Luke 6

Healing on The Sabbath, Choosing The Twelve, And The Sermon on The Mount

In this section, Luke recorded Jesus’ teachings on the significance of the Sabbath and Luke’s own summary of Jesus’ most famous sermon on the Mount of Beatitudes. 

Grainfields on The Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28)

Picking Grains

Vs. 1-2 - His disciples were picking heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them.  But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”

Commentators note that Jesus’ disciples were not breaking the law of Moses here. 

Deuteronomy 23:25 - When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, you may pluck heads of grain with your hand, but do not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain.

According to their (the religious leaders) laws, not the law of Moses, to rub the heads of grain was considered threshing and the Mishnah forbade threshing on the Sabbath (Shabbath 7.2). Jesus and his disciples are not breaking the Law of Moses. They are breaking the laws and traditions of the scribes and Pharisees.

How Jesus responds to this charge is fascinating. Jesus could have said that he was not breaking the Law of Moses but just their traditions. Jesus will do that later when the Pharisees charge them with not washing their hands in accordance to the traditions of the elders. But that is not how Jesus responds here. Jesus wants to go deeper and truly address the heart of the problem. Jesus reminds them of an event in David’s life.                     - Brent Kercheville

What David Did

Vs. 3-4 - Jesus answered them, “Haven’t you read what David and those who were with him did when he was hungry— how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?

To answer the religious leaders’ question, Jesus referenced a story recorded in 1 Samuel when David fled as a fugitive from King Saul.  David was desperate, hungry, and also dishonest with Abimelech, the priest, about the circumstances surrounding his need for food and weapons. 

1 Samuel 21:6 - So the priest gave him the consecrated bread, for there was no bread there except the Bread of the Presence that had been removed from the presence of the Lord. When the bread was removed, it had been replaced with warm bread.

According to Levitical law, the bread that Abimelech shared with David was only meant for priests. 

Leviticus 24:8-9 - The bread is to be set out before the Lord every Sabbath day as a permanent covenant obligation on the part of the Israelites. It belongs to Aaron and his sons, who are to eat it in a holy place, for it is the holiest portion for him from the food offerings to the Lord; this is a permanent rule.

But in this instance, the future king was in need, and Jesus interpreted Abimelech’s choice to help him as a wise one, displaying his understanding of the spirit of the law over the letter. 

Lord of The Sabbath

Vs. 5 - Then he told them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

By sharing this story from the life of David, Jesus showed that scripture itself supplies a precedent in which human need took precedence of human and even divine law.

"The Sabbath," he said, "was made for the sake of man and not man for the sake of the Sabbath." That was self-evident. Man was created before ever the elaborate Sabbath law came into existence. Man was not created to be the victim and the slave of Sabbath rules and regulations which were in the beginning created to make life fuller and better for man. Man is not to be enslaved by the Sabbath; the Sabbath exists to make his life better.

The best way to use sacred things is to use them for men.  Sacred things are only truly sacred when they are used for men. The shewbread was never so sacred as when it was used to feed a starving man. The Sabbath was never so sacred as when it was used to help those who needed help. The final arbiter in the use of all things is love and not law.              - William Barclay

Any application of the Sabbath Law which operates to the detriment of man is out of harmony with God’s purpose.            - Morgan

Jesus answered with two truths:  (1) The Sabbath was meant as a blessing, not a burden.  (2) And Jesus Himself, proclaiming His own authority, was the Originator and Authority over the day of rest. 

Healing on The Sabbath (Matthew 12:9-21; Mark 3:1-6)

Good on the Sabbath

Vs. 6 - A man was there whose right hand was shriveled.

This incident happened on a different Sabbath from the one in the preceding pericope. He (Luke) evidently placed it here in his narrative because it builds on the idea of Jesus’ authority over the Sabbath and advances it even further than the previous pericope does. As the authoritative Son of Man, Jesus declared that it was lawful to do good on the Sabbath.                         - Thomas Constable

Some commentators speculate as to whether this man may have been invited into the synagogue by the religious leaders for the purpose of conjuring this conflict. 

Vs. 9 - Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you: Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil,

If an animal fell into a pit on the Sabbath day, the Jews would not hesitate to rescue it the same day. Yet they criticized Jesus for healing a man on the Sabbath. Although no list of rules sets out all that a person should or should not do to keep the Sabbath holy, it is always right to do good on the Sabbath.      - Don Fleming

The interesting thing about Jesus’ approach is that He was not simply arguing that repressive regulations should be relaxed and a more liberal attitude adopted: He was saying that His opponents had missed the whole point of this holy day. Had they understood it, they would have seen that deeds of mercy such as His were not merely permitted-they were obligatory.                 - Morris

In the legalistic approach taken by the religious leaders of Jesus’ day (which went beyond the commands of the Bible itself), they clearly neglected acts of compassion and love to the needy.  Jesus wasn’t trying to reform the Sabbath. He tried to show that, in their understanding of the Sabbath, they missed the whole point.               - David Guzik

Surely, there is no desecration of divine ordinances so powerful as that which clogs the stream of compassion.           - Morgan

Vs. 9 -  to save life or to destroy it?”

