Free Essay: The Parable Of Luke's Beloved

Scholars have been reading and interpreting the Bible for centuries. Historians and theologians continue to debate the meaning and importance of the journey, miracles, parables, and teachings of Jesus. In reading the gospel of Luke and Drew Hart’s book, Trouble I’ve Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism, similarities can be drawn between the differing portrayals of Jesus and those individuals that Jesus was seeking out. Here, we will take a closer look at who Jesus is through the words of the gospel of Luke, how Hart understands and describes Jesus, as well as where the two cross over. Unlike the other gospels, Luke recognizes Jesus as the universal Christ and compassionate savior.

“Perhaps someone here has seen my son?” He had lost his son in the commotion. He searched for him among the dying,to no avail. Then he had dug through the snow to find his body in vain.” (90).

When the Father reunites with his family after the war, the children believe that “the man who stood there before [them] was not [their] father. He was somebody else, a stranger who had been sent back in [their] father’s place.” (132). The children’s memories of the father portray him as a strong, handsome man who loved to laugh. After he returns home they see that he has aged, and become quiet and closed off.

Stated in an article by Berndt, “Jesus does not reach out to the impure. They reach out to him, and he responds by trumping the power of impurity with the power of holiness” (Berndt 30). Jesus cannot save sinner unless they choose to be saved, for not everyone realizes the wrong of their ways until it is too

you examine every turn of flesh for precocity, and crow it to the world. But the last one;the baby who trails her scent like a flag of surrender through your life when there will be no more coming after-- oh that’s a love by a different name.” He never realized how precious his family was and even when he lost them, he never knew what he had. He demonstrated the

Born of the ashes from his father’s legacy, Christopher matures into a world that perceives him as nothing more than his father’s offspring. From the moment after his seventh year, he bears the people’s anger, not for his crimes, but for his father’s. In his home, he

“A Father’s Story”, a short story written by Andre Dubus, is an extremely interesting an insightful look into Catholic literature of the modern day. Dubus uses the medium of Catholicism to deliver a story that is both captivating in its action, while also being reaffirming in its attempt to contemplate both belief and faith in God in a man who leads an existence that is seemingly black-and-white and adrift. Through the presence of God and the main character’s struggle with his Catholic religion however, the life that appears to be, isn’t in fact all that is, and as long as he still retains and balances his faith with his love and fatherly duties, new meaning is given to being a Catholic in the modern day. The main character of the story, Luke

Christ begins this parable with the younger son requesting his inheritance. “And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them.” The younger son feels he is free from his father’s authority and embarks on a journey that is filled with reckless behavior that leaves him homeless. It is in this humble state that he reflects on his faith, asks for forgiveness, and is rewarded a king’s welcome upon his return.

The gospel of Luke, certainly, presents Jesus as the perfect Son of Man who came to fulfill God's program that has been revealed in the Old Testament (Micah 5:2; Isaiah 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5; 2 Samuel 7:16). Luke as a writer puts all of His efforts to recap the amazing life of this perfect Son of Man, Jesus, by concentrating more on the arrival, the ministry, the mission, and the resurrection of the Son of Man. Clearly, the first coming of Jesus Christ on earth was for a specific mission; to come as the finisher of God's program and bringer of the new era. Throughout the Old Testament, we saw every figures that God raised to be His representative among the people has failed to represent God. Because of sin that caused man to live unfaithfully to God, makes Adam, Moses, the Judges, Kings, the prophets, and all key figures of the Old Testament failed to live obediently as God's representative among His people.

From beginning to end, the son calls his father “Baba” to show his affection and admiration. Despite the father’s inability to come up with a new story, the son still looks up to him. This affectionate term also contrasts with the father’s vision of the “boy packing his shirts [and] looking for his keys,” which accentuates the undying love between the father and son (15 & 16) . The father’s emotional “screams” also emphasize his fear of disappointing the son he loves so much (17). Despite the father’s agonizing visions, the son remains patient and continues to ask for a story, and their relationship remains “emotional” and “earthly”--nothing has changed (20-21).

The Gospel of Luke is the most intentional in pointing out how Jesus continues the divine work of God with Israel and fulfills the message and promises of the Old Testament. In the opening words of his narrative, Luke provides assurance (Lk 1:4) that Israel’s story has been fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Luke opens the prologue of his Gospel by speaking of the fulfillment “πεπληροφορημένων” that has been brought about by Christ (Lk 1:1). Furthermore, Luke emphasizes and clarifies that he intends to go over the whole story from the beginning, in proper order, (Lk 1:3) to highlight how this story did not just start with the birth of Jesus. This is a story of the divine work of God with Israel that goes back all the way to Adam, runs through Abraham, is fulfilled through Jesus and is passed on into the life of the church (Lk 3:23-38).

This alludes to the stories of Noah and the Flood in the Book of Genesis and The Ten Plagues in The Book of Exodus. Both of these stories discuss the consequences that non believers will face if they fail to recognize the God of the Hebrews as the one, true God; however, these stories also display the graces that believers will receive. For example, Noah and his

A healed sin becomes reconciling friendship, becoming a source for fuller healing that embraces all. One can only redeem their sin if their redemption is done by heart and is meaningful. People who do not experience forgiveness, guilt swallows them up and they feel as if they are drowning. As Richard Baxter said, “that sorrow, even for sin, may be overmuch. That overmuch sorrow swalloweth one up.”

Only those who remained blameless and free of sin would reach God’s presence. Salvation in the Old Testament is viewed primarily as a means of going to heaven, which calls for obedience of Gods commandments to be worth before Him. Although this is similar to the New Testament, the New Testament mainly emphasizes on deliverance from sin through Jesus Christ, the son of God, who died to redeem his people from sin and its consequences. Salvation in the Old Testament was mainly based on faith in God (Kärkkäinen 63). For instance, God considered Abraham, who was faithful to him, as a man through whom he would raise a great generation that would please and obey Him.

His idiosyncrasy remains loving and understanding, even when his younger son returned home after many of been away with not a penny to his name. The young son showed disobedience to all the goodness his father had offered to him. The young son showed traits such as selfishness as well as being ungrateful. He had no worth for his father’s property nor did he want to work alongside his father on the family farm.