Didn't realize I hadn't posted this until I got a note from a student a bit ago. My apologies. Please get this blog done when you can...no deadline. Please read Chapter 13-24 of the Gospel of Luke. Look at the list of passages "special" to Luke, i.e., passages that occur in Luke's gospel only (Section VI of the outline I passed out in class). Choose one or two of these passages and speculate on why Luke chose to include this material while Matthew did not. If others have commented on this passage before you, say whether you agree with their suggestions or not.
If you do not have the outline I passed out, see the online version here.
The prodigal son, which is one of my favorite stories, is in Luke but not Matthew. My speculation is that the lost son story means something to the Gentile as much as the Jew. Gentiles are the lost son who when they accept Christ expect something besides being greeted with a huge banquet and celebration. Even the son was hesitant to come back and was planning on becoming a servant. However, the father accepted him with wide open arms. Luke may have been trying to get across that no matter how far a person has fallen or how far away from righteous they may be, He awaits them with open arms. Awesome!
ReplyDeleteMy second one that I have chosen I pulled directly off the sheet. The ministering women stood out to me. I had to go back and reread that section to see exactly what it was, but after reviewing it, there were three ladies who had seen Jesus and accepted him as Lord. They "supported them from their own means." This struck me as odd because I believe that women were probably not the highest on the social ladder of the time. Perhaps Luke was showing that Christ was for everybody, the least to the greatest.
I love the story of the ten healed of leprosy. I believe it is in Luke and not in Matthew because he wanted to appeal more to the gentiles. When they are asking for Jesus help, Jesus tells them to go show themselves to the priest, and they find that they are cleansed. I think Luke wants the gentiles to believe that they can receive healing and forgiveness of sins even when their sins seem as bad as leprosy.
ReplyDeleteIn Luke chapter 16, Jesus gives the story of the Rich man and Lazarus. I really enjoy this story, aside from addressing some of the realities of Hell, it reinforces God's promise of eternal life with him, and his blessing for those who suffer in his name. I believe that a huge part of the significance of this section of scripture being only in Luke, is that God show's no partiality toward Jews or Gentiles. Abraham says of the wealthy man's request, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead." This goes to show that being born into Judaism doesn't give you a ticket to heaven, it is only by Christ's grace we are saved. This is a very important message for the Gentiles.
ReplyDelete-Greg Fred
A parable that has stuck with me for a long time is the parable of Disciples wanting to destroy the Samaritan villagers or Luke 9:51-56. This parable has stuck with me, because it is the first time I realized how much taking a section out of context can change the meaning. My pastor was preaching on this section of Luke and the gospel reading left out where Jesus says that “For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them.” Leaving this part out would make a Gentile wonder exactly why Jesus rebuked the disciples. Also leaving this part out would not make a whole lot of sense for why the story is in Luke’s gospel, but not Matthew’s. However, the parables is whole, so it makes it pretty simple why it is in just Luke’s gospel and not Matthew’s. Luke’s gospel was aimed at a Gentile audience and having a story where Jesus cares for the biggest Gentiles of all, the Samaritans, is a must. Jesus cares about all people and this story reinforces that fact, just as John 3:17 does, “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Gentiles needed to know how much God and Jesus care for them and for all people, so that is why the parable of the Disciples wanting to destroy the Samaritan village is in Luke’s gospel, but not Matthew’s. -Kelly Longden
ReplyDeleteLuke 9:49-50'"John answered, "Master, we saw someone using your name to force demons out of people. We told him to stop, because he does not belong to our group." But Jesus said to him,"Don't stop him, because whoever is not against you is for you."' I believe Luke put this in because Luke was preaching to the Gentiles and saying to them unlike the Pharisees or Sadducees that those not against can not hurt you, so there in turn leave them be for they are doing onto you no harm.
