The Ethics of Valuing Others in the Gospel According to Luke

The Gospel According to Luke is well known for its moral teaching confronting prevailing attitudes about social standing and wealth. The Gospel does more, ethically. This study considers Luke’s portrait of Jesus in its entirety. It aims to show how the Gospel’s ubiquitous reversal moments and its Kingdom orientation fuel a persistent challenge against people overvaluing themselves and devaluing others, with Jesus setting the pattern for proper valuation. Out of that emerges the strong concern always to treat people fully as people, regardless of who they are or what they have done. That sets the stage for all sorts of personal, and even community, ethical decision making. Activity that advances the full humanity of others is good; that which dehumanises is evil. These kinds of ethical reasoning patterns stem from Divine Programme, not Divine Command.