Luke 6

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**Butler’s Comments

Chapter Six

(Luke 6:1-49)**

THE SON OF MAN EXPLAINING THE NATURE OF HIS KINGDOM

IDEAS TO INVESTIGATE:

What is unlawful about plucking a few ears of grain on the sabbath (Luke 6:1-2)?

Why would the Pharisees get so enraged at Jesus for healing a man on the sabbath (Luke 6:11)?

Is being poor a prerequisite to citizenship in God’s kingdom (Luke 6:20)?

Are Christians literally to turn the other cheek every time they are assaulted on the one (Luke 6:29)?

If we are not to judge one another, how can churches take it upon themselves to excommunicate certain members (Luke 6:37)?

Are there certain people intrinsically good and others intrinsically evil (Luke 6:43-45)?

Does the mouth of man always speak what is in the heart, or is a man able to hide what is in his heart (Luke 6:45)?

**Applebury’s Comments

CHAPTER SIX

Outline**

Luke completed the account of a series of five complaints against Jesus (Luke 6:1-11).

The complaint about plucking grain of the sabbath (Luke 6:1-4).

The circumstances.

(1)

The disciples of Jesus plucked and ate the grain.

(2)

They rubbed the heads of grain in their hands.

(3)

The Pharisees, assuming that this was work, asked, Why do ye do that which is not lawful on the sabbath?

Jesus answered the complaint.

(1)

He asked, Haven-’t you ever read about what David did?

(2)

David took the showbread and ate it and gave it also to his men.

(3)

This was not lawful except for priests.

Jesus reminded them that the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.

The complaint about healing on the sabbath (Luke 6:6-11).

The circumstances.

(1)

It was on another sabbath.

(2)

Jesus was teaching in the synagogue.

(3)

A man was there with a withered hand.

The attitude of the scribes and Pharisees.

(1)

They were watching to see what He would do.

(2)

They were looking for an excuse to accuse Him.

Jesus-’ bold action.

(1)

Knowing what they were thinking, He said to the man, Get up and stand in the midstthat is, where he could be seen by all.

(2)

He asked, Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm?

(3)

He looked around the room at all of them, then said to the man, Stretch forth your hand.

The miracle: His hand was restored.

The effect of the miracle on the accusers of Jesus.

(1)

They were filled with senseless fury.

(2)

They talked over their problem: What are we to do with Jesus?

Luke told about Jesus selecting the twelve apostles (Luke 6:12-16).

The circumstances (Luke 6:12-13).

Jesus had gone into the mountain to pray.

He continued in prayer throughout the night.

When it was day, He called His disciples and chose twelve of them whom He called apostles.

The twelve whom He selected (Luke 6:14-16).

Simon and Andrew.

(1)

Simon was also called Peter.

(2)

Andrew was the brother of Peter.

James and John.

Philip and Bartholomew.

Matthew and Thomas.

James and Simon.

(1)

James is the son of Alphaeus.

(2)

Simon was called the Zealot.

Judas and Judas.

(1)

The first of these having the same name was the son of James.

(2)

The second is Judas Iscariot, who became the traitor.

He told about Jesus teaching a large crowd of His disciples Luke 6:17-49).

The occasion (Luke 6:17-19).

After choosing the twelve, Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place.

The large crowd of His disciples.

(1)

They were from Judea and Jerusalem and from the coast of Tyre and Sidon.

(2)

They had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases.

The healing of the multitudes.

(1)

Those who were troubled with unclean spirits were healed.

(2)

All the multitude sought to touch Him, for power came forth from Him, and He healed them all.

A summary of what Jesus taught (Luke 6:20-49).

a) The Beatitudes and the Woes (Luke 6:20-26).

(1)

The four classes included in the Beatitudes. (a) Those who were poor.

(b)

Those who hunger now.

(c)

Those who weep now.

(d)

Those who are hated for the sake of the Son of Man.

(2)

The four classes included in the Woes.

(a)

Those who are rich now.

(b)

Those who are full now.

(c)

Those who laugh now.

(d)

Those of whom all men speak well.

Regulations for proper conduct (Luke 6:27-38).

(1)

Toward enemies (Luke 6:27-35).

(2)

Toward others in general (Luke 6:36-38).

Some concise statements of truth (Luke 6:29-45).

(1)

Blind guides of the blind.

(2)

Disciple and his teacher.

(3)

Mote and beam.

(4)

Good and corrupt.

The necessity of obedience (Luke 6:46-49).

(1)

Why call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

(2)

The lesson illustrated by house built on the rock and the house built on sand.

Special Note

THE SABBATH

The Jews and the sabbath.

It is first mentioned in Exodus 16:26.

Was it observed as an eternal principle by Adam? The fact that Genesis 2:2-3 states that God rested on the seventh day and hallowed it, leads some to assume that it was given to Adam and all his posterity. This view contradicts Moses-’ statement that no other nationnot even their fathershad this law of which the sabbath law was a part (Deuteronomy 4:8; Deuteronomy 5:1-3; Deuteronomy 4:13). Moses mentioned the sabbath when he gave the account of the creation because the Jews were keeping it when he wrote. God had given it to the Jews because it was on the seventh day that He had rested from His work.

Why was it given to the Jews? The seventh day, rather than any other day, was given because on it God had rested (Exodus 20:11). It was given to commemorate the deliverance of Israel from Egypt (Deuteronomy 5:15).

What is the relation of the sabbath to the Old Covenant? The first important fact to remember is that the Old Covenant was the Ten Commandments of which the sabbath was the fourth (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13). A second and equally important fact is this: The New Covenant supplanted the Old and the sabbath is nowhere found as a part of the New. See Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:6-13; 2 Corinthians 3:2-18; Galatians 4:21-31.

Jesus and the sabbath.

Why did He, as His custom was, observe the sabbath? He was born under the Law to redeem those under the Law (Galatians 4:4). At the time of His birth, His parents complied with the Law of Moses (Luke 2:22-24). When the leper was cleansed, He commanded him to comply with the Law (Matthew 8:4). During His ministry, when asked what to do to have eternal life, He pointed to the Ten Commandments as the answer (Mark 10:17-22). On the Day of Pentecost, however, when Peter spoke by the Holy Spirit, he said, Repent and be baptized for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38). This is the directive in connection with the New Covenant.

What proof is there that He never broke the Law, although he was charged with sabbath-breaking?

The Jews complained that He broke the sabbath when He healed the lame man at Bethesda, but He defended His action by saying, My Father worketh until now and I work (John 5:18). A year and a half later, He referred to this incident and reminded the Jews that they carried out the law of circumcision even on the sabbath (John 7:21-24). When two laws were in conflict, the lesser was suspended at the point of conflict. Then why condemn Jesus for making a man completely whole on the sabbath?

He appealed to common sense when He asked, Is it lawful to do good or bad on the sabbath? (Matthew 12:9-12) No one dared say that His miracles of healing were bad. He pointed out the inconsistency of their complaints against Him, for they were in the habit of loosing the ox or the ass and leading it to water on the sabbath. See Luke 13:15. Does this indicate that the law had been relaxed to some extent? See Numbers 15:32-36. Again, He answered the complaint of the Jews by reference to their history, specifically, an incident that involved David. See Matthew 12:2-8. It was mercy and not sacrifice that pleased God.

C. The Christian and the sabbath.

Was it the appointed day of meeting of the church? The first day of the week, and not the sabbath, was the day of their meeting. See Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2.
Why did the apostles go to the synagogue on the sabbath? They went to preach the Gospel. See the account of Paul preaching in the synagogue on the sabbath in Antioch in Acts 13:14-52. They did some things as Jews which they refused to let others bind on Gentile Christiansfor example, circumcision (Galatians 2:3-5). At Cenchreae Paul kept the provisions of a Jewish vow (Acts 18:18) and later in Jerusalem he was prepared to make certain Jewish offerings (Acts 21:17-31). He did these things as Jewish customs, not as Christian obligations (Romans 14:5-6).

Was the sabbath changed to the first day of the week? No. What about Constantine? He had nothing to do with it. The New Testament was written long before his time, and it indicates that the early church gathered on the first day of the week, not the sabbath (Acts 20:7).

Are Christians commanded to keep the first day of the week as a holy day and refrain from working on that day? That provision related to the sabbath, not the first day of the week, the Lord’s day. On the first day of the week, Christians were to assemble, break bread, preach the Word, and present the offering; but every day of the week was a holy day for them.

Is the Lord’s day the first day of the week? The expression is found only in Revelation 1:10. Acts 20:7 indicates that the first day of the week was the day of meeting for the church.

What, then, is the significance of the sabbath to the Christian? It is a type of rest in heaven. See Hebrews 4:9.

