God’s Love for the Poor and for the Lost in Luke’s Gospel And Their Relationship to the Campus
It is my intention in this essay to trace two threads of God’s character through the book of Luke. More than the other three gospel writers Luke chose to focus on God’s love for the poor and how the kingdom economy of God envisioned by the prophets was to be fulfilled in Jesus and his ministry (the Old Testament economic system very clearly made provision for the poor and needy – see Exodus 23:10-11, Leviticus 25, Deuteronomy 15:1-11). No less significant, Luke also sought to clearly display God’s love for all who are lost. This aspect of Jesus’ ministry stood in stark contrast to the divisive and exclusive view of the kingdom held by most religious leaders of his day.
It is my premise that God’s heart aches for all who are lost, but that the poor receive ‘preferential attention’ from God and that his love for those who would be considered the elite ultimately results in a blessing for the poor. If this premise is true then my next question is, “what does this ‘preferential attention’ mean for me as an InterVarsity staff worker, and for the ministry that I am a part of to a group of people who, by their classification as university students, are among the world’s elite?”
In this paper I will highlight the teachings of Jesus, and the passages and stories in Luke which I see displaying the twin threads of God’s love for the poor and his love for the lost. Luke chose to set the stage for Jesus’ life and ministry by highlighting words, circumstances and details which speak of God’s love for the poor. Mary’s song of praise upon learning of her relative Elizabeth’s equally astounding pregnancy includes the refrain, “(The Lord) has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” This is rapidly followed by the astounding story of Jesus’ birth.
It is a story all too familiar to many of us (2:1-7), but with details and circumstances routinely passed over in most Christmas portrayals. Jesus, the son of the Most High God, was born a bastard child to an unwed mother in the most unlikely of places for royalty to be born . . . a dirty, smelly, animal filled barn. This is quite the contrast from all the other children born to Emperor Augustus and Governor Quirinius in the royal palaces of his day. Jesus’ status and standing as royalty was far greater than theirs, but his birth conditions were in stark contrast to theirs, and among the poorest imaginable in his day.
To top it off, instead of royal heralds being sent throughout the country to announce his birth, this job is given to outcast and disreputable shepherds (2:8-20). Unable to attend the synagogue or temple functions because of their job requirements, and often hosting thieves and other undesirables among their number, they were the least likely of heralds to be entrusted with this once in an eternity proclamation. Yet they are the ones ‘favored’ by God (2:14) and chosen to be the bearers of this earth shattering story.
Where as the royalty of Jesus day were virtually inaccessible to the common people, especially the poor and needy, the circumstances of his birth allowed even the lowliest of people to identify with him. He was born in meager and humble circumstances just as they had been and he had none of the trappings of royalty which set him apart from them.
From here the story progresses rapidly to the brief, but preparatory and necessary ministry of John the Baptist and the introduction of an adult Jesus ready to begin his ministry. Jesus’ baptism is followed by his life threatening 40 day fast (about the maximum length of time it is possible for anyone to survive without food).
At this time, filled with the power of the Holy Spirit he returns to Galilee, his home region, and begins his teaching ministry. Word begins to spread rapidly about this new Rabbi and Luke picks up the story at the synagogue in Jesus’ home town, Nazareth. Luke could have recorded one of Jesus’ earlier synagogue teachings, but he chose this one by which to publicly introduce the Messiah. Many consider this Jesus’ inaugural address, his opening statement of his mission and vision as the Messiah. The passage Jesus chose . . . Isaiah 61:1-2 (all quotes are from the NRSV unless otherwise noted), “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.” He then takes this prophecy to be his mission, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
Of all the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, and with over 400 years of building anticipation, this is likely one of the least expected passages Jesus could have chosen by which to introduce himself. But, it is the one he chose, and after centuries of neglect and oppression by the middle and upper classes of Jews (see Isaiah, Amos, Micah and other prophets), the poor finally have an advocate with heavenly authority and power on their side. This is a far different mission from the one greatly anticipated by the majority of Jews, especially the religious leaders, and even likely, the poor themselves.
