The parables that appear in Luke make very good points that would be lost if the gentile physician did not record them. We can gain so much from the following stories that would be lost otherwise.

The parable of the Good Samaritan appears in Luke 10:25-37. The parable involves a lawyer asking Jesus how to inherit eternal life. When Jesus catches the lawyer in his own game by asking him his knowledge of the law, the lawyer again tries to corner him by asking for a definition of neighbor. Jesus then tells the story of a man who falls into thieves and is ignored by a

Luke also had a personal understanding for the sick and afflicted because he was a physician. His obligation was to heal and one could understand the pain he felt at the thought of one suffering unnecessarily.

Harrington, Wilifred. Parables as told by Jesus, a Contemporary Approach. New York :Alba House. 1975.

The rich man’s biggest mistake was not to realize that he needed Lazarus just as much, if not more, as Lazarus needed him. The rich man was empty of understanding of God’s love and his message. He forgot the most important commandment, “Thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Another crucial point that this parable illustrates is a glimpse into heaven. Lightfoot states four things that we learn from this parable that death cannot do. First of death does not terminate consciousness. We see that the rich man see the error of his ways and begs to be able to correct them. Second, death does not take away a person’s identity. The rich man still asks for Lazarus by name. Third, death does not wipe out memory. Abraham asks the rich man to remember the kind of person he was on earth. Lastly, death has only two outcomes, heaven or hell (135-137).

Instead of worshipping God, as commands, he wanted God to pay homage to him. The publican’s prayer was not full elaborate phrases as even we today are apt to use, he said everything that needed to be said in seven short words, and “God be merciful on me a sinner.”

Sin at its’ core is the desire to please one’s self instead of God. The prodigal son serves as the best example of this out of all the characters in the parables (Lightfoot 119). The main lesson however is not that the son was lost, it is the love that God has for sinners and the yearning he has for them to come to Him. Just as Jesus loved the publicans and the tax-collectors, so does God and He gives every opportunity to repent so everyone can one day be in heaven with Him.

Some topics in this essay:
God Publicans, Prodigal Son, Pharisee Publican, Neil Lightfoot, Gentile Jewish, Divine Providence, God Planning, Levite Especially, Holy Bible, Jewish Christians, god’s love, priest levite, lazarus rich, story told, rich lazarus, grand rapidsbaker book, parable samaritan, publicans tax-collectors, lazarus able, chapter sixteen, chapter luke, rapidsbaker book house,