Lucas 6
A.T. Robertson · Citado em PreceptAustin
Lucas 6
Robertson comments on the addition of EVEN in Mark 2:28 writing that "Mark, Matthew (Matthew 12:8), and Luke (Luke 6:5) all give this as a climax in the five reasons given by Christ on the occasion for the conduct of the disciples, but Mark has the little word "even" (kai) not in the others, showing that Jesus knew that He was making a great claim as the Son of Man, the Representative Man, the Messiah looked at from His human interest, to lordship (kurios) even of the Sabbath. He was not the slave of the Sabbath, but the Master of it. "Even of the Sabbath, so invaluable in your eyes. Lord, not to abolish, but to interpret and keep in its own place, and give it a new name" (Bruce). JESUS IS LORD "EVEN" OF THE SABBATH And He was saying to them - Was saying is in the imperfect tense, which depicts this as action as being in progress. Only Luke has this description of Jesus speaking the following proclamation. While Jesus had defended the actions of His disciples by comparing their hunger to that of David in the OT, now He makes another defense. His defense here is that His authority as Son of Man also allowed their actions because He as the Son of Man was Lord of the Sabbath. Sabbath was a day for celebration and refreshment and communion with the LORD. -- Allen Ross The Son of Man is Lord (kurios) of the Sabbath (sabbaton) - By using the phrase Son of Man (see note below) Jesus Jesus is in essence claiming that He is the Messiah and all three synoptic Gospels have this important Messianic declaration. Jesus is the Master of the Sabbath day. As Creator, He instituted the Sabbath and He has the sovereign right to rule over it. This clearly trumps the legalistic rules added to the Sabbath day by men. If Jesus is Lord over it only He has the right to impose the legalistic burdens and He is certainly not restricted by men's legalistic, burdensome additions. And when we compare with Mark 2:27 He Himself states the Sabbath was made for man. It was to be a day of rest and not a day of endless, ridiculous rules of men that ended up making it a heavy burden. One is reminded of His words in Mt 11:28-30 which speaks of the rest He gives and the fact that His burden is light. Allen Ross adds Lord of the Sabbath "means that He is the One Who instituted it and He is the One Who rules over it. He of all people would then know what the intent of the Sabbath day was--mercy (ED: This is clearly indicated by Jesus' words in Mt 12:11-12), and not simply a day to avoid work. He never intended it to be subjected to a myriad of legalistic rulings. It was a day for celebration and refreshment and communion with the LORD. But as LORD of the Sabbath Jesus had authority over all creation, including al people. He demonstrated that authority with His claims, and authenticated it with His mighty works, here the healing of the man with the withered hand. They understand His claim; they saw His mighty works. They either had to submit to His authority, or try to get rid of Him. Unfortunately for them they pursued the latter." (See more related discussion by Ross below). It is notable that Lord is first in position in the Greek text placing emphasis on Jesus' Lordship over the Sabbath. The literal Greek order reads something like "Lord He is of the Sabbath the Son of Man." Can you follow Jesus' reasoning? He is claiming that He has authority over this Day which God had instituted in Genesis 2:1-3. By doing this, Jesus is in fact claiming that He is equal with God. As an aside we know from Paul that "by Him (Jesus) all things were created," (Col 1:16, cf John 1:3, Heb 1:2) thus Jesus actually was the Creator of the Sabbath. To reiterate the defense of His disciples is that since He is the Lord of the Sabbath, He is free to do on this day whatever He pleased, in this case seeing that His hungry disciples were fed! To put it bluntly, Jesus' Lordship trumps the man-made rules of the Jews! Jesus has the authority over the Law! If David could override the Law without blame, how much more could the greater Son of David, the Messiah himself, do so? We do not have to guess whether the Pharisees "caught" Jesus' allusion to the fact that He was God! This proclamation was followed by another miracle on the Sabbath in Lk 6:6-10 with a violent response and a desire to destroy Him (Lk 6:11+, cf Mt 12:14+, Mark 3:6+)
Lucas 6
Robertson reminds us that this is Jesus' second Sabbath confrontation in the Gospel of Luke - The first was Luke 4:31-41. There was another in John 5:1-47. See word study on the Hebrew word for Sabbath (07676) which is sabbat which derives from the verb shabath (07673) meaning to desist (from exertion), cease (see this use of the verb in Ge 8:22, Jer 31:36+), rest (first used of God resting in Creation - Ge 2:2-3+), repose, cease from labor. So here the noun form sabbat means intermission, the Sabbath (day), the day of rest, the holy seventh day; a week, the sacred 7th year, a sabbatical year. It was not until the giving of the Law at Mt Sinai that the keeping of the Sabbath became a part of the law and a sign of God's covenant relationship with His people (Ex 20:8-11 Ex 31:12-17). His disciples (mathetes) were picking (tillo) the heads (stachus) of grain - As background only Mt 12:1+ adds that "His disciples became hungry." Mark adds that the disciples began to make their way along while picking the heads (stachus) (Mk 2:23+). Literally Mark says they "began to make a way plucking the ears." Mark is not saying the disciples began to trample through the grain fields. Jesus' disciples (including the 12 but probably others as discerned from Lk 6:13+ where "He chose twelve" implying from among others who were following) were picking which in the imperfect tense depicts them repeatedly plucking heads of grain as they walked along. This is an interesting verb for picking (tillo) in classical Greek it was used most often of pulling out hair or feathers, which gives us a good picture of what they were doing. And since it was the Sabbath what they were doing was interpreted as work in the eyes of the legalistic hypo-critical hyper-critical Pharisees. MacArthur (see Commentary) specifically states that "the disciples were guilty in the eyes of the Pharisees of reaping (picking the grain), threshing (rubbing the husks together to separate the chaff from the grain), and winnowing (throwing the husks away), and thus preparing food." Is it not absurd how far legalism will go when it veers from what is stated clearly in the Word of God! In fact