“Luke and the Outcasts”
It is an interesting exercise to read the four gospel accounts in the Bible. Each one tells the story of Jesus in its own unique way. Luke’s account is intriguing on many different levels: it was not written by an apostle; it is the first of a two-part work; it is the only account written by a Gentile.
In that last statement may lie a clue to deeper understanding. For you see, the Gentiles were despised by the Jews generally and seen to be unworthy of God’s love. As such, Luke could have known the despair which comes with being outcast by a segment of society. If one looks closely, he can see many such characters move across the landscape of Luke’s account of the life of Christ. Real people. People who really lived and really met Jesus, yet people who were either deemed as inferior because of some physical difference with other people or because of sin they had allowed to control their life. In either circumstance, God made the difference and brought them into acceptance. Consider the following:
¨ The righteous, yet childless couple who gave birth to the forerunner of the Messiah (Luke 1).
¨ The widow who was accompanying the body of her only son to the place of burial (Luke 7).
¨ The sinful woman who washed the feet of Jesus with her tears, anointed them with ointment, and was forgiven (Luke 7).
¨ The main character of the parable concerning a man who was beaten by robbers, yet helped by a kind Samaritan (Luke 10).
¨ The ten lepers, whom Jesus healed. (One returned and gave thanks—he was also a Samaritan (Luke 17).
¨ The main character of a parable about prayer—a persistent widow who continued to plead for justice (Luke 18).
¨ The blind man who begged for mercy (Luke 18).
¨ Zaccheus— a tax collector (hated by the Jews) who determined to make restitution for his sins (Luke 19).
No wonder, then, that Luke records the following words of an angel: “. . . for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which shall be for all the people;” (Luke 2:10, NASB).
—Lance Cordle