The Gospel of Luke centralizes the components of Jesus’ divinity, humanity, and ministry which contribute to the perception of Jesus portrayed by the narrator of Luke. Jesus’ divinity is demonstrated through his healings and miracles throughout the Gospel. His humanity is represented through the infancy narrative and also at the beginning of his Passion in the Garden of Gethsemane. Finally, Jesus’ public ministry serves as the most effective and important element of his life because of the essential teachings that he speaks of that give inside evidence to the formation of the modern day church. Public Ministry Jesus’ public ministry acts a theological source because of the direct teachings and parables that he speaks about to crowds from …show more content…
all different backgrounds and social standings. For instance, the parable of the Prodigal Son is centered around sinners that have drifted away from the Church. The parable begins with a father and two sons who have their property divided up between them. The first keeps his property and stays loyal to his father who gave it to him. However, the other gambles away his money and has nothing. He travels back to his father, questioning if he will be accepted or shunned away because of the terrible and careless act he has done. The son says, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants" (Luke 15: 18-19). To the son’s surprise, the father accepts him back with open arms and rejoices with him by having a feast in honor of his return. The first son, appalled, says that he has never disobeyed his father and does not understand why they are feasting over the disobedient sons return. In return, the father says, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found” (Luke 15: 31-32). Like the father in the Prodigal Son, the Lord welcomes a lost soul back into his arms and rejoices. Parables such as the Prodigal Son, Lost Coin, and Good Samaritan appealed to many crowds because of their simple, yet deeper meaning. The book of Luke is especially unique in this sense because these essential parables are only found in Luke. These teachings are the base of the modern day church and truly represent what the Catholic faith encompasses. Humanity Along with his public ministry, the reader may notice the significance of Jesus’ humanity, which allows a more personal connection with him.
One may notice his divinity by the simplicity of Jesus’ birth in the infancy narrative. The King of Kings was humbly born in a manger where the shepherds flocked to admire him. The angel said to them, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!" (Luke 2:14) One sees Jesus’ humanity through his innocence and grace at the beginning of his life. The reader may connect with the humanly tasks that Mary and Joseph must attend to before the birth of Jesus. Jesus was not born in a castle or elaborate setting, but a simple manger in the small town of Bethlehem. The modesty of Jesus’ birth is a source that anyone can identify with. Another example of his humanity occurs in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prays to his Father and says, "Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done" (Luke 22:42). One can sympathize with Jesus because of the physical pain he knows is about to unfold. The grief that Jesus speaks of is a sorrow that the reader can feel within their heart. Jesus’ humanity acts as the most intimate form of theology that people can connect with. His divinity reveals a different element to Jesus’ character which creates a type of awe that is a necessity in Catholicism
today. Divinity The miracles and healings that Jesus carries out demonstrate his divinity by illustrating him as a sacred figure that works to restore those who are sick, dying, or crippled. An example of one of his healings occurs when Jesus is walking with his disciples in a crowd of his followers. A woman who was dying believed that if she could only touch the fringe of Jesus’ garment, she would be healed. Immediately after she touches him, Jesus asks who touched him. “And when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling, and falling down before him declared in the presence of all the people why she had touched him, and how she had been immediately healed. And he said to her, ‘Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace’” (Luke 8:47-48). Jesus’ nature left those who followed him and even those who hated him in awe. The divinity of Jesus’ life allows humanity to see him as a direct source from the Lord. Other occurrences such as the breaking of the bread at the Last Supper and the baptism of Jesus at the Jordan River are displayed in the modern Church as sacraments which connect the assembly with Jesus’ holiness. Although one may not personally understand Jesus’ divinity, they are called to deepen their faith through the continual practice of the sacraments that serve as the closest relation of divine elements from the Lord.
The book consists of three parts. The first part has five chapters of which focuses on explaining what the key questions are and why we find them difficult to answer. The second part has nine chapters explaining in detail what N.T. Wright considers Jesus’ public career and the approach he had in first century Palestine. The third part of the book, the last chapter, challenges readers to wrestle with the questions of Jesus’ life and ministry.
The book of Luke is in the gospel genre. The key theme in the book of Luke is the perfect humanity of Jesus Christ. Jesus, Zechariah, John the Baptist, Mary, the disciples, Herod the Great, Pilate and Mary Magdalene are the main characters in the book of Luke. This book begins with Luke telling us about Jesus’ parents; the birth of John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin; Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born; and the genealogy of Christ through Mary. Jesus’ ministry shows his compassion and forgiveness through the stories of prodigal son, the rich man and Lazarus and the Good Samaritan. The religious leaders of the time challenged and opposed the claims of Jesus. Christ’ followers were encouraged to see the cost of discipleship, while His enemies wanted His death on the cross. Finally, Jesus was betrayed, tried, sentenced and crucified. Three days later, the grave couldn’t hold Him! His ...
Jesus as a Divine Child: Son of God Luke’s Jesus is able to identify with certainty that he is human through his relationships and actions, but the same can also be said about his understanding of his own divinity. Luke allows Jesus to recognize his divinity at an early age. Even when he is only twelve, Jesus understands that he is the “Son of God.” According to Fitzmyer, Jesus’ words in Luke 2:49 are “the Gospel’s first pronouncement story. It puts on the lips of Jesus an implied statement about who he is, making manifest to his parents the way in which he is related to Yahweh—as an obedient Son of his heavenly Father.”
In this reflection paper, I will write my thoughts and understanding of what I read in the book of Luke found in the NIV Study Bible. I will also use what I read from the following books, Life of Jesus by John Dickson and Jesus and the Gospels by Craig L. Blomberg. Where I will answer the following questions. What Luke says about who Jesus was? What my thoughts are of Jesus? What Jesus thought of the religious leaders of the day? What are the main teachings of Jesus? Why crucify Jesus? Why does Luke say that Jesus resurrected and why that is important? Not only to me, but also to all of humanity. I will answer all these questions and more with this reflection paper on what I learned from my readings. I will also give background information, which helped me come to my conclusions.