what the disciples were doing was permitted by the Law, for Moses stated only one Sabbath restriction and that was that one could not fill a vessel or use a harvesting implement! "When you enter your neighbor’s vineyard, then you may eat grapes until you are fully satisfied, but you shall not put any in your basket. “When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, then you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not wield a sickle in your neighbor’s standing grain." (Dt. 23:24-25+) HISTORICAL/CULTURAL CONTEXT - Think for a moment of what it must have been like to be a Jew ever in the watchful eyes of the Pharisees who served as "legalistic police!" For law-keeping Jews, there was a frantic need to know a mountain of traditional regulations concerning it and a constant dread lest some minor infraction of an unknown rule might bring divine disfavour on their heads. They had even prescribed the amount that could be plucked and eaten on the Sabbath and it need be no larger than the size of a dried fig, hardly enough to satisfy one's hunger but large enough to convict a sabbath-breaker should they gather more than a fig-sized portion! This was a law of the rabbis, not a law of Moses, the law of God. God cared for men and had made allowance for hungry travelers (Dt 23:25+), but the Pharisees could care less! Rubbing (psocho) them in their hands, and eating (esthio in imperfect tense = taking a bite, then another and another of) the grain - Rubbing is the verb psocho (5597 - only use in the Bible [none in Lxx] - hapax legomenon) in the present tense (continually rubbing). Rubbing them in their hands is recorded only by Luke and as noted above is significant for this act is what the Pharisees interpreted as performing the work of threshing on the Sabbath! Ralph Earle - Plummer comments: "According to Rabbinical notions, it was reaping, thrashing, winnowing, and preparing food all at once"—all of which were forbidden on the Sabbath." He then adds: "Luke alone mentions the rubbing, and the word psochein seems to occur elsewhere only in the medical writer Nicander" (Borrow Word meanings in the New Testament) (See some of the the Rabbinical rules below regarding the Sabbath) Grainfields (4702)(sporimos from speiro = to sow) is an adjective (in neuter plural = tá spórima) which pertains to being sown and thus means sown fields, fields of growing grain (Three times in the NT = Mt. 12:1; Mark 2:23; Luke 6:1 and in the Septuagint only in Gen. 1:29 - twice and Lev. 11:37). The grain is most likely either wheat or barley and since it was ripe enough to eat, this event probably occurred in either spring or summer. Sabbath (4521)(sabbaton from shabath - 07673 = to cease from work, intermission - see note on shabath) in this context refers to the seventh day of the week, held sacred by the Jews (Mt 12:8; Mk 2:27f; Lk 6:7, 9; Jn 5:9f, 18; Acts 1:12; 13:27, 44) Sabbath = The Sabbath day (Sabbath is from a verb meaning “to cease, ““to desist,” or “to rest” cf. Ge. 2:2) was given to the Jews after they came out of Egypt (Ex. 20:8-11; Neh. 9:14) and was a special sign between Jehovah and His chosen people (Ex 31:13-17). It was to be a day of rest, refreshment, and worship for God's people. It was also a covenant sign indicative of Jehovah's authority in the nation of Israel. No other nation was given a Sabbath (cf Ps 147:19-20). When Israel kept the Sabbath, they showed the pagan nations that they were a distinctive people and were subject to their God. Keeping Sabbath was in a sense a way of demonstrating Israel's trust in God, trusting that He would honor their labors with fruit. We may plant the seeds and water them, but it is God who gives the increase (1 Cor 3:6). But the Jews had begun to cherish the Sabbath as a religious ritual. Jesus is in a sense "declaring war" on the religious establishment which worshiped the Sabbath but not necessarily the God of the Sabbath. Luke's uses of sabbaton - Lk. 4:16; Lk. 4:31; Lk. 6:1; Lk. 6:2; Lk. 6:5; Lk. 6:6; Lk. 6:7; Lk. 6:9; Lk. 13:10; Lk. 13:14; Lk. 13:15; Lk. 13:16; Lk. 14:1; Lk. 14:3; Lk. 14:5; Lk. 18:12; Lk. 23:54; Lk. 23:56; Lk. 24:1; Acts 1:12; Acts 13:14; Acts 13:27; Acts 13:42; Acts 13:44; Acts 15:21; Acts 16:13; Acts 17:2; Acts 18:4; Acts 20:7 Picking (5089)(tillo) means to pluck, to pull, to pull out commonly used to describe the action of picking or plucking something such as grass or heads of grain. Tillo was used in medicine to pull out hairs. This verb is incorporated in the name of a disorder known as trichotillomania in which people compulsively pull out their hair. Uses only in the synoptic accounts in Matt. 12:1; Mk. 2:23; Lk. 6:1. Liddell-Scott has other meanings in classic Greek - to tear one's hair in sorrow for any one, metaphorically to pluck, vex, annoy. Three times in the Septuagint - Ezra 9:3 ("pulled some of the hair from my head and my beard" - in great distress), Isa 18:7, Da 7:4. Heads of grain (4719)(stachus) describes the the fruiting spike of a cereal grain, head or ear (of grain). It also means (not used this way in NT) the flower of the aromatic plant spikenard, shaped like a head of grain. Louw-Nida says stachus refers to "the dense spiky cluster in which the seeds of grain such as wheat and barley grow (restricted in NT contexts to references to wheat)" In Romans 16:9 it is a proper name of a man Stachys. L-S says that in classic Greek it could refer generally to a scion, child, progeny. This noun is frequently used in the Septuagint and in Greek literature denoting an “ear of corn (grain).” Stachus is used repeatedly in the Septuagint in the prophecy God gave to Joseph about the "seven ears of grain." (Ge 41:5) that resulted in him being elevated to the position of power in Egypt second only to Pharaoh. This is the word used in the providential meeting of Boaz and Ruth "And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after one in whose sight I may find favor.” And she said to her, “Go, my daughter.”" (Ru 2:2). It is used in Dt 23:25 "When you enter your neighbor’s standing grain, then you may pluck the heads with your hand, but you shall not wield a sickle in your neighbor’s standing grain." Rubbing (present tense)(5597)(psocho) means to rub to something under pressure so as to make it smaller and in this only NT use speaks of rubbing grain between one's hands. One might say this was akin to "threshing" with one's hands separating the husk from the grain, and that's exactly how the legalistic rabbis and Pharisees interpreted it! The word does not appear in Greek literature