Ethical living in Luke

Question 1

Ethical living in Luke

Answer 1

• 10:25-37- The good Samaritan 15:1-32 - The three parables of the lost - 16:19-31 The rich man and Lazarus
• take place during the ‘travel narrative’, which is largely unique to Luke, connecting his journey to Jerusalem with ethical teaching
• Luke’s ethics have a universal emphasis, whereas other Gospels do not so much: e.g. Matthew- emphasis on how ethics relate to Jewish
  law, in the sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:17-20), Jesus states how he has not come to abolish the law but to fulfil it
• contrastingly, the sermon on the plain in Luke has less connection with Jewish law, Luke is preoccupied in the resurrection being a fulfilment
  of prophecy and faith in Christ being a continuation of faith in Israel
• Matera points out Jesus in Luke calls people to repentance as part of a new age of salvation, not the coming of the Messiah
• links to Luke’s readership, largely gentile

Question 2

F Matera on ethical teachings

Answer 2

• in ‘New Testament Ethics: The Legacies of Jesus and Paul’ he argues Luke’s ethics are built on Mark as a primary source
• however, Luke emphasises other themes: repentance, reversal, correct use of material goods, loving one’s neighbour, and Jesus as saviour
  of all
• emphasises how Luke presents Jesus as a model for life to be emulated
• Matera presents Jesus’ rejection of reciprocity in the sermon on the plain and the call for people to love their enemies as differences
  between Matthew and Luke- Matthew focuses on the importance of the law while Luke focuses on teachings of love and the importance of
  ethics generally

Question 3

Love and Non-judgement in Luke

Answer 3

• demonstrated in the parable of the good Samaritan and in the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6), detailing how we should love one’s enemies
  and do good without reward
• need for forgiveness would have been radical against Jewish tradition, as it was presented as a universal moral law rather than a fulfilling of
  Jewish law- Jesus’ teachings seem like a break from Jewish ideals, possibly because of Luke’s more gentile readership
• Acts (written by Luke’s author) deals with how Christian Church split from Judaism and how the Jewish people rejected Jesus- in turn,
  Jesus is presented as deviating from Jewish norms

Question 4

Repentance in Luke

Answer 4

• parables of the lost are focused on repentance and the joy of God when one repents (relates to love)
• emphasised in Luke 5:32: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” and reaffirmed after the resurrection (Luke
  24:46-47): “The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his
  name to all nations”
• the gospel contains teachings around repentance and forgiveness throughout, and the parables of the lost demonstrate how to ethically
  respond to repentance

Question 5

Reversal in Luke

Answer 5

• best demonstrated in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus- less of an ethical teaching and more of an eschatological forewarning
• Luke emphasises that the fortunes of rich and poor will switch come the kingdom of God, unlike Matthew which refers more to the poor in
  spirit
• Luke 13:30: “indeed, there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last”
• convention Jewish and Hellene tradition often placed wealth as a blessing from God, so Jesus’ message was quite radical
• Reza Aslan argues that, though this is usually presented in a spiritual light in the gospels, it shows Jesus may have been an economic
  revolutionary and a threat to the state
• Luke contradicts Jewish norms of the time

Question 6

The Cost of Discipleship in Luke

Answer 6

• e.g. parable of the lost son, disciples are shown to be required to celebrate the repentance of another beyond question of one’s own
  rewards for loyalty
• Luke 9:57-62 Jesus encounters three people who wish to be disciples but don’t understand that they need to abandon their family, home
  and material possessions
• 14:27: “…whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple”
• Jesus’ ethical teachings require total commitment

Question 7

I.H. Marshall on ethics and eschatology

Answer 7

• links ethics of Luke to its eschatology, noting how themes of reversal and the Kingdom of God seem directly related to calls to repentance
  and discipleship
• therefore, one’s response to the ethical teachings is their response to the kingdom of God
• relates to realised eschatology
• acting on Jesus’ ethical principles accepts the Kingdom of God as a reality

