By Marek Zabriskie
October 18 was the Feast of St. Luke – author of the third gospel and patron saint of physicians. The Book of Ecclesiasticus notes, “Honor physicians for their services, for the Lord created them; for their gift of healing comes from the Most High…” (Eccl. 1:1-2a)
Many believe that the author of the third gospel was the “beloved physician Luke,” who St. Paul refers to in Colossians 4:14. Indeed, Luke authored both the gospel that bears his name and the Book of Acts.
He was well-educated, used the finest Greek found in the Christian Scriptures and several technical medical terms found nowhere else in the New Testament. Luke also recounts Jesus performing more healings than any of the other evangelists.
Luke depicts Jesus as a compassionate healer, who is drawn especially to people who are suffering and on the margins of society. Luke alone recounts the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son.
He depicts Jesus as a man with a great capacity for prayer, who also interfaced with women, allowed them to share in his ministry, and received their financial support which allowed him to carry out his ministry.
Luke also depicted Jesus as a revolutionary figure, who calls for social justice. Luke alone has characters in his gospel sing. Simeon sings “the Nunc Dimittis,” Zechariah sings, “the Benedictus,” and Jesus’ mother, Mary, sings “the Magnificat.”
The last song is a revolutionary ode. Mary concludes her hymn with the words, “He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He 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. He has helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, according to the promise he made to our ancestors, to Abraham and his descendants forever” (Luke 1:51-55).
Luke is called the “universal gospel.” Matthew begins his gospel with a genealogy that traces Jesus’ ancestry all the way back to Abraham. Matthew is a Jewish author writing to a Jewish audience. He wants to establish Jesus’ reputable Jewish roots, anchored in the Patriarchs – Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – as well as King David and King Solomon.
But Luke goes further, tracing Jesus’ lineage all the way back to Adam. In doing so, Luke makes statement. Jesus is the Messiah who cares for all people, not just one religion, nation, or group.
We are all cut from the same cloth and can trace our heritage back to Adam and Eve. One does not have to believe this literally, but rather metamorphically. We share a common ancestry. No one can say that we do not belong to one another.
A good dose of St. Luke would go a long way in this world spinning out of control. Israel has recently faced the worst single day loss of Jewish life since the Holocaust. It was a staggering loss.
No defense can be made for Hamas’ barbaric attack, which was an act of terror and a crime against humanity. Now, we wait to see whether the response from Israel will be measured or catastrophic for Palestinian civilians, many of whom who want nothing to do with Hamas.
Israel is in an enormous bind. How do you rout out an enemy that hides among the populace and builds tunnels under public buildings to transport rockets, guns, and ammunition.
Meanwhile, Palestinian land remains occupied as they have been since 1967. Today, over 700,000 settlers have moved into the West Bank, where they continue to encroach on land that Palestinians have owned and lived on for centuries.
How can Israel be shared? The two state solution appears to be dead. Can it be revived? It appears to be on life support.
When a group of 20 pilgrims from Christ Church Greenwich traveled to Israel last March, we arranged to meet with family members who had lost loved ones in the conflict. We listened in anguish as a Palestinian mother described trying to take her two-year-old son, who was struggling to breathe, to a hospital.
Her husband and she were turned away at five Israeli checkpoints. When they were finally got through, they were told that they could not stay with their son, but had to depart from the hospital immediately. They were later informed that their son had died. One Israeli commander at a checkpoint later apologized, but it was too late.
The second speaker was a young Jewish woman, who lived in an Israeli settlement. Her sister had served in the Israeli Defense Force. She was proud of his sister. The two of them were very close.
One day, while her sister was wearing her uniform and waiting at a bus stop, a Palestinian terrorist blew himself up, instantly killing her. She was gone forever.
Both women listened intently to their counterpart. Both sensed the other’s profound loss. Both wanted to find peace. Both saw the humanity in the other. Both gave us insight into the pathos experienced by men, women, and children living in Israel. Both gave us hope.
Luke tells us that Jesus returned to his hometown of Nazareth at the beginning of his ministry and was asked to read from the Book of Isaiah, Israel’s most famous prophet. He read, “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.”
We could use a good dose of Luke’s Jesus right now. We need compassionate healers, leaders who reach out to those on the margins, people who are champions of social justice and Princes of Peace (Isaiah 9:6, Phil. 2:8). Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.
The Rev. Marek Zabriskie is Rector of Christ Church Greenwich and has made several pilgrimages to Israel.
