BENEFICENCE TO THE POOR IN LUKE'S GOSPEL IN ITS MEDITERRANEAN CONTEXT: A VISUAL AND DOCUMENTARY PERSPECTIVE.

Jesus demands in Luke's Gospel that his followers divest themselves of their wealth and give to the poor, and do good to and pray for the enemy. The "poor" are one of the several marginalised groups that, according to Jesus' Isaianic understanding of the Kingdom, are at the heart of his mission. However, Jesus criticises the strong reciprocity ethic animating the ancient benefaction system and is dismissive of the honorific accolades that it spawned for the Gentile kings. He underscores the indifference of the wealthy to the poor, as well as their blindness to eschatological judgement. Notwithstanding, Jesus commends the centurion synagogue benefactor, advocates the astute use of wealth to establish "friends" for the Kingdom, endorses his disciples' dependence upon benefaction for their mission, promises reward for the "poor," praises the sacrificial beneficence of an impoverished benefactor, celebrates the magnanimous monetary restitution offered by a morally unworthy tax collector to his victims, and challenges his disciples with the new paradigm of the "Servant" benefactor. Employing a visual and documentary perspective, this article demonstrates that Luke provides for his readers a nuanced, paradoxical and unconventional portrait of Jesus' response to the beneficence of the local elites, the Herodian house and imperial overlords. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]