Summary

In this chapter Luke gives a condensed statement of some of the most interesting and important events in the Galilean ministry of Our Lord. He completes his report on a series of complaints against Jesus. The two mentioned in this chapter are based on Jesus-’ supposed breaking of the sabbath. He tells of the selecting of the Twelve and the teaching of the multitudes. The lessons Jesus taught on that occasion are similar to those of the Sermon on the Mount as presented by Matthew. The complaints about working on the sabbath are based on two different types of work. One was, according to the Jews, actual work on the holy day, for the disciples of Jesus pulled off the heads of grain and rubbed them in their hands to get the grain. But Jesus pointed out that they hadn-’t been reading the Bible or, if they had, they hadn-’t understood the meaning of David’s action when he used the bread that according to law was for priests only and gave it to his men to keep them alive. The Son of Man who explained this Scripture to the Jews is also Lord of the sabbath and allowed His men to gather the grain for food on that holy day. The other work was the merciful work of healing a man with a withered hand. Jesus knew what they were thinking, so He told the man to stand up in the midst of the group where everyone could see him. Then He commanded him to stretch forth his hand, and it was restored. The senseless fury of the complainers asked only, What can we do to get rid of Him? Selecting the twelve apostles was one of the most important tasks in the ministry of Jesus. He spent all night in prayer before making the choice. Luke gives their names and tells something about some of them, closing his report with Judas who became the traitor. After choosing the twelve, Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place where a large crowd from Judea and Jerusalem and even from Tyre and Sidon had gathered. They had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases. The lesson began with the four Beatitudes and the four Woes. Then Jesus spoke of conduct toward enemies and others. In four brief statements of truth, He warned against following blind guides, false teachers, hypocritical judging, and conduct that is like trees producing corrupt fruit. He closed the lesson with a warning about the necessity of true obedience. He warned against calling Him Lord, Lord and not doing what He said. He showed them what this meant by the illustration of the two houses, the one built on rock, the other had no foundation.

Questions

What are the five complaints against Christ as given in Chapter s five and six?

On what issue were the two presented in this chapter based?

What was the original law about work on the sabbath?

What are the two types of work about which the complaints were made?

How does Jesus-’ reference to David justify His disciples conduct?

What did Jesus say about His own relation to the sabbath?

What was unusual about the presence of the man with the withered hand in the synagogue on that sabbath when Jesus was present?

For what were the Pharisees hoping?

How was the issue brought to the test?

What did Jesus tell the man to do? Why?

What question did Jesus ask?

What did He do just before He told the man to stretch forth his hand?

13 What effect did the miracle have on those who were hoping to find a cause to condemn Jesus? 14.

What did the enemies of Jesus plan to do?

What did Jesus do before selecting the Twelve?

What are some of the facts about the prayer life of Jesus?

How long did Jesus pray on that occasion?

What is an apostle?

Why was Jesus called the Apostle?

What principle is to be observed in explaining the use of the word apostle?

In what sense did Paul refer to James the Lord’s brother as an apostle?

Was Peter’s authority as an apostle different from that of the other apostles?

What is known about Andrew?

Why did Jesus call James and John Sons of thunder?

What may be said of the three who are commonly thought of as being the inner circle of apostles?

What of the two named Judas?

What are some of the difference between Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount and Luke’s report of the lessons Jesus taught after selecting the Twelve?

Why did the people want to touch Jesus?

What four classes are called blessed?

What is the distinction between them and the ones mentioned in the Beatitudes of Mat 5:1-12?

On what four classes are the woes pronounced?

What did Jesus mean when He said, Beware when all men speak well of you?

How can you love your enemies?

What rule of conduct toward others did Jesus give?

Is it possible to obey Jesus-’ command about love?

What did He mean by the reference to blind guides?

What did He mean by saying that a disciple is not above his teacher?

What kind of judging did He forbid?

Why did He say that a tree is known by its fruits?

What did He say about calling Him Lord, Lord?

How did He illustrate the necessity of obeying His word?

Luke 6:1-5

Applebury’s Comments

Plucking Grain on the Sabbath Scripture

Luke 6:1-5 Now it came to pass on a sabbath, that he was going through the grainfields; and his disciples plucked the ears, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. 2 But certain of the Pharisees said, Why do ye that which it is not lawful to do on the sabbath day? 3 And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read even this, what David did, when he was hungry, he, and they that were with him; 4 how he entered into the house of God, and took and ate the showbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat save for the priests alone? 5 And he said unto them, The Son of man is lord of the sabbath.

*Comments

Now it came to pass on a sabbath day.*Many of the incidents described in the Gospel record occurred on a sabbath day. It was natural for the writers to tell about those occasions when the people gathered together for their regular synagogue services. But there was more than this to it. The enemies of Jesus frequently attacked Him for doing what they said was unlawful on the sabbath. They, of course, were never able to prove Him guilty on this charge. On one occasion, Jesus challenged them by asking, Which of you convicteth me of sin? John 8:46. Although they tried hard, they were never able to convict Him, for He was the sinless Son of God and Son of Man.

*rubbing them in their hands.*This constituted work, in the minds of His accusers. It was not lawful on the sabbath, so they said.

Originally, no work was done on the sabbath. But Jesus reminded them that the Jews did many things on the sabbath which they did not consider work. They led their animals to water on the sabbath; they pulled the ox out of the ditch on the sabbath. But they considered this to be necessary, and not work.

*Have you not read even this, what David did.*Jesus-’ answer to the charge of sabbath breaking carried a double thrust: First, they were ignorant of the Word, because they had not been reading it; second, they had neglected to read about Davids-’ taking the showbread and giving it to his hungry men. Who were they to sit in judgment over the Son of Man and His disciples? Before condemning the innocent, these self-appointed leaders should read their own law.

The incident to which Jesus referred is found in 1 Samuel 21:1-7. David was fleeing from Saul. He came to Abimelech the priest and asked for anything he might have on hand. But there was no bread except the loaves that were used in the worship of the Lord. After David had assured the priest of the purity of his men, he was given the bread that only priests ate. As Jesus put it, It was not lawful to eat save for the priests alone. Evidently, such sacred regulations could be superseded by greater needs. Saving the lives of David and his men was, in the sight of God, more important than allowing only priests to use the bread. According to Matthew, Jesus added this important point, If ye had known what this meaneth, I desire mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless (Matthew 12:7).

*The Son of man is lord of the sabbath.*He who had ordained the Law at Sinai had authority over it, not the critics of Jesus. And that ended the discussion for a time.

Luke 6:1-11

**Butler’s Comments

SECTION 1

Mercy (Luke 6:1-11)**

6 On a sabbath, while he was going through the grain fields, his disciples plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands. 2But some of the Pharisees said, Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the sabbath? 3And Jesus answered, Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: 4how he entered the house of God, and took and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him? 5And he said to them, The Son of man is lord of the sabbath.

6 On another sabbath, when he entered the synagogue and taught, a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. 8But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man who had the withered hand, Come and stand here, And he rose and stood there. 9And Jesus said to them, I ask you, is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it? 10And he looked around on them all, and said to him, Stretch out your hand. And he did so, and his hand was retored. 11But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

**Luke 6:1-5 The Perfection of the Law: **Actually the controversy over Sabbath traditions and Jesus-’ approach to them came to a head just before this incident. Jesus had gone to Jerusalem to Passover, just prior to this. The student should read chapter 5 of John’s Gospel for that confrontation. Apparently Luke is recording an incident in a grain field as Jesus was returning to Galilee with His disciples. Perhaps the Pharisees were travelling alongor they may have been local residents.

The Sabbath was the most unique aspect of Judaism. Practically all other religions (even pagan) had sacrifices, priests and temples, but only Judaism made one day out of each week so emphatically significant in religion. First century Judaism had literally hundreds and hundreds of minute traditions concerning Sabbath observance. The law concerning the Sabbath is really quite simple (Exodus 20:8-11); no work is permitted on that day. Exodus 34:21 specifies that no harvesting is allowed on the Sabbath. But the Israelite traveler going into his neighbor’s standing grain was permitted to pluck grain by hand and eat as much as he wished (Deuteronomy 23:24-25). Such action was not considered harvesting. God would not contradict Himself. As Fowler points out (Matthew, Vol. II. College Press), the Pharisees presumed to be able to state God’s will more clearly with their myriads of traditions than He was able to state it Himself. The Sabbath law was not complicated. God intended the Sabbath to be a day of rest and worship. The Pharisees had legislated practically every movement of the human body on the Sabbath day. This made void the word of God and defeated God’s purpose for the Sabbath. No man could have rested or worshiped under such conditions.

The disciples did not violate the law of Moses: (a) Jesus did not rebuke the discipleshad they broken God’s law He would have chastened them; (b) actually, the Mosaic law permits plucking grain (Deuteronomy 23:24-25) without distinction as to the day; (c) Jesus pointed out that mercy for hungry human beings would not be a violation of the law, even if a specific law were contravened. Jesus referred to an illustrious case in their own history. God did not strike David dead when he entered the Tabernacle and took show-bread (the law specifically stated only priests were to eat this bread, Leviticus 24:9) and fed his starving army (1 Samuel 21:1-6). Human need takes precedence over any ritualeven over a specific law of God. How can that be? Because the very spirit and essence of the law of God for mankind is to supply the highest good for the individual. God’s highest good to man is mercy. Man’s highest good to a fellow-man is mercy. Whatever is truly merciful is the fulfillment of the law (cf. Romans 13:8-10; 1 John 4:20-21). Jesus proved that with God, human need comes even before divinely sanctioned ceremonies! If this be true, how much more did hungry disciples come before the human traditions of the Pharisees? Christians must guard against their opinions or traditions coming before mercy and human need lest they be found standing with the Pharisees of old.

With masterful finesse and subtlety Jesus stakes out His claim to deity here. He declares the Son of Man controls the Sabbath instead of being controlled by it. And who has just given an authoritative statement on Sabbath prioritiesHe has! Matthew mentions that He gave them an even stronger clue about Himself when He reminded them that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath (by circumcising infants, etc.), and are guiltless; and One greater than the temple was in their midst! (Matthew 12:1-8). Mark adds this interesting statement of Jesus, The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath, (Mark 2:27). The sabbath does not precede human need.

