Luke 6

Luke 6:1

Luke: The Man Christ Jesus Jesus in Galilee An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on Luke 4:14 to 9:50

www.easyenglish.info Ian Mackervoy This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

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Chapter 6 Jesus is *Lord of the *Sabbath – Luke 6:1-11 v1 Jesus walked through some fields of grain on a *Sabbath day. His *disciples started to pick heads of grain. They rubbed them in their hands and they ate the seeds. v2 Some of the *Pharisees said, ‘You should not do that on the *Sabbath day. The law says that it is wrong.’

v3 Jesus replied to them, ‘You must have read about David. He and his men were hungry. v4 So, David went into God’s house and he took the holy bread. He ate the holy bread. The law says that only the priests could eat that bread. But David took it and he gave it to his men to eat.’ v5 Then Jesus said to the *Pharisees, ‘The Son of Man is *Lord of the *Sabbath day.’

v6 On another *Sabbath day, Jesus went into the *synagogue to teach. There was a man there. This man could not move or use his right hand. v7 The *Pharisees and teachers of the law hoped for a way to accuse Jesus. So, they watched him to see if he would cure this man on the *Sabbath day. v8 But Jesus knew what they thought. He said to the man with the bad hand, ‘Get up. Stand here in front of everyone.’ The man got up and he stood there.

v9 Then Jesus asked them some questions. ‘What does the law permit us to do on the *Sabbath day? May we do good things or evil things? Should we save life or destroy it?’

v10 Jesus looked round at them all. Then he said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ The man did so, and his hand became normal again. v11 But the *Pharisees and the teachers of the law were very angry. And they discussed with each other what they could do to Jesus.

Verses 1-2 When in a field of grain, God’s law allowed a person to pick the heads of grain by hand (Deuteronomy 23:25). The *disciples did not do anything wrong as they picked the heads of grain.

The *Pharisees did not complain about the *disciples’ action. Their problem was that it was on a *Sabbath day. God’s law said that they should do no work on the *Sabbath day. There were many traditions that tried to describe work. To the *Pharisees, these traditions had in effect become the law. To harvest grain on the *Sabbath was work. So, they thought that to pick grain was also work. The *disciples ate the grain. They had prepared food, which, in the opinion of the *Pharisees was work. So, because of these traditions, the *Pharisees considered that Jesus’ *disciples were not obeying God’s law about the *Sabbath.

Verses 3-5 Jesus did not answer directly the *Pharisees’ protest. Instead, he reminded them of what David did (1 Samuel 21:1-6). David took the holy bread that only the priests could eat. He ate some of that bread. And he gave it to the men who were with him. That was against the law but the *Lord did not consider David guilty. David took the bread because he and his men needed food.

Already Jesus had called himself the Son of Man. The *Pharisees would know that Jesus spoke about himself. Jesus told those *Pharisees that he was the *Lord of the *Sabbath. His authority is above that of the traditions of the *Jews.

The rules of the *Sabbath were for the benefit of the people.

Verses 6-11 Jesus went into a *synagogue to teach on a *Sabbath day. A man was there who could not use his right hand. Some *Pharisees and teachers of the law were also there. They wondered if Jesus would cure the man on the *Sabbath day. Jesus knew their thoughts. If Jesus cured the man, that would be work on the *Sabbath day. In their minds, this was against God’s law. Then they could accuse him.

Jesus called the man to come in front of the people.

The state of the man was not dangerous. He did not need Jesus to cure him that day. He could wait for another day. But Jesus, by his questions, showed them the true meaning of God’s law. If we can do good things, we should do them. If we do not then, in effect, we have done evil things. If we can save life, we should do it. If we do not then, in effect, we destroy life. This refers to the *Sabbath as for any other day. It is right by the law to do good things on the *Sabbath day. Therefore, to cure this man was not against the rules for the *Sabbath.

