The Central Message of Luke 5-12-16 - Essay Example

From the story, it is clear that Jesus is a very compassionate person and that He is willing to be seen even with lepers, even though during those times, lepers were prohibited to go near people who are well.

The central message of this story is that one should have a strong faith and believe that Jesus welcomes anyone, whether he is sick, poor, or unaccepted by society. In the same manner, one thinks that Jesus wants His believers to do the same with his fellowmen. Another message is that one should not be afraid to ask Jesus what one needs. There should be no doubt in one’s mind that Jesus will heal those who ask Him with faith. One must humble himself before Jesus.

2) What is the Gospel writer trying to say to his readers by the way he puts the smaller stories together? Try to discover what the three stories have in common.
In Matthew 24 (The New American Bible), the Gospel writer is trying to say that one should be ready always to face the Son of Man because He will come when He is least expected. Each one should try to do good at all times because when the Son of Man arrives, He will punish those who were not true to His commandments and He will reward those who have followed His teachings.

In Mark 9 (The New American Bible), the Gospel writer talks of the resurrection of Jesus. In this chapter, one also observes again that Jesus does not want the disciples to tell anyone about his resurrection.

In all three Gospel stories, the humility of Jesus is highlighted. He could have chosen to be famous and popular because He is the Son of Man. He could have asked those whom He has healed to talk about it to his family and neighbors, but he chose not to be in the limelight.

Another common element in the three stories is faith. In Luke’s gospel, the leper exemplifies faith in Jesus by trusting that He will be able to heal him if Jesus wills it. In Matthew 24, the Gospel writer talks about the faithfulness of the servant to his master. It is implied in the story that the servant trusts that if he follows his master’s orders, he will be rewarded upon his master’s return. It is not only the servant’s faithfulness that is depicted here but also Jesus’ faithfulness to those who serve Him rightly. He is faithful to His words that He will reward those who do good and punish those who do not follow His teachings. In Mark’s gospel, Jesus somehow asks for faith from His disciples in believing that the Son of Man will suffer but will eventually resurrect. He wants His disciples to believe whatever the scriptures state including Elijah and the Son of Man. Read More