Luke 6:6-11 The Protection of Life: God intended man to use the sabbath to sustain life, both physical and spiritual. He did not intend man to be destroyed by the sabbath. To worship God and glorify His name by ministering to the needs of others is life-sustaining. It sustains the physical life of others (and perhaps even their spiritual life), while enriching and edifying the spiritual life of the one ministering.

On another sabbath, in Galilee, Jesus went to a synagogue crowded with worshipers. As He began to teach, He noticed a man present who had a withered right hand. Dr. Luke notes it was the right hand. This would incapacitate the man from earning a living. If Jesus were to heal the man He would be saving the man’s life. The scribes and Pharisees glued their eyes on Jesus to see if He would heal on the Sabbath. The Greek word translated watched is pareterounto, a compound word-para means, near and tereo means, keep watch or guard.

The Pharisees were plotting to put Jesus on the spot in this crowded place by asking Him, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath? Jesus anticipated their plot and, calling the man with the withered hand to the front of the auditorium, said, I ask you, Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good or to harm, to save life or to destroy it? Matthew reports Jesus reminded the audience that the Pharisees and their traditions were more considerate of an animal than of a man since their tradition permitted them to rescue one of their sheep on the sabbath if it had fallen into a pit. It is at this moment, as Mark notes, Jesus looked around at these hypocrites with anger (Gr. orges). The one time we are told Jesus was angry it is in connection with hypocrisya sin of the spirit, not one of fleshly passion. Of course, Christ never approves of any sin, but it does appear that He is more disturbed over the unique obtuseness of the sins of pride and self-righteous hypocrisy than those of fleshly indulgence; probably because of the almost total lack of compassion in the self-righteous hypocrite.

Jesus then demonstrated the divine answer to His question by healing the man’s withered hand. The Greek word translated restored is apekatestathe. It is a word commonly used in the everyday language of the stonemason to explain that when a workman accidentally broke a stone, he made good the breakage by substituting a new stone in place of the broken one. Matthew (Matthew 12:13) says the man’s withered hand was restored, whole like the other. Jesus gave the man back his livelihood. But the Pharisees were filled with fury. And here the Greek word is anoias which literally means, out of their minds. Their rage was senseless, mindless, blind fury. They were so bereft of reason in their passionate hatred of Jesus at this moment they rushed out and teamed up with the Herodians (Mark 3:6), some of their bitterest political enemies, how they might do away with Jesus. It is rather awesome and frightening how pride, self-righteousness and hypocrisy will, in order to justify itself, blind itself to compassion and goodness in mindless rage. Pride is a monster, whipped into a devouring passion by the devil himself (Genesis 3:4-5).

Luke 6:6-11

Applebury’s Comments

Healing on the Sabbath Scripture

Luke 6:6-11 And it came to pass on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man there, and his right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath; that they might find how to accuse him. 8 But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man that had his hand withered, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. 9 And Jesus said unto them, I ask you, Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good, or to do harm? to save a life, or to destroy it? 10 And he looked round about on them all, and said unto him, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.

*Comments

and there was a man there, and his right hand was withered.*The setting is the familiar sabbath-synagogue scene. But this is different. All the elements of a trap baited with a sick man are present. Those who considered themselves to be the rightful teachers were jealous of Jesus popularity. They were ready to spring their trap. Let this Teacher dare to perform a work of healing on the sacred sabbath, and they would destroy Him!

It is characteristic of Luke to mention the fact that it was the man’s right hand that was withered. The beloved physician would be interested in such details.

*that they might find how to accuse him.*Their purpose was clear: They were interested in destroying the influence of Jesus with the people. Make them believe that He was breaking the sabbath, and they would return to their former teachers, the scribes and Pharisees.

*But he knew their thoughts.*Perhaps human intelligence could have seen through their trap. His enemies certainly thought of Him only as a man. But He was the Son of God, and God knows the reasoning of man’s heart. Jesus knew what was in man (John 2:25). The Pharisees had not said anything up to this point, and were not aware that Jesus knew what they were plotting. They were soon to find out both the strength and the courage of the One whom they were seeking to destroy.

According to Matthew 12:10, the Pharisees asked, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath? It is difficult to say at what point their question was asked, but probably not before He had asked them, Is it lawful to do good or harm on the sabbath?

*Rise up and stand forth in the midst.*One can-’t help wondering what effect this order from Jesus had on those who had planned to trap Him, Were they delighted that their scheme was going so well? Did they in the least suspect that He was aware of their evil purpose? Were they surprised by His courage as He accepted the challenge to heal the man?

What did the people think? Were they aware of what was going on? Were they glorying in the wisdom and courage and mercy of the Prophet who had arisen in their midst? Let those who picture Jesus as a weakling ponder the boldness of His action. He could have avoided the clash with the time-honored leaders; He could have waited until the crowd was gone; but He didn-’t. He said, Stand here in the midst. He wanted all to see exactly what He was doing. Everything was out in the open. What a contrast to the secret conniving of the Pharisees who were bent on destroying the Son of God!

*And he arose and stood in the midst.*It is highly improbable that the man had the slightest idea of what was about to happen to him. It is also highly improbable that he knew anything of the plot of the Pharisees to use him to get rid of Jesus. A physical handicap like that may have made him timid, but at the command of the Teacher, he stood up where all could see him.

*Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good, or to do harm?*Jesus was in complete command of the situation. He knew what His opponents had in mind; He knew what He was going to do. He wanted all who present on that sabbath day to see through the evil plot of the Pharisees.

He asked, Is it lawful on the sabbath to do good, or to do harm? There could be but one answer to the question: To do good, not harm, on the sabbath. His enemies were planning the most evil deed: to kill the Son of God! To save a life, or destroy, that was the real issue before them. The people must have been moved by the logic of Jesus and by His mercy. In their hearts they must have answered, Save a life. But the second part of the question, or destroy it? Whose life? That of the man with the withered hand? Or was it His own life, for He knew that they desperately wanted to destroy Him.

*He looked round about on them all.*Jesus had upset their trap; He was now ready to expose their wicked plot. He knew what they were thinking; did they see what He was about to do? Mark 3:5 says, He looked round about on them with anger, being grieved at the hardness of their hearts.

John describes Him in Revelation 1:14 as the one whose eyes were as a flame of fire. Did something of that flame show in His eyes that sabbath day in the synagogue while wicked men dared Him to heal the man with the withered hand? Did they dare look Him full in the face? Did the people see the wrath of the Righteous Judge as Jesus stood by the man He was about to heal? Or did they see in His face the mellow light of mercy for all who turn to Him?

*Stretch forth thy hand.*The man did so, and his hand was restored. It was as simple as that. Instantly, this one who had not been able to use his withered right handwe do not know for how longstretched it forth in demonstration of the power of Jesus to do good on the sabbath, to save a life, not destroy it.

*they were filled with madness.*Their fury knew no bounds. Their cleverly arranged trap had been turned against them. They couldn-’t answer the logic of Jesus, for before their very eyes stood the man whose withered hand had been restored.

There was but one thing left: They would destroy Jesus. They talked the matter over among themselves. Their only question was, What shall we do with him? They took counsel against him, how they might destroy him (Matthew 12:14).

Luke 6:12-16

Applebury’s Comments

Jesus Selects the Twelve Apostles Scripture

Luke 6:12-16 And it came to pass in these days, that he went out into the mountain to pray; and he continued all night in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, he called his disciples; and he chose from them twelve, whom also he named apostles: 14 Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip and Bartholomew, 15 and Matthew and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

*he went into the mountain to pray.*In His prayer life, Jesus presents an example for His disciples to follow. He prayed before choosing the twelve; He prayed after the feeding of the five thousand; He prayed during His baptism. He prayed publically; He prayed alone, His private prayers sometimes lasted all night long; invariably, His public prayers were brief.

He prayed all night to God just before choosing the twelve. We are not told what He said. We only know something of the significance of the issues involved. On the shoulders of these men was to rest the responsibility of carrying on the work of preaching the gospel in all the world. The success of His earthly mission would depend on them. Some of them were weak. One would deny that he had ever known such a person as Jesus. Another would betray Him into the hands of His enemies. What better way to ponder the problems of preaching the gospel in all the world than to pray to God? Did that night seem long to Him, or did the morning light find Him still grateful for the privilege of talking to His heavenly Father? This we do know, when the night was over He was ready for the great decision.

*he called His disciples; and he chose from them twelve.*Some of these men had been following Jesus from the beginning. John tells the story of Andrew bringing his brother Simon to Jesus. Luke has already mentioned their becoming fishers of men. Now they are to be formally selected from the many disciples and designated apostles.

An apostle is one who is sent on a mission. The apostles of Christ were selected by Him and sent by Him to carry the gospel into all the world. Later, He chose Paul to be an apostle also. See Acts 9:3-6; Acts 22:7-21; Acts 26:12-18. Matthias was chosen by the Lord to take the place from which Judas fell away (Acts 1:24-26).

The apostles were equipped to carry out their worldwide mission by being baptized in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:5; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:1-4). Paul also had all the rights of an apostle, although he was not of the original twelve (2 Corinthians 12:12).

Others such as Barnabas and James the Lord’s brother were referred to as apostles because of having been sent out by the church (Acts 13:1-3). They, of course, were not baptized in the Holy Spirit, for that was limited to the twelve on the Day of Pentecost. The writer of Hebrew says, Consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, even Jesus (Hebrews 3:1). He can be called apostle because the Father sent Him. Understanding the use of the term depends on the one doing the sending. Christ sent the twelve and Paul; the church sent out some for special duties; God sent the Christ.

