The Gospel of Luke
Chapter 6
The response of the religious elite to Jesus was a growing opposition. He violated their cozy traditions and common ways of thinking. His ministry did not suffer by their opposition; He merely sharpened His ministry and made it even more unmistakable when contrasted with their difficult interpretations of the covenant. And one of the first battlegrounds involved the right use and understanding of the Sabbath.
Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath—Luke 6:1-11
Luke mentioned two specific incidents here, carefully identifying them as occurring on the Sabbath. The observance of the Sabbath was certainly not an item central to covenant obedience in the minds of the Jews. However, in the minds of the rabbis, scribes and Pharisees, the way a man engaged the Sabbath spoke volumes about his general attitude toward the Law and about obedience to God. It was what one scholar called a “boundary marker.” If a man crossed that boundary, there was no holding him back. His respect for the boundary showed his respect for God. Naturally, this led to every kind of abuse and misinterpretation of the Law.
As Jesus and His followers passed through a grain field (not our corn, but rather a cereal like wheat or barley), his disciples stripped a few heads of grain off, rubbed them between their hands and ate them. This scandalized the Pharisees who accused them of violating the Law: 1) They were reaping (plucking), 2) They were threshing (rubbing the husks off the grain), 3) They were winnowing (by blowing the chaff away), and 4) They had obviously prepared food (since they were eating)! Jesus responded with a story from 1 Samuel 21 about David helping himself to the showbread due to genuine need. The principle is that need takes precedence over ritual. He then declared that He had authority over the Sabbath—which must have confused them!
In the next episode on another Sabbath, Jesus entered a synagogue where there was found a man with a withered arm. The Pharisees spied on Jesus to see if He would heal on the Sabbath—so Jesus had the man stand up in the middle of everybody! Then He asked a question that presented the stark choice. On the Sabbath, what could a person do? Good or evil? Save life or kill? Since it is never lawful to do evil or to kill, the obvious answer is to do good and save life. However, the Pharisees would have demanded that He wait until the next day to do good! They gave no answer, and Jesus commanded the man to “stretch out” his hand—and it was restored completely. The response of the Pharisees was fury and a consultation to plot against Jesus.
Jesus Chose His Apostles—Luke 6:12-16
Some little while later, Jesus spent the night praying to God. Luke’s mention of Jesus’ prayer life is always a signal that something important is about to happen. Jesus called His disciples to Himself the next morning and selected twelve special men. He called them “apostles,” which means a person who is sent on a special mission, usually as a messenger. Luke’s list does not include Nathanael, as does John, but does include Bartholomew. These must have been the same person since Bartholomew is actually “Son of Tholomai (Ptolemy).” His name was Nathanael; his father’s name was Tholomai. Also, “Judas son of James” was known as Thaddaeus to Matthew and Mark. Listed last in every list of the apostles is Judas Iscariot and his betrayal is noted.
Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain—Luke 6:17-49
The teachings of Jesus that occasioned such wonder among the hearers and such fury among His opponents are not often collected in one large account. Usually they are laid out in answer to questions or in the form of parables. In this section, though, we have a number of Jesus’ themes. Many have compared this section to Matthew 5-7 and presumed that they are two accounts of the same event. That is most likely not the case. It is inevitable that Jesus would teach similar things in every place, but the setting here is completely unlike the one in Matthew and the teachings are similar but definitely not the same. This address to the crowds, who have come from all over the region, seems to involve five main ideas.
1. Those who are blessed. In verses 17-26, Jesus was surrounded by people who wanted to be healed or who needed demons cast out of their souls. Jesus did that, but then began to teach them the things they actually needed to know. First, He indicated that there are those who are blessed and those who are not. This is different look at the “two ways” that are so often mentioned in the Old Testament. Those who are blessed here are not those who would be called blessed by the world! They seem to be the losers, the down and out, the ones who suffer because they’ve aligned themselves with Jesus. However, in reality they are blessed and in great company since that’s exactly how the prophets were treated by their countrymen. And those who look as if they’ve got it all together? Well, it’s just too bad, really, because they’ve gotten their reward already and they stand in the same heritage as those deluded souls in the past who loved the false prophets who destroyed the nation.
2. Love like God loves. In verses 27-36, Jesus laid down His best-known teaching, that we must love our enemies. The principle of nonretaliation and what is often called “The Golden Rule” is mentioned here. Jesus pointed out that the most ungodly people return the regard of their friends—there is nothing outstanding about that. Yet Christ’s followers are called to so much higher a standard! They are commissioned to be like God, who blesses even the ungrateful and the wicked. Their reward will be great because they are acting like their Father, and that is just what He wants.
3. All are accountable to God. The thread that connects these verses is mysterious to many scholars, but it seems to me that Jesus is pointing out our common standing before God. In verses 37-42, Jesus reminds us that we have no business trying to identify those who are condemned by God. In fact, we must be very wary of making such distinctions since we will apparently be judged by our own standards! We are called to be like Jesus, our teacher, and to focus on our own improvement, not the reformation of someone else. It’s a serious topic, but Jesus approached it with sarcastic humor!
4. Our actions show our character. In verses 43-45, Jesus lays out a bit of common sense that illuminates how we demonstrate our character. The things that come out of our mouths reveal the condition of our hearts. No matter how we might try to mask it, our true nature will rise to the surface.
5. Real safety is in the Lord’s word. Jesus concluded this sermon with an appeal to build all of life on the safety of His word. It is futile to call Him, “Lord,” and refuse to obey Him. He cannot in any sense of the word be “Lord” to those who will not heed. Meanwhile, the person who bases his life on Jesus’ teachings will endure through all kinds of life’s storms. The person who rejects Jesus’ words, though, and insists on doing things another way will only experience disaster when trouble comes.
With the conclusion of Jesus’ sermon here, His teachings are placed in stark contrast to the traditions and expansions of the Pharisees. The lines are drawn clearly to them.