Metaphors

There are several metaphors in Luke 16-18, that pass off as simple, but out of context stories in Jesus career.  I don't have the energy to explain all the reasons why I think these stories that come from Jesus' ministry serve as metaphors, but I will give a few.

In the book of John, when Jesus healed the blind man, he stated that he was the light of the world and gave a message on opening people's eyes metaphorically.  Likewise, when he raised Lazarus, he stated that he was the resurrection and the life and gave a message on that.  When he fed the 5,000 he said he was the bread of life, and so on.

In Mark, when the disciples realized that Jesus was the glorious messiah predicted by scripture, their faith could not handle a suffering messiah.  In their belief / unbelief, Jesus healed a man who saw men as trees walking (in other words, he could only partially see) - he needed a second healing to see clearly.  In that same literary context, a man who came to Jesus for healing his son, cried out, "I believe, help my unbelief."  Both of these stories were living metaphores for what the disciples were facing at that time.  It was the disciples who could only partially see.  It was the disciples who believed that Jesus was the Christ, but had a difficult time believing that he woud suffer.  Their faith was mixed up.

Luke also carefully placed his stories and parables for his theological purposes.  After Jesus spoke a parable of the beggar Lazarus, Luke followed it up with Jesus' warning, "Do not offend the least of these...."  The least of these refered to people like Lazarus. 

And in Luke 18, after Jesus recounted the parable of the tax collector who went to the temple to confess, and right after the parable, someone came to Jesus with an infant, who was turned away by the disciples.  Jesus corrected the disciples and said, "Let the children come to me, for of such is the kingdom of God."  That child was a metaphor of the tax collector, who was rejected by the people and the pharisee.

Toward the end of chapter 18, Luke recounted the story of a rich man who would not give away his money to become one of Jesus' disciples. After the rich man rejected the kingdom and before Zachaeus bought himself into it, Luke shared the story of a man whose eyes were opened.  Once again, that story of a man whose eyes were opened was a metaphor of one who could let go of his riches for a better kingdom.

Lest you doubt that the blind receiving their sight was a metaphor, read the verse that preceeded the episode:  The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about (Luke 18:34).  Like the blind man, the disciples could not see at that point of Jesus' ministry.  In fact, they could not see clearly until after Jesus' resurrection.