In Luke 13:10-17, Jesus heals a woman with “a spirit that crippled her” for 18 years so she could not stand up straight. Jesus’ attention to her and subsequent healing of her infirmity is offensive to the synagogue leader who is “indignant” that Jesus healed on the sabbath. The incident juxtaposes Jesus with the Jewish leaders who were more concerned with doing things the right way then doing what is right. Jesus responds with anger and wonders at the hypocrisy of people who would help their animals on the sabbath but not a fellow Jew who has been bound up for years. The healing reflects Jesus’ larger mission, as quoted in Luke 4:18: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Jesus’ mission is further illustrated in the banquet parable of Luke 14:13-24. This parable has similarities to Matthew’s wedding banquet parable. In Matthew, the story seems more concerned with morality or character (using words like good and bad to describe the guests) and is a warning tale, violently depicting those who are not selected to join the kingdom of God. Luke’s story, while it has similar framework, portrays the guests quite differently. For one, it removes the idea of the originally invited guests as being bad, but further emphasizes them as too concerned with their own temporal matters. While Matthew’s version of the story serves primarily as cautionary tale, stressing the punishment of the excluded or unfaithful, Luke’s version is more focused on who is included in the kingdom of God; specifically “the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame” and doesn’t stop there, but also extends the offer to anyone who will come. The banquet parable echoes Jesus’ earlier mission statement of who he has come for – the poor and the blind. Luke is making very clear that he sees Jesus as the champion of the oppressed and marginalized, that there is a place for all in God’s community.

Another parable further develops the social reformer aspect of Luke’s Jesus. A story in Luke 18:1-8 tells of a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people (a description in which the judge of the story even uses of himself). He is a person of power who is wearied by the cries of a widow who comes to him continually seeking justice and begging for help. The unjust judge gives in and helps her, not out of concern for her plight, but because he is tired of her incessant pleas. This parable was meant to illustrate that God responds to the ones who cry out to him – the ones in need, vulnerable people. Jesus tells them that God hears their cries and is quick to respond with help and justice. While God will surely grant justice quickly, what about those with power to do so on earth? (v. 8 – “will he find faith on earth?”) It is a call not only to those in need to cry out and pray to God, but also a exhortation to those in power to use it justly and to care for the vulnerable in society.

White compares Luke’s Jesus to Greek and Roman philosophers (White, 340). In this way, social justices stories may have been somewhat familiar to a first-century audience who may have heard similar Cynic criticisms of wealth and improper treatment of the poor. If so, Jesus would resonate as one morally elite, a worthy leader who has wisdom, compassion and authority. This depiction of Jesus would likely be very positive to the mostly Gentile community that Luke was writing to, regardless of their particular social-economic status. For those who identified with the lower strata of society, this Jesus would be attractive as a champion of their plight. For the more educated and wealthy in the community, this Jesus would be appealing as a moral philosopher. While his ideas and inclusiveness may have been challenging or even offensive to some leaders of more established religion (such as the Jewish Pharisees), Luke is trying to build a new group that is set apart from religious elitism and portrays Jesus as both hospitable host and social reformer.

The Lukan Jesus is a humanitarian, concerned with social justice and inclusion of marginalized groups in the coming kingdom of God. This is explicitly stated by Jesus in Luke 4:18-19 where he states his mission, “to bring good news to the poor…to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free.”

A passage that shows Jesus’ commitment to this mission can be found in Luke 13:10-17 where, in the middle of teaching, he heals a disabled woman on the sabbath. He is faced with opposition, but his response puts into perspective how technicalities should not be important when it comes to helping someone in need. In the story, the woman had been bent over, unable to stand up straight for eighteen years and he heals and frees her from that burden. I would imagine this resonated with many in the Lukan author’s community because it was commonplace to believe that any ailment or disability was divine punishment, that God hated you. Luke’s Jesus is reassuring these people that they will not be looked down upon or rejected so long as they remain faithful and grateful as has the woman for 18 years. As far as the opposition, they are primarily against Jesus doing any type of work because it is the sabbath, but Jesus says to them that they are hypocrites for saying this. They help their thirsty animals on the sabbath day but will deny aid to a more needy and worthy human being.

Along with the poor, the new kingdom would welcome the Gentiles which we learn in the parable of the great dinner. In the parable (Luke 14:13-15, 16-24), a man was going to have a banquet but many of those invited gave excuses as to why they could not attend. In response, the master sent his slave out to bring in the “poor, crippled, blind, and lame” off the streets so as to fill the empty spots at the table. However, there were still empty seats so the slave was sent out once again to bring more people off the street. Here, the master symbolizes God, the banquet symbolizes his kingdom, and the invitations symbolize the new people welcome to join in the faith. White states that the first invitation is to the “marginal people within society” and the second is for the Gentiles (334). This further solidifies Luke’s view of Jesus as a figure that is welcoming to all, not giving priority only to Jews as the chosen people, but still aware of those that gave excuses to not attend by stating that it is their choice but they will not “taste [his] dinner” (heaven).

The theme of social justice that Luke carries is again brought up in the parable of the unjust judge and the persistent widow. The story goes just as it sounds, there is a judge who is selfish and unconcerned with others’ well-being and there is a widow who continually returns in hopes to be given justice. The judge eventually grants her that justice but only because she is wearing him out. Luke’s Jesus uses this parable to tell his listeners that God is not like this judge. He will listen to those that pray to him for justice and when he grants it it will be quick, but his followers must have faith in that. The widow, again a person normally rejected in society, ties into Luke’s overall interest in social justice. All of these stories must have resonated well with those in the first century who were suffering, but also maybe with those not. The stories may have been instrumental to changing the perception of who was welcome into the kingdom of God (Gentiles) and society in general (disabled, poor. etc).

Luke’s theme of compassion and empathy toward societal outcasts holds true in the following passages, starting with the story of the crippled woman. First, the woman is noted solely for the fact that she has been suffering and crippled for 18 years, emphasizing Luke’s attention to vulnerable outcasts. After she has been healed, the religious leader is described as “indignant” (depending on the version of your Bible) when he tries to tell Jesus the rules of the sabbath. After Jesus berates his religious opponents, they are described as “humiliated,” while the others were in awe of Jesus’ works. This story confirms the concept of Jesus looking out for outcasts even while pompous religious officials looked down upon them. In the parable of the Great Banquet, Jesus tells the story of a wealthy man who has invited many guests to his dinner. After several poor excuses from his guests, the man tells his servant to seek out and invite the sick, crippled, blind, and lame to attend. Basically, this story shows the compassionate nature of Jesus’ character. The fact that the man continually sought guests for his banquet is relatable to Jesus in that he is more willing to save people than they are to be saved. Furthermore, the banquet represents his kingdom, and reinforces the idea that all people have had a chance to follow Jesus, but many have rejected him. In the parable of the unjust judge, a persistent widow continually asks a judge for justice against her adversary. After hearing her constant pleas, the judge decides to help her, but only so that she will stop bothering him and he won’t have to worry for his safety. In the same way, the parable demonstrates that God will hear your calls for help and respond more promptly than the selfish judge. The parable indicates Luke’s interest in social justice as it draws attention to a societal flaw; many of those who are supposed to determine what is just are not necessarily fit for their duty. The judge only acts for his own self interest, while the essentially powerless woman seeking justice has a difficult time finding it. I feel that these parables would have resonated much more powerfully with a first century audience. These parables contradict the social structure of that time, often ending with an impoverished, sick, or unwanted person finding success. Meanwhile someone with high social status, such as a religious official, ends up on the wrong side of Jesus’ judgment.