Christian Quest
Study 25
Luke's Parables of Jesus on
Discipleship, Repentance and Mercy

Reading:
Luke chapters 14 and 15

Commentary

To be a disciple of Jesus at the time of His earthly sojourn called for great sacrifice. The term in His day did not merely mean to be a believer and confess faith. Rather, it mean to literally "follow" Him in his ministry. In His time, one could not follow Him as one among his disciples and followers and remain with family, secular job, and the comforts of home. To follow Jesus meant to move from place to place and preach the imminence of the Kingdom of God. When Jesus had revealed to his apostles that he must soon die, Peter exclaimed: " 'Look, we have left our homes ["everything" in Matt. and Mark] and followed you.' And [Jesus] said to them, 'Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not get back very much more in this age, and in the age to come eternal life.' " (Luke 18:28-30) When Jesus likened it to "hate", it is generally understood to be in the context of customary exaggeration that was prevalent in Jewish culture, for we know that Jesus did not teach hate, but love. What Jesus was saying is that to be a disciple and follow him to preach the good news of God's kingdom, one would be obliged to love his family and home less than Jesus and the divine ministry, to the point of leaving them. This was no doubt somewhat painful for the family and a heavy price to pay.

After Jesus' death, in the ministry that followed, a disciple was one who became a believer (Acts 11:26). One who fulfills the ultimate obligation of discipleship is to make disciples of others (Matt. 28:19-20). In the early church this involved first bringing them to faith in Christ by teaching His truths. Disciples are those who have been come to faith in Christ and identified with Him in baptism. It implies repentance and faith for salvation, dedication, enduring sacrifice if need be for Christian living, identification with and service to Christ, and sharing the good news of God's kingdom hope through Christ's ransom with others.

Luke records more of Jesus' parables than any other Gospel writer. Luke particularly drew attention to the poor, tax collectors, sinners, and women, as these otherwise socially less-important groups are embraced in the comprehensive nature of God's salvation.

As we continue our study of parables in Luke, it is well to keep in mind that the time is well into the third year of Jesus' ministry. He has revealed to his apostles that He is the Christ by acknowledging Peter's confession. They have left the Galilee and are taking the kingdom preaching to the regions between there and Jerusalem. Jesus is now very concentrated on instructing the apostles, preparing them to carry out the Kingdom preaching and the good news of salvation to the world after Him.

Synopsis

Luke chapter 14

Versus 1-24 show lessons for the Pharisees:
14:1-6: Healing on the Sabbath.
14:7-14: Parable of the Ambitious Guest
14:15-24: Parable of the great banquet.

Versus 25-35 show the importance and sacrifice of discipleship in Jesus' day
14:25-35: Jesus speaks to the multitude and admonishes them to careful consider the cost of following Him.One must abandon family and possessions to follow Jesus in the ministry of His time.

Luke chapter 15

This chapter reports three parables comparing sin to being lost, and repentenance to being found or returning, and joyful mercy for repentenance.
15:1-7: Parable of the lost sheep. (See also Matt. 18:12-14)
15:8-10: Parable of the lost coin.
15:11-32: Parable of the lost [prodigal] son.

Optional research:

• What are some of the unique qualities and presentations of the Gospel writer Luke?
• What is the "fatted calf" in Jewish culture?

Review questions:

• What did the Pharisees say when Jesus healed a man in their presence on the Sabbath?
• What was the lesson in the parables of the ambitious guest and of the great banquet?
• What did Jesus mean when He said one must "hate" family and life to be a disciple?
• How does the parable of the lost sheep compare with the parable of the lost coin?
• Why did the father celebrate the return of his son in the parable of the lost son?
• Why did the elder brother feel resentment in the parable of the lost son?
• What did you enjoy most in this study?

Optional discussion:

How might some Christians compare with the elder son in the parable of the lost son?