Jesus did not touch the man. He told him to stretch out his hand. This was an impossible thing for him to do. But he obeyed Jesus and he did it. As he stretched the hand, it became healthy, like his other hand.

Those *Pharisees and teachers of the law were very angry with Jesus. He had cured the man. He had shown that their attitudes were wrong. They could not answer him. They looked for a way to stop Jesus. Jesus teaches the crowd – Luke 6:12–49 The 12 *apostles – Luke 6:12-16 v12 At that time, Jesus went to a mountain to pray. He spent the whole night in prayer to God. v13 When it was day, he called his *disciples to come to him. He chose 12 of them and he called them *apostles. v14 They were Simon (whom Jesus named Peter) and his brother Andrew. There were James, John, Philip, and Bartholomew. v15 Then there were Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus and Simon. People called him Simon the Zealot. v16 Then there were Judas son of James and Judas Iscariot. Later, Judas Iscariot handed Jesus over to Jesus’ enemies.

Verses 12-16 Jesus went up a mountain and he spent a whole night in prayer. Jesus now had powerful enemies. He knew that one day they would kill him. He needed to train some people to continue his work. So, in the morning he chose a group of 12 men to be with him. He chose them to send them out to *preach. And he gave them authority to command *demons to go out from people (Mark 3:14-15).

In the morning, he gathered his *disciples to him. These people followed him and they learned from him. Among those, he chose the 12. He called these 12 *apostles.

Jesus chose 12 men. Maybe there were 12 to match the 12 *tribes of *Israel. *Israel, the people of God, came from the 12 sons of Jacob, whose other name was Israel. Christians, the new people of God, came from the 12 *apostles. In the Book of Revelation, John describes the New Jerusalem. The names of the 12 *tribes were on the 12 gates to the city. And on the 12 bases of the walls, there were the names of the 12 *apostles (Revelation 21:12-14).

The first in the list is Simon. Jesus called him Peter, which means a rock or a stone. Another name for Peter is Cephas, which means the same (John 1:42). Peter is a *Greek name and Cephas is the same in the *Aramaic language.

Andrew was the brother of Peter and both of them were *fishermen. They came from the town called Bethsaida but Peter lived in Capernaum.

James and John were the sons of Zebedee. They were *fishermen and they were partners with Peter and Andrew.

Philip came from Bethsaida. He brought his friend Nathanael to Jesus (John 1:43-49). It could be that Bartholomew was another name for Nathanael. Nathanael came from the town called Cana in Galilee (John 21:2).

Matthew collected taxes. His other name was Levi. (See Luke 5:27-29.)

Thomas also had the name Didymus. This means a twin, in other words one whose brother or sister was born at the same time.

James the son of Alphaeus is sometimes called James the less.

Simon the Zealot was next. The name Zealot probably means that he was a member of the Zealots group. These Zealots tried to free *Israel from the *Romans.

Judas son of James has another name, Thaddaeus (Matthew 10:3, Mark 3:18).

Then the last of the 12 was Judas Iscariot. ‘Iscariot’ may mean ‘man from Kerioth’, a place in Judea. Probably Judas Iscariot was the only one of the *apostles that did not come from Galilee. When he died, Matthias took his place as one of the 12 *apostles (Acts 1:20-26). Jesus teaches and cures – Luke 6:17-19 v17 Jesus came down from the mountain with his *apostles, and he stood on level ground. A large crowd of his *disciples was there. Also, there was a great number of people from all over Judea. Many came from Jerusalem, and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon. v18 They had come to hear Jesus and so that he would cure their diseases. He freed those people who had evil spirits. v19 All the people tried to touch Jesus because power came from him. And he cured all of them.

Verses 17-19 Jesus and the *apostles came down from the mountain and they joined with the other *disciples. Probably this was on a large level piece of land on the side of the mountain (Matthew 5:1). Also, there was a large crowd there. Some of these people had come a long way. They had come to hear Jesus as he taught. And there were many sick people who had come to ask Jesus to cure them.