Let’s continue by looking at how Jesus’ ministry unfolded. Jesus heals many in the stories immediately following his ‘inaugural address’. This includes a woman (women were considered lower class citizens than male slaves), a leper, a paralytic (whose circumstances would likely have left them economically impoverished) and the resurrection of a widow’s only son (her primary means of economic provision). Jesus wasted no time displaying the practical nature of his good news for the poor and oppressed, and called all those who confess him as LORD to do likewise, “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you?” (6:46).
Soon after follows an interesting interaction between Jesus and two of John the Baptist’s disciples. John, who prepared the way for Jesus, baptized him in the Jordan, and is his cousin, appears confused by Jesus’ actions and ministry and now wants to know straight up if Jesus is the Messiah or if he is to wait for another. Jesus’ ministry was radically different from what the crowds were expecting of the Messiah, but here it becomes obvious that it was also different from what John was expecting. In offering proof to John that he really is the Messiah, however, Jesus again returns to the Old Testament prophet Isaiah (35:5,6; 61:1) and points to his ministry on behalf of the poor and needy as the answer John needed to hear, “Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have good news brought to them” (7:22).
Women again take center stage in the next two stories as Jesus forgives a sinful woman who washes his feet with her tears, and Luke mentions the women who are following Jesus and providing for him out of their resources after having been healed by him. In chapter 8 we come to two more stories about women, or more accurately, about a twelve year old girl who died, and a woman who has suffered from vaginal bleeding for the past twelve years. Jesus heals and cares tenderly for the bleeding woman, welcoming her into the kingdom by calling her daughter, before turning his attention to raising from the dead a Synagogue ruler’s twelve year old daughter. Essentially considered no more than the property of men, women were among the most oppressed in Jewish culture at this time, and yet Jesus came proclaiming and practicing very good news for them and brings them into the center of his ministry.
I was amazed to find out how much Jesus talks about money in Luke’s gospel. If some are poor and others are rich this obviously has to do with money, and in expressing his ministry to the poor then it also became necessary for Jesus to talk a lot about money. In chapter 11 Jesus turns up the heat on the Pharisees regarding the practice of justice and the purpose of money. “Then the Lord said to him, ‘Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? But give what is inside the dish to the poor, and everything will be clean for you. Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone’” (11:39-42 NIV).
This declaration of woe (in the manner of the prophets) is soon followed by a request for Jesus to settle an inheritance dispute between two brothers. Jesus responds by talking a lot about money and preparing for the Son of Man’s return. Included in this teaching is the parable of the Rich Fool, with Jesus’ conclusion, “’This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God” (12:20-21).
He also encourages his disciples to, “Sell your possessions, and give (to the poor). Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (12:33-34).
Also in this context of talking about riches and preparing for the return of the Son of Man he concludes his parable about being faithful slaves (or stewards) of the master’s possessions by saying, “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded” (12:48). Are not we, as university students or graduates, especially those of us who are white, among those in the world to whom much has been given? It seems imperative to me then to understand more clearly and fully what is required of us, because Jesus says that it is much.
When we come to chapter 14 we find Jesus at a Pharisee’s house for a Sabbath meal. Here he comments on how the guests chose the place of honor by telling another parable. This one he concludes with, “But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous” (14:13-14). Jesus follows this up immediately with the parable of the Great Banquet in which the invited guests refuse to come and the ‘poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame’ are brought in to take their place (14:21).
Large crowds are following Jesus at this time and he now turns the heat up on them by raising the bar for being his disciple. After telling two parables to illustrate the cost of discipleship he says, “So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions” (14:33). Luke’s gospel includes a lot of focus on money and possessions in chapters 12-19. For issues of poverty and economic justice to be addressed it will be necessary for followers of Jesus and for the church to humbly study and apply Jesus teaching on money and possessions to our lives.