before the Christian Era. Gilbrant - A very rare verb, possibly a medical term originally, psōchō means “to rub” or “to rub to pieces” (Marshall, New International Greek Testament Commentary, Luke, p.231). The word does not appear in Greek literature before the Christian Era. In the New Testament it occurs only in Luke 6:1. There the term indicates that the disciples were rubbing the heads of wheat with their hands. Liddell-Scott - ψώχω, (ψώω) rub so as to break up, separate, etc., ψ. τοὺς στάχυας ταῖς χερσί Ev.Luc.6.1, cf. Dsc.5.159, Diog.Oen.fr.9 ii 13 S. (Pass.):—Med., Nic.Th.629, cf. κατα-σώχω. Eating (2068) esthio literally means to eat, take something in through the mouth (Mt 15:32; Mk 2:26; 7:28; Lk 22:30); Esthio in Luke and Acts - Lk. 4:2; Lk. 5:30; Lk. 5:33; Lk. 6:1; Lk. 6:4; Lk. 7:33; Lk. 7:34; Lk. 7:36; Lk. 8:55; Lk. 9:13; Lk. 9:17; Lk. 10:7; Lk. 10:8; Lk. 12:19; Lk. 12:22; Lk. 12:29; Lk. 12:45; Lk. 13:26; Lk. 14:1; Lk. 14:15; Lk. 15:16; Lk. 15:23; Lk. 17:8; Lk. 17:27; Lk. 17:28; Lk. 22:8; Lk. 22:11; Lk. 22:15; Lk. 22:16; Lk. 22:30; Lk. 24:43;Acts 9:9; Acts 10:13; Acts 10:14; Acts 11:7; Acts 23:12; Acts 23:21; Acts 27:35; m. Šabbat 7.2 This passage from the Mishnah, if at all representative of the kinds of prohibitions in Jesus’ day, reveals the strictness with which the commandment “to keep the Sabbath holy” was understood. A. The generative categories of acts of labor [prohibited on the Sabbath] are forty less one: B. (1) he who sews, (2) ploughs, (3) reaps, (4) binds sheaves, (5) threshes, (6) winnows, (7) selects [fit from unfit produce or crops], (8) grinds, (9) sifts, (10) kneads, (11) bakes; C. (12) who shears wool, (13) washes it, (14) beats it, (15) dyes it; D. (16) spins, (17) weaves, E. (18) makes two loops, (19) weaves two threads, (20) separates two threads; F. (21) ties, (22) unties, G. (23) sews two stitches, (24) tears in order to sew two stitches; H. (25) he who traps a deer, (26) slaughters it, (27) flays it, (28) salts it, (29) curds its hide, (30) scrapes it, and (31) cuts it up; I. (32) he who writes two letters, (33) erases two letters in order to write two letters; J. (34) he who builds, (35) tears down; K. (36) he who puts out a fire, (37) kindles a fire; L. (38) he who hits with a hammer; (39) he who transports an object from one domain to another— M. lo, these are the forty generative acts of labor less one. THOUGHT: The Pharisees as usual were "splitting hairs." Stated another way the Pharisees were straining out gnats and swallowing camels as Jesus accused them of in Mt 23:24 declaring "You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!" Jesus was saying that the Pharisees picked out the smallest and least points to focus on (which in fact were not even God's commandments but men's additions - see the "addition" in "B.(1)" above), while completely ignoring the most important matters, like compassion (they could care less that Jesus' disciples were hungry!). Jesus uses hyperbole imagining someone about to take a drink of water from a cup, noticing that there is a tiny gnat (pix) in it, and straining the water to remove the gnat and then drinks the water, never noticing that there was a camel floating in the cup (so to speak of course!) Jesus makes the point rather dramatically that the religious leaders were focusing on lesser matters written by fallen men, while completely ignoring the more important matters of the holy God! Isn't that what our flesh is so prone to do! We all have a bit of "Pharisee" in us from time to time. Lord, deliver us by Your Spirit and the Law of the LORD which is perfect reviving our souls. In Jesus Name. Amen (Ps 19:7+). Background on the Sabbath Rules John MacArthur on the endless number of Sabbath rules - "The Talmud devotes twenty-four chapters to Sabbath regulations, describing in painfully exhaustive detail what was and was not permitted to be done. The result was a ridiculously complex system of external behavior restraints—so much so that one rabbi spent two and a half years studying just one of the twenty-four chapters! For example, traveling more than 3,000 feet from home was forbidden. But if one had placed food at the 3,000 foot point before the Sabbath, that point would then be considered a home, since there was food there, and allow another 3,000 feet of travel. Similarly, a piece of wood or a rope placed across the end of a narrow street or alley constituted a doorway. That could then be considered the front door of one’s house, and permit the 3,000 feet of travel to begin there. There were also regulations about carrying items. Something lifted up in a public place could only be set down in a private place, and vice versa. An object tossed into the air could be caught with the same hand, but if it was caught with the other hand, it would be a Sabbath violation. If a person had reached out to pick up food when the Sabbath began, the food had to be dropped; to bring the arm back while holding the food would be to carry a burden on the Sabbath. It was forbidden to carry anything heavier than a dried fig (though something weighing half as much could be carried two times). A tailor could not carry his needle, a scribe his pen, or a student his books. Only enough ink to write two letters (of the alphabet) could be carried. A letter could not be sent, not even with a non-Jew. Clothes could not be examined or shaken out before being put on because an insect might be killed in the process, which would be work. No fire could be lit, or put out. Cold water could be poured into warm water, but not warm into cold. An egg could not be cooked, not even by placing it in hot sand during the summer. Nothing could be sold or bought. Bathing was forbidden, lest water be spilled on the floor and wash it. Moving a chair was not allowed, since it might make a rut in a dirt floor, which was too much like plowing. Women were forbidden to look in a mirror, since if they saw a white hair, they might be tempted to pull it out. Other forbidden things included sowing, plowing, reaping, binding sheaves, threshing, winnowing, grinding, kneading, baking, shearing, washing, beating, dyeing, or spinning wool, tying or untying a knot, catching, killing, or skinning a deer, salting its meat, or preparing its skin....It was to people crushed by the unbearable burden (Matt. 23:4; Luke 11:46; Acts 15:10) of manmade, legalistic regulations that the Lord Jesus Christ said, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light” (Matt. 11:28-30+). (See Luke Commentary) Warren Wiersbe on the Sabbath - The