St. Luke’s Gospel has been affectionately referred to as “the Gospel of the underdog.” Throughout the book, St. Luke calls upon all believers to identify with the master Jesus, who is caring and tender toward the poor and lowly, the outcast, the sinner, and the afflicted – toward all those who recognize their dependence on God. For example, St. Luke includes the most women of the Gospels. His book is the only one that speaks of a group of women accompanying Jesus (8, 1-3) and several parables involve women (15, 8-10 and 13, 20-21).In ancient times, women were simply not recognized with such “credit” and seen as having such dignity.
Further examples: St. Luke focuses on the poor, the downtrodden, and sinners, such as the short man and tax collector Zacchaeus (19, 1-10) and the repentant thief on the Cross (23, 39-43). The Gospel mentions that Jesus was called “a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (7, 34). Jesus is also found warning His followers that the love of money, behavior typically exhibited by the powerful and mighty, could lead people away from God.
St. Luke recalls a Jesus who is committed to turning our common worldview upside down. Everything, in Jesus’ opinion, has to be seen in the light of the Kingdom, in light of the kind of society that He came to set up: a society based on mutual love, sharing, and support. The coming of such a society could only be good news for the poor and the destitute (material and otherwise), for those suffering from hunger (physical and otherwise), for those depressed by deep sorrow, and for those abused and rejected for their commitment to Jesus and his Way – the underdogs!