Chapter 15 is where we find the thread of God’s love for the lost coming plainly into view like a strand of bright colored thread making its way to the surface in the middle of a dull colored garment. Jesus told three consecutive parables about lost things in response to the Pharisee’s and scribe’s grumbling over the tax collectors and sinners coming to listen to Jesus. The first two parables conclude similarly with a statement about there being great joy and celebration in heaven when even one sinner repents.
The third parable is about a (Lost) Son with a twist at the end which brings the issue of the Pharisee’s and scribe’s attitude back into the picture and leaves them with a choice. It concludes with the older brother standing outside and having to decide whether he was going to come in and join his father in celebrating the return of his lost brother or walk away in his anger and self righteousness. This was the choice facing the Pharisees and scribes as Jesus demonstrated the Father’s love for the lost by hanging out with the tax collectors and sinners.
In response to this section, my question is, does God’s love for the lost relate to his love for the poor, and, if so, how? Both are prominent teachings in Luke’s gospel, with the poor appearing to be the more prominent of the two threads. Are they separate threads in separate tapestries, or are they two threads woven into the same tapestry of Luke’s gospel by the master artist? Given my understanding of God’s unity and harmony my belief is that these two threads are woven together into the same tapestry. So the question remaining to be answered is, how are they woven together? I’ll come back to this question after completing my survey of these two threads.
Jesus follows up these three parables about lost things with another parable. This one is about a Shrewd Manager who uses his master’s money to gain friends for himself because he is about to lose his job. The interpretation that Jesus gives of this parable is, “make friends for yourselves by means of (mammon) so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes” . . . “No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and (mammon)” (16:9, 13).
This is followed by more money talk as the Pharisees, being lovers of money, ridiculed Jesus for saying these things! He retorts by telling the parable about the Rich Man and Lazarus. In this parable the rich man does not share his wealth with the poor man who lay at his gate hungry and covered with sores. When both die the poor man goes to heaven and the rich man to hell (16:19-31). There is not much more to this story than this, other than the rich man wanting to warn his relatives so they won’t suffer the same fate.
It is a harsh parable in its frankness. Jesus is telling this to the Pharisees who had just ridiculed him for saying you can’t love both God and mammon. The rich man and his relatives have received their warning through “Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.”
The Law and the prophets speak much about caring for the poor and using the wealth you have been given to provide for those who are poor and in need. This the rich man in the parable did not do, and this the Pharisees are not doing either. Jesus thus equates their refusal to use their riches to bless the poor with the serving of mammon and the despising of God (16:13)!
In chapter 18 we are confronted with the parable of the Widow and the Unjust Judge. He tells this parable to his disciples “about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” But, then Jesus throws a twist into the story by making it about a widow pleading persistently for justice. His conclusion is that “. . . will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them” (18:7-8). Jesus concludes this parable with a question, “And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
According to the parable this faith that Jesus will be looking for is a persistent cry from his chosen ones for justice while not losing heart over the unjust circumstances around them (sounds a lot like Habakkuk to me!). Here Jesus has connected learning to pray always and not lose heart with justice on behalf of the poor and oppressed. What I see in this for those of us who are not poor or oppressed is that not only should we be using our money to serve and bless those who are, but that we should be persistently praying for justice on their behalf.
Soon after we come to a story about a real life rich man, the “Rich Ruler”, who has kept all the commandments since his youth. Jesus tells him that he is still lacking one thing and that he must, “Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come follow me” (18:18-23) When the man heard this he became sad, “for he was very rich” and Jesus follows up with, “How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! Indeed, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” (18:24-25).
This scares those who are with Jesus at the time, including his disciples, who want to know, “’Then who can be saved?’ He replied, ‘What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.’” Jesus assures Peter and the other disciples, “there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who will not get back very much more in this age and in the age to come eternal life” (18:19-30).
Jesus words sound almost unintelligible to the disciples. They find nothing in their current theological framework that allows them to understand what Jesus has just said, the response which I think Jesus was looking for. If there is no way for us to figure it out and do it on our own, then it becomes ‘impossible’ for us (mortals) and only becomes possible through God. However, we cannot make this a convenient excuse for ignoring Jesus’ very difficult teaching about money. We should be uncomfortable with it, especially given our place among the world’s wealthy and elite, just by nature of our being American university students.
