Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Loving St Luke

Nah, not talking about my hubby Luke...although he is a bit of a saint and although I DO love the beloved. Am talking about Luke, the physician who wrote the gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts.

Luke is a supreme fighter for the oppressed and the poor. Of course he's the one who puts in Mary's Magnificat -- the song about how the rich are gonna suffer and be rejected. It connects to the song Hannah sang in the book of Samuel.

But also, check out his version of the Sermon on the Mount and compare it with Matthew's version. The way Luke writes it...it's all about poverty and wealth. Matthew starts with "Blessed are the poor in spirit." Luke says, "Blessed are the poor." Period. Love it! Compare how he tells about the healing of the woman with the issue of blood to Matthew's version. Heck, Luke does all this research about Jesus and he has a choice of telling about the three wise men coming to Jesus and bringing gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense. But does Luke even care about that? Nah!!! He totally ignores that part of the story and tells us instead about the birth in the manger. No wonder the Liberation Theologists love this guy!

2 comments:

Tia Nevitt said...

I've been reading Luke, and you've given me much to think about and watch for. Thanks!

Carole McDonnell said...

oh, he's the best! When you read his parables there's a lot there that can be interpreted as talking about true riches and false riches...in addition to the kingdom of God. He and Mark traveled with Paul and seem to have a real care for widows.

Some of the parables and stories Luke mentions aren't mentioned in the gospels...and of course they have to do with rich people and poor people. Also check out his medical asides.

MAtthew tends to think in terms of the kingdom of Israel but Luke is the real humanist. Matthew begins Jesus' genealogy at Abraham...but Luke begins it at Adam and then adds that Adam was the son of God. I love the guy. -C

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