Probably this was the same event as that in Matthew chapter 5 but it could be a different occasion.

Jesus freed all of those people who suffered from *demons. He cured them. All who were sick pressed upon Jesus. As they touched him, power from him cured them all.

Tyre and Sidon were ports on the Mediterranean Sea; they were north of *Israel. Jesus teaches his *disciples – Luke 6:20-26 v20 Jesus looked at his *disciples. And he told them these things.

‘God *blesses you who are poor. This is because the *kingdom of God is yours.

v21 God *blesses you who are hungry now. This is because you will have plenty.

God *blesses you who weep now. This is because you will laugh with joy.

v22 God *blesses you when people hate you. They separate you from other people and they insult you. And they say that your name is evil. All this is because you follow the Son of Man.

v23 Be happy in that day and jump for joy. Do this because you have a great reward in heaven. Their *ancestors did the same things to the *prophets.

v24 How terrible it will be for you who are rich now. This is because you have already had an easy life.

v25 How terrible it will be for you who are full now. This is because you will be hungry.

How terrible it will be for you who laugh now. You will be sad and you will cry.

v26 How terrible it will be when everyone says good things about you. This is because their *ancestors said the same things about the false *prophets.’

Verses 20-23 Jesus spoke to his *disciples. He did not say that it is good to be poor. God will *bless those of his people that are poor. They may have nothing but they depend on the *Lord. The *kingdom of heaven belongs to them. This is not just for the future. The poor people who believe enter the *kingdom of heaven now.

Those of God’s people who are hungry, God will satisfy. This hunger can be the need for food. It can be the desire to be better persons. God will supply all that they need. God will satisfy their hunger.

Those of God’s people who weep now will be able to laugh. When they see the terrible state of people in this world, they are sad. But they will see the purposes of God and then they will have real joy.

Those people who follow Christ will have enemies. Many people in this world hate Christians. They insult and they attack Christians. They speak evil things about Christians. The *prophets suffered in the same way from the people of their day.

Many people hated Jesus. So now, many people hate those people who follow Jesus. This attitude of other people may be painful to Christians. But Jesus says to them, ‘Be happy. Jump for joy.’ Christians can look forward to the great reward of heaven.

Verses 24-26 Here Jesus did not speak to his *disciples. They were not rich. He was not talking about all rich people. Rather, Jesus’ words are for those people who have a selfish attitude. They care only about their wealth and about themselves. They do not care about poor people. They trust in their wealth. So, they will not come to trust in Christ. They have their easy life now but their future will not be easy.

It is the same for those people who are full now. These people have all that they want. They think that they need nothing. They think that they do not need Christ. They feel content now but they have nothing for the future.

The *Lord is not against laughter. The Christian life is one of joy. Jesus was speaking against the kind of laughter that is shallow and without care. Many people laugh without any thought for other people or for the future. They do not see any need for help from Christ. They enjoy life now but they will not enjoy the future. Then they will be sad and they will weep.

For some people, what other people think of them is most important. They have to be popular with other people. Always they want other people to respect them. They desire the highest honour for themselves. They may achieve that honour in this life. But they do not give honour to Christ as their *Lord. Those people love to receive honour, as the false *prophets did in the past. Neither they nor the false *prophets will have honour in the future. Love your enemies – Luke 6:27-36 v27 ‘But I say this to you who hear me. Love your enemies. Do good things to those people who hate you. v28 Ask God to *bless those people who curse you. And pray for those people who are cruel to you. v29 If someone strikes you on the cheek, turn the other cheek to him. If someone takes your coat, let him take your shirt as well. Do not stop him. v30 Give to everyone who asks you for something. If someone takes something from you, do not ask for it back. v31 Do to other people what you would want them to do to you.

v32 Perhaps you love only those people who love you. You deserve no special thanks for that. Even *sinners love those people who love them. v33 Perhaps you do good things only to those people who do good things to you. You deserve no special thanks for that. Even *sinners do such things. v34 And perhaps you lend only to those people who will pay you back. You deserve no special thanks for that.

