always keeping the continuation of
God’s aim in his mind. God’s plan promised in the Scriptures not only continues, but is also
fulfilled in and through Jesus as well as his followers. Luke’s presentation of God’s plan, of
course, indicates that other purposes against God’s design are also at work. Indeed, the
opposition to God’s purpose occurs primarily in both human and spiritual opponents.
Nevertheless, Luke strives to convey an assurance that God’s design will be accomplished at
all costs. God’s purpose in reality triumphs over evil forces and plots of opponents. Even
hostility to Jesus is employed in the service of the will of God. In conclusion, Luke strives to
reassure to his readers, like Theophilus, that God directs the plan, and God’s redemptive aim,
153. For more on Satan’s fall, see Garrett, The Demise of the Devil: Magic and the Demonic in Luke’s Writings,
75; Fitzmyer, Luke the Theologian: Aspects of His Teaching, 168-69.
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