He (Jesus) asked the piercing questions, "Is it legal to save life or to destroy it on the Sabbath?" That must have struck home, for while he was seeking to help the life of the man, they were doing all they could to destroy him. It was he who was seeking to save and they who were seeking to destroy.   

Here were men who took the quite extraordinary course of hating a man who had just cured a sufferer. They are the outstanding example of men who loved their rules and regulations more than they loved God.         - William Barclay

Filled with Rage

Vs. 7 - The scribes and Pharisees were watching him closely, to see if he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they could find a charge against him.

Vs. 11 - They, however, were filled with rage and started discussing with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Luke noted the rage in the religious leaders’ response to Jesus' rebuke, and Matthew (12:14) and Mark (3:6) added that they began, at this time, to plot “how they might kill him.” 

Mark 3:6 - Immediately the Pharisees went out and started plotting with the Herodians against him, how they might kill him.

Choosing The Twelve (Matthew 9:35-4; Mark 3:7-19)

All Night in Prayer

Vs. 12 - During those days he went out to the mountain to pray and spent all night in prayer to God.

Luke alone mentioned Jesus’ all night prayer vigil. It shows Jesus’ conscious dependence on God, a special emphasis in the third Gospel.            - Thomas Constable

Apostles

Vs. 13 - he chose twelve of them

This section directly contrasts with the previous one. The religious leaders are rejecting Jesus, and he responds by choosing a faithful remnant.           - Thomas Schreiner

Barclay notes that these men were chosen from Jesus’ larger group of followers for a special purpose, but they seem to have been just ordinary men from a wide variety of backgrounds and beliefs.  

Judging them by worldly standards the men Jesus chose had no special qualifications at all. They were not wealthy; they had no special social position; they had no special education--they were not trained theologians; they were not high-ranking churchmen and ecclesiastics; they were twelve ordinary men.   No band of men ever staked everything on such a forlorn hope as these Galilaeans, and no band of men ever did it with more open eyes. These twelve had all kinds of faults, but whatever else could be said about them, they loved Jesus and they were not afraid to tell the world that they loved him--and that is being a Christian.         - William Barclay

Vs. 13 - whom he also named apostles

The twelve were to be known as apostles (from the Greek word apostello, meaning ‘to send’), as Jesus was to send them out in the service of the kingdom. To begin with he would keep them with him for their spiritual training, then he would send them out equipped with his messianic authority to heal those afflicted by Satan and urge people to enter the kingdom of God. The era of the Messiah had arrived. As twelve tribes had formed the basis of the old people of God, so twelve apostles would be the basis of the new.                        - Don Fleming

Judas

Vs. 16 - and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

In His selection of Judas, Jesus was also choosing the cross, the path of suffering, and the will of His Father. 

The Sermon on The Mount (Matthew 5-7)

The similarities between the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 and what Luke recorded in Luke 6:20-49 seem to suggest that Luke condensed that Sermon. However the introductions to the two sections have led many students of these passages to conclude that Jesus gave two different addresses on separate occasions. Harmonization of the introductions is possible, and this would point to one sermon that Luke edited more severely than Matthew did. Matthew wrote that Jesus was on a mountainside when He delivered this address (Matthew 5:1), but Luke said that He was on a level place (Luke 6:17). The place where Jesus gave this sermon is the major problem in harmonizing the two accounts.     

Luke’s version of this important address, primarily aimed at Jesus’ disciples, is much shorter than Matthew’s. Matthew’s account contains 137 verses whereas Luke’s has 30. Both accounts begin with beatitudes, contain the same general content, and end with the same parables. However, Luke edited out the teachings that have distinctively Jewish appeal, specifically Jesus’ interpretations of the Mosaic Law, the "legal matters." These parts had less significance for an audience of predominantly Gentile Christians.         - Thomas Constable

Whether or not Matthew and Luke recorded the exact sermon from the exact same day is not as important as the teachings they preserved.  Perhaps they heard Jesus repeat some of these lessons on multiple occasions and made editing decisions based on their different sources and audiences. 

The collection of Jesus’ teachings commonly known as the Sermon on the Mount deals with the attitudes, behavior and responsibilities of those who have come under the lordship of Jesus Christ.              - Don Fleming

The Beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12)

Vs. 20-23 - Take note—your reward is great in heaven, for this is the way their ancestors used to treat the prophets.