The gospel of Luke illustrates the controversies that surround Jesus through a triangular pattern where a person or group of people, usually the Romans or Pharisees, have a problem with Jesus’s actions, miracles, healing ...
The gospel of Luke is the third book of the New Testament. The theme of the gospel is that Jesus was Christ, as well as the perfect man who willingly sacrificed his life to save humanity. Though Jesus never sinned he suffered the penalty for the sins of many others. Luke begins with a detailed illustration of the events surrounding Jesus’ birth. He shares how the Son of God is born to a virgin mother in a manger and is visited by shepherds. The ultimate King was not born in an extravagant castle or temple nor was he in the presence of royalty, but He was born as if He were the lowest of men. Luke then shows us how human our savior really was. Our Lord wept, loved, and grew physically and intellectually. Though, as Luke points out, our Lords
During the life of Jesus, there were many religious groups that roamed Judea. There were the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Essenes, the Herodians, and the Zealots. While they all claimed to be Jews, they were all unique in how they carried out their religion. Some were concerned with the law, others were concerned with freedom, and one group was even concerned with the king Herod. Altogether, they were the same in some ways, but otherwise they were completely different from each other.
Matthew reaches out to people by describing his authority that those in society and the Church understand his teachings and are able to pass it on as well
From the Bible, one learns about the triune of God; moreover, the Gospels depict the life of the Son, Jesus. Hindsight is 20/20, therefore, today’s Christian benefits from history’s view and can study the accounts of the Saints, both from the Old and New Testaments and easily prove the divinity of Jesus. I will focus on three key aspects of Jesus’ life: what Jesus did, what others said about Him, and His resurrection to prove Jesus was and is the Son of God.
What are parables of Jesus Christ? The word parable in general may mean the placing of two or more artifacts together to make a comparison or explain an ideology. This same concept could be related to the parables of Jesus Christ the son of God. Some people may choose to define these in various meanings depending on their own understanding. However, in my opinion, a parable is basically an analogy consisting of human circumstances that is accompanied with a spiritual or biblical lesson. Altogether, there are thirty-two parables; which could be found in the books of Mathew, Mark and Luke. Out of all these parables, eighteen of them are found in Luke and ten in Mathew. The eighteen parables found in Luke include, the Lost Coin, the Lost Son, the Unrighteous Steward, the Rich Man and Lazarus, the Unprofitable Servants, the Unrighteous Judge, the Pharisee and Publican, the Pounds, the Two Debtors, the Good Samaritan, the Friend at Midnight, the Rich Fool, the Watchful Servants, the Barren Fig Tree, the Chief Seats, the Great Supper, the Rash Builder, and the Rash King. The ten in Mathew include, the Laborers in the Vineyard, the Two Sons, the Marriage of the King's Son, the Ten Virgins, the Talents, the Tares, the Hidden Treasure, the Pearl of Great Price, the Draw Net, and the Unmerciful Servant. Again, the parables of Jesus Christ could be compared to a class of students with a teacher in the front. Basically Jesus Christ was the teacher and the whole world would be considered as the students. Out of all the parables of Jesus Christ, the main ones I will be talking about will be the parable of the good samaritan, and the parable of the sower.
The first objection of the divinity of Jesus is that God cannot be tempted, Jesus was tempted, therefore Jesus cannot be God. This objection argues that Jesus could not possibly be divine because he was tempted to take Satan’s false promises. This argument implies that Jesus sinned. Our Catholic teachings tell us that Jesus never sinned. If Jesus never sinned, then he could not have possibly been tempted by the devil.
Some major themes that are present in Luke are the presence of the Holy Spirit, the use of prayer, Jesus’ concern for women, his belief that Christianity should be the universal belief and a lawful religion, and that Jerusalem should always remain of the utmost importance (Harris, 2014). First, he believes that Jesus’ career and growth of Christianity are the work of the Holy Spirit, which is a direct expression of God’s will (Harris, 2014 p. 204). Next, the use of prayer is discussed in reference to Jesus and the disciples and how important it is to Christianity. It is unmistakable Luke’s thought as to the role that women play and that they are indispensable to God’s plan (Harris, 2014). Last, the concern for women is linked to the vulnerability
Within the synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Jesus is often identified as, “Teacher,” and is seen utilizing a unique pedagogical approach of which ignites life transformation of the individual. The Theological pattern in practice from this type of transformation is that the individual would go back into their social domain in which they reside and make an impact for Jesus Christ in turn igniting sociological transformation. Passages of scripture such as Matthew 16:13-20, Matthew 22:23-44, Mark 12:28-40, Luke 9:18-27, Luke 8:26-39, and Luke 20:1-18 display glimpses of Jesus’ pedagogy as He serves as teacher/facilitator within a dialogue asking probing questions utilizing a Socratic methodol...
The Gospel of Mark, as written by the prophet John Mark, compiles firsthand insight into the life of Jesus. Throughout, Mark describes accounts of Jesus as he made of himself a public image. But, who was Jesus? Why did he come, or, rather, why was he sent to Earth, and why did he die? Ironically, the characters within this book, some of which devoted their lives to serving the living Messiah, struggled to grasp these same concepts, and answer those same questions.
A missionary can be defined as someone who is sent to spread Christianity throughout the world or do other religious works. There have been several influential missionaries in modern day America such as William Carey, George Müller, David Livingstone, Lottie Moon, and Amy Carmichael. These people have dedicated their lives to reaching out to others and have inspired many people to become missionaries. Each one of them has impacted the world in a different way.