*Simon, whom he also named Peter.*Peter is named first in all four of the lists of apostles (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-18; Luke 6:14-16; Acts 1:13). The fact that he is mentioned first has led some to assume that he is head of the apostolic group. No such idea is presented in the Scriptures, for prominence is not preeminence. Exactly the same authority was given to all the apostles that was given to Peter (Matthew 16:19; Matthew 18:18). Jesus said to all of His apostles that in the regenerationthis Christian age when men are being made new creatures through obedience to the Wordthe apostles were to sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28).

For the account of changing Simon’s name to Peter, see John 1:42. But Jesus continued to address him as Simon. See Matthew 16:17; Luke 22:31; John 21:15.

Among the outstanding things for which Peter is remembered are: (1) the good confession (Matthew 16:16); (2) the tragic denial (Luke 22:54-62; and (3) the powerful sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14-40). He wrote two epistles to strengthen his brethren in Christ.

*and Andrew his brother.*Andrew was one of the two disciples of John the Baptist who heard him speak of Jesus saying, Behold the Lamb of God. John 1:35-42. The first thing he did after becoming convinced of the truth of John’s statement was to find his own brother Simon and say, We have found the Messiah. He will always be remembered for the fact that he brought his own brother to Jesus. In his quiet way, Andrew must be considered as an effective worker for Christ even though the prominence of his brother sometimes overshadows him.

When Philip was confronted with the problem of the Greeks who wanted to see Jesus, he sought the help of Andrew, not Peter, in deciding what to do. John adds the significant statement: Andrew cometh, and Philip, and they tell Jesus (John 12:22).

*James and John.*Mark says that Jesus nicknamed these sons of Zebedee Boanerges which means Sons of thunder (Mark 3:17). Their wanting to call fire from heaven to burn up a Samaritan village might suggest a reason for this name. See Luke 9:54. They were selfishly ambitious and often made the other disciples jealous. See Matthew 20:20-28. At one time they actually sent their mother to ask Jesus to let her two sons sit one on the right hand and one on the left hand in His kingdomevidently thinking of His kingdom as an earthly one like that of David or Solomon.

There is some reason to believe that James and John were cousins of Jesus. A comparison of the names of the women who were present at the crucifixion of Jesus suggests this possibility. See McGarvey and Pendleton, The Fourfold Gospel, page 225. If they were cousins of Jesus, their request for special consideration in His kingdom becomes a little more understandable even if less admirable.

These two and Peter formed what is sometimes called the inner circle of Jesus-’ disciples. He often took them with Him while leaving the others behind. They were with Him at the raising of Jairus-’ daughter (Luke 8:51); the Transfiguration (Luke 9:28); and in Gethsemane (Matthew 26:37). But it is possible that He kept them closer because they needed to be watched more than the others.

James was the first of the apostles to suffer martyrdom (Acts 12:1-2). For a reference to John’s death, see John 21:21-23.

John was prominent in the work of the church in Jerusalem. See Acts 3:1; Acts 4:13. He wrote the Gospel of John, the three epistles, and the Revelation. (Some do not accept this view of the authorship of the books commonly believed to have been written by John the apostle).

*Philip and Bartholomew.*Except for their place in the list of the Twelve and, in Philip’s case, the mention made in John 12:22, little is known about the work of these disciples. See also John 1:43; John 6:5-7.

*Matthew and Thomas.*As to Matthew, see comments on Luke 5:27-32. Thomas who was called Dydimysthe name means Twinis generally thought of as doubting Thomas, a charge that cannot be supported by the recorded facts. He was, in fact, a great believer. But he was not one to accept evidence until he had investigated it. When Jesus told him to put his finger in the print of the nail in His hand, Thomas said, My Lord and my God. John 20:24-29.

*James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot.*James is sometimes identified with James the less (Mark 15:40). Simon whom Luke calls the Zealot is called the Cananean by both Matthew and Luke.

*Judas the son of James and Judas Iscariot.*Such names as Judas, Simon, and James were quite common. It is difficult to clearly identify some of those who bore these names. But Judas Iscariot forever bears the stigma of the one who betrayed his Lord.

Luke 6:12-19

**Butler’s Comments

SECTION 2

Ministering (Luke 6:12-19)**

12 In these days he went out to the mountain to pray; and all night he continued in prayer to God. 13And when it was day, he called his disciples, and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles; 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot, 16and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

17 And he came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; 18and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured. 19And all the crowd sought to touch him, for power came forth from him and healed them all.

Luke 6:12-16 Helpers called: Jesus reached a critical point in His earthly ministry. His popularity was at its peak. Multitudes pressed upon Him wherever He went. The number of disciples (Gr. mathetas, learners) had increased. He was not physically able to perform all the ministering that needed to be done. He was ready to commission a small group to become special helpers for His present ministry and train them for a world-encompassing ministry of their own when He would leave their physical presence to return to Heaven. Mark’s parallel passage states that Jesus chose the twelve for three reasons: (a) to be with him,He needed their companionship and they needed His training; (b) to be sent out to preachHis message needed wider verbalization than He alone could give it; (c) and have authority to cast out demonsevidence that they were spokesmen for God. Mark says Jesus made the twelve (Gr. epoiesen); Luke says He chose from all the disciples, twelve. The Greek word eklexamenos is translated chose and is the word from which we get the English word eclectic.

This was such a momentous decision, one which would affect all men for all time and eternity, Jesus went aside from the multitudes and played all night before His selection of the twelve men. The following morning He chose the men and gave them the title, apostle (Gr. apostello) which means one sent forth. The Greek word is similar to the Latin word missio from which we get the English word, missionary.

Evaluated by the world’s standards, these men would never have been selected for such a crucial and demanding task. None of them possessed any unique charisma for leadership, not one of them had any formal training or family background to recommend them as potential influences on society or history. Four of them at least were common laborers in the fishing industry; one of them was a hated tax-collector; another was a right-wing political terrorist (Simon the Zealot). None were, as far as the record goes, of the intelligentsia, or of the ruling classes. But then it was the message these men delivered, not the men themselves, which had such a history-changing impact upon the world. Of course, they were men of character (all but one, Judas Iscariot) or they would not have been faithful and courageous messengers. Still, when all is said and done, it is the gospel which saves, not the gospel messenger. Perhaps the following chart will help the student combine in one glance the different listings of the apostles made in the New Testament:

JESUS CHOSE TWELVE DISCIPLES, AND MADE THEM APOSTLES

Simon Peter (Bar-Jonah)

Thomas Didymus (Twin)

Andrew, Peter’s brother

Matthew, Levi, (Bar-Alphaeus)

James, John’s brother

James (Bar-Alphaeusnot above)

John, (Bar-Zebedee)

Judas Thaddaeus, of James 5.

Philip

Simon, Cananean, Zealot

Nathanael (Bar-Tholomew or Bar-Tolmai)

Judas Iscariot (Bar-Simon)

Simon Peter

Peter

Andrew his brother

James of Zebedee

Andrew his bro.

John

James of Zebedee

John his bro.

James

John his bro.

Andrew

John

Andrew

Philip

Bartholomew

Thomas

Matthew

Bartholomew

Matthew, publican

Thomas

Matthew

James of Alphaeus

James of Alph.

Thaddaeus

Simon Zealot

Simon Cananaean

Simon Can.

Judas of James

Judas Iscariot

Judas Iscraiot

Follows Matthew’s list

As they are specifically listed by the writers of the New Testament.

Jesus must have seen in each of these men some qualities which would have been especially useful in His kingdom. Eleven of them were helpful in fulfilling the nature of the Kingdom of God by ministering the gospel to the world. One of them was a betrayer, Judas Iscariot. Jesus knew Judas-’ heart before the deed was committed (John 6:70). Then why was he chosen? We like the answer of Hobbs, Certainly it was not for the express purpose of betrayal. God does not deal with men as puppets. All that we can say is that Jesus offered him his chance, and he did not take it. It will forever remain a mystery. But it serves as a warning to all.

Luke 6:17-19 Healing certified: What appears to be a discrepancy when one attempts to harmonize Matthew and Mark with Luke at this juncture is not a discrepancy at all. Close examination of the three accounts shows the following order: (a) Jesus aware of the great crowds following Him after healing the man with the withered hand, withdrew to the sea of Galilee (Matthew 12:15; Mark 3:7); (b) a great multitude from all over the land of Palestine followed Him and His disciples to the sea, many in that area having been healed (Matthew 4:24-25; Mark 3:7-12), and Jesus ordered them not to make His presence known; (c) Matthew quotes an O.T. prophecy (Isaiah 42:1 ff) to show that Jesus is fulfilling the Messianic character of the kingdomministry of spiritual healing; (d) Jesus withdraws from the multitudes by the sea and goes up on a mountain where he prays all night (Matthew 5:1; Mark 3:13; Luke 6:12-13); (e) Jesus chooses twelve disciples and names the apostles (Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:14-19; Luke 6:13-16); (f) Jesus comes down from the mountain to a level place and a great multitude from all over Palestine is once again thronging after Him to be healed and He healed them all (Luke 6:17-20). And this is where we take up our comments on the Gospel of Luke again. Matthew skips around chronologically in his record because his purpose was to record the life of Jesus by subject matter, not by chronological order. This is done frequently by modern biographers without the issue of inaccuracy ever being raised. Why should it be raised against Matthew when his accuracy is verified by the three other biographers of Jesus?

