Other Actions and Sayings of Jesus in Luke Breaking Down Barriers
Jesus preached in the synagogue in Nazareth. He mentioned a time when there was a famine over all the land and Elijah was sent to no one except a Sidonian widow (4:25-26) - a Gentile widow (1 Kings 17:15). In the time of the prophet Elisha, none of the lepers in Israel were cleansed but Naaman the Syrian in 2 Kings 5 (i.e. a Gentile) (4:27). The point is that these two Gentiles are declared acceptable by God.
In the account of Jesus healing the centurion’s servant (7:1-10), the important point is Jesus’ declaration that not even in Israel had he found faith such as had the centurion, a foreigner, a Roman (7:9).
The mission of the seventy (two) (10:1-20), has often been said to symbolize the salvation of all peoples, not just the Jews, because the number 70 or 72 is said to symbolize all the nations of the world in Gen 10. Some manuscripts of Luke 10 have 70 and others have 72. Hebrew manuscripts of Genesis 10 have 70, the Septuagint Greek OT has 72: hence confusion about the number.
In Chapter 13:24-30, Luke gives us Jesus’ sayings about the Kingdom. Luke 13:29 has emphasized more than the parallel in Matthew 8:11, those that are to be included in the kingdom. They will come from East and West, from North and South (in Matthew, they will come only from East and West). Luke has toned down the emphasis on exclusion from the kingdom in 13:29 compared to the parallel in Matt 18:12.
The parable of the Great Banquet in Luke (14:15-24) contains an extra invitation to the banquet in 14:23 not present in the version in Matthew (Matt 22:2-10). This extra invitation may be taken as symbolizing the mission to the Gentiles. It is likely that Luke has added that extra invitation to the parable because of the situation of the Church in his time being a mixture of both Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. Thus we could see the three invitations in this parable as follows:
• the first is the invitation to the Jews, v17;
• the second is the invitation to the tax collectors and sinners by Jesus, v21;
• the third is the mission to the Gentiles, v23.
In the account of Jesus healing the centurion’s servant (7:1-10), the important point is Jesus’ declaration that not even in Israel had he found faith such as had the centurion, a foreigner, a Roman (7:9).
The mission of the seventy (two) (10:1-20), has often been said to symbolize the salvation of all peoples, not just the Jews, because the number 70 or 72 is said to symbolize all the nations of the world in Gen 10. Some manuscripts of Luke 10 have 70 and others have 72. Hebrew manuscripts of Genesis 10 have 70, the Septuagint Greek OT has 72: hence confusion about the number.
In Chapter 13:24-30, Luke gives us Jesus’ sayings about the Kingdom. Luke 13:29 has emphasized more than the parallel in Matthew 8:11, those that are to be included in the kingdom. They will come from East and West, from North and South (in Matthew, they will come only from East and West). Luke has toned down the emphasis on exclusion from the kingdom in 13:29 compared to the parallel in Matt 18:12.
The parable of the Great Banquet in Luke (14:15-24) contains an extra invitation to the banquet in 14:23 not present in the version in Matthew (Matt 22:2-10). This extra invitation may be taken as symbolizing the mission to the Gentiles. It is likely that Luke has added that extra invitation to the parable because of the situation of the Church in his time being a mixture of both Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. Thus we could see the three invitations in this parable as follows:
• the first is the invitation to the Jews, v17;
• the second is the invitation to the tax collectors and sinners by Jesus, v21;
• the third is the mission to the Gentiles, v23.
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