I may have said this before, but it bears repeating: Luke is my favorite of the gospels because Luke’s Jesus is my favorite Jesus. Now, I know that sounds a bit crazy- Jesus is Jesus, right? I mean that the way Luke tells Jesus’ story gives me the clearest view of the man I want to be more like. Luke’s Jesus is a social justice warrior- a real one. He’s all about love and equality and lifting up those who need it most. Luke’s Jesus is my favorite Jesus.
Each Gospel provides a picture of Jesus as a person through a particular lens, and that’s the hand of the Gospel writer at work.
Each of these Gospels is a specific perspective. For example, Matthew’s gospel was written from the perspective of the fulfillment of prophecy. Matthew’s goal was to prove that Jesus had answered all of the prophecies foretold, particularly in the book of Isaiah. So in the Gospel of Matthew there’s a lot of reference to Isaiah and a lot of proof text.
John’s gospel was written to show that Jesus provided for life and ministry beyond his time on earth, so it’s a very forward-thinking gospel, while also proving that Jesus was part of creation at the very beginning and a part of the Trinity from the start.
Mark, meanwhile, shows Jesus the humble miracle worker and healer. Mark’s Jesus keeps his identity as Christ secret.. We could go even further with this exploration; Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are only four of many Gospels that were written about Jesus and His ministry on earth. We’ve chatted before about the Gospel of Judas, but there’s also the Gospel of Thomas and even the Gospel of Mary Magdalene. Each one of these Gospels shows us Jesus from a different perspective.
Luke is different. The Gospel of Luke is not working to prove who Jesus was or was supposed to be. Rather, the Gospel of Luke is about showing Jesus‘s ministry in action. When we are talking about Jesus from a Luke perspective, we are really talking about a Jesus who puts the needs of others above all else. We see this Jesus in Luke more than any other gospel. This is not a proof text, and this is not foreshadowing. This is storytelling at its best.
Luke’s gospel gives us the nativity with the shepherds- the lowly stable- the heavenly hosts. This is the only gospel where we get even the tiniest glimpse of teenager Jesus (Luke 2:52).
Luke is also the only gospel that discusses the opportunity for Gentiles to be a part of the Church. Prior to Luke we understand that following Jesus was the prerogative of people who had previously been Jewish. Luke gives the option for Gentiles to be involved in the ministry of Christ.
It’s the first time we really see the way Jesus ministers to people outside of his own faith. Gentiles, Samaritans, Romans--these were not people of the same faith tradition of Jesus. He was a Jew, and a faithful Jew, as were most if not all of the Disciples. Luke’s is the gospel that shows us how Jesus accepted those were different. It’s another reason it’s my favorite.
The three sentiments that set Luke apart from the other Gospels are the way Jesus deals with love, with power, and with the “outcast.”
Luke’s Jesus is rooted in love. Love is what drives him and his actions throughout this telling of his story. He feeds the 5,000 out of love. The sermon on the mount, where he gives the Beatitudes, is based on his interactions with the outcasts and his love for them. His interactions with women, too, are all rooted in this notion of love.
Jesus loved love. He loved the expression of love--parents to children, communities to each other, and creator to creation.
Jesus’ greatest commandment to us was to love- and he specifically echoes the Shma as shared in Deuteronomy.
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your mind, and all your soul, and love your neighbor as yourself. But again, what’s in this telling was that that he was giving these words- VERY TRADITIONAL JEWISH WORDS to Gentiles to use- he was teaching love in the language he knew. He talked about forgiveness releasing more love into the world, and he condemned the Pharisees for loving the law more than loving God and people.
The second thing that I love about Jesus in Luke’s account is how he deals with power. In the other Gospels, Jesus does not speak back to power nearly to the extent that he does in Luke. There is almost an acceptance of power in the other canonical Gospels.That’s not how Luke’s Jesus rolls. This Jesus talks back to power, calls out when power has been corrupted or used inappropriately, and points out when those with power have forgotten their humanity. Jesus is quick to remind us that power is not the same as love and that power does not guarantee your personal salvation, or that you are doing God’s work.
I have talked to you before about the Jesus presented in Jesus Christ Superstar. In Superstar, when Jesus is meeting with Caiaphas, Pilate, Herod-- all of them call him “King of the Jews,” and Jesus snaps right back, “It’s you that say I am.” This may be Jesus being a little snarky, but this is Jesus speaking back to power and putting power in its place, just like in Luke’s Gospel. In particular, Jesus talked back to the Pharisees. Six times he said “woe to you” to the pharisees because they put the laws above their own humanity. He was willing to tell them they were wrong.
I think we have to be willing to speak to power, and I know that that’s a dangerous proposition, especially in today’s political climate. It is scary to speak truth to power; it’s especially scary when the power can crush you.
This phrase, “speak truth to power,” was coined by Bayard Rustin- a black, gay, activist who worked tirelessly with Dr. Martin Luther King. After his work with King, Rustin went on to champion gay rights and to speak for ecoomic equality as well. This was a man who knew how to speak to power, and where did he learn it? From his Quaker faith. HE learned it from Jesus,
The third way Jesus is different in this gospel is the way he deals with those who are traditionally considered outcasts.
He lifts up women- and he heals them- as in the story of the woman with the bleeding disorder in Luke 8- or the stooped over woman in Luke 13. He accepted the financial support of women, spoke up for Mary Magdalene, championed Martha, and in Luke’s story of the resurrection? He appears to the women first.
He cares for the poor- a few weeks ago we were reminded of Jesus’ admonition to build bigger banquet tables as to invite more folks to the feast. In Luke 4, Jesus intentionally states that he was sent to deliver good news to the poor. And then in Luke 6, he specifically lifts up the poor in as those worthy of blessing.
He cares for the sick- in today’s verse in particular, we hear about him healing lepers. Jesus heals the sick whenever they appear- even on the sabbath. He cures those who were considered unclean, a man paralyzed by disease, even the son of a Roman soldier. He raises a child from the dead and drives the demons out of a man’s soul. Cases no one else would touch? Jesus healed.
In short, Luke’s Jesus is different, and in a good way. I can’t help but believe that this is the Jesus that Gandhi referred to when he said, “I like your Christ--your Christians, not so much.”
This is the very human Jesus who loves, who struggles, who cries. This is the Jesus who pushes back, who speaks out, and who widens the reach of God’s love. This is the version of Jesus that pushes us to be followers of God in every way: in love, in care, and in speaking truth to power.
This is the Jesus that would look at the removal of women’s rights and be appalled. This is the Jesus that would look at hate and speak His love to it. This is the Jesus that would wonder where the Christ really was in the Christianity held up by those who want to defeat the humanity of others. This is that Jesus, right here in Luke’s Gospel.
Luke’s Jesus is my favorite Jesus.