Luke 6

CHAPTER 6THEME: Jesus defends disciples for plucking grain on Sabbath; Jesus chooses the Twelve; Jesus gives sermon on the plain

Luke 6:1

JESUS DEFENDS DISCIPLESFOR PLUCKING GRAIN ON SABBATHThe first part of this chapter is almost a repetition of the other synoptic Gospels. It begins with the action of Christ on the Sabbath day. The first incident is in the fields on the Sabbath day. As the disciples plucked the grain and rubbed it in their hands, the Pharisees accused them of threshing the grain on the Sabbath day. Of course they were not breaking the Mosaic Law, as it permitted people to pull the grain (see Deu_23:24-25). If they had been cutting it with a sickle, they would have been harvesting. But the Pharisees had their own interpretation, and therefore they interpret the action as breaking the Law. Our Lord did not insist that they had not broken the Sabbath; He refused to argue the issue with them. He cited an incident in the life of David where he had definitely broken the Mosaic Law and was justified. His point was that the letter of the Law was not to be imposed when it wrought hardship upon one of God’s servants. Obviously the disciples were hungry. It cost them something to follow Jesus. Then we have the incident of the Sabbath day in the synagogue.

Luke 6:6

The man with the withered hand was planted there, you may be sure. In doing this they really paid our Lord a wonderful compliment. They believed He could heal him, and they believed He would heal him. They knew He was both powerful and compassionate. They were exactly correct in their estimation of Him. Our Lord healed the man. Then His enemies used the occasion to accuse Him of breaking the Sabbath day. Matthew tells us that they plotted His death from that moment on.

Luke 6:12

JESUS CHOOSES THE TWELVEAs I mentioned previously, some of the disciples were introduced to our Lord when He went to Jerusalem. Later, walking by the Sea of Galilee, He called those men to follow Him. Then they went back to fishing. And He went by and called them again, at which time, the record tells us, “they forsook all, and followed him” (Luk_5:11). Now we have come to the third stage. Out of an unspecified number of disciples, He chose twelve men to be His apostles. Notice that Jesus prayed all night to God. Why? He was going to choose twelve men to be His apostles. He spent the entire night in prayer before making His choice. One of the apostles turned out to be a traitor. Another apostle denied Him but later repented.

Notice, however, that God’s men were always chosen. There are many candidates, to be sure, but consider what Joh_15:16 says: “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.” This has been a great comfort to me. I was a clerk in a bank when the Lord called me to be a preacher. I never dreamed of becoming a preacher; in fact, I actually looked down on preachers. I did not call Him, but He called me. I’ve always felt good about it, because since He called me, He is responsible.

That is wonderful. It gives me comfort. The Lord found it essential and practical to spend the entire night in prayer before selecting the twelve apostles. Men chosen for God’s work should be selected on the basis of much prayer. The robe of Elijah did not fall by accident upon Elisha; it fell providentially. The present-day procedure by the church for choosing men to fill an office is far from God’s standard.

We follow our feelings and consult our own selfish desires. We use human measuring rods rather than God’s measuring stick. We should spend time with God before making our decisions.

Luke 6:17

JESUS GIVES SERMON ON THE PLAINAs I have said many times before, multitudes were healed on this occasion. In our Lord’s day literally thousands of people were healed. There were no healing lines, no slapping of this one and patting of that one, no having people fall backwards and forwards. The people whom the Lord healed did not have to do anything. Our Lord would even heal them at a distance. The healings performed by the Lord were genuine, and we have Dr. Luke’s statement to prove it. I do not believe in faith healers but I do believe in faith healing. Take your problem to the Great Physician. He is the best doctor you can consult, and He does not send you a bill; nor do you have to be on Medicare to get Him to take your case. Now we come to the so-called “Sermon on the Mount,” which is not a sermon on the mount as it was delivered on a plain. Of course the Sermon on the Mount was delivered on a mountain, as recorded in Matthew. The similarity in content indicates that the Lord gave His teachings again and again. We do not need a harmony of the Gospels as much as we need a contrast of the Gospels. The remarkable thing about this sermon in Luke is its dissimilarity to the sermon in Matthew. There are omissions, certain inclusions, blessings and woes, attitudes and judgments.

Luke 6:20

Up to this point the content of the Sermon on the Plain is similar to Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. The Lord gave the same teaching in many places but in a different form. Beginning with verse Luk_6:23, a new thought is introduced.