sanctity of the seventh day was a distinctive part of the Jewish faith. God gave Israel the Sabbath law at Sinai (Neh. 9:13-14) and made it a sign between Him and the nation (Ex. 20:8-11; 31:12-17). The word Sabbath means "rest" and is linked with God's cessation of work after the six days of Creation (Ge 2:2-3). Some of the rabbis taught that Messiah could not come until Israel had perfectly kept the Sabbath (ED: ACTUALLY TWO SABBATHS), so obeying this law was very important both personally and nationally. To call Sunday "the Sabbath" is to confuse the first day and the seventh day and what each signifies. The Sabbath is a reminder of the completion of "the old Creation," while the Lord's Day is a reminder of our Lord's finished work in "the new Creation" (2 Cor. 5:21; Eph 2:10; Eph 4:24). The Sabbath speaks of rest after work and relates to the Law, while the Lord's Day speaks of rest before work and relates to grace. The Lord's Day commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead as well as the coming of the Holy Spirit and the "birthday" of the church (Acts 2). The early church met on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1-2). However, some Jewish believers kept the Sabbath, and this sometimes led to division. Paul addressed this problem in Romans 14:1-15:13 where he gave principles to promote both liberty and unity in the church. But Paul always made it clear that observing special days had nothing to do with salvation (Gal. 4:1-11; Col. 2:8-17). We are not saved from sin by faith in Christ plus keeping the Sabbath. We are saved by faith in Christ alone. By their strict and oppressive rules, the Pharisees and scribes had turned the Sabbath Day into a burden instead of the blessing God meant it to be, and Jesus challenged both their doctrine and their authority. He had announced a new "Year of Jubilee" (Luke 4:19), and now He would declare a new Sabbath. He had already healed a lame man on the Sabbath, and the religious leaders had determined to kill Him (John 5:18; also John 5:16). Now He was to violate their Sabbath laws on two more occasions. (Borrow Be Compassionate - Luke 1-13) Alfred Edersheim has a lengthy discussion on the man-made rules that were to be followed on the Sabbath, writing "The terribly exaggerated views of the Rabbis, and their endless, burdensome rules about the Sabbath may best be learned from a brief analysis of the Mishnah, as further explained and enlarged in the Jerusalem Talmud. [6476] For this purpose a brief analysis of what is, confessedly, one of the most difficult tractates may here be given." (See Appendix xvii. The Ordinances and Law of the Sabbath as Laid Down in the Mishnah and the Jerusalem Talmud) Related Resources on Sabbath: American Church Dictionary Sabbath American Tract Society Sabbath Bridgeway Bible Dictionary Sabbath Baker Evangelical Dictionary Sabbath Charles Buck Dictionary Sabbath Easton's Bible Dictionary Sabbath Day's Journey Sabbath Fausset Bible Dictionary Sabbath Holman Bible Dictionary Sabbath Sabbath Day's Journey Second Sabbath Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Sabbath Day's Journey Sabbath Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Sabbath Sabbath Sabbath Day's Journey Smith Bible Dictionary Sabbath Vines' Expository Dictionary Sabbath Wilson's Bible Types Sabbath Watson's Theological Dictionary Sabbath Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia Sabbath and Feasts International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia Sabbath McClintock - Sabbath Sabbath - Multiple Dictionaries, Naves and ISBE What is the Sabbath day? from "Got Questions?" How is Jesus our Sabbath Rest? How can we enter into God’s rest? Rest in the Bible - a detailed discussion Does God require Sabbath-keeping of Christians? What day is the Sabbath, Saturday or Sunday? Do Christians have to obey the Old Testament law? What does it mean to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy? Is working on Sunday a sin? ILLUSTRATION - Captain Eddie Rickenbacker and seven crew members ditched their plane into the Pacific Ocean on October 21, 1942, and found themselves stranded on three rafts with no water and only four oranges. Tying their boats together, they drifted day after day without food or water, sometimes delirious, tortured by the relentless sun, and constantly encircled by the triangular dorsal fins of sharks. What followed is one of the most incredible stories of our time. "If it weren't for the fact that I had seven witnesses," Rickenbacker later said, "I wouldn't dare tell this story because it seems so fantastic." The men credited their amazing survival to something in the pocket of Private Johnny Bartek. It was a pocket-sized, khaki-bound New Testament with a zipper arrangement that made it waterproof. From the beginning, Bartek, a devoted Bible student, maintained his morning and evening devotions. All the men began joining him. Starting in Matthew's Gospel, they soon came to Mt 6:31-34. It immediately became their hope, inspiration, and prayer. Matthew 6:31-34... Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? [32] (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. [33] But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. [34] Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. This passage was like an anchor for these men floating at sea. As the men read those verses day after day, provisions arrived in the nick of time and in very bizarre ways. Just when they were near starvation, for example, a bird would inexplicably land on Rickenbacker's head and they would grab it, carve it up for food, and use its innards for fishing bait. Just when they were near death by thirst, a cloud would drift over and fill their raft with drinking water. Later, one of the men, Lieutenant James Whittaker, wrote a best-selling account of the ordeal entitled We Thought We Heard the Angels Sing, in which he described finding faith in the Lord Jesus Christ during those 21 never-to-be-forgotten days. Whittaker said, "I don't think there was a man of us who didn't thank God for that little khaki-covered book. It led us to prayer and prayer led us to safety." Thank God we have a Lord who can satisfy our cravings! His love squelches our loneliness. His serenity smothers our sadness. His fulness leaves us full and satisfied. (Rod Mattoon - Treasures from the Scriptures) Luke 6:2 But some of the Pharisees said, "Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" NET Luke 6:2 But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is against