God is at work in our world, striving toward the wholeness of all of creation. In Luke's gospel such wholeness manifests through relationship. Jesus calls his disciples to reconfigure their lives and relationships in response to their experience of God's in-breaking realm through him. Jesus redefines family--one of the most intimate nexuses of association--not in terms of biological or legal standing but, rather, through his relationship with and the connections between "those who hear the word of God and do it" (Luke 8:21; 11:28).

Relationship is key to understanding human life in community, especially as it is presented in scripture. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus binds together families and communities through webs of interconnectedness. "Wholeness" is often translated as "salvation" stands at the center of Luke's narrative. Throughout the gospel of Luke, Jesus enacts salvation--bringing about wholeness, often translated as "healing" but from a the same root word as "salvation" or "savior." Thus, Luke's gospel is not a passive gospel that merely anticipates God's realm in the future or nostalgically reflects upon God's actions of the past. Jesus inaugurates God's restorative action and in response people are called to turn their lives around through repentance and forgiveness of sins.

Salvation, which undergirds this turning, is not just an abstract concept for Luke, but an experience of the wholeness that enables believers to live into God's realm. In this way, Jesus is proclaimed "a savior"in the gospel of Luke from his birth. Jesus does not simply promise restoration with his words; he enacts it with his deeds. And so, those with whom his life intermingles, whether directly or through the words and deeds of his followers are made whole.