Next Luke provides a story which, I believe, sheds some welcome light on Jesus’ teaching on money and its relation to the poor and the lost; the story of Zacchaeus (19:1-10). Jesus loves Zacchaeus, a tax collector who is both rich and lost, and it results in a tremendous blessing to the poor (“half of my possession, Lord, I will give to the poor”), and restitution to those he had defrauded (“if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much”).
Zacchaeus assures his own impoverishment and even severe indebtedness with this promise to Jesus, but finds that “salvation has come to this house.” Zacchaeus was able to do what the rich ruler could not. This is a great example of Jesus loving someone who is rich and lost, with the result being a tremendous blessing to the poor. Could this be the key to understanding how the threads of God’s love for the poor and his love for the lost are woven together in the tapestry of Luke’s gospel? We will explore this more in a moment.
The Zacchaeus story is immediately followed by the parable of the Ten Pounds (19:11-27). It is a parable about responsible stewardship of the king’s finances while he is away. And to those who were faithful, “more will be given; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away” (19:26). God expects faithful stewardship of the wealth and possessions he has given us. This parable is in the context of Jesus being “near Jerusalem and because they (those who are with Jesus when he interacts with Zacchaeus) supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately.” Obviously the king is going away for awhile, but he has placed his servants in charge of his wealth and possessions in the mean time.
I have covered most of the passages in Luke pertaining to God’s love for the poor and the passages pertaining to Jesus’ teaching on God’s love for the lost. At the same time, God’s love for the lost is also seen throughout Luke’s gospel in Jesus’ interaction with them and his actions toward them. Often times the lost that Jesus loves are also the poor. If we were to focus more on Jesus’ actions in Luke than on his teachings we would find the threads of God’s love for the poor and his love for the lost even more tightly woven together in the fabric of this gospel. But, my focus has been more on Jesus’ teaching and the stories which I highlighted above. What conclusions do all of these observations point to and where are they or should they be leading me and the ministry I’m apart of? This is the question I asked at the beginning and which I will try to answer more specifically here.
First, I want to go back to the remaining unanswered question of “how are the threads of God’s love for the poor and his love for the lost woven together?” Given God’s nature and character it is safe to assume that these threads are related, are part of the same tapestry, and that they are somehow woven together. In Luke’s gospel, God’s love for the poor appears to be the more prominent thread, judging by the emphasis in Jesus’ parables and teaching.
The main conclusion I want to draw from this and from the observations recorded above is similar to what I see happening in the Zacchaeus story. Jesus loves this very wealthy lost man and the result is not only his salvation, but a blessing to those who are poor and justice for those who had been defrauded by Zacchaeus. But, this also places God’s love for the lost in a larger context, the community.
God loves and cares for communities or groups of people as well as for individuals (a truth which is often greatly downplayed in our highly individualistic ‘American’ culture). God’s love for the poor and his desire that they be blessed as a result of wealthy lost people being loved and coming into the kingdom places God’s love for the lost in a community context and counterbalances the individual nature of a person’s salvation. Salvation is not just about the individual, but about the community. This, too, is consistent with God’s nature and character as he exists in community (three persons, one God), and not as three separate and unrelated persons/gods.
To summarize what I’ve seen in Luke regarding the twin threads of God’s love for the poor and for the lost: God’s love for the lost, especially his love for the wealthy, is meant to result in a tangible expression of God’s love for the poor.
As I see it, this would mean, among other things, working for justice on behalf of the poor and oppressed, giving money and possessions to them when and where appropriate, and working to bless them through economic, educational, and spiritual programs. This would effectively mean that discipleship of new believers, especially those who would be considered wealthy or the elite by the standards of most people in the world (which would include most Americans, especially those who are white), needs to directly involve them in loving and blessing the poor as well as teaching them from the Scriptures about God’s love for the poor and his requirement of justice.