the law on the Sabbath?" GNT Luke 6:2 τινὲς δὲ τῶν Φαρισαίων εἶπαν, Τί ποιεῖτε ὃ οὐκ ἔξεστιν τοῖς σάββασιν; NLT Luke 6:2 But some Pharisees said, "Why are you breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?" KJV Luke 6:2 And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days? ESV Luke 6:2 But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?" NIV Luke 6:2 Some of the Pharisees asked, "Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?" ASV Luke 6:2 But certain of the Pharisees said, Why do ye that which it is not lawful to do on the sabbath day? CSB Luke 6:2 But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" NKJ Luke 6:2 And some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?" NRS Luke 6:2 But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?" YLT Luke 6:2 and certain of the Pharisees said to them, 'Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbaths?' Why Lk 6:7-9; 5:33; Matthew 12:2; 15:2; 23:23,24; Mark 2:24; John 5:9-11,16; 9:14-16 not Exodus 22:10; 31:15; 35:2; Numbers 15:32-35; Isaiah 58:13 Luke 5:1-6:16 The Gathering of Disciples - Darrell Bock Luke 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 6:1-5 Jesus: The Divine Truth Teller - John MacArthur Luke 5:33-6:5 Avoiding Gospel Killjoys - Steven Cole THE PHARISEES' FALSE ALLEGATION Parallel passages - Words in bold not found in Luke Matthew 12:2+ But when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples do what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” Mark 2:24+ The Pharisees were saying to (imperfect tense = over and over they were questioning) Him, “Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?” But some of the Pharisees (pharisaios) said - Now where did these "brood of vipers" (Mt 3:7+) come from? It is interesting that in the first two SABBATH SCENES (#1 and #2) described above, there is no mention of opposition from the Pharisees. Notice however that after Jesus had cast out the demon in SABBATH SCENE #2 the result was that "the report about Him was spreading into every locality in the surrounding district." (Lk 4:37+). So most likely somewhere about this time the "spiritual antennae" (so to speak) of the Pharisees began to "vibrate." Jesus was now no longer incognito but "on the radar" of the Pharisees! Mark is more descriptive writing "The Pharisees were saying to Him, “Look, why are they doing (poieo in present tense = continually doing) what is (ou = absolutely) not lawful (exesti) on the Sabbath?” (sabbaton) (Mk 2:24+) Were saying is in the imperfect tense picturing the pernicious Pharisees as questioning Jesus again and again. You can almost hear them prattle on! These legalists were ever on high alert to find "legal" (their version of legal, not God's!) violations by Jesus, ever looking for some accusation that would stick against Him in their religious courts so they could debunk this dangerous (to their reputations and pocket books!) "Miracle Worker." As Wiersbe laments "How tragic that their slavish devotion to religious rules blinded them to the true ministry of the Law as well as the very presence of the Lord who gave them the Law." (Borrow Be Compassionate - Luke 1-13) Why do you do what is not lawful (exesti) on the Sabbath (sabbaton)? - Once again Jesus ruffles Pharisaical feathers by violating their man-made rules and traditions. If you compare the parallel passages in Matthew and Mark, you notice that the Pharisees make the accusation against Jesus, but Luke records they address their question to the disciples for here the "you" is plural (including both Jesus and His disciples). Both versions are compatible because Mark says they were saying this over and over, so sometimes they alluded to the disciples and sometimes to Jesus as their Leader. As described above, the Pharisees and Scribes had turned the Sabbath Day into a burden instead of the blessing God meant it to be for the people (See MacArthur's examples of the ridiculous burdens these vipers added to the Word of God and in effect "set aside the commandment of God in order to keep their traditions." Mk 7:9+). Steeped in their man-made laws and regulations, they saw this as unlawful although God had not stated it was unlawful. As discussed above it was lawful to pick grain from another's field to satisfy hunger (Dt. 23:25+). In short, they were not breaking the Sabbath based on God's Word. At the institution of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Moses was told by God regarding Sabbaths, "On the first day you shall have a holy assembly, and another holy assembly on the seventh day; no work at all shall be done on them, EXCEPT what must be eaten by every person, that alone may be prepared by you." (Ex 12:16+). The disciples were "preparing" the grain for themselves. Notice they were not roasting it or cooking it in any way, simply eating it to satisfy their hunger. The legalists had made their own rules many of which were utterly ridiculous but all of which made keeping them a great burden. It is fascinating that men's rules were far more difficult and detailed are restrictive than God's rules! If the Pharisees' were alive today, their theme song would likely be Tevye's "Tradition" in Fiddler on the Roof, a good song but a bad practice. Edersheim on why it was not lawful on the Sabbath - On any ordinary day this would have been lawful; but on the Sabbath it involved, according to the Rabbinic statutes, at least two sins, viz., plucking the ears, which was reaping, and rubbing them in their hands (Luke 6:1), which was sifting, grinding, or fanning. The Talmud says: 'In case a woman rolls wheat to remove the husks, it is considered as sifting; if she rubs the heads of wheat, it is regarded as threshing; if she cleans off the side-adherencies, it is sifting out fruit; if she bruises the ears, it is grinding; if she throws them up in her hand, it is winnowing'" (Life and Times of Jesus) Warren
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Robertson comments - Mark alone has this profound saying which subordinates the Sabbath to man's real welfare (mankind, observe, generic article with anthrōpos, class from class). Man was not made for the Sabbath as the rabbis seemed to think with all their petty rules about eating an egg laid on the sabbath (!) or looking in the glass, etc. See 2 Macc. 5:19RSV and Mechilta on Ex 31:13: "The sabbath is delivered unto you and ye are not delivered unto the sabbath." Christianity has had to fight this same battle about institutionalism. The church itself is for man, not man for the church."
