Luke and οί πτωχοί

Abstract

Jesus's manifesto in Luke 4:16-21 is an allusion to Isaiah 61:1-2 and 58:6 and portrays Luke's concern for the poor. A socio-scientific reading of this manifesto shows Jesus as an eschatological prophetic Messiah who assumes both prophetic role and royal functions of a king to liberate and restore honor to the oppressed and marginalized people of his time. The research challenges political leaders of Nigeria to look into the cries of ethnic minority groups and Nigerian Christians to become proactive in seeking concrete ways to alleviate this social problem. It also calls for Nigerians to intensify socio-political activism in defense of equity, equality, and justice for minority ethnic groups in Nigeria.