The Sonship of Jesus: Luke
Question: Does the Gospel of Luke identify Jesus as God’s Son?
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Overview
The Sonship of Jesus is taught throughout the Gospel of Luke. Those who refer to Jesus as the Son of God or accuse Jesus of claiming to be God's Son are as follows.
1. God the Father (3:21-22 & 9:28-36)
2. The Angel Gabriel (1:26-38)
3. Jesus (10:22, 20:9-19 & 22:66-71)
4. Satan & Demons (4:1-13, 4:40-41 & 8:26-33)
5. The Jewish Religious Leaders (22:66-71)
These references to the Sonship of Jesus are significant when contrasted with the Quran. The Quran (although claiming to be a continuation of the religion of Jesus) states that it is highly inappropriate to associate Allah with Fatherhood or to suggest that Allah has children in any sense and this is explicitly denied when applied to the relationship between Allah and Jesus. In short, the Quran denies the Sonship of Jesus as well as the Fatherhood of God.
God the Father
Luke 3:21-22
(21) When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened (22) and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
Luke 9:28-36
(28) About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. (29) As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. (30) Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendour, talking with Jesus. (31) They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfilment at Jerusalem. (32) Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. (33) As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters - one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)
(34) While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. (35) A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” (36) When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.
The Angel Gabriel
Luke 1:26-38
(26) In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, (27) to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. (28) The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.”
(29) Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. (30) But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favour with God. (31) You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. (32) He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, (33) and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
(34) “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
(35) The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. (36) Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. (37) For no word from God will ever fail.”
(38) “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Jesus
Luke 10:22
(22) All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
Luke 20:9-19
(9) He went on to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard, rented it to some farmers and went away for a long time. (10) At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants so they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. (11) He sent another servant, but that one also they beat and treated shamefully and sent away empty-handed. (12) He sent still a third, and they wounded him and threw him out.
(13) “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my son, whom I love; perhaps they will respect him.’
(14) “But when the tenants saw him, they talked the matter over. ‘This is the heir,’ they said. ‘Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ (15) So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.
“What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? (16) He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”
When the people heard this, they said, “God forbid!”
(17) Jesus looked directly at them and asked, “Then what is the meaning of that which is written: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? (18) Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”
(19) The teachers of the law and the chief priests looked for a way to arrest him immediately, because they knew he had spoken this parable against them. But they were afraid of the people.
Luke 22:66-71
(66) At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. (67) “If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.”
Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, (68) and if I asked you, you would not answer. (69) But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”
(70) They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”
He replied, “You say that I am.”
(71) Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”
Satan & Demons
Luke 4:1-13
(1) Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, (2) where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
(3) The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
(4) Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
(5) The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. (6) And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendour; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. (7) If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
(8) Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
(9) The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. (10) For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully; (11) they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
(12) Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
(13) When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time.
Luke 4:40-41
(40) At sunset, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. (41) Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.
Luke 8:26-33
(26) They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. (27) When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. (28) When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don’t torture me!” (29) For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.
(30) Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. (31) And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.
(32) A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. (33) When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.
The Jewish Religious Leaders
Luke 22:66-71
(66) At daybreak the council of the elders of the people, both the chief priests and the teachers of the law, met together, and Jesus was led before them. (67) “If you are the Messiah,” they said, “tell us.”
Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe me, (68) and if I asked you, you would not answer. (69) But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the mighty God.”
(70) They all asked, “Are you then the Son of God?”
He replied, “You say that I am.”
(71) Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony? We have heard it from his own lips.”