Jesus as the Perfect and Compassionate Man

In two previous Associated Content articles (see the links below), I have discussed the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Mark as part of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) in the New Testament of the Holy Bible. As I noted, each of the four Gospel writers had his own particular perspective about Jesus and how he affected the world. Adding Luke to Matthew and Mark, we can summarize the perspectives of the first three Gospels this way:

In Matthew, Jesus is presented as a King
In Mark, Jesus is presented as a Servant
In Luke, Jesus is presented as a Perfect and Compassionate Man

The Synoptic Gospels. Before I proceed to elaborate on Luke's perspective, it is helpful to know that Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the "Synoptic Gospels." The word "Synoptic" comes from two Greek words that mean, basically, "to see together." The reason these three Gospels are called the Synoptic Gospels is because they share in common many of the same materials (stories, events, words). It is as though they all three used some common source materials, or, many think, that Mark was written first and Matthew and Luke borrowed from it. No one knows for sure how the three arrived at their materials, but a quick reading of the three reveals their similarities.

The Perspective of the Gospel According to Luke. For many worshipers of Jesus Christ, the important thing is not the issue of whether or not Jesus is God in human form; the important issue is whether or not "Jesus loves me." Is Jesus aware of human needs? Is Jesus sensitive to what I'm going through and what I have experienced? Has Jesus felt what I have felt? Does he feel my pain and know my struggles? Is he there for me?

The writer of Luke (a physician, sometime traveler with the Apostle Paul, and the writer of the book of Acts) affirms that Jesus knows people because Jesus is a man, the perfect man, who is very involved in the world of needs that meets him during the years of his ministry. More so than in the other Gospels, Jesus seems gentle in his dealings with other people. He also shows the human dependence on prayer to God and on the power of God's Holy Spirit.

Although the divinity of Jesus is not ignored, the emphasis is on his human love and compassion. Luke apparently wrote his Gospel with the Greek world in mind. Although the Greeks had many gods in their religious universe, they also appreciated the development of the human body and mind. Luke's Jesus would appeal to their way of looking at the world and the relationships among people.

Throughout his Gospel and his emphasis on Jesus as the Perfect Man, Luke does not lose sight of the main reason Jesus came: not to make life more comfortable in this world, but to call and prepare people for an eternal life with God. In Luke, as well as in the other Gospels, Jesus is, above all, the Savior of the world.

Sources:

For helpful information on the Gospels, see J. Sidlow Baxter, Explore the Book (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1960)
www.associatedcontent.com/article/384626/the_gospel_according_to_matthew.html
www.associatedcontent.com/article/726891/jesus_as_a_servant_the_gospel_according.html