Forgiveness and God's mercy to sinners is also of first importance to Luke.

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Forgiveness and God's mercy to sinners is also of first importance to Luke. Only in Luke do we hear the story of the Prodigal Son welcomed back by the overjoyed father. Only in Luke do we hear the story of the forgiven woman disrupting the feast by washing Jesus' feet with her tears. Throughout Luke's gospel, Jesus takes the side of the sinner who wants to return to God's mercy.

Luke highlights the mercy that God has shown us in Jesus Christ.

Only Luke, for example, includes the parable of the Prodigal Son

(15:11-32), which would be better entitled the parable of the Loving

Father. God's love for us manifest in Jesus is one of Luke's central

concerns. Luke indicates this by including incidents and details lacking in

the other gospels. Only Luke tells us of Jesus' compassion in raising the

son of the widow from Naim to life (7:11-17); only Luke notes that Jesus

healed the ear of one of the men who came to arrest him (22:51). Luke's

account of the crucifixion likewise includes statements of Jesus which
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reveal his fathomless love and mercy: "Father, forgive them, for they know

not what they do" (23:34); "Truly I say to you, this day you will be with

me in paradise" (23:43).

Luke has written eloquently about the mercy of God, he has also written

pointedly about those who think they have no need of God's mercy. The

hungry are blessed because in their need they turn to their Father in

heaven. The full are cursed because in their fullness they have no room to

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