Luke’s Concept of the Kingdom of God
Jesus had an intentional purpose in mind when he shared stories in parables. For many, the truth was blinded by prejudice, pride, laziness and arrogance. Jesus spoke in parables for a reason. He had the capability of flashing the truth into man’s mind so the truth of God could be illuminated. Jesus turned to His disciples and said to them “Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving. Make the heart of this people calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed.” (Isaiah 6:9-10, NIV) Jesus felt a pensive longing—a love that was frustrated and a sorrow for mankind. He had a precious gift to give the people but they were too blind to see. Luke had learned much through the Jesus tradition—along with many writings that came to him such as the Gospel of Mark. He knew that the overarching framework of Jesus’ work in conjunction with the church were eschatological. Luke set out to write about the Kingdom and to make it clear that Christ would come again soon to bring with Him the eternal glory of the Kingdom.
The Parable of the Great Feast (Luke 14:15-24)
The Parable of (Luke 14:15-24) illustrates the importance of seeking the Kingdom and not riches or social status. One could completely miss the opportunity to partake in the glory of the Kingdom if caught up with materialism, selfishness or anything that would replace what God has in store for those who diligently seek Him. The Kingdom of heaven is not for those who are wealthy or have earthly tasks to tend to. Rather, it is intended for those who are lowly, meek and humble who do not have a great status in this life or society. In the book of Luke, this parable functions as a symbol of a new
social group. Because meals for the Pharisees and the Scribes were often contained within tight social boundaries, meals within Luke function as a new social regime surrounding Jesus. Because Jesus was into breaking out of the social norms, with healing and preaching during dinners, He began a new custom or new model of sociability of the times. This parable goes across social and cultural barriers to create a new kind of social stratification (Karris, 1985).
As Jesus begins sharing the Parable of the Great Feast, the man sitting at the table sees the glory of God’s Kingdom. However, he doesn’t have the understanding of how he could get there.
As this man hears Jesus speaking he says “What a privilege it would be to have a share in the Kingdom of God!” (Luke 14:15, NIV) As the story unfolds, many people who are given an invitation to the great feast have excuses about why they cannot attend. This is true today in our present culture and times. So many are too busy to seek the Kingdom of God, but want to partake in the riches and glory of this world (Gordon, 2002). Is not God’s invitation the most important one to ever receive? There will come a time when God will take away His invitation; it will be too late.
The guests in Jesus’ story insult Him by refusing to accept His invitation. During these times, it was the custom to send out two invitations to a feast or celebration. The first invitation came from Moses and the prophets—while the next invitation came through Jesus. Although many religious leaders accepted the first invitation, they insulted Him by refusing to accept His son, Jesus the Christ. Instead, God sends His invitation across the world to the needy people to let them know that the Kingdom of God is available and waiting for them. Jesus is calling all who are willing to partake of the wedding feast of the Lamb (Revelation 19:6-9) where He will join all His people and church forever.
The Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8)
What does it mean to persist in prayer? This Parable illustrates such a powerful and loving God who is capable of executing justice to those who believe. God is not silent to the cries of His people. So many give up when they may not receive an immediate answer to their prayers. “One day, Jesus told his disciples a story to illustrate their need for constant prayer and to show them that they must never give up.” (Luke 18:1, NIV) Jesus uses the illustration of an evil judge who in His words “…was a godless man with great contempt for everyone.” (Luke 18:2, NIV)
To illustrate what happens with a persistent widow in court with an evil judge, Jesus shares a powerful story. The Lord wants His people to persist in prayer. In the times of waiting that are often called for, an opportunity for growth in our character with hope and increased faith. Although widows and orphans are some of God’s most vulnerable people, they are the ones that need to be properly cared for. Both the Old and New Testament Christians must persist in prayer and constantly make our requests known before God each day. Because we live for God day by day, it is important that we learn to live by faith and not give up. Although our answer may be delayed, there is good reason for the delays.
The Parable of the King’s Ten Servants (Luke 19:11-27)
The historical background for this parable begins with a crowd of people who want a political leader. This political leader would be someone who could set up an earthly kingdom and rid them of Roman domination. As Jesus shares the story of the King who entrusts the same amount of money to three servants; a revealing truth unfolds. Although a King is offered to the people, he must go away for a while. While he is away, he asks that his subjects be faithful and loyal in the small things and productive with what they are given. Upon the return of the King, a Kingdom so powerful and bountiful is promised.
It is something far beyond what any of them would otherwise expect. This story illustrates what the followers of Christ must do prior to His return. During the time Jesus departs from us and His second coming; strict instructions have been granted. Because we are living in this time frame, this parable can be directly applied for this current age. All have been entrusted with treasures and resources in order to build and expand God’s Kingdom. We are expected to use our talents so the Kingdom can multiply and grow. We are asked to give an accounting for what we have done with our time and resources. While we are waiting, we must do the work Christ has entrusted us. The King in the parable was hard on the man who hadn’t increased the money he was given because he did not trust the King’s intentions. The only concern this man had was for himself. Such a powerful message is conveyed here. God has given each one of us a measure of gifts and talents for the benefit of the Kingdom. We are expected to assist in the multiplication and expansion of the Kingdom and must trust God implicitly to govern His creation with fairness. Followers of Christ need to be concerned for the welfare of others and willing to use faithfully what God has entrusted to them.
Conclusion
The parables in Luke are written in narrative format with figurative similes and metaphors to make important analogies. Knowledge of the history greatly affects the exegesis (McKnight, 1988). Because Jesus often used parables to illuminate the minds of the people, it was also to help them make right decisions. Jesus had treasures and hidden
mysteries stored up in His parables which revealed the mysteries of the Kingdom to those that had eyes to see and ears to hear. Those that were unreceptive to understanding the truths of these parables were not receptive to the messages Jesus had.
Within the context of Luke’s parables, one can see the historical, cultural and spiritual significance in the quest to embrace the truths that are displayed to those that can understand. Parables in the days of Jesus had two settings. The original setting in the life of Jesus and the secondary one in the life of the early church. Most of Jesus' parables evolve around scenes of controversy, especially in the final year of training the disciples, as (Luke 9:51-62) displays.
References
Fee, Gordon D. (2002). New Testament Exegesis. Third Edition. Westminster John Knox Press. Louisville, KT.
Karris, R. Luke: Artist and Theologian (New York: Paulist Press, 1985) p 47
Life application Bible: New international version. (1991). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale.
Life application Bible: New international version. (1991). Wheaton, IL: Tyndale.
McKnight, S. (1988). Interpreting the Synoptic Gospels (Guides to New Testament Exegesis). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academics.
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