There may have been a number of Gentiles in the crowds who came to hear and be healed since people were there from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon. The interesting notation of Luke is that they came to hear, as well as be healed. We noted above that Matthew used Isaiah’s prophecy of the Lord’s Servant to characterize the Messiah’s ministry as one of spiritual healing. We have already dealt with the relationship of physical healing to the spiritual goal of Jesus-’ ministry in our comments on Luke 4:32-44. It is interesting to note in Isaiah’s prophecy the emphasis on the Messiah’s ministry to gentiles since some of the people here are from Tyre and Sidon. Jesus-’ earthly ministry was primarily to the Jewish people, calling them to their messianic destiny (Matthew 15:24) but whenever a Gentile came to Him in faith He was pleased, and honored their faith with grace and mercy. This multitude came to hearJesus lifted up His eyes and began to preach. And what a sermon it was! It has never been duplicated for simplicity and profundity. It is absolutely matchless! It marks clearly, concisely and conclusively that the nature of the Son of Man’s kingdom is a society of godliness and moral character lived out in the lives of individuals.

Luke 6:17-19

Applebury’s Comments

Jesus Teaching the Crowds Scripture

Luke 6:17-19 And he came down with them, and stood on a level place, and a great multitude of his disciples, and a great number of the people from all Judaea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; 18 and they that were troubled with unclean spirits were healed. 19 And all the multitude sought to touch him; for power came forth from him, and healed them all.

*Comments

and he came down with them.*Matthew describes a similar incident, but clearly states that when Jesus saw the multitudes He went up into the mountain and sat down. Then His disciples came to Him and He taught them (Matthew 5:1-2). Is Luke just giving another version of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-6-7)? The similarities are many and striking, but the differences must be accounted for. Luke says that Jesus came down to a level place (perhaps on the mountain), but Matthew says that He went up into the mountain. Matthew presents eight beatitudes; Luke gives four beatitudes and four woes. And there are other differences.

While it is possible to view these as two accounts of the same incident, it seems more likely that Luke tells about another occasion when Jesus taught the multitudes using much of the material He had used before. This would account for the differences. What of the similarities? Surely Jesus repeated these basic truths many times in the course of His teaching ministry. It is natural to suppose that He would change the message to suit the needs of the audience. While these matters are interesting, we should not become so involved in trying to answer the problems that we lose sight of the lessons taught.

*and a great number of people.*The report about Jesus-’ activity spread throughout the whole country from Judea to Tyre and Sidon (Matthew 4:24-25).

*to hear him and to be healed.*People came to hear Jesus and to be healed of their diseases. The demon possessed were healed also.

*all the multitudes sought to touch him.*He could have spoken the word and they would have been healed, but the touch of His hand gave them added assurance. The power went forth from Him and healed them all.

Luke 6:20-26

**Butler’s Comments

SECTION 3

Moral (Luke 6:20-26)**

20 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh. 22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude you and revile you, and cast out your name as evil, on account of the Son of man! 23Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets.

24 But woe to you that are rich, for you have received your consolation. 25 Woe to you that are full now, for you shall hunger. Woe to you that laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe to you, when all men speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.

**Luke 6:20-23 Weal: **Weal means blessing. Jesus pronounced certain blessings on citizens of His messianic kingdom. But before we deal with the beatitudes of this sermon we must briefly look at reasons for assuming this is the same sermon recorded in Matthew, Chapter s 5, 6 and 7, called The Sermon on the Mount. The student will immediately recognize there are both similarities and differences in the two records. Note the following:

They begin and end the same way following the same general order in the rest of the sermon.

It is altogether feasible that they are chronologically in the same time slot (see comments above on Luke 6:17-19).

Matthew, writing for Jews, would naturally stress certain elements of the Mosaic law in relation to the nature of the messianic kingdom, but such matters would be of little interest to Luke’s gentile patron, Theophilus, so he omits this.

It is possible that Matthew, gifted at recording data, and an eyewitness to the Sermon, made a verbatim account while Luke, depending on eyewitnesses years after the fact (see Introduction) got only a summarization.

While Matthew says Jesus went up on a mountain and indicates the Sermon was delivered there, Luke says He came down to a level place and preached it. The level place of Luke could be some plateau or natural amphitheater part of the way down the mountain.

If it be urged that Matthew places the Sermon earlier in time, we reply it is evident that Matthew is not so much concerned with chronology as with topical arrangement. He has probably done so with this Sermon, placing it in an early part of his document as an example of Jesus-’ matchless preaching and as the keynote sermon of His messianic ministry, Luke has the chronological arrangement.

The four beatitudes summarize what a citizen of the kingdom of Christ is. They deal with character and being, because Christianity is fundamentally being before it is doing. What a man is must precede what he does in order to please God. That which motivates and controls a man determines whether what a man does is acceptable to God or not. Fasting, praying and giving alms to the poor are good in the eyes of God only if they are motivated from godly purpose.

Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Both Jew and Gentile considered wealth as a sign of God’s approval. Jesus and the apostles taught differently. Poverty within itself is no virtue just as wealth is not necessarily a vice. But poverty may prove to be a blessing in that it may strip a man of self-reliance and make him totally dependent upon God. Matthew says, poor in spirit, but Matthew and Luke are ultimately picturing the same kind of moral character.

Blessed are you that hunger now, for you shall be satisfied. Those who are poor, of both this world’s goods and of spirit, will be satisfied if they rely on God. Matthew puts it, hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Those simply hungering for more material things will never be satisfied! Hunger or poverty without faith may lead to stealing (cf. Proverbs 30:9). But any kind of hunger that creates a need for God will be satisfied, if not here, in heaven.

Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh. The same focus applies here too, since there is a sorrow that leads unto death (2 Corinthians 7:10). Those who are poor, hungry and in sorrow, if they believe and do not faint, shall have power to laugh (rejoice) even in the midst of oppressive circumstances because of their hope that in heaven circumstances will be different! Hope for a better life in perfect circumstances after this life is over is the unique heritage of the Christian. It has a motivating power for godliness in this life (1 John 3:1-3).

Blessed are you when men hate you. on account of the Son of man! The poor are usually oppressed simply because they are poor and powerless. But Jesus offers oppression for His sake as a blessing! There is not much blessedness in being oppressed for any other reason. The Greek word aphorisosin is translated exclude and is from two Greek words, apo, meaning from and horizo, meaning to determine (the latter word in English is horizon) thus the compound word means, to mark off by boundaries. Poor followers of Christ may be cut off from social fellowship, civil rights and privileges others may enjoy. It is possible that affluent Christians might even be guilty of this toward poor Chrisitans (cf. 1 Timothy 6:17-19; James 2:1-7). The poor are also slandered (cast out your name as evil). The Greek word ekballo (cast out) was often used by Greek writers for hissing an actor off the stage. But where is the blessedness in being hated for the sake of Christ? Peter, the apostle, who suffered much for Christ’s sake, tells us in his first epistle:

(1)

If any man suffer as a Christian, it proves he has ceased from sinning, so as to live, by the will of God, 1 Peter 4:1-11.

(2)

If any man suffer as a Christian he is blessed because he knows that God is not doing something strange, that if we share Christ’s sufferings we will share His glory and that the spirit of glory and the power of God rests upon him because Christ was glorified by suffering for the will of the Father, 1 Peter 4:12-19.

(3)

If any man suffer as a Christian he is safe because it proves he has trusted his soul to a faithful Creator, who cares for him, 1 Peter 4:19 to 1 Peter 5:11.

Therefore, Jesus said, if you are persecuted for My sake, leap for joy. Luke uses the Greek word skirtesate for leap and Matthew uses agalliasthe for exceeding glad and both of these words describe the joyous leaping of a Greek athlete upon winning a victory.

It should be quite clear that we are dealing with principles and practices of living to which only a converted person might surrender. To accede that these ways are profitable and joyous would involve a revolution of one’s values! They take the accepted standards of the world and turn them upside down and inside out! Barclay observes, The people whom Jesus called happy the world would call wretched; 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.

Luke 6:24-26 Woe: There is another side; what of those who reject citizenship in the Messiah’s kingdom and its godly morality? What is their future? What shall be their reward?

Woe to you that are rich. The Greek word apechete is translated received. It was used constantly in the first century as a technical expression in drawing up a receipt. Jesus means to say that those who devote all their energies and talents to earning this world’s riches, may get them, but that is all the consolation (Gr. paraklesin, comfort) they shall have. Their wealth will be all the help, comfort and encouragement they shall get. When a man of the world gets the riches of the world he has pursued, God marks his account, paid in full. If that is all they have, their future prospect is woe because this world’s riches are transferrable to the next world only if used for the glory of God and the help of others in this world (cf. Luke 16:1-9).

Woe to you that are full now. Woe to those who are satisfied with the fulness of this present world. This world will perish but they will not. If they have only the perishable to satisfy them, they will hunger in the next. If it is not truth, goodness, purity, peace, love and God that satisfies them here, they will hunger in the next world.

Woe to you that laugh now. Applebury says, The laughter of the wicked will become the cries of the lost. Although the New Testament does not prohibit Christian fun and laughter, neither does it condone frivolity and foolishnessmuch less the sick and foul humor of the centuries at which most of mankind has laughed. The wealthy and powerful who devote themselves to enjoyment of this world and give not the slightest consideration or compassion to the poor and oppressed are not fit for Christ’s kingdom. They may laugh now, but when His kingdom is consummated and time is changed into eternity, they will have nothing but woe.

Woe to you, when all men speak well of you. Of course, Christians are to strive for a good reputation among their contemporaries, (Romans 12:17; 1 Timothy 3:2, etc.). What Jesus is talking about here is false flattery. True prophets of old were slandered because they told the truth while false prophets were flattered and praised by those who sought their favor. The Christian will get no flattery or testimonials from those who hate Christ and seek to ruin His church unless the Christian agrees to compromise his integrity and faithfulness.