The section opens with a series of short two-line statements commonly known as Beatitudes (from the Latin word for ‘blessed’). In present-day English ‘blessed’ is probably not as good a translation as ‘happy’ (GNB). Jesus is not making a formal declaration of divine favour, but announcing the true happiness of those who live according to the life of the kingdom.                     - Don Fleming

The people whom Jesus called happy, the world would call wretched; and the people Jesus called wretched, the world would call happy. Just imagine anyone saying, "Happy are the poor, and, Woe to the rich!" To talk like that is to put an end to the world's values altogether.          - William Barclay

Woe to You

Vs. 24-26 - Woe to you

Matthew recorded nine beatitudes, but Luke included only four. Matthew gave no woes, but Luke recorded four. The four beatitudes precede the four woes, and the beatitudes parallel the woes in thought. The beatitudes are positive and the woes correspondingly negative.        - Thomas Constable

Where then is the key to this? It comes in Luke 6:24. There Jesus says, "Woe to you who are rich because you have all the comfort you are going to get." The word Jesus uses for “have” is the word used for receiving payment in full of an account. What Jesus is saying is this, "If you set your heart and bend your whole energies to obtain the things which the world values, you will get them--but that is all you will ever get." In the expressive modern phrase, literally, you have had it! But if on the other hand you set your heart and bend all your energies to be utterly loyal to God and true to Christ, you will run into all kinds of trouble, you may by the world's standards look unhappy, but much of your payment is still to come; and it will be joy eternal.                      - William Barclay

Loving Enemies

Vs. 27 - But I say to you who listen: Love your enemies

There is no commandment of Jesus which has caused so much discussion and debate as the commandment to love our enemies.  What is the reason for this Christian conduct? The reason is that it makes us like God, for that is the way he acts. God sends his rain on the just and the unjust. He is kind to the man who brings him joy and equally kind to the man who grieves his heart. God's love embraces saint and sinner alike. It is that love we must copy; if we, too, seek even our enemy's highest good we will in truth be the children of God.           - William Barclay

To render good for evil is divine. To render good for good is human. To render evil for evil is brutish. But to render evil for good is devilish!                 - Thomas Brooks

Vs. 29-30 - If anyone hits you on the cheek, offer the other also. And if anyone takes away your coat, don’t hold back your shirt either. Give to everyone who asks you, and from someone who takes your things, don’t ask for them back.

Some modern readers are tempted to misunderstand some of Jesus’ illustrations.  But loving others does not mean ignoring injustice or condoning abuse or manipulation.  It does mean interacting with one another in the way that God has with us - mercifully.

Vs. 35-36 - Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High. For he is gracious to the ungrateful and evil. Be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

This was the summary of Jesus’ instruction and the great desire of God for His people - that they would become “children of the Most High” by emulating the love they had received from Him.  

Do Not Judge (Matthew 7:1-6)

Vs. 37 - Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

Jesus does not condemn the examination and proclamation of truth here.  What Jesus wants us to learn is how to judge without being judgmental, how to be a coach instead of a critic, and how to be helpful without being a hypocrite.              - paraphrased Kyle Mercer

Jesus is speaking against a superior and self-righteous attitude, not against careful evaluation.  Those who are humbly aware of their own sin can help in removing a speck from another person’s eye.       - Thomas Schreiner

Trees Known by Fruit

Vs. 44 - For each tree is known by its own fruit.

Vs. 45 - A good person produces good out of the good stored up in his heart. An evil person produces evil out of the evil stored up in his heart, for his mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart.

The emphasis in this final section (trees and foundations) of Jesus’ sermon was God’s concern for the condition of the human heart.  Fruit-bearing trees may have a similar appearance, but the fruit they produce reveals their differences. 

Two Foundations (Matthew 7:13-29)

Vs. 47 - I will show you what someone is like who comes to me, hears my words, and acts on them: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock.

Vs. 49 - But the one who hears and does not act is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation.

In addition to Jesus’ comparison of trees and foundations, Matthew recorded two more metaphors of roads and prophets.  All four pictures illustrate that external examination alone is insufficient.  Time and testing reveals reality. 

Jesus concludes The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7) by giving us four shocking word pictures.  They come in sets of two:

Two roads - wide and narrow

Two kinds of prophets - sheep and wolves dressed as sheep

Two trees - bad fruit and good fruit

Two houses - one built on sand and one on a rock

All show us the same thing - the difference between false and true Christians.  It's a warning that there are many people who look like they are on the right path, religious on the outside, but are going to hear the most terrifying, unexpected verdict at the end of their lives when Jesus says, “Depart from me. I never knew you.” 

Both sets of people are on a road they think is headed towards heaven. Both the sheep and the wolves look like sheep. Both houses look exactly the same on the outside. It's the foundation that is different.   - JD Greear

Sermon Summary

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 - Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Leviticus 19:18 - Do not take revenge or bear a grudge against members of your community, but love your neighbor as yourself; I am the Lord.

Jesus cited these commandments as most important in all the law.  And the whole of His teaching can be summarized in their directives, encapsulating the entire law of God: 

Matthew 22:37-40 - He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.  All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

Mark 12:29-31 - Jesus answered, “The most important is Listen, Israel! The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. The second is, Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other command greater than these.”

Luke 10:27 - He answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,” and “your neighbor as yourself.”

In Jesus’ most famous sermon, He provided multiple examples of how this life of love will look in the world. 

The disciple who has come to understand his own spiritual poverty, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, and to seek first the kingdom of God has set the affection of his heart, soul, and mind on His Creator and Savior.  

The disciple who has prayed for his enemies, yielded his cloak to one who asked, and aided his brother with something obscuring his vision has responded to the love of God by loving others. 

The disciple who desires this “blessed” life is one who lives in gratitude to God and generosity to others.