Question 8

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Answer 8

• an “expert in the law” asks Jesus how to inherit eternal life
• Jesus implies that he doesn’t know the true message behind the law and just follows it as a set of rules- this is reflected when the man
  asks “who is my neighbour?”- Jesus then responds with the parable of the good samaritan to show that the principle ‘love your
  neighbour as yourself’ applies to all, not just other Jews
• the first two men to pass the injured man are a priest and a Levite, both would have wanted to maintain ceremonial purity, meaning they
  would not want to touch what could have been a dead body
• then a samaritan, who would have been resented by the Jewish audience, helps the injured man, showing our neighbour is not
  somebody of a fixed identity
• non-judgement and love of all people, even cultural rivals, links to Luke 6:27 (“Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you”)]
• Jesus does not refute the law but shows it to be representative of principles which are good, though the laws themselves are not as
  important as these principles

Question 9

the Parables of the Lost

Answer 9

• presented to an audience of tax collectors and sinners
  -The lost sheep:
• the shepherd pains at losing just one sheep
• is then glad to find the sheep, representing God’s joy upon a sinner’s repentance
  -The lost coin:
• the loss of a silver coin would have been a serious matter for a poor person
• the search for the coin, representing repentance, is also important
• God actively searches for our repentance
• Luke presents a God who is invested in and cares for us
  -The lost son:
• pigs and pork were considered unclean in Judaism, so the son working on the pig farm was particularly humiliating and sinful
• seeking to be a paid servant, and not a son again, shows true repentance and humility
• the father recognises the repentance and is joyous, showing God’s love
• the older brother only recognises the material injustice, but is encouraged to see the spiritual value of his brother’s repentance

Question 10

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Answer 10

• reads as a strong challenge to society norms of riches being seen as a blessing
• ‘Lazarus’ is possibly linked to the Jewish name ‘Eleazar’ which means ‘God has helped’
• even in Hades, the rich man assumes his wealth would grant him influence over Lazarus, though Abraham informs him of the great
  reversal
• the rich man’s request for Lazarus to warn his brothers shows the Jewish people’s failure to understand the true meaning of the law
  given through the prophets
• emphasises the moral need for repentance as well as charity

Question 11

Jewish links to the beatitudes

Answer 11

• Psalm 41: begins with a blessing for those who watch out for the poor and are kind to the weak
• Psalm 107: promises God will fill the hungry soul
• Isaiah 61:2: promises God will comfort the mourning and the exile gave mourning a spiritual significance to Judaism

Question 12

blessed are the poor

Answer 12

• “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God”
• the poor are blessed because they can depend on nothing but God whereas the rich are tempted by their possessions (links to parable
  of the sower, the thorns representing earthly things)
• in Matthew’s, it is rather the “poor in spirit”, showing it is the spiritual impact of poverty more than anything else which leads the poorto
  be blessed

Question 13

blessed are the hungry

Answer 13

• “Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied”
• hunger is linked to poverty and Christians are expected to end hunger through charity
• eschatological promise of satisfaction in the kingdom of heaven
• links to the parable of the banquet and the feeding of the 5000- Jesus speaks of food symbolically and hunger as spiritual hunger
• the food is usually himself, dispensed through his teachings and in the eucharist
• Matthew spiritualises this blessing: “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness”, making symbolic meaning clearer

Question 14

blessed are those who weep

Answer 14

• “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh”
• equivalent in Matthew is “blessed are those who mourn”, so this likely refers, not just to all human misery, but specifically to mourning
• links to eschatological promises of the kingdom of God being like a party where all a happy (parable of the banquet and water turning
  into wine)
• links to the resurrection as the disciples wept after Jesus’ death and were joyous for his resurrection

Question 15

blessed are the hated

Answer 15

• “Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of
  Man”
• this is the only blessing which does not use the word ‘now’- it is referring to future Christians
• Jesus adds that they should “leap for joy” in the face of persecution because it shows they are true followers, like the prophets who
  were persecuted by the Jewish ancestors
• Christians would have been persecuted when Luke was written
• links to parable of the sower, as the good crop perseveres

Question 16

Implications of the beatitudes

Answer 16

• Francis of Assisi: contrary to norms of the time, sold his possessions and lived entirely dependent on God for food and shelter,
  began his own religious order committed to poverty
• beatitudes have been criticised by political reformers for encouraging earthly poverty, suggesting we should just accept inequality,
  however, Christians tend to see them as encouraging charity
• 2016: Pope Francis preached a sermon on the Beatitudes encouraging Christians to “recognise and respond to new situations with
  fresh energy”. Included his own blessings, such as “blessed are those who pray and work for full communion between Christians”-
  (Ecumenism (coming together of different churches)) and “blessed are those who renounce their own comfort in order to help
  others”

