Christian Discipleship In The Parables of the Lukan Tradition
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Date
1997-02
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Tangaza University College
Abstract
The Parables on discipleship teach us what a disciple should
be like and what may be required of him. I have chosen some of the
Parables from the Gospel of Luke. I have chosen this Gospel because
Luke's purpose of writing the Gospel is to address a Gentile
audience who are painfully rethinking their missionary thrust in a
hostile environment. Luke shows how the followers of Jesus should
be in such environment. Luke portrays Jesus as a model of Christian
discipleship. The structure of the Gospel shows that Jesus is on
the journey to Jerusalem; this journey has a double meaning: the
way to Jerusalem and the Way of discipleship.
On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus teaches his disciples what is
required of them who want to be his followers. He uses the parables
to convey this message. All the parables on Christian discipleship
are placed on the journey section to Jerusalem, (Lk 9:51-19:27).
This is where Jesus gives instructions on the meaning of
discipleship, the Way of living, its cost and the demands of
Christian discipleship and also the life of a disciple in relation
to God and neighbor.
The true disciple will heed and realize what the call of Jesus
may demand of him, after discernment and calculating the cost of
being a disciple, resolutely, he will answer that call. We shall
see this in the Parable of Tower-building and Making War (Lk 14:28-
33). What is the cost of following Jesus? And what is the cost of
choosing not to follow Jesus? The one who has chosen to be a disciple would be expected to
express his/her choice in deeds. His service will find expression
in action, it cannot be a matter of words only. As he/she strives
to serve his master as faithful as he can, he will be aware that he
never does more than may be expected of him.
All the time he must be vigilant and perseverent and never
give way to self-confidence for his world can end any time, and so,
he must be open to God's will. But he can be of good heart because
he has a Father in heaven who will surely hear his prayers. A true
disciple will put all his trust in God and pray persistently
without losing hope for there is nowhere he can go except to his
master whom he has chosen to follow. So, he has to persist in
prayer even if his master seem not to answer his prayers as we
shall see in the parables of the Unjust Judge (Lk 18:1-8) and the
Friend at Night (Lk 11: 5-8).
And the true disciple must bear in mind that what his Lord
asks of him, more than anything else is the unlimited practice of
fraternal charity. As John puts it: "By this all men shall know
that you are my disciple if you have love for one another." (Jn
13:35). The true love of a disciple is not the one expressed in
words but in actions. This kind of love is clearly exemplified in
the Parable of the Good Samaritan as we are going to see in detail
in chapter three.
The love of a Christian disciple will always be in two aspects
love of God and love of neighbor. These two aspects should always
go together without ignoring one or the other for love of God and
love of neighbor cannot be separated.
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Keywords
Discipleship, Lukan, Parables, Christian, Love God and Neighbour, Demands of Discipleship