Who are the poor referred to in the gospel of Luke?

Answer 1

It depends upon which word for 'poor' is used and in what context it is being written. Generally, poor means those of lesser physical wealth but could mean a person's health or a humble spirit as it does in the Beatitudes (Luke 6:20). A Bible study tool would help inmearsureably in these cases - Concordance.

Additional comments:

Many people use this english word poor written in the New Testament in many places and assume in every case it means material wealth. Then they apply Stoic Sophist based, Marx & Engels doctrine to the biblical text, attempting to indicate that Christ was a Stoic Sophist. Christ did not support any doctrine other than our fathers which included the law as it was given to Moses and the tribe of Levi (10 commandments and the laws of leviticus)

Christ stated in 5:17 "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets, I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill" Here is what Christ thinks about Marx & Engels doctrine and their dialectic based on materialism which causes men to break the 10 commandments through coveting and theft,

"Whosoever shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven".

The law of our father contradicts the Stoic-Sophist doctrine of Marx & Engels which teaches people covetousness and stealing as the means to acquire material wealth.

The 10 commandments state "thou shall not covet and Thou shalt not steal" Christ therefore was in no way aligned with the Stoic - Sophist doctrine of Marx & Engels and their dialectic of materialism. The Apostle Paul, taught agains the use of Philos-Sophos doctrine, in Colossians chapter 2. Malachi 4:4 will help in explaining this.

You need two tools to grasp the meaning of the english words in biblical text. You need a KJV bible and a Strong's concordance-dictionary. In the Strong's concordance/dictionary, there are two Greek words in the new testament for poor, 4434 and 3993 (2 Corinth 9.9), and one instance where there is no definition provided (1 Corinth 13:3). Remember to go all the way back to the prime words when using the Strong's

4434 = Ptochos "pto-khos" its from the word Ptosso, "to crouch" its akin to 4422 and the alternate of 4098: A beggar (as crying) i.e. pauper (strictly denoting absolute or public mendicancy, although also used in a qualified or relative sense: were as 3993 properly means only straightened circumstances in private), literally (often used as a noun) or figuratively (distressed), its translated in english biblical text - beggar (-ly) poor.

4422 = Ptoeo "pto-eh-o" probably akin to the alternate of 4098 (through the idea of causing to fail) or to 4072 (through that of causing o fly away) to scare, its translated in english biblical text - frighten

3993 = Penes "pen-ace" from a primary "peno" (to toil for daily subsistence) starving i.e. indigent poor compare to 4434.

Figuratively it can mean those people devoid of the truth of our fathers word and therefore have not peace of mind through understanding. They may have vast worldly possessions and be completely poor in sprint.

It can also mean those who are taxed of any material wealth that they obtain, therefore all the fruits of there labor is eaten up through taxation. (see Malachi 3:5 "against those that oppress the hireling in his wages). Remember to use your Strong's concordance to find the meaning of the Hebrew word translated oppress, as it is not an exact translation to the meaning that many Stoic-Sophist politicians use today.

Answer 2

As Luke was a gentile and considered a outcast by the Jews.