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Robertson comments on the addition of even in Mark 2:28 writing that "Mark, Matthew (Matthew 12:8), and Luke (Luke 6:5) all give this as a climax in the five reasons given by Christ on the occasion for the conduct of the disciples, but Mark has the little word "even" (kai) not in the others, showing that Jesus knew that He was making a great claim as the Son of Man, the Representative Man, the Messiah looked at from His human interest, to lordship (kurios) even of the Sabbath. He was not the slave of the Sabbath, but the Master of it. "Even of the Sabbath, so invaluable in your eyes. Lord, not to abolish, but to interpret and keep in its own place, and give it a new name" (Bruce).
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Robertson notes chose is from "The same root (leg) used for picking out, selecting and then for saying. There was a large group of "disciples" or "learners" whom He "called" to Him (prosphoneo), and from among whom He chose (of Himself, and for Himself, indirect middle voice (of eklego). It was a crisis in the work of Christ. Jesus assumed full responsibility even for the choice of Judas who was not forced upon Jesus by the rest of the Twelve. "You did not choose me, but I chose you," (John 15:16, cf Jn 15:19, Jn 6:70, 13:18) where Jesus uses eklego as here by Luke. John MacArthur on chose (eklego) - Like Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, and all the prophets, the twelve disciples were chosen by God's sovereign will and for His sovereign purpose, being foreordained to His service before the foundation of the world. That has always been God's way. He divinely chose Israel, He divinely chose His prophets and His apostles, and He divinely chooses those today who become the leaders of His own Body, the church. Acts 13:1-4 and Acts 20:28 clearly teach that the Holy Spirit sovereignly places men in leadership in the church. (See Matthew Commentary) He also named as apostles (apostolos) - These were disciples who were also apostles, which identifies those Who Jesus sent out as messengers and those to whom He delegated authority. Luke does not elaborate on the authority Jesus gave these 12, but both Mark and Luke give us additional details. Mark says that Jesus "appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, 15 and to have authority (exousia = the right and the might!) to cast out the demons." (Mk 3:14-15+). Matthew's description is similar stating that Jesus "gave them authority (exousia = the right and the might!) over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal (therapeuo) every kind of disease and every kind of sickness." (Mt 10:1+) In summary, Jesus gave authority to the 12 apostles (presumably also Judas Iscariot!) over demons and diseases, to cast out the former and heal the latter. Notice however that their primary objective was not these "miraculous deeds" but was to preach (Mk 3:14), the verb kerusso (see study of this interesting verb) which means to herald (as a herald [kerux/keryx] would publicly cry out a king's proclamation) the message of Jesus, almost certainly referring to their public proclamation of the Gospel of the Kingdom (cf Lk 9:1-2 below). Kerusso is the very verb Jesus used when He issued His parting commission to the apostles to "Go into all the world and preach (aorist imperative = Conveys a sense of urgency) the Gospel (euaggelion) to all creation." (Mk 16:15) Matthew records that Jesus began His ministry in Galilee "proclaiming (kerusso) the Gospel (euaggelion) of the kingdom" (Mt 4:23, cf Mt 9:35, Mt 24:14, 26:13, Mk 1:14, Mk 13:10, 14:9, Lk 4:18, Lk 8:1 - all these passages have the combination of kerusso and euaggelion) John
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Robertson writes the word apostle (apostolos) "is derived from apostellō, to send (Latin, mitto) and apostle is missionary, one sent. Jesus applies the term (apostolos) to Himself (John 17:3) as does Hebrews 3:1-note. The word is applied to others, like Barnabas, besides these twelve including the Apostle Paul who is on a par with them in rank and authority, and even to mere messengers of the churches (2 Cor. 8:23). But these twelve apostles stand apart from all others in that they were all chosen at once by Jesus himself "that they might be with him" (Mark 3:14), to be trained by Jesus himself and to interpret him and his message to the world. In the nature of the case they could have no successors as they had to be personal witnesses to the life and resurrection of Jesus (Acts 1:22). The selection of Matthias to succeed Judas cannot be called a mistake, but it automatically ceased." MacArthur gives the Jewish background on apostles - The concept of an apostle can be traced to the Jewish concept of the shaliach, which also referred to a messenger sent with full authority to act on behalf of another. Some rabbis, for example, were sent to the Diaspora (Jews living outside of Palestine) with authority to act on behalf of the Sanhedrin on various matters. A shaliach could also act on behalf of an individual, similar to the modern-day legal concept of power of attorney. Thus in Jewish practice, the shaliach was the same as the one who sent him (cf. John 13:20; Gal. 4:14). David, for example, proposed marriage to Abigail through messengers, and she signified her acceptance of his proposal by washing their feet (1 Sam. 25:40-42). Jesus’ designating the Twelve to act on His behalf would thus have been understood by everyone in that culture. (MacArthur New Testament Commentary – Luke 6-10) THE FOUR NT LISTS OF JESUS' DISCIPLES Matthew 10:2-4 Mark 3:16-19 Luke 6:14-16 Acts 1:13 1 Simon Peter Simon Peter Simon Peter Peter 2 Andrew James Andrew John 3 James John James James 4 John Andrew John Andrew 5 Philip Philip Philip Philip 6 Bartholomew Bartholomew Bartholomew Thomas 7 Thomas Matthew Matthew Bartholomew 8 Matthew Thomas Thomas Matthew 9 James son of Alphaeus James son of Alphaeus James son of Alphaeus James son of Alphaeus 10 Thaddaeus Thaddaeus Judas son or