Luke 6:23

This verse speaks about the reception of, and attitude toward, God’s prophets by mankind. The true prophet speaks for God and is persecuted. The false prophet misrepresents God and is patronized by men. The true prophet must have faith in God and maintain a quiet confidence which looks beyond the things which are seen to the things which are eternal. This is what keeps a man true to God. Verses Luk_6:20-22 speak about the poor, hungry and weak, who are hated, reproached, considered outcasts, and called evil. All you have to do is look back into the Old Testament to see that this is true. It is true today. The man who preaches the Word of God is going to have a rough time. If he does not have a rough time, something is wrong. The false prophets were (and are) rich and had plenty to eat. They could laugh and were considered good fellows. God has something to say to them.

Luke 6:24

We find that the false prophet is patronized by the world, and if he will say the right thing, the world will pay him well. The Lord Jesus Christ makes it clear, however, that he needn’t expect God to pay him. The false prophet may become popular with the world, but he will be notorious with God. He may have a lot of fun on earth, but he will cause heaven to weep. He may be well fed, but he has a starved soul. Very little is said today about the godless rich. The Lord had a great deal to say about the godless rich in Scripture: “Woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.” Everyone seems to be after the poor criminal who stole $25.00, or a suit of clothes, or a $50.00 ring. The godless poor, however, are not nearly as dangerous as the godless rich. The godless rich give glamour to godlessness. There is probably more hypocrisy among the rich than any other group. They will pay a false prophet to preach in their churchthey own the church and the property. No rich church has the reputation of being an evangelical church; the gospel will not be preached there. There may be a few exceptions to this, but if there are, I do not know about them. In New York City there is a church that bears the name of a rich man. The church will not have a gospel minister preach there because a gospel preacher would condemn this rich man just as James did when he said: “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days” (Jas_5:1-3). I wonder when Christians in this country are going to wake up to the fact that these rich politicians are throwing crumbs from their tables down to the poor. They are not interested in the poor or in the rights of an individual. They want to be able to keep their riches and enjoy them in selfishness, and they are willing to give a few crumbs to the poor in order to do it. As far as civil rights go, I am not concerned about the color of a man’s skin but about the color of his heart. Has his heart been washed in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ? If it has, then he is my brother.

I am going to be living with him for eternity and I had better start learning to live with him nowand I am. A man’s heart may be as black as ink and his skin white as snow, yet he is not my brother. I am sorry to have to say that, but it is true. What I am saying may sound revolutionary, and it is, but it is what Jesus Christ said, friend. There are those who tell me that they are following Jesus. They do not dare to follow Him. Read what He says in this chapter and, believe me, it will remove the cloak of hypocrisy and peel off the skin of any man. Try on the Sermon on the Plain for size and find out if you are keeping it.

Luke 6:31

The minister of a church who is seeking popularity does not dare mention sin. Some use the gyration of psychoanalysis to explain away the exceeding sinfulness of sin. It is called a relic of a theological jungle. Sin is not a crime against God, according to many modern preachers. They are afraid to say that God hates sin and that Jehovah is a Man of War. To be right in God’s sight you cannot compliment the ego, pat the pride, smile upon sin, and put cold cream on the cancer of sin. You cannot write a prescription on philosophy and have it filled in the pleasures of the world. The only place you can go is to the foot of the cross. There God performs an operation, major surgery, and makes you a new creature in Christ Jesus. That is the message we have in the Sermon on the Plain. It complements the Sermon on the Mount. It is a message the Lord gave many times to many different groups of people. The Lord concludes this with a parable.

Luke 6:47

The house that was built on the rockstood. The house that was built on the sand was absolutely washed away. This chapter reveals to me that I am a sinner before God, and it almost takes my skin off! There is a Rock, though, upon which I can build a foundation that will stand. That Rock is Christ Jesus. Paul said, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1Co_3:11). My friend, where are you building your foundation? Where is your house? Is it built on the Rock which is Christ Jesus, or is it built on sand? If you can read the Sermon on the Plain and not see that you are a lost and hell-doomed sinner, I feel sorry for you. I feel sorry for the poor rich man who has not heard the gospel. Whoever will may get on the Solid Rock which is Christ. He will save without money and without price. Come to Him in simple faith, and trust Him.