ReplyDelete-Dylan Mickelson
The Prodigal son is a bible verse that was always read in my childhood home when my sisters and I were jealous or mad at each other. I think it is important because it shows that we all make mistakes but every time we go crawling back to our parents or Christ we will be welcomed with open arms and forgiveness. This may be important for Luke and not Matthew because the Gentiles needed to know that they could go to God and be welcomed with open arms of love and mercy. Taylor Linn
ReplyDeleteThe story of the good Samaritan, Luke 10:29-37, tells of a wounded man on the road, who is passed by by a priest, then a Levite, then finally a Samaritan comes to his aid. he treats him and cares for fum without any thought of repayment. This as well as the disciples wanting to destroy the Samaritan village, and the strange exorcist, all show that Jesus is a practitioner of compassion and forgiveness. This could be to show that even a Gentile could be welcomed into the kingdom of heaven, despite not being one of God's Chosen people. -Sean McCracken
ReplyDeleteLuke 16: 14-31, Is a passage that is not included in Mathew but is included in Luke, most are confused as to why. This is not very clear to most, but I believe that it isn’t that hard to understand. Most people of the Gentile race were not very familiar with the laws of the Jews (nor am I), but I believe that most of the Gentiles thought that whoever gave the most money to the church got a better place in heaven. Though I don’t think that this is the whole point of the passage, it is also teaching people that what they get in this life with be better in the next life, if they follow certain rules, like accepting Jesus in their hearts and asking for forgiveness. Liz Matson
ReplyDeleteLuke 16: 14-31, Is a passage that is not included in Mathew but is included in Luke, most are confused as to why. This is not very clear to most, but I believe that it isn’t that hard to understand. Most people of the Gentile race were not very familiar with the laws of the Jews (nor am I), but I believe that most of the Gentiles thought that whoever gave the most money to the church got a better place in heaven. Though I don’t think that this is the whole point of the passage, it is also teaching people that what they get in this life with be better in the next life, if they follow certain rules, like accepting Jesus in their hearts and asking for forgiveness. Liz Matson
ReplyDeleteThe story of the prodigal son is a good fit for the Gospel of Luke. It fits the theme that Luke tries to represent that Christ tries to bring all kinds of people together with kindness and forgiveness. Even though the son squandered his wealth his father accepts him back. This story also appeals to Luke's primary target audience, the Gentiles because if they repent against their gods and embrace the Christian God they will be accepted with open arms.
ReplyDelete-Zack Krage
The story of the Road to Emmaeus, Luke 24: 13-35 (St. Joseph Edition) is a story for Luke rather than Matthew. Within the book of Luke, there are stories that are here but not in Matthew. Luke is more a book for Gentiles while Matthew is a bit more for the Jewish community. In Luke, especially this story, he tries to show a parable that was probably written down by prophets but was never in the book of Matthew because they already knew what was foretold. This passage is a bit descriptive like a prophet would have told but then again it is told in a summarized way. Never the less, this parable seems more fitting for Luke because even though the Gentiles believed in Christ, it tells them of what happened because of the good news that the Lord had risen from the dead and that they should rejoice.
ReplyDelete-Cheryl Hansen
Several have mentioned these already, but they are my favorite selections that Luke includes that aren't found in Matthew: the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. Both stories are beautiful.
ReplyDeleteIn the good Samaritan, Jesus is explaining that we should treat everyone as our neighbor. We are all God's children, and family feud's aside, we need to learn to care for one another. The actions of the Samaritan are heart-warming, because it is unconditional care, and he is the one who helped when the other supposedly Godly people wouldn't.
In the prodigal son, several students have already covered the message of coming back to the kingdom of God, and being accepted with open arms, having all forgiven. I would also like to note that perhaps another message here is about being able to forgive. The man's son essentially wished he was dead when he asked for his inheritance. The son left and never seemed to look back, but when his luck turned south, and he came home offering to serve, the father was just happy he was home. It is both a message to those who are lost and those who have lost; a message of those who need forgiveness and those who should give it. We tend to hold on to the past when we have been scorned, and when the time comes, we typically can't forgive someone right away until we come to terms with all they have done to wrong us. This is a beautiful message.
Luke is definitely reaching out to Jews and Gentiles with his book. Matthew was trying to convince Jewish readers who were convinced that Jesus was not a fulfillment to their prophecy, that he actually was. Luke, with his special attention to Samaritans shows that Jesus was on this earth for all people. He was not just the Messiah to the Jews but a Messiah for all people through the Jews. Gentiles would surprisingly be more receptive to Jesus' teaching, often times but not all the time. Luke is showing that Jesus was here to save all people whether they rejected him or not. Matthew very well may have tried to convey this also but he was more concerned with writing specifically for a Jewish audience. -Zach Kuhlman
ReplyDeleteThe parable about Jesus healing the woman on the Sabbath (Luke 13:11-13) was interesting to me because it was not in Matthew and I think that this is because Luke was more focused on giving the parables of Jesus than Mathew was. Luke has many short parables and this one is no different. I find it interesting that Jesus apparently sinned by breaking the Sabbath but Jesus embarrasses the Pharisees by telling them that they break it too. Jesus Christ also occasionally found it necessary to disobey the written Word of God in order to do what God really wanted him to do.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Kelly that sometimes taking Bible passages out of context really changes the tone and overall message behind them.
-Thomas Geyer