Even *sinners lend to *sinners who will pay back the whole amount. v35 Instead, love your enemies and do good things for them. Lend to them and do not expect to get anything back. Then you will have a great reward. You will be children of the *Most High because he is kind. He is kind to those people who do not appreciate him and to evil people. v36 Be kind to all people, even as your Father is kind to you.’

Verses 27-31 The key to what Jesus taught is love. Christians must love the *Lord and they must love other people. This includes love even for those people who are their enemies. There are several words in the *Greek language for the English word ‘love’. The word here is not that of natural human love. It is a genuine desire for the benefit of other people. It does not depend on whether those people are good or bad. It does not depend on their attitudes in return for that love. This love is the kind of love that the *Lord has for us.

Love is an active word. We do things for the benefit of those people that we love. So, Christians should do good things even to those people who hate them. They should pray that God would *bless these people.

Jesus gave some examples of how Christians should behave. When somebody hits them, they should not hit back. Rather they should allow a second blow. If someone takes a coat, let him or her take other clothes. Give to those who ask for something. And when you give, do not expect to receive it back. Christians would like other people to be kind to them. So, they must be kind to other people. Jesus gave these as examples, not as necessary actions. They are to show the attitude that should control a Christian’s actions. That attitude is the attitude of love.

Verses 32-36 The kind of love that Christians should have is more than natural love. It is natural to love those people who love you. The most evil person will love his own friends. But Christians should love even those people that hate them.

It is natural to be kind to those people who are kind to us. It is not natural to be kind to people that we do not like. But Christians should be kind even to those people who attack them.

It is natural to lend to those people who will pay back the loan. People will lend to those people whom they trust. But Christians should be willing to lend even when they cannot expect anything back.

Such love even for enemies has a great reward from God. That kind of love comes from God. It is the character of God to love all people. Those people who are children of God should show that same character. Christians should be kind because their Father is kind to them and to all people. Do not act as if you are a judge of other people – Luke 6:37-42 v37 ‘Do not look for wrong things in other people. Then God will not look for wrong things in you. Do not say that other people are guilty. Then God will not say that you are guilty. Forgive and God will forgive you. v38 Be generous and give to other people. And you will receive a large and generous quantity. It will pour into your pocket like grain that someone has pressed down for you. It will be more than you can hold. In the same way that you give to other people, you will receive.’

v39 Also Jesus said this to them. ‘A blind man cannot lead another blind man. If he does so, they will both fall into a ditch. v40 A student is not better than the teacher. But when he has completed his studies, he will be like the teacher.

v41 You look at the bit of dust in your brother’s eye. But you do not notice the beam of wood in your own eye. v42 You say to your brother, “Brother, I will remove the dust from your eye.” But you cannot even see the beam of wood in your own eye. You *hypocrite, you should take the beam of wood from your eye first. Then you will see clearly to remove the dust from your brother’s eye.’

Verses 37-38 Our love for other people will show in our attitude to them. We should not act as if we were judges of other people. It is not our responsibility to blame them. God will be the judge of all people and that includes us. Our attitude should be to forgive rather than to blame. Then God will not blame us. And God will forgive us for the wrong things that we have done.

This is not about the legal process. It is about the attitude that finds fault with other people.

Those people who love will be generous. They will give to other people who need help. The generous person will receive much. This promise is not the reason that they give. They give because in love they want to. They may not receive material goods. But they will receive in some way from people or from God. In effect, they will receive more than they give.

In those days, men wore long, wide, and loose clothes with a belt round their middle. When they bought grain, they would lift up their skirt to make a large pocket. The merchant would pour the grain into that pocket.