Question 17

The woes

Answer 17

Woes Luke 6:24-26
* occurs only in Luke, though Matthew makes similar warnings against the Pharisees
* mirror the beatitudes, though act as warnings

Question 18

woe to the rich

Answer 18

• “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort”
• echoes the rich man and Lazarus, making an eschatological warning
• echoes the parable of the rich and the kingdom of God
• the pleasures of wealth are short term but hell lasts forever

Question 19

woe to the fed

Answer 19

• “Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry”
• links again to the rich man and Lazarus, suggesting God will punish those who feed themselves without regard for others
• could be regarding those who fulfil their earthly needs without considering their spiritual needs- they will go hungry because they
  are spiritually empty

Question 20

woe to the laughers

Answer 20

• “Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep”
• Luke later describes the Jews laughing and mocking Jesus and the criminals during the crucifixion
• those who laugh are those who insult and laugh at future Christians, such as the pagan critic Celsus who describes Christianity as
  appealing only to “the silly, and the mean, and the stupid, with slaves, women and children”
• the laughers are those who live only for pleasure and the present moment who, like the rich, have chosen temporary pleasures and
  eternity in hell

Question 21

woe to the well-spoken-of

Answer 21

• “Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets”
• in the later church, these people are heretics who attract followers with a distorted Christian message
• conservative Christians would call this a message to liberal Christians who water down Christianity
• Isaiah and Jeremiah were supposed to have been killed by the Jews the false prophets refer to the priests of pagan gods like Baal
  to whom the Jews went awhoring
• condemns the teachings of the Pharisees and Saducees as misguided

Question 22

implications of the woes

Answer 22

• condemnation of those who laugh links to Christian censorship of satirical attacks against Christianity, such as ‘The Life of Brian”
• condemnations of the rich and well fed encourage Christians to work for equality
• concept of false prophets has led to condemnation of heretics, often resulting in extreme violence as happened to Cathars of
  southern France

Question 23

loving your enemies

Answer 23

-Loving your enemies Luke 6:27-36
* “love your enemies, do good to those who hate you” (6:27)
* “love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back” (6:35)
* Jesus points out even sinners are nice to those who are nice to them, so being nice to those who are good to you says nothing
about your character
* “do to others as you would have them do to you: (6:31)
* Jesus lives out these principles at his trial, 23:34 describes Jesus praying for his enemies from the cross
* seems to support religious tolerance

Question 24

loving your enemies context

Answer 24

• Exodus 23:4-5 contains instructions to return an enemy’s livestock
• Proverbs 24:17-18 advises Jews not to rejoice when their enemies suffer
• however, Leviticus 24:20 (“eye for an eye”) gives the law of retaliation
• Hillel the Elder described the ethics in the Torah as “What is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow”. this is a negative formulation
  whereas Jesus’ is positive, saying do unto others as you’d have done to yourself

Question 25

Parables about hypocrisy

Answer 25

* Luke 6:38: “For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” * Frank Matera: “Human judgement is flawed because it cannot fully understand the hear and motives of the other” * illustrated in two parables: the blind leading the blind and the log in the eye (someone pointing out a speck of sawdust in another’s eye while they have a plank in their own)

Question 26

The tree and its fruit

Answer 26

* we do not go looking for sweet fruits in thorn bushes * thorn bushes are like people who speak as if they do good actions but don’t * links to symbol of a fig tree representing Israel in the old testament, the true vine in John, and the parable of the sower

Question 27

wise and foolish builders

Answer 27

* one builder uses a firm foundation while another does not * the firm foundation is Jesus’ teaching and the house built upon it (someone’s way of living) will survive the torrent * torrent represents set backs in life

Question 28

evaluation of the sermon on the plain

Answer 28

* gives very general ethical advice, whereas Matthew’s sermon on the mount gives specific teachings on matters like murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, prayer, fasting and donating to the poor * does not directly give any reason to solve poverty if the poor and the hungry are blessed * should those living in wealthy countries feel guilt * Frank Matera: “Jesus expects those who hear the sermon to do what he teaches. He is not presenting an impossible ideal. Nor does he intend his sermon for the chosen few: * Matera believes the sermon is intended to apply to communities of disciples: “Those who live in a community in light of the in- breaking kingdom of God, however, will find the strength to live the ethic Jesus presents here” * imagining the sermon’s teachings operating in a community of Christians makes it seem practical