Jesus's Heart for Outsiders

If I told you that God, the Holy, Just, Righteous, Maker of all things, was going to come dwell among us; who would you expect Him to spend time with? On top of that, let me ask you this: Who would you least expect Him to spend time with?

While we might all be tempted to expect a King, let alone God, to dwell among those who the world says are worthy, Luke's Gospel is focused on repeatedly showing us that Jesus has a deep concern for the outsider. All throughout Luke’s gospel, we will find that Jesus eats with sinners. He speaks with women. He touches the unclean. He welcomes children, calls tax collectors and even welcomes gentiles to follow Him.

And the reason Luke wants us to take note of all of this is because he wants us to know that Jesus has come to seek and save the lost.

Now, before we jump into examples of this, we need to remember that Luke is reporting historical information. In Luke 1:1-4, Luke tells Theophilus that these events were compiled following an investigation of eyewitness for the good of his faith. The reason we need to remember this is because we need to recall that Luke isn’t just giving us made up feel-good stories, but real historical events from the life of Jesus. With that said, let’s consider examples from Luke’s gospel on Jesus’s care for outsiders:

The Samaritan

Perhaps one of the most popular parables that Jesus gave was one concerning a Samaritan man. In Luke 10, Jesus is asked who a neighbor is. To this, Jesus responds by telling a story of a good Samaritan who cared for a harmed and dying Jew. In that story, it isn’t the Levites, or the Priests, but a half-breed Samaritan that is the hero. For us in the 21st century, that doesn’t mean much. But for a Jew of that time, this would have been shocking since Samaritans were despised as half-breed dogs by the Jewish community. So, in this parable, an unlikely man is the means by which God showed redeeming love to a dying Jew.

The Tax Collector

Another example would be seen in the story of a wee little man named Zaccheus. As you know, Zaccheus was a tax collector and that meant that he was hated and considered a traitor by the Jewish community. Knowing that is what makes Jesus’s statement so beautiful in Luke 19:9-10

Luke 19:9–10 NKJV

9 And Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; 10 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Jesus and Women

As you read through Luke, you’ll also find that Luke gives unusual attention to women. Just think about Mary, Elizabeth, Anna, the woman in Luke 7, Mary, and Martha. In Luke 8, we learn that there were women who followed Jesus’s ministry as he traveled, which was remarkable for that time since women were considered second rate people at best, and property at worst. But in the gospel of Luke, Jesus teaches them, fellowships with them, and receives them.

Jesus and the Poor

Luke’s gospel also has a particular interest in the poor. When Jesus was born, Luke highlights the humble nature of the scene and the shepherds that came to visit Him. In Luke 1:52-53, Mary sings:

Luke 1:52–53 NKJV

52 He has put down the mighty from their thrones, And exalted the lowly. 53 He has filled the hungry with good things, And the rich He has sent away empty.

And when Jesus begins His ministry, He says this in Luke 4:18

Luke 4:18 NKJV

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed;

By taking note of things like this, Luke is teaching us that the Kingdom of God turns worldly expectations on their heads. It rich and powerful aren’t necessarily the blessed ones. In the Kingdom, Christ comes for the rejected of society and makes them His own.

Jesus and the Gentiles

The final things Luke emphasizes is that Jesus' salvation extends beyond Israel. This becomes really clear in Luke’s other book which we called, The Acts of the Apostles.

In Luke 24:47 we read,

Luke 24:47 NKJV

47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Now, the reason all of this matters is because Luke is using all of these little examples as pillars to support one big message. His message is this: Jesus is the Son of God who has come to make outsiders insiders through His blood.