Final answer:
Luke's Gospel portrays salvation as being spiritual rather than political, with Jesus providing spiritual redemption and forgiveness from God. This is contrasted with the more traditional Jewish expectation of a messiah who would deliver physical liberation.
Step-by-step explanation:
According to Powell, Luke's Gospel portrays salvation as a concept that extends beyond physical or political liberation and touches on a more spiritual dimension. The portrayal of salvation in the Gospel of Luke aligns with early Christian beliefs that Jesus, the messiah, offered salvation through spiritual means rather than delivering the Promised Land as many had hoped. Jesus' path to deliverance includes acts of forgiveness and seeking God's mercy for redemption.
In Luke's Gospel, the visual analogy drawn from allegories like Jonah's deliverance and the salvation of the Hebrews in the desert can be associated with Jesus' narrative and the salvation he brings. This overarching theme of salvation is captured in the various depictions of Jesus' life in the catacombs and sarcophagi of the early Christian era.
Ultimately, the understanding of salvation in Luke's Gospel embraces the idea that the salvation Jesus provides is one that ensures the redemption of humanity through spiritual communion with God, signifying the transcendent nature of his message of salvation over mere earthly concerns.