Joel Russell-MacLean

Why does Luke’s Gospel feel so friendly?

Perhaps the wide cast of characters? Luke shares the stories of many women who encountered Jesus. He introduced us to the shepherds who came to the manger to see Jesus as an infant. Luke describes life-changing moments in the lives of poor people, rich individuals, and outcasts. 

Perhaps it is the stories of Jesus as a child, found only in Luke.

Perhaps it’s because Luke shares some of the most treasured stories Jesus shared, such as the Good Samaritan and the return of the Prodigal Son.

I asked my youngest child how Luke was different from the other gospels. She answered thoughtfully but simply,

“Luke cares”

In Luke’s gospel, while Jesus and his suffering remain larger than anything else, he is joined by an increasingly large and diverse crowd. They were drawn to Jesus by the conviction that God was at work in Jesus’ words and deeds in a way they had never experienced before. Sometimes, what he said or asked of people was hard. But everyone who drew close, no matter the cost to themselves, described it as encountering God’s love. 

The season of Epiphany is a season in which we remember and celebrate God revealed to humanity in Jesus. God came and lived among us, caring for us in the midst of all our hardship and sin and work and pain.