Introduction -- Wealth and possessions in the Gospel of Luke : a history of interpretation -- Salvation without renunciation -- Be generous! -- Reconsidering Luke's discourse on wealth and possessions -- The nature of parabolic discourse in Luke -- Jesus' announcement in Nazareth as programmatic for reading the parables -- Delineating the methodological approach : reader-response criticism, narrative criticism/narratology, and intertextuality -- Delineating the reader-position -- Procedure -- Challenging overconsumption -- The parable of the wealthy landowner (12:16-21) -- Exploring the pre-text : impressions of Jesus' teaching on wealth and possessions in 9:51-12:12 -- Reading the parable : 12:16-21 -- Summary -- The parable of the father and his two sons (15:11-32) -- Impressions of Jesus' teaching on wealth and possessions in 12:22-15:10 -- Reading the parable : 15:11-32 -- Summary -- Criticizing wealth -- The parable of the unjust steward (Luke 16:1-13) -- Reading the parable : 16:1-13 -- Summary -- The parable of the rich man and Lazarus (16:19-31) -- Exploring the pre-text : 16:14-18 -- Reading the parable : 16:19-31 -- Summary -- Eliminating wealth -- Jesus' encounter with the rich ruler -- Exploring the pre-text : 17:1-18:17 -- Reading Jesus' encounter with the ruler : 18:18-23 -- Exploring the post-text : 18:24-30 -- Summary -- Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus -- Exploring the pre-text : 18:31-43 -- Reading Jesus' encounter with Zacchaeus : 19:1-10 -- Summary -- Conclusion -- Retracing our steps : a brief synopsis of the journey -- Implications -- A rejoinder.