Luke 6

Luke 6:1

E. The Son of Man Is Lord of the Sabbath (6:1-11) 6:1, 2 Two incidents concerning the Sabbath are now brought before us to show that the mounting opposition of the religious leaders was reaching a climax. The first occurred on the second-first Sabbath (literal translation). This is explained as follows: the first Sabbath was the first one after the Passover. The second was the next after that. On the second Sabbath after the first, the Lord and His disciples walked through some grainfields. The disciples plucked some grain, rubbed the kernels in their hands, and ate them.

The Pharisees could not quarrel about the fact of the grain being taken; this was permitted by the law (Deu_23:25). Their criticism was that it was done on the Sabbath. They sometimes called the plucking of grain a harvesting operation, and the rubbing of the grain a threshing operation. 6:3-5 The Lord’s answer, using an incident from the life of David, was that the law of the Sabbath was never intended to forbid a work of necessity. Rejected and pursued, David and his men were hungry. They went into the house of God and ate the showbread, which ordinarily was reserved for the priests. God made an exception in David’s case. There was sin in Israel. The king was rejected. The law concerning the showbread was never intended to be so slavishly followed as to permit God’s king to starve. Here was a similar situation. Christ and His disciples were hungry. The Pharisees would rather see them starve than pick wheat on the Sabbath. But The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath. He gave the law in the first place, and no one was better qualified than He to interpret its true spiritual meaning and to save it from misunderstanding. 6:6-8 A second incident that happened on another Sabbath concerned a miraculous cure. The scribes and Pharisees watched Jesus closely and maliciously to see whether He would heal a man with a withered hand … on the Sabbath. From past experience and from their knowledge of Him, they had good reason to believe that He would. The Lord did not disappoint them. He first asked the man to stand in the middle of the crowd in the synagogue. This dramatic action riveted the attention of all on what was about to happen. 6:9 Then Jesus asked His critics if it was lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil. If they answered correctly, they would have to say that it was right to do good on the Sabbath, and wrong to do harm. If it was right to do good, then He was doing good by healing the man. If it was wrong to do evil on the Sabbath, than they were breaking the Sabbath by plotting to kill the Lord Jesus. 6:10 There was no answer from the adversaries. Jesus then directed the man to stretch out his withered right hand. (Only Dr. Luke mentions that it was the right hand.) With the command went the necessary power. As the man obeyed, his hand was restored to normal. 6:11 The Pharisees and scribes were filled with rage. They wanted to condemn Jesus for breaking the Sabbath. All He had done was speak a few words and the man was healed. No servile work was involved. Yet they plotted together how they might get Him. The Sabbath was intended by God for man’s good. When rightly understood, it did not prohibit a work of necessity or a work of mercy.

Luke 6:12

F. Twelve Disciples Chosen (6:12-19) 6:12 Jesus spent all night in prayer before choosing the twelve. What a rebuke this is to our impulsiveness and independence of God! Luke is the only evangelist who mentions this night of prayer. 6:13-16 The twelve whom He chose from among the wider circle of disciples were:

1. Simon, whom He also named Peter, son of Jonah, and one of the most prominent of the apostles.
2. Andrew his brother. It was Andrew who introduced Peter to the Lord.
3. James the son of Zebedee. He was privileged to go with Peter and John to the Mt. of Transfiguration. He was killed by Herod Agrippa I.
4. John the son of Zebedee. Jesus called James and John Sons of Thunder. It was this John who wrote the Gospel and the Epistles bearing his name, and the book of Revelation.
5. Philip, a native of Bethsaida, who introduced Nathanael to Jesus. Not to be confused with Philip, the evangelist, in the book of Acts.
6. Bartholomew, generally understood to be another name for Nathanael. He is mentioned only in the listings of the twelve.
7. Matthew, the tax collector, also named Levi. He wrote the First Gospel.
8. Thomas, also called Twin. He said he would not believe that the Lord had risen until he saw conclusive evidence.
9. James the son of Alphaeus. He may have been the one who held a place of responsibility in the church at Jerusalem after James, the son of Zebedee, had been killed by Herod.
10. Simon called the Zealot. Little is known of him, as far as the sacred record is concerned.
11. Judas the son of James. Possibly the same as Jude, the author of the Epistle, and commonly believed to be Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus (Mat_10:3; Mar_3:18).
12. Judas Iscariot, presumed to be from Kerioth in Judah, and thus the only one of the apostles who was not from Galilee. The betrayer of our Lord, he was called by Jesus the son of perdition.The disciples were not all men of outstanding intellect or ability. They represented a cross-section of humanity. The thing that made them great was their relationship to Jesus and their commitment to Him. They were probably young men in their twenties when the Savior chose them. Youth is the time when men are most zealous and teachable and best able to endure hardship. He selected only twelve disciples. He was more interested in quality than quantity. Given the right caliber of men, He could send them out and by the process of spiritual reproduction could evangelize the world. Once the disciples were chosen, it was important that they should be thoroughly trained in the principles of the kingdom of God. The rest of this chapter is devoted to a summary of the type of character and behavior that should be found in disciples of the Lord Jesus. 6:17-19 The following discourse is not identical with the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7). That was delivered on a mountain; this was delivered on a level place. That had blessings but no woes; this has both. There are other differencesin words, in length, in emphasis. Notice that this message of stern discipleship was given to the multitude as well as to the twelve. It seems that whenever a great multitude followed Jesus, He tested their sincerity by speaking quite bluntly to them. As someone said, Christ first woos, then winnows.People had come from all Judea and Jerusalem in the south, from Tyre and Sidon in the northwest, Gentiles as well as Jews. Diseased people and demoniacs pressed close to touch Jesus; they knew that healing power flowed out from Him. It is very important to realize how revolutionary the teachings of the Savior are. Remember that He was going to the cross. He would die, be buried, rise again the third day, and return to heaven. The good news of free salvation must go out to the world. The redemption of men depended on their hearing the message. How could the world be evangelized? Astute leaders of this world would organize a vast army, provide liberal finances, generous food supplies, entertainment for the morale of the men, and good public relations.

Luke 6:20

G. Beatitudes and Woes (6:20-26) 6:20 Jesus chose twelve disciples and sent them out poor, hungry, and persecuted. Can the world be evangelized that way? Yes, and in no other way! The Savior began with four blessings and four woes. Blessed are you poor. Not blessed are the poor but blessed are you poor.

Poverty in itself is not a blessing; it is more often a curse. Here Jesus was speaking about a self-imposed poverty for His sake. He was not speaking of people who are poor because of laziness, tragedy, or reasons beyond their control. Rather He was referring to those who purposely choose to be poor in order to share their Savior with others. And when you think of it, it is the only sensible, reasonable approach. Suppose the disciples had gone forth as wealthy men.