The New Testament plainly states that the joy of heaven will more than compensate for the trouble of this earth. In fact, it says Christians will receive a glory beyond all comparison (2 Corinthians 4:16-18). The question is: who will believe that promise and so live in this earth as to prepare himself for the next?

Applebury’s Comments

The Beatitudes and the Woes Scripture

Luke 6:20-26 And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed are ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. 21 Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. 22 Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. 23 Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy: for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the same manner did their fathers unto the prophets. 24 But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. 25 Woe unto you, ye that are full now! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you, ye that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. 26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for in the same manner did their fathers to the false prophets.

*Comments

he lifted up his eyes.*A speaker normally looks at his audience, but Luke seems to suggest something more when he says that Jesus lifted up His eyes on the disciples. He saw them as men who needed the lesson He was about to give. There were blessings for some but woes for others. All of them must have been aware of the importance of what He was about to say as He swept the audience with His eyes.

*Blessed.*Only from the context can the rich meaning of the word be grasped. See it in Psalms 1:1 Blessed is the manand there follows the description of the fortunate man who meditates on the Word of God day and night. Jesus spoke of those who were so fortunate as to cause others to long for the same blessed state. Happy seems very limited as a word to carry all that is implied by the word Jesus used.

*ye poor.*What did the poor of His audience think when He congratulated them and called them fortunate? Usually the poor are to be pitied. Poor in spirit seems to refer to humble people. But Jesus said, according to Luke, blessed are ye poor. It is possible that He intended to speak to those who were literally poor. It was a common thing for the poor to be mistreated by the rich. See James 2:6. Jesus came to preach good tidings to the poor (Luke 4:18). It can mean the poor in spirit and also the poor in material goods. The principles of the gospel if applied would banish poverty from this world. See Paul’s word to the poverty stricken Macedonians in 2 Corinthians 8:1-9.

*ye that hunger now.*In the fourth beatitude as Matthew reports it, Jesus spoke of those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Are we to read this concept into Luke’s account? Is it possible that Jesus was speaking to those who were actually feeling the pangs of hunger? We do know that He was aware of the physical needs of His people also, for He fed them on loaves and fishes. But more than that, He provided for their spiritual sustenance by giving them the Bread of Life. See James-’ word about those who lack daily food (James 2:15). So often those who lack daily food also lack the food that satisfies the soul.

*for yours is the kingdom of God.*The poor are to be comforted in that they may have a rich blessing for their souls in this life. But in addition to that, the kingdom of Godheaven itselfbelongs to them. There will be no poverty there, even though the poor ye have with you always in this world.

Wherever the Word of Christ has been fully accepted, the hungry are filled both literally and figuratively. The answer to the needs of the world is not the doctrine of materialism but the gospel of Christ. The gospel in the hearts of men will cause them to share the produce of the world with the needy and also the Bread of Life that will abolish spiritual poverty. See 2 Corinthians 9:10-15.

*that weep now: for ye shall laugh.*According to Matthew, Jesus said, they that mourn shall be comforted. Is this a reference to the grief of this life or to those whose godly sorrow leads to repentance? Luke seems to place emphasis on the issue of the present first and the future last. Those who weep now shall laugh in heaven, for there will be no tears there.

*when men shall hate you.*Peter and John gave an example of the proper attitude for Christians under persecution. They preferred the approval of God rather than men, See Acts 4:19-21.

*your reward is great in heaven.*It is possible that all these rewards are heavenly. Jesus said, In this world ye have tribulations: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (John 16:33). See also Philippians 3:20-21; 2 Peter 3:11-13; Rev. 21-4-5.

*But woe unto you that are rich.*Not the possession, but the misuse of riches is condemned. The one who worships gold rather than God justly comes under this condemnation. See James 1:9-11 for the correct view that puts the riches of heaven above the temporary riches of this life.

*ye have received your consolation.*Some men prayed to be seen of men, and when men saw them and spoke of them as religious people, they were paid in full. When one makes riches his goal, he must settle for the consolation that riches bring, but he should remember what the Lord said about the time when riches fail. See Luke 12:20-21; Luke 16:11.

*full now.*The emphasis is on now. Some people are perfectly satisfied with physical food and have no thought for the food of the soul. Many who ate the loaves and fishes merely wanted more of the same and were not interested in the Bread of Life. Ye shall hunger seems to look to the time when those who have contented themselves with material riches will realize that they should have given some attention to the spiritual life.

*that laugh now.*The laughter of the wicked will become the cries of the lost. James says, Clean your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts ye doubleminded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned into mourning, and your joy into heaviness (James 4:8-9).

Neither Jesus nor James prohibit Christian joy and laughter. There is no record of Jesus having laughed, but He did join in the festive occasions of the people. If He did laugh, it certainly was not at some filthy joke. Much of what passes for humor today illustrates what Jesus was talking about. The jesting which Paul forbids is of the same sorta well turned phrase that suggests evil and causes some to laugh at the filth of the world. Christian people ought not to be guilty of such a thing.

*when all men speak well of you.*We are not to assume that a good reputation was not to be desired, for God’s people are to take thought for things honorable in the sight of all men (Romans 12:17). But Jesus was speaking of those who flattered the false prophets in order to be in their favor. The fathers of the Jews had been guilty of this very thing. But Jesus was not influenced by the flattery of men. For example, He wasn-’t moved by their efforts to make Him their king. Those who prefer the approval of Christ to that of men will find that they may have to pay dearly for their loyalty to the Lord (2 Timothy 3:12).

Luke 6:27-38

Applebury’s Comments

Regulations for Conduct Scripture

Luke 6:27-38 But I say unto you that hear, Love your enemies do good to them that hate you, 28 bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you. 29 To him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and from him that taketh away thy cloak withhold not thy coat also. 30 Give to every one that asketh thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. 31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32 And if ye love them that love you, what thank have ye? for even sinners love those that love them. 33 And if ye do good to them that do good to you, what thank have ye? for even sinners do the same. 34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? even sinners lend to sinners, to receive again as much. 35 But love your enemies, and do them good, and lend, never despairing; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be sons of the Most High: for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil. 36 Be ye merciful, even as your Father is merciful. 37 And judge not, and ye shall not be judged: and condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: release, and ye shall be released: 38 give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again.

*Comments

Love your enemies.*Some of the things that Jesus said must have seemed difficult if not impossible. Love your enemies. But they hate you and curse you and spitefully use you! They strike you on the cheek and even take away your property. How can you love them? The answer lies in the meaning of love. Jesus did not say Have the same feeling toward an enemy as you have for a friend. Love, according to this context, requires one to bless one’s enemies and pray for them and do good to them. Turn the other cheek, when one strikes you. If he takes your garmentit could be done by law Exodus 22:26give also the one that he could not legally take.

These directives are difficult, but not impossible to comply with. In essence, they suggest God’s love for the world, and Jesus-’ attitude toward those who mistreated Him. On the cross He prayed, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.

Paul defines love in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8. Love suffers long and is kind. We can be kind to an enemy. And strangely, an act of kindness may sometimes change an enemy into a friend.

*as ye would that men should do to you.*This suggests that it might be easier to be kind to an enemylove himif we would put ourselves in his place. An honest effort to understand the other person’s viewpoint might help to remove the enmity. This rule was based on the law and the prophets (Matthew 7:12). Jesus went a step farther in His teaching to the apostles when He said, A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you. See John 13:34. Peter also said, Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently (1 Peter 1:22).

*and ye shall be sons of the Most High.*Jesus illustrated the issue of love for enemies by the fact that God sends the rain on the good and the bad alike (Matthew 5:43-48). Then He said, Ye therefore shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. Men say, That’s a worthy goal, but impossible of attainment. But did Jesus give a command that can-’t be obeyed? What does be perfect mean? In this context it means complete or mature. Just as the Father sent the rain on the good and the badthere are no othersso His children are to love their friends and their enemies; and that is perfect in the sense of completeness, for there are no others.

Jesus did not mean sinless when He said, Be perfect. As long as we live, we canalthough we ought not tocommit sin (1 Corinthians 10:12).

The sermon that Luke reported was slightly different from the one Matthew reported. According to Luke, Jesus said, Ye shall be sons of the Most High, for He is kind toward the unthankful and evil. Then Jesus said, Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

*And judge not.*This is expanded in Luke 6:41-45 and in Matthew 7:1-5. Jesus was speaking of hypocritical judging. But He also said that you can tell false prophets by their fruits. On another occasion He said, Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgments (John 7:24).

And why not judge? For with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again.

Luke 6:27-45

**Butler’s Comments

SECTION 4

Magnanimous (Luke 6:27-45)**

27 But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. 30Give to every one who begs from you; and of him who takes away your goods do not ask them again. 31And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them.

32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. 36Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

37 Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.

39 He also told them a parable: Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? 40A disciple is not above his teacher, but every one when he is fully taught will be like his teacher. 41Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 42Or how can you say to your brother, -Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,-’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

43 For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit; 44for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. 45The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

**Luke 6:27-36 Toward the Hateful: **Magnanimous means, noble, liberal and self-sacrificing. And Jesus characterizes the citizens of His kingdom as magnanimous toward those who hate them. How may Christians be expected to love those who persecute them and hate them and exploit them? Because God loves them! The Greek word for love here is agape. Agape is a love of the will and not necessarily of the emotions. We cannot have the same feelings toward those who hate us as toward our relatives and friends. That would be unnatural and really impossible. But we can decide that no matter how a man acts toward us we will always act toward him for his highest good. Agape-love is the kind of action that can be commanded (John 15:12 ff), because it is not dependent upon how we feel. It is something that we must do in spite of how we feel. A man’s mind and will can overrule his feelings.