brother of James Judas son or brother of James 11 Simon the Cananaean Simon the Cananaean Simon the Zealot Simon the Zealot 12 Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot Judas Iscariot -- GOTQUESTIONS Luke 6:13-16 Who were the twelve (12) disciples / apostles of Jesus Christ? Does the Bible record the death of the apostles? How did each of the apostles die? Who were the 70 (or 72) disciples in Luke 10? Was Matthias or Paul God's choice to replace Judas as the 12th apostle? What is an apostle? What are the biblical qualifications for apostleship? Rod Mattoon applies the principle of "sent ones" (apostle) to our lives. While we are not like Jesus' apostles, we are sent out as His ambassadors of the Great News: That responsibility continues today with us. We are His ambassadors and are to be sharing the truths of God's Word with others that need Him, and also with those who have already trusted in Him. We too, are walking Bibles and examples of truth. 2 Corinthians 3:2- You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 2 Corinthians 5:20- Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 1 Timothy 4:12- Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. ILLUSTRATION - The Greek word apostolos means someone who is sent out. It can be used for an envoy or an ambassador. They were to be his ambassadors to men. A little girl received in Sunday School, a lesson on the disciples. She did not get the word quite right because she was very young, and she came home and told her parents that she had been learning about Jesus' samples. Beloved, the ambassador is the man, who in a foreign land, represents his country. He is supremely the sample of his country. The Christian is ever sent to be an ambassador for Christ, not only by his words, but by his life and deeds. What kind of ambassador are you for the Lord? (Treasures from the Scriptures) Fly With The Eagles: Luke 6:12-16 He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles. —Luke 6:13 A well-known business leader commented on the winners and the losers in his profession. “The winners fly with eagles,” he said, “and the losers run with turkeys.” When Jesus selected the small group to whom He would entrust His mission in the world, the men appeared to be anything but “eagles.” Jesus knew that by His power and grace they could soar, but first He had to teach them to fly together. What a strange mix! There was Peter, impetuous and uncouth. Andrew was simple and believing, but Thomas had a question mark for a mind. Then consider Matthew and Simon. Matthew probably had held his post as tax collector by cooperating with the Romans. Simon the Zealot may have belonged to a guerrilla band determined to make life miserable for the foreign overlords of Rome by disrupting their trade or by rioting in the streets. Think of it—it would be a little like having one from the political right and one from the political left on the same church board. God builds His church with different stones, He makes each one belong; All shapes and sizes fit in place To make the structure strong. —Sper Unity among believers comes from our union with Christ. Steven J.
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Robertson - Simon heads the list (prōtos = first in Mt 10:2 = it does not refer to the order of selection, because Jesus called Andrew, Peter's brother, before He called Peter John 1:40-42. In this context, prōtos (first) indicates foremost in rank) in all four lists including Acts 1:13-14. He came to be first and foremost at the great Pentecost (Acts 2 and Acts 3). The apostles disputed a number of times as to which was greatest."
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Robertson points out "He gave no signs of treachery when chosen." For more discussion of the tragic traitor Judas see Dr John MacArthur's two part sermon series and his sermon from Matthew - Luke 6:16 Common Men, Uncommon Calling: Judas Iscariot, Part 1 Luke 6:16 Common Men, Uncommon Calling: Judas Iscariot, Part 2 Matthew 10:4 The Master's Men, Part 5: Judas Iscariot NET Note - There is some debate about what the name Iscariot means. It probably alludes to a region in Judea and thus might make Judas the only non-Galilean in the group. Several explanations for the name Iscariot have been proposed, but it is probably transliterated Hebrew with the meaning “man of Kerioth” (there are at least two villages that had that name). For further discussion see D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 1:546; also D. A. Carson, John, 304. Darrell Bock on the name Iscariot - The name Iscariot is much discussed. Four meanings are suggested (for three of these views, see Marshall 1978:240): (1) it alludes to a region (Kerioth) in Judea (Josh 15:25; Jer 48:24, 31); (2) it is an Aramaic term meaning "false one"; (3) it comes from the Latin sicarius, which means "dagger man"; (4) it means "dyer" and thus alludes to Judas's occupation. It is not clear what the exact force is, though the genitive references in John 6:71 and John 13:26 suggest a familial reference. This favors the first option (Schürmann 1969:318 n. 51). (The IVP New Testament Commentary Series – Luke)
