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| A PHYSICIAN LOOKS AT THE POOR |
| The surprising emphasis of an upper-class writer. |
| "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick." 5:31 |
| A great doctor once compared his professional duties to working at the complaint desk of a large department store. "All through medical school I studied the body's wonderful engineering. A healthy body is perfect - absolutely beautiful to observe. But in practice I spend my time treating people whose bodies don't work right. I hear only complaints. After a while, it's easy to lose perspective." Luke, a physician, knew firsthand about sick and suffering people; he, too, heard their daily complaints. Yet somehow he never became callous. In fact, his Gospel focuses on Jesus' ministry to society's "complaint desk": the poor, the sick, and the neglected. Jesus Announces His Mission In Luke, even Mary's opening song strikes a chord for the poor and hungry (1:46-55). Using his favorite title for Jesus ("Son of Man") 80 times, Luke reveals him as a true servant of all humanity. Luke 4 shows Jesus boldly declaring why he came to earth. He had just resisted temptations of wealth and power, and returned from the desert to his hometown. There Jesus, a local village boy, announced his unique mission from God: to preach good news to the poor, to free prisoners, heal the blind, and release the oppressed (4:18-19). With little editorial comment, Luke follows Jesus from town to town. Jesus avoided such fashionable places as the resort town of Tiberas. He stayed near the farming communities and fishing villages clustered around the Sea of Galilee, serving the needs of humble people. Reaction to Jesus varied. Naturally, the sick clamored for |