People would have flocked to the banner of Christ with the hope of becoming rich. As it was, the disciples could not promise them silver and gold. If they came at all, it would be in quest of spiritual blessing. Also if the disciples had been rich, they would have missed the blessing of constant dependence on the Lord, and of proving His faithfulness. The kingdom of God belongs to those who are satisfied with the supply of their current needs so that everything above that can go into the work of the Lord. 6:21 Blessed are you who hunger now. Once again this does not mean the vast hordes of humanity who are suffering from malnutrition. Rather it refers to disciples of Jesus Christ who deliberately adopt a life of self-denial in order to help alleviate human need, both spiritual and physical. It is people who are willing to get along on a plain, inexpensive diet rather than deprive others of the gospel by their indulgence. All such self-denial will be rewarded in a future day. Blessed are you who weep now. Not that sorrow is in itself a blessing; the weeping of unsaved people has no lasting benefit connected with it. Here Jesus is speaking about tears that are shed for His sake. Tears for lost, perishing mankind. Tears over the divided, impotent state of the church. All sorrow endured in serving the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who sow in tears will reap in joy. 6:22 Blessed are you when men hate you … exclude you … revile you, and cast out your name as evil. This blessing is not for those who suffer for their own sins or stupidity. It is for those who are despised, excommunicated, reproached, and slandered because of their loyalty to Christ. The key to the understanding of these four beatitudes is found in the phrase for the Son of Man’s sake. Things that in themselves would be a curse become a blessing when willingly endured for Him. But the motive must be love for Christ; otherwise the most heroic sacrifices are worthless. 6:23 Persecution for Christ is cause for great rejoicing. First it will bring a great reward in heaven. Second it associates the sufferer with His faithful witnesses of past ages. The four blessings describe the ideal person in the kingdom of Godthe one who lives sacrificially, austerely, soberly, and enduringly. 6:24 But, on the other hand, the four woes present those who are least esteemed in Christ’s new society. Tragically, these are the very ones who are counted great in the world today! Woe to you who are rich. There are serious and moral problems connected with hoarding wealth in a world where several thousand die daily of starvation and where every other person is deprived of the good news of salvation through faith in Christ. These words of the Lord Jesus should be pondered carefully by Christians who are tempted to lay up treasures on earth, to hoard and scrimp for a rainy day. To do this is to live for the wrong world.

Incidentally, this woe on the rich proves quite conclusively that when the Lord said Blessed are you poor in v. 20, He did not mean poor in spirit. Otherwise v. 24 would have to mean woe to you who are rich in spirit and such a meaning is out of the question. Those who have wealth and who fail to use it for the eternal enrichment of others have already received the only reward they will ever getthe selfish, present gratification of their desires. 6:25 Woe to you who are full. These are believers who eat in expensive restaurants, who live on the finest gourmet foods, who spare no expense when it comes to their groceries. Their motto is Nothing is too good for the people of God! The Lord says that they will hunger in a coming day, that is, when rewards are given out for faithful, sacrificial discipleship. Woe to you who laugh now. This woe is aimed at those whose lives are a continuous cycle of amusement, entertainment, and pleasure. They act as if life was made for fun and frolic and seem oblivious of the desperate condition of men outside of Jesus Christ. Those who laugh now will mourn and weep when they look back over wasted opportunities, selfish indulgence, and their own spiritual impoverishment. 6:26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you. Why? Because it is a sure sign you are not living the life or faithfully proclaiming the message. It is in the very nature of the gospel to offend the ungodly. Those who receive their plaudits from the world are fellow-travelers with the false prophets of the OT who tickled the people’s ears, telling them what they wanted to hear. They were more interested in the favor of men than in the praise of God.

Luke 6:27

H. The Son of Man’s Secret Weapon: Love (6:27-38) 6:27-29a Now the Lord Jesus unveils to His disciples a secret weapon from the arsenal of Godthe weapon of love. This will be one of their most effective weapons in evangelizing the world. However, when He speaks of love, He is not referring to the human emotion of that name. This is supernatural love. Only those who are born again can know it or display it. It is utterly impossible for anyone who does not have the indwelling Holy Spirit.

A murderer may love his own children, but that is not love as Jesus intended. The one is human affection; the other is divine love. The first requires only physical life; the second requires divine life. The first is largely a matter of the emotions; the second is largely a matter of the will. Anyone can love his friends, but it takes supernatural power to love one’s enemies. And that is the love (Greekagape) of the NT.

