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

elationship of the Christian with neighbours is presented as love and forgiveness. Luke has a
prominent emphasis on the need to love and forgive all people as shown clearly in the Parable
of the Good Samaritan (10:25-37), the Parable of the Prodigal Son (15:11-32), and The
Pharisee and The Tax-Collector (18:9-14). Christians should love and forgive their
neighbours, including enemies and sinners. It is the appropriate attitude that all the Christians
should have towards their neighbours. Secondly, it is emphasized that Christians should use
their material possessions that are entrusted to them properly for the service of God and the
poor, as presented clearly in The Rich Fool (12:13-21), The parable of the Unjust Steward’
(16:1-13), and The Rich man and Lazarus (16:19-31). The Lukan Jesus repeatedly warns of
the danger of attachment to riches as an obstacle to discipleship, and calls for the positive use
of wealth, especially in the form of giving alms to the poor. In their relationship to material
possessions, Christians should pursue the right use of wealth. Lastly, in relationship with God,
it is especially faith and repentance that the Christians must bear in mind. Two prayer
parables, The Friend at Midnight (11:5-8) and The Judge and the Widow (18:1-8), convey
that prayer itself is an expression of faith towards God. Indeed, the evidence of faithfulness
must be seen in prayer that shows constant fellowship with God. As regards repentance, the
following Lukan parables are related to the theme of repentance: The Barren Fig Tree (13:6-
9), The Parable of the Prodigal Son (15:11-32) and The Pharisee and the Tax-Collector (18:9-
14), including, implicitly, The Rich Man and Lazarus (16:19-31), The Great Feast (14:15-24)
and The Parable of the Unjust Steward (16:1-13). The parables related to repentance call for
urgent repentance with a warning of imminent judgment, and furthermore describe that
repentance as honestly acknowledging that one has broken the relationship between oneself
and God, and fervently desiring the restoration of that relationship. All things considered,
what Christians should pursue in relationship with God is faith and repentance.
To sum up, in view of the fact that the Christian life is one of the two pivotal themes of
the travel narrative, and that the Lukan parables’ theological themes converge in the Christian
life, the Lukan parables clearly function as instruction of the Christian life. Lukan parables
were evidently intended by Luke to teach what it means to follow Jesus and how Christians
should live in the world. Accordingly, a unifying motif of the Lukan Parables is ‘perspectives
on the Christian life.’
In order to identify the role of the Lukan parables in the purpose of Luke’s Gospel, I, first
of all, have surveyed the purpose of Luke’s Gospel. In so doing, I have found that each
suggestion concerning the purpose of Luke-Acts has methodological, textual, and historical
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