Jesus is calling for more than stoicism here. The Christian is more than merely passive toward his enemies and those who may exploit him. The citizen of Christ’s kingdom goes the second mile (cf. Matthew 5:39-41). Jesus is illustrating the fundamental principle of non-retaliation for personal injury and insult. Christians are not by nature, vengeful, spiteful nor retaliatory. They leave ultimate justice up to the Lord (cf. Romans 12:14-21). But turning the other cheek does not mean that we should be unconcerned about the defense of law and order and human rights. To turn the other cheek, or give up the coat does not mean that it does not matter at all about civil rights and civil justice. The devil is the author of anarchy; he has as his goal a society where evil rules. God has ordained human governments for the purpose of maintaining civil liberties and order. Human magistrates are God’s ministers to execute His justice upon criminals (cf. Romans 13:1-7). Human government is ordained to maintain an orderly execution of justice! Without law and order, man’s first impulse when struck or robbed is to strike back or retaliate. A society where each man is a law unto himself, executing justice on a personal basis, would be anarchistic. The whole point of Jesus-’ instructions here is that the Christian is governed by a higher law than human governmenthe does not even need human government to keep him under control. The Christian goes beyond the law against retaliation. He not only does not retaliatehe shows love toward his enemies. Jesus never intended His statements here to be rigidly codified into some literal behavior. He did not offer His cheek to be struck a second time (John 18:22-23); nor did Paul (Acts 23:3). It would hardly be the highest good to a criminal to allow him to strike a man until he killed him, or rob and extort without any restraint. Someone must call upon civil authorities to put a stop to such actionfor the victim’s sake, for society’s sake and for the criminal’s sake! But the Christian cannot take the law into his own handshe must go the second mile if necessary.

Give to everyone who begs of you. is not a mandate to foster professional begging. Jesus is not encouraging Christians to help frauds, drunkards, the lazy, or professional beggars. The drunkard who begs money is not in need; neither is the man who is too lazy to work if he is able (cf. 2 Thessalonians 3:6-15). What Jesus is telling the Christian here is that he must not be self-centered, greedy and miserly. If any man is in real need, it is the nature of the Christian to help again, and again if he is able to do so. But the Christian must make evaluations and judgments because to give to a professional beggar who might otherwise earn a living would not be helpful. The Christian must please his neighbor for his good, to edify him (cf. Romans 15:1-2). When we give we must not seek a return. Love gives for the sake of giving with no thought of return.

The primary motive for the Christian ethic is, of course, the love of God. We love, because He first loved us (1 John 4:7-19). But a secondary motive for the Christian to go the second mile is that he treats others as he would wish to be treated. The Golden Rule, as Luke 6:31 is called, is uniquely positive. It is not like any other philosophy of ethics in all mankind. Barclay says it so well: The Christian ethic is positive. It does not consist in not doing things but in doing them. Jesus gave us the Golden Rule which bids us do to others as we would have them do to us. That rule exists in many writers of many creeds in its negative form. Hillel, one of the great Jewish Rabbis, was asked by a man to teach him the whole law while he stood on one leg. He answered, -What is hateful to thee, do not to another. That is the whole law and. all else is explanation.-’ The Stoics put it this way, What you do not wish to be done to yourself, do not you do to any other. A citizen of the kingdom of God does not just not do bad thingshe busies himself in doing good things.

The Christian is one who goes beyond the expected or the norm in doing good. There is a worldly standard of doing good. Those of the world do good to those who do good to them first; even sinners love those who love them. If one does good to those who have done good to him, he is no different than the rest of the world. It is of interest that Luke used the Greek word charis which is translated credit in the RSV. It is as if Jesus said, What special grace is in that kind of action? It will do no good for the Christian to claim he is just as good as his neighbors; he must be betterhe must go beyond his neighbor in doing good. The Macedonians gave beyond their means, of their own free will to the Judeans (2 Corinthians 8:3-4).

Jesus challenges His followers to go beyond the world’s norm because He wants His followers to have the blessedness of being like God. The behavior of the sinner is too low for the Christian to aimhe should aim for the highest. God goes beyond the worldly norm; He actively loves and does good to those who hate Him. God sends His rain upon the just and the unjust alike (Matthew 5:44-45). God is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish. If Christian children would imitate their Father (Ephesians 5:1-2) this is how they will act.

In all this discussion about lending is Jesus forbidding the Christian to put his money in banks to earn interest or from borrowing money and paying interest? A fact often overlooked is that in ancient Israel commercial loans were practically unknown. Among the heathen it was a different thing. The Old Testament legislates against usury (Exodus 22:25; Leviticus 25:36 ff; Deuteronomy 23:19 ff). Nehemiah (Luke 5:3-10) condemned wealthy Jews for charging interest to their less fortunate brothers. The Israelites could charge interest to foreigners (Deuteronomy 23:19-21). Wilbur Fields says in Exodus, College Press, pg. 494, In modern times money is usually loaned for commercial purposes, to increase a man’s capital, increase his business, or enhance his comfort. It is proper that a reasonable interest or payment be collected for this service. Thus Exodus 22:25 does not mean we should demand that our banks stop charging interest. Jesus himself approved the taking of interest from a bank (Matthew 25:27; Luke 19:23). But this is quite a different thing from making gain out of a neighbor’s need or being callous to the needs of a brother in the Lord. If a brother is in need and a personal loan may be given, there should be no interest charged by the brother offering the help. As a matter of fact, the whole point of Jesus here seems not to be in the area of lending but in giving. Christ is telling his followers to give help to one another, expecting no return at all.

Luke 6:37-45 Toward the Heterodox: Judge not, and you will not be judged. Has Jesus forbidden all judgment here? Of course not! As a matter of fact, Jesus commanded judgment at least twice (Luke 12:57; John 7:24). The very fact that God has created us with the ability to choose compels us to make judgments or evaluations. We could never protect ourselves against wrong if we did not judge; we could never help others if we did not evaluate their needs. The apostle Paul told the Corinthian church it would have to judge and excommunicate an immoral member (1 Corinthians 5:1 ff). He also told the brethren they should make righteous judgments between one another when disputes arose and not take their disputes to heathen judges (1 Corinthians 6:1 ff). Jesus warns in this very Sermon (Matthew 7:6; Matthew 7:15-20) that the citizen of His Kingdom will have to judge who the dogs and swine are in order not to cast one’s pearls and bread before them; the citizen will have to judge fruit of false and true prophets.

What Jesus is forbidding here is the hyper-critical attitude. He is telling us to be magnanimous toward those whose behavior, though not really sinful, may be different than ours. There must be liberty and charity among citizens of Christ’s kingdom in the realm of opinion. Where there are no specific commandments or clear principles stated in the New Testament, Christian brethren must allow one another the freedom to choose and act as their consciences permit them to do so. The New Testament has a great deal to say about this (Romans 14:1-23; Romans 15:1-33; I Corinthians, Chapter s 8, 9 and 10; Galatians 5:1-26).

Jesus is advising us that we should not have a judgmental attitude. The less judging (especially of people) we dp, the better off we shall be. The time will come when we shall be forced to form opinions about people, but we must be very careful not to form prejudicial opinions. We must not prejudge without sufficient evidence; we must not condemn as a sin something that is not a sin; we must not allow our opinions to be formed out of motives of envy, jealousy or our own guilty consciences. We must be very careful not to judge the motives of others for we do not know their heartsonly their actions. We must be sure our opinions of others are formed according to divine standards (the Bible) and not some worldly standards. Jesus offers a series of mini-parables as cautions against hyper-active and hasty judgments:

… give and it will be given to you . for the measure you give will be the measure you get back. If you give censorious judgment that is what you will get back; if you give good without measure out of a pure motive, you will receive without measure from both God and man. Whatever a man sows, he eventually reaps (Galatians 6:7-10).

Can a blind man lead a blind man? No! they will both fall into the pit. We all have blind areas about our own faultsthus we are not clear-sighted enough to really lead others to the light about themselves. It is hypocritical for us to criticize the blindnesses in others without admitting our own blindnesses. We are all still followersJesus is the Master (Teacher). Were we ever able to be as honest and wise as He, we might be critical of othersbut until then, we must let Him lead us all!

… first take the log out of your own eye. Jesus clearly infers that if we successfully remove the huge impairments which keep us from judging our own spiritual faults, then we might be prepared to help our brother judge his faults. It is interesting that Jesus sees the log in our eye and the speck in our brother’s eyewe usually see it the other way! Again we are struck with the emphasis Jesus puts on man’s tendency to be self-centered. Self-centered people cannot judge fairly or rightly!

… no good tree bears bad fruit. A hyper-critical attitude betrays a fundamentally evil heart.. for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. That which comes from our mouths reveals what is in our hearts! If we mouth prejudicial judgment it betrays a heart harboring hate. We do not have to compromise truth to put to death slander, gossip, non-factual opinions. There are three other options:

(1)

keep silent about the person

(2)

offer an informal prayer for the person

(3)

utter some known good about the person

The nature of the Lord’s kingdom is magnanimity. Because the Lord is that way, He wishes His subjects to be that way. He wishes it for them so they may have the blessedness of holiness and righteousness. If you will treat a man as he is, he will continue to be what he is. If you treat him as he ought to be and can be, then he will more readily become what he ought to be and can be! That is what this Sermon is about; that is how God treats us!