It means to do good to those who hate you, to bless those who curse you, to pray for those who are nasty to you, and ever and always to turn the other cheek. F. B. Meyer explains: In its deepest sense love is the perquisite of Christianity. To feel toward enemies what others feel toward friends; to descend as rain and sunbeams on the unjust as well as the just; to minister to those who are unprepossessing and repellent as others minister to the attractive and winsome; to be always the same, not subject to moods or fancies or whims; to suffer long; to take no account of evil; to rejoice with the truth; to bear, believe, hope, and endure all things, never to failthis is love, and such love is the achievement of the Holy Spirit. We cannot achieve it ourselves. Love like this is unbeatable. The world can usually conquer the man who fights back. It is used to jungle warfare and to the principle of retaliation. But it does not know how to deal with the person who repays every wrong with a kindness. It is utterly confused and disorganized by such other-worldly behavior. 6:29b-31 When robbed of its overcoat, love offers its suit-coat as well. It never turns away from any genuine case of need. When unjustly deprived of its property, it does not ask that it be returned. Its golden rule is to treat others with the same kindness and consideration as it would like to receive. 6:32-34 Unsaved men can love those who love them. This is natural behavior, and so common that it makes no impact on the world of unsaved men. Banks and loan companies will lend money with the hope of collecting interest. This does not require divine life. 6:35 Therefore Jesus repeated that we should love our enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return. Such behavior is distinctly Christian and marks out those who are the sons of the Most High. Of course, this is not the way men become sons of the Most High; that can only happen through receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (Joh_1:12). But this is the way true believers manifest themselves to the world as sons of God. God treated us in the way described in verses 27-35. He is kind to the unthankful and the evil. When we act like that, we manifest the family likeness. We show that we have been born of God. 6:36 To be merciful means to forgive when it is in our power to avenge. The Father showed us mercy by not giving us the punishment we deserved. He wants us to show mercy to others. 6:37 There are two things that love doesn’t doit doesn’t judge and it doesn’t condemn. Jesus said, Judge not and you shall not be judged. First of all, we must not judge people’s motives. We cannot read the heart and so cannot know why a person acts as he does. Then we must not judge another Christian’s stewardship or service (1Co_4:1-5); God is the Judge in all such cases. And in general we must not be censorious. A critical, fault-finding spirit violates the law of love. There are certain areas, however, in which Christians must judge. We must often judge whether other people are true Christians; otherwise we could never recognize an unequal yoke (2Co_6:14). Sin must be judged in the home and in the assembly. In short, we must judge between good and evil, but we must not impugn motives or assassinate character. Forgive and you will be forgiven. This makes our forgiveness dependent on our willingness to forgive. But other Scriptures seem to teach that when we receive Christ by faith, we are freely and unconditionally forgiven. How can we reconcile this seeming contradiction? The explanation is that we are speaking of two different types of forgiveness judicial and parental. Judicial forgiveness is that which is granted by God the Judge to everyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ. It means that the penalty of sins has been met by Christ and the believing sinner will not have to pay it. It is unconditional. Parental forgiveness is that which is granted by God the Father to His erring child when he confesses and forsakes his sin. It results in the restoration of fellowship in the family of God, and has nothing to do with the penalty of sin. As Father, God cannot forgive us when we are unwilling to forgive one another. He doesn’t act that way, and cannot walk in fellowship with those who do. It is parental forgiveness that Jesus refers to in the words and you will be forgiven.6:38 Love manifests itself in giving (see Joh_3:16; Eph_5:25). The Christian ministry is a ministry of expenditure.

Those who give generously are rewarded generously. The picture is of a man with a large apron-like fold in the front of his garment. He uses it for carrying seed. The more widely he broadcasts the seed, the greater his harvest. He is rewarded with good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. He receives it into his bosom, that is, into the fold of his garment.

It is a fixed principle in life that we reap according to our sowing, that our actions react upon us, that the same measure we use to others is measured back to us. If we sow material things we reap spiritual treasures of inestimable value. It is also true that what we keep we lose, and what we give we have.