In most predominantly white evangelical churches this should mean at least a new ministry focus, and should likely mean a deeper and more extensive paradigm shift. It will mean inviting God to continue to soften and transform our hearts and minds into the heart and mind of Christ. It will mean wrestling with some of our deep and dark fears and prejudices and a need for a greater level of honesty with ourselves and God about who we are and what we are truly like, especially when it comes to loving our neighbors who happen to be poor.
“From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded” (12:48; see also Amos 3:1-8). Have not our predominantly white evangelical churches and organizations been given much in terms of our wealth, education, political and economic power (or access to it)? As I see it, we have no choice but to ask God to radically transform our hearts and make us people who deeply love him and truly love our poor and our lost neighbors as ourselves. It can happen only through a powerful work of God’s Spirit in our hearts and minds. We must humble ourselves, confess our lack of love for the poor and for the lost, ask for forgiveness, for the grace and strength to repent, and for guidance into a deeper level of faith and intimacy with him.
Now I’d like to address my own involvement as a pastor and shepherd of a predominantly middle and upper class white collegiate fellowship. It seems now like it has been a long slow process of transformation and growth for me and that there are often students who are light years ahead of where I was when I was a student, or even a new staff worker. Yet, I’m becoming increasingly convicted of my need to not only disciple students in the area of God’s love for the poor, but to help engage our staff team and fellowship in the pursuit of greater truth in this area and in wrestling with it’s implications for us.
What will it look like for us to have a fellowship where students are growing in their love for the lost (who are predominantly elites) on our campus and a corresponding love for the poor, with an understanding of how these twin loves relate? If these things become reality, then I see a much deeper love for Jesus coming out of this as well as a much greater sense of our dependence upon God reflected in a richer and deeper chapter prayer life. I also see our concern for justice and reconciliation growing. If we become more concerned for the poor and needy, for those who are outcast or marginalized, we will have to plunge deeper into an exploration of justice and of God’s heart for racial reconciliation.
For our chapter to be stretched and growing in these ways here are some of the areas of engagement I see helping us and our students along this journey. “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I tell you?” (6:46). From this statement by Jesus I see two ways in which we can grow in our understanding and practice of God’s love for the poor. First, we need to be diligent students and teachers of the word. We need to know and understand what Jesus is telling us if we are to be doing it.
Fortunately, this is an area of strength within our chapter and within InterVarsity in general. However, we need to delve more deeply into the scriptures to better understand God’s love for the poor and requirement of justice, with the gospels and the prophets being good places to start. And, we need to be teaching these portions of scripture more consistently to students. The LA urban program and our Amos study at Campus By the Sea are a good start, but these things need to become a more regular part of every student’s scriptural diet.
Second, we need to be doers of the word. What if we were to become the Christian group known for our interaction with and love for the more marginalized groups and individuals on campus (those who would at least be seen as poor to some degree in the eyes of others on campus)? How great it would be for our fellowship to be a blessing to the students of color, to the students with disabilities and to the gay and lesbian students on campus. We could also be involved with the poorer people around San Luis Obispo. Our chapter already serves once a month at the People’s Kitchen. How great it would be for at least one student per night to sign up as an overnight volunteer at the Homeless Shelter Overflow when it is at the UCC next November. There are many other opportunities around town, but I think it would be wise to begin by focusing on campus as this most directly relates to the mission of our chapter.
As we begin to pursue these issues on campus we will necessarily have to deal with matters of justice and reconciliation as well. My hope is that as we do we will become more convinced of our need for and dependence upon Jesus and that this will be reflected in a deepening of our chapter’s prayer life. If we are to love the poor and the lost as God does we are going to need an ongoing transformation of our hearts and minds and this can only come through the power and work of the Holy Spirit as we pursue Jesus with everything we’ve got. This is faith that will be radical. This is faith that will be vibrantly alive and passionate. This is faith that will deeply change the lives of the students on our campus, both those who would be considered the elite and those who would be considered poor, needy or marginalized. This is the faith that Jesus calls us to.
Todd Minturn, November 1999