In this story, the other person will press down the grain. He will shake the grain to make it denser. So, the pocket will be as full as it can be. Then he pours in more so that the grain flows from the pocket.

The generous person will find that God is even more generous to him.

Verses 39-40 A blind leader cannot see the way to go. The only future for that leader and those people who follow him is to fall into the ditch. Probably Jesus spoke this against some of the *Pharisees. Jesus compared them to blind leaders who led other blind people. They did not know the truth about God. So, they could not lead people to God.

No person can teach what they do not know. A student cannot learn more from a teacher than the teacher knows. In those days, there were not as many books for the student to read. The student depended on his teacher for all that he learned. So, the best that the student could be was to be like his teacher.

Jesus taught what he knew to be the truth. Those people who learn from Jesus will know the truth. Their purpose is to become like Jesus. Jesus is the way to God. Those people who follow him, he will lead to God.

The *disciples should become leaders to bring people to God. But they cannot do that if they do not know God. As they become more like Jesus, they will be more able to do it.

Verses 41-42 Jesus uses humour to teach a serious lesson. Here is a man with a large piece of wood in his eye. And he tries to take a tiny bit of dust from his brother’s eye. A small fault in another person is more noticeable to us than the large faults in ourselves. Often we do not see our own faults.

We need to examine ourselves first. If the man removed the beam from his own eye, then he could see clearly. It is better to remove our own faults than to talk about the faults of other people.

We should not pretend to be the judges of other people, because we ourselves are not perfect. A tree and its fruit – Luke 6:43-45 v43 ‘A good tree does not yield bad fruit. And a bad tree does not yield good fruit. v44 You know a tree by the fruit that it yields. You do not pick *figs or *grapes from *thorn bushes. v45 The good man has good things in his heart. So, from his heart he does good things. The evil man has evil things in his heart. So, from his heart he does evil things. The mouth speaks from what is in the heart.’

Verses 43-45 A good tree will produce fruit that one can use. A bad tree will produce fruit that one cannot use, for example poisonous fruits. Each fruit tree will produce its own kind of fruit. Jesus uses this as an example of good and bad people. A person may seem to be good. But the reality is in what he does.

A good person does good things. This comes from his inner nature. He does these good things because he is good. The evil person does bad things. His inner nature produces evil actions and evil words. Wise and foolish builders – Luke 6:46-49 v46 ‘You call me “*Lord, *Lord”. But you do not do what I say. v47 Some people come to hear my words. They do what I say. This is what they are like. v48 They are like a man who built a house. He dug a deep hole and he built on the rock. When a flood came, the river rushed against the house. But the flood could not shake the house. This was because the man built the house on the rock. v49 Some people come to hear my words. But they do not obey what I say. They are like a man who built his house on the ground. He did not fix his house to the rock. When a flood came, the water struck the house. Immediately, the house fell down and the water destroyed it completely.’

Verses 46-49 To call Jesus *Lord is to accept his authority. If he is the *Lord then his people must obey him. But some people who call him *Lord do not obey him. God is the judge of our hearts and minds. To him, our actions are more important than what we say. He wants us to obey him.

The person who obeys Jesus is like a good builder. He digs down and fixes his base into the rock. Then he builds his house on that base. The house is then safe from the effects of the storm.

The person who obeys the *Lord Jesus has a real *faith in him. When difficult things happen, they cannot easily defeat him. When the final test comes on the day of judgement, he will be safe.

Another person hears Jesus. But this person does not obey Jesus. He is like a bad builder. The base of his house is not on the solid rock. The base is on the ground. The storm will destroy that house.

The person who does not obey the *Lord is not safe. He does not have a solid base in which to trust. That person may call Jesus *Lord, but he is not a *disciple of Jesus. At the day of judgement, he will not be safe.

© 2013, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

April 2013

Visit our website: www.easyenglish.info

var w4 = new Array;w4[0]=’<b%3ELord</b%3E ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things. In the Old Testament, LORD was a special name for God.