Luke 6:39-45

Applebury’s Comments

Four Concise Statements Scripture

Luke 6:39-45 And he spake also a parable unto them, Can the blind guide the blind? shall they not both fall into a pit? 40 The disciple is not above his teacher: but every one when he is perfected shall be as his teacher. 41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s ye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Or how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me cast out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye. 43 For there is no good tree that bringeth forth corrupt fruit; nor again a corrupt tree that bringeth forth good fruit. 44 For each tree is known by is own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. 45 The good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth that which is evil: for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.

*Comments

Can the blind guide the blind?*A solemn warning not to follow blindly those who are not qualified to lead. Jesus applied this to the Pharisees (Matthew 15:12-14; Matthew 23:16).

*The disciple is not above his teacher.*As long as one is following his teacher, he will not get beyond the teacher. When he is fully taughtknows all the teacher can impart to himhe will be as his teacher.

Jesus was speaking of the people who were being corrupted by the teachers they were following, They could scarcely be expected to rise above their leadersscribes and Pharisees. It is different when it comes to Jesus, the Teacher. He taught the truth. What a goal for a disciple of His to be fully taught and to be like Him!

*Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam that is in thine own eye.*Jesus had drawn a verbal cartoon for His audience. The lesson was so plain no one could miss it. The man with a large timber in his eye couldn-’t possibly remove a speck from his brother’s eye. But we try it over and over today!

*For each tree is known by its own fruit.*Conduct indicates true character just as fruit shows the true nature of the tree that bears *it.

out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.*What is in the heart will come out in the speech. See Matthew 15:18-20. Let him who would glorify the Lord in his speech fill his heart with the truth of God’s Word. See Psalms 119:11; Psalms 19:7-14; Philippians 4:4-9.

Luke 6:46-49

**Butler’s Comments

SECTION 5

Mainstay (Luke 6:46-49)**

46 Why do you call me -Lord, Lord,-’ and not do what I tell you? 47Every one who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: 48he is like a man building a house, who dug deep, and laid the foundation upon rock; and when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49But he who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.

**Luke 6:46-48 Rock: **Jesus concludes this great Sermon with a claim for authority which must have startled His audience. It still startles men today! For it is exceedingly presumptuous if there is no evidence upon which to base the claim. He is claiming that a man’s life will stand or fall according to whether he hears and does His teachings or not. He is elevating Himself as Lord over mankind. The Sermon on the Mount has as its authority, the deity of Jesus. Because Jesus is Lord, His words are the mainstay of life. The man who hears and does what Jesus teaches will not be ruined by the storms of life. Poverty, sickness, war, persecution and failing human relationships will not destroy the person who trusts Jesus Christ because he knows there is a perfect world to come and these storms are from God to build character and a desire for that other world. The man who hears and keeps the words of this Sermon is building the character and longings that will make him happy and fit for that next world.

**Luke 6:49 Ruin: **One man has said, Storms will come. Most any shanty will stand in the sunshine. But what about the storm? To build one’s life in opposition to the teachings of this Sermon is to build on sand. To trust in this world only is to trust in that which is doomed to perish. To live out of harmony with this Sermon is to develop a character of greed, selfishness, superficiality, vengefulness, and criticism. That does not bring happiness in this life nor fit one to live in the presence of God forever in the next. Trust Jesus! He knows the way to Life! Become a citizen of His kingdom! The careful student should study the comments of Harold Fowler, Matthew, Vol. I, College Press, pages 184-442, on this unique Sermon on the Mount.

STUDY STIMULATORS:

Jesus was challenged about His Sabbath actions before Luke 6:1-49Where? Why?

Why were the Jews so emphatic about the Sabbath?

What does the O.T. law say about plucking grain? about working on the Sabbath?

What does Jewish tradition say about working on the Sabbath?

Why did Jesus bring up David’s eating of the showbread?

What does Jesus teach in this about the nature of God’s kingdom?

What relationship did Jesus claim toward the Sabbath for Himself?

What does the Sabbath have to do with saving life?

Name three reasons Jesus selected 12 special disciples to become apostles?

Why would these 12 disciples not fit modern prospectives for leadership?

Can you name the 12 apostles? 12 American sports celebrities? 12 TV stars?

Is the Sermon of Jesus in Luke 6:20-49 the same as the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:1-48; Matthew 6:1-34; Matthew 7:1-29?

What do you think about this Sermonis it some kind of Christian law? Is it possible to live it? What is we fail?

Does Jesus really intend for us to jump with joy when we are persecuted for His sake? Why?

Does Jesus really intend for us to be pacifists and protest police work and war and when invaded by a foreign power to turn the other cheek?

What is the Christian’s best attitude toward judging?

Does Jesus really offer the teachings of this Sermon as answers to life’s problems?

Applebury’s Comments

The Necessity of Obedience Scripture

Luke 6:46-49 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47 Every one that cometh unto me, and heareth my words, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who digged and went deep, and laid a foundation upon the rock: and when a flood arose, the stream brake against that house, and could not shake it: because it had been well builded. 49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that built a house upon the earth without a foundation, against which the stream brake, and straightway it fell in; and the ruin of that house was great.

*Comments

And why call ye me Lord, Lord.*See Matthew 7:22-23. Jesus called for sincerity and honesty in all human relationships. Hypocritical judging was forbidden. Those who followed Him were to have their heart in it. Unless you say it by your life, there is no use to call Him Lord with your mouth.

*heareth my words and doeth them.*James said, Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only (James 1:22). Failing to do so results in self-delusion. Jesus-’ graphic illustration of the two housesone built on solid rock and the other with no foundationshows the folly of failing to obey His word.

Special Note

THE SABBATH

The Jews and the sabbath.

It is first mentioned in Exodus 16:26.

Jesus and the sabbath.

What proof is there that He never broke the Law, although he was charged with sabbath-breaking?

C. The Christian and the sabbath.

Was it the appointed day of meeting of the church? The first day of the week, and not the sabbath, was the day of their meeting. See Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2.
Why did the apostles go to the synagogue on the sabbath? They went to preach the Gospel. See the account of Paul preaching in the synagogue on the sabbath in Antioch in Acts 13:14-52. They did some things as Jews which they refused to let others bind on Gentile Christiansfor example, circumcision (Galatians 2:3-5). At Cenchreae Paul kept the provisions of a Jewish vow (Acts 18:18) and later in Jerusalem he was prepared to make certain Jewish offerings (Acts 21:17-31). He did these things as Jewish customs, not as Christian obligations (Romans 14:5-6).

Is the Lord’s day the first day of the week? The expression is found only in Revelation 1:10. Acts 20:7 indicates that the first day of the week was the day of meeting for the church.

What, then, is the significance of the sabbath to the Christian? It is a type of rest in heaven. See Hebrews 4:9.

Summary

Questions

What are the five complaints against Christ as given in Chapter s five and six?

On what issue were the two presented in this chapter based?

What was the original law about work on the sabbath?

What are the two types of work about which the complaints were made?

How does Jesus-’ reference to David justify His disciples conduct?

What did Jesus say about His own relation to the sabbath?

What was unusual about the presence of the man with the withered hand in the synagogue on that sabbath when Jesus was present?

For what were the Pharisees hoping?

How was the issue brought to the test?

What did Jesus tell the man to do? Why?

What question did Jesus ask?

What did He do just before He told the man to stretch forth his hand?

13 What effect did the miracle have on those who were hoping to find a cause to condemn Jesus? 14.

What did the enemies of Jesus plan to do?

What did Jesus do before selecting the Twelve?

What are some of the facts about the prayer life of Jesus?

How long did Jesus pray on that occasion?

What is an apostle?

Why was Jesus called the Apostle?

What principle is to be observed in explaining the use of the word apostle?

In what sense did Paul refer to James the Lord’s brother as an apostle?

Was Peter’s authority as an apostle different from that of the other apostles?

What is known about Andrew?

Why did Jesus call James and John Sons of thunder?

What may be said of the three who are commonly thought of as being the inner circle of apostles?

What of the two named Judas?

What are some of the difference between Matthew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount and Luke’s report of the lessons Jesus taught after selecting the Twelve?

Why did the people want to touch Jesus?

What four classes are called blessed?

What is the distinction between them and the ones mentioned in the Beatitudes of Mat 5:1-12?

On what four classes are the woes pronounced?

What did Jesus mean when He said, Beware when all men speak well of you?

How can you love your enemies?

What rule of conduct toward others did Jesus give?

Is it possible to obey Jesus-’ command about love?

What did He mean by the reference to blind guides?

What did He mean by saying that a disciple is not above his teacher?

What kind of judging did He forbid?

Why did He say that a tree is known by its fruits?

What did He say about calling Him Lord, Lord?

How did He illustrate the necessity of obeying His word?

Old Green Commentaries

The College Press Bible Study Textbook Series — 59 volumes by 25 authors, published between 1961 and 1992 and affectionately known as the 'old green' commentaries for their green hardback bindings. Each volume is a commentary, workbook and teaching manual in one, written by Restoration Movement …

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Old Testament

GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOS JDG RUT 1SA 2SA 1KI 2KI 1CH 2CH EZR NEH EST JOB PSA PRO ECC SOS ISA JER LAM EZK DAN HOS JOL AMO OBA JON MIC NAH HAB ZEP HAG ZEC MAL

New Testament

MAT MRK LUK JHN ACT ROM 1CO 2CO GAL EPH PHP COL 1TH 2TH 1TI 2TI TIT PHM HEB JAS 1PE 2PE 1JN 2JN 3JN JUD REV

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