Luke 6:39

I. Parable of the Blind Hypocrite (6:39-45) 6:39 In the previous section the Lord Jesus taught that the disciples were to have a ministry of giving. Now He warns that the extent to which they can be a blessing to others is limited by their own spiritual condition. The blind cannot lead the blind; both would fall into the ditch. We cannot give what we do not have ourselves. If we are blind to certain truths of God’s Word, we cannot help someone else in those areas. If there are blind-spots in our spiritual life, we can be sure that there will be blind-spots in the lives of our understudies. 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher. A person cannot teach what he does not know. He cannot lead his students to a level higher than he himself has attained. The more he teaches them, the more they become like him. But his own stage of growth forms the upper limit to which he can bring them. A student is perfectly trained as a disciple when he becomes like his master. Deficiencies in the doctrine or life of the teacher will be carried over into the lives of his pupils, and when the instruction has been completed, the disciples cannot be expected to be above the master. 6:41-42 This important truth is still more strikingly brought out in the illustration of the speck and the plank. One day a man is walking past a threshing floor where the grain is being beaten out. A sudden gust of wind lifts a tiny speck of chaff and lands it squarely in his eye. He rubs the eye to get rid of the irritant, but the more he rubs it, the more irritated it becomes. Just then another man comes along, sees the distress of the first, and offers to help. But this man has a plank sticking out of his own eye!

He can scarcely help because he cannot see what he is doing. The obvious lesson is that a teacher cannot speak to his disciples about blemishes in their lives if he has the same blemishes to an exaggerated degree in his own life, yet cannot see them. If we are to be a help to others, our own lives must be exemplary. Otherwise they will say to us, Physician, heal yourself!6:43-45 The fourth illustration the Lord uses is the tree and its fruit. A tree bears fruit, good or bad, depending on what it is in itself. We judge a tree by the kind and quality of fruit it bears.

So it is in the area of discipleship. A man who is morally pure and spiritually healthy can bring forth blessing for others out of the good treasure of his heart. On the other hand, a man who is basically impure only brings forth evil. Thus in verses 39-45, the Lord is telling the disciples that their ministry is to be a ministry of character. What they are is more important than anything they will ever say or do. The final result of their service will be determined by what they are in themselves.

Luke 6:46

J. The Lord Demands Obedience (6:46-49) 6:46 But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say? The word Lord means Master; it means He has complete authority over our lives, that we belong to Him, and that we are obligated to do whatever He says. To call Him Lord and then to fail to obey Him is absurdly contradictory. A mere professed acknowledgment of His lordship is not enough. True love and faith involve obedience. We don’t really love Him and we don’t really believe on Him if we don’t do what He says. Ye call me the Way and walk me not, Ye call me the Life and live me not, Ye call me Master and obey me not, If I condemn thee, blame me not. Ye call me Bread and eat me not, Ye call me Truth and believe me not, Ye call me Lord and serve me not, If I condemn thee, blame me not. Geoffrey O’Hara 6:47-49 To further enforce this important truth, the Lord gives the story of two builders. We commonly apply this story to the gospel; we say the wise man is descriptive of the one who believes and is saved; the foolish man is the one who rejects Christ and is lost. This is, of course, a valid application. But if we interpret the story in its context, we find that there is a deeper meaning. The wise man is the one who comes to Christ (salvation), who hears His sayings (instruction), and who does them (obedience). He is the one who builds his life on such principles of Christian discipleship as are laid down in this chapter. This is the right way to build a life. When the house is battered by floods and streams, it stands firm because it is founded on the rock, Christ and His teachings. The foolish man is one who hears (instruction) but who fails to follow the teaching (disobedience). He builds his life on what he thinks to be best, following the carnal principles of this world. When the storms of life rage, his house, which is without a foundation, is swept away. His soul may be saved but his life is lost. The wise man is the man who is poor, who is hungry, who mourns, and who is persecutedall for the Son of Man’s sake. The world would call such a person foolish. Jesus calls him wise. The foolish man is the one who is rich, who feasts luxuriously, who lives hilariously, and who is popular with everyone. The world calls him a wise man. Jesus calls him foolish. Luke 7