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Robertson explains that Unclean spirit "is used as synonymous with demon (daimonion). It is the idea of estrangement from God (Zech 13:2 [ED: Zechariah is describing the future glorious Millennium - no demons! Hallelujah!]). The whole subject of demonology is difficult, but no more so than the problem of the devil." Troubled (KJV = vexed)(1776)(enochleo from en = in + ochleo = to disturb, trouble, harass with crowds from ochlos = a crowd) means to undergo hardship from continual annoyance, and is often used to describe mental or emotional turmoil. To be afflicted, to suffer, to trouble, to annoy, to molest. The only other NT use is in Hebrews 12:15 where enochleō refers to trouble that is caused by a root of bitterness and causes those affected to be defiled. The point is that if anyone “misses the grace of God” (NIV) or allows bitterness to grow in his heart, he will be troubled and will defile (miainō) many. Unclean (169)(akathartos from a = without + kathaíro = cleanse from katharos = clean, pure, free from the adhesion of anything that soils, adulterates, corrupts, in an ethical sense, free from corrupt desire, sin, and guilt) (See related word akatharsia) in a moral sense refers to that which is unclean in thought, word, and deed. It can describe a state of moral impurity, especially sexual sin and the word foul is an excellent rendering. The idea is that which morally indecent or filthy. It is not surprising that this word is repeatedly applied to filthy demonic spirits. They were not just "ceremonially unclean" but filthy and foul! And given that the evil one can shoot fiery missiles at our mind (Eph 6:16+) we need to daily be taking up the shield of faith! Ever have a filthy thought just come out of no where? While our fallen flesh is sufficiently depraved to account for random evil thoughts, unclean spirits could certainly be the contributing culprit on occasion. Luke uses akathartos 6x (5x modifying spirit and once modifying demon) in 6v all referring to the characteristic trait of demons = unclean! - Lk 4:33, 4:36, 6:18, 8:29, 9:42, 11:24. Here is an example of the effect Jesus' authority over the demons had on the crowds... And while he was still approaching, the demon dashed him to the ground, and threw him into a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, and healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the greatness of God. But while everyone was marveling at all that He was doing, He said to His disciples (Lk 9:42, 43+) Akathartos - 30v - Matt. 10:1; Matt. 12:43; Mk. 1:23; Mk. 1:26; Mk. 1:27; Mk. 3:11; Mk. 3:30; Mk. 5:2; Mk. 5:8; Mk. 5:13; Mk. 6:7; Mk. 7:25; Mk. 9:25; Lk. 4:33; Lk. 4:36; Lk. 6:18; Lk. 8:29; Lk. 9:42; Lk. 11:24; Acts 5:16; Acts 8:7; Acts 10:14; Acts 10:28; Acts 11:8; 1 Co. 7:14; 2 Co. 6:17; Eph. 5:5; Rev. 16:13; Rev. 17:4; Rev. 18:2 Unclean spirits - This phrase is found 23x in 23v - Zech. 13:2; Matt. 10:1; Matt. 12:43; Mk. 1:23; Mk. 1:26; Mk. 1:27; Mk. 3:11; Mk. 3:30; Mk. 5:2; Mk. 5:8; Mk. 5:13; Mk. 6:7; Mk. 7:25; Mk. 9:25; Lk. 4:36; Lk. 6:18; Lk. 8:29; Lk. 9:42; Lk. 11:24; Acts 5:16; Acts 8:7; Rev. 16:13; Rev. 18:2 Cured(2323)(therapeuo from therapon = an attendant, servant) means primarily to care for, to wait upon, minister to. It has two main senses in the NT, one speaking of rendering service (Acts 17:25). By far the more common use describing medical aspects such as to take care of the sick, to heal, to cure (Matt. 4:24; 12:10; Mark 1:34; Luke 6:7; 10:9), to recover health, to restore. Therapeúō means to heal miraculously in Matt. 4:23, 24; 10:1, 8; Acts 4:14. A T Robertson - The healings were repeated as often as they came (ED: Which is conveyed by the imperfect tense). Note here both verbs, iaomai and therapeuō, used of the miraculous cures of Jesus. Therapeuō is the verb more commonly employed of regular professional cures, but no such distinction is made here. (Word Pictures) Luke 6:19 And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all. KJV Luke 6:19 And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all. were trying to touch Him Nu 21:8,9; 2 Kings 13:21; Matthew 9:20,21; 14:36; Mark 3:10; 6:56; 8:22; John 3:14,15; Acts 5:15,16; 19:12 for power was coming from Him Lk 8:45,46; Mark 5:30; 1 Peter 2:9 Luke 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 6:17-19 The Popularity and Power of Jesus - John MacArthur Luke 6:12-19 The Master’s Men and Method - Steven Cole Related Passage: Lk 8:43-48 (cf Mt 9:20-22, Mk 5:25-34) And a woman who had a hemorrhage for twelve years, and could not be healed by anyone, 44 came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak, and immediately her hemorrhage stopped. 45 And Jesus said, “Who is the one who touched Me?” And while they were all denying it, Peter said, “Master, the people are crowding and pressing in on You.” 46 But Jesus said, “Someone did touch Me, for I was aware that power had gone out of Me.” 47 When the woman saw that she had not escaped notice, she came trembling and fell down before Him, and declared in the presence of all the people the reason why she had touched Him, and how she had been immediately healed. . 48 And He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace.” Mark 5:22-23 One of the synagogue officials named Jairus *came up, and on seeing Him, *fell at His feet and implored Him earnestly, saying, “My little daughter is at the point of death; please come and lay Your hands on her, so that she will get well and live.” Luke 18:15 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. Luke 4:14+ And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power (dunamis) of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district. Luke 5:17+ One day He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power (dunamis) of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing. JESUS' RADIATING POWER REMEDYING PEOPLE'S MALADIES And all the people were trying to touch Him - All means just that and is probably not hyperbole in this context. The imperfect tense pictures this crowd surging at Him again and again trying to touch Him, like the lapping of the waves of the sea touching the shoreline. They were seeking physical effects and were not seeking the more important spiritual healing that came from genuine belief in Him. For (hoti) is a term of explanation. What's Luke explaining? Clearly the news spread that all they had to do was touch Jesus and they would be healed. One can only imagine the intense pressure He must have felt and faced wherever He went! Power (dunamis) was coming from Him - Supernatural power was coming from is in the imperfect tense again pictures this as occurring over and over as the people sought to touch Him. No "power failures" with Jesus! After His temptation in the wilderness "Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit" (Lk 4:14+, cf "with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out” = Lk 4:36+). In Lk 5:17+