A preacher said to a wayward youth: “My God brings good news for you!” The youth asked: “Of what kind?” The preacher explained: “God will love you if you obey all his commandments.” The youth said: “If?” and concluded: “Then, the news isn’t all that good, is it?” The Christian “gospel” simply means “good news”. Today, Christians celebrate the feast of gospel writer Luke.
Christ’s life, death and resurrection have been recorded by four authors: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. All of them — also called “evangelists” from the Greek evangelion, meaning “good news” — recorded events which they personally considered most important. Thus, while there’s wide consensus in the narratives of Jesus’ death and resurrection, they give their own stresses to his birth, early life and work. Luke highlights joy, compassion and the presence of God’s spirit.
A physician by profession, Luke was a native of Antioch. During one of his missionary journeys, Apostle Paul once consulted Luke for an illness. Impressed and inspired by Paul’s faith, warmth and erudition, Luke eventually became Paul’s disciple and learnt much from him.
Being highly educated, Luke wrote the gospel in elegant Greek — harmoniously marrying the mystical with the mundane. He portrays Jesus as the compassionate one par excellence as seen in his love for the poor, the sick, the suffering and the sinner. Only in Luke’s gospel do we have the parables of the “Good Samaritan” and the “Prodigal Son” that teach us lessons of compassion and unconditional love and forgiveness, respectively.
Luke also authored the Acts of the Apostles that highlights the birth and growth of Christianity soon after the “Pentecost” when Jesus’ disciples experienced the transformative power of God’s spirit. He wrote this biblical book probably when his mentor Paul was imprisoned and eventually martyred. He would follow suit by laying down his life in Boeotia, Greece.
Weaving together the themes of joy and compassion vivified with God’s spirit, Luke’s portrayal of Jesus has wide significance beyond the confines of Christianity. Joyful and compassionate persons mediate the presence of God in our world. In the Indian tradition ananda (joy or bliss) and daya or karuna (mercy and compassion) are most valuable virtues pointing to brahman who is bliss, itself. Indian Christian theology describes God’s spirit as ananda and the trinity as saccidananda. In spreading joy and being compassionate, why don’t we “be” good news to those around us?
Saint Luke is regarded as the patron of doctors, lawyers and artists. His life and writings inspire us to be Good Samaritans bringing healing to our broken world. Moreover, on the eve of the festival of lights, Diwali, let’s light lamps of love and joy to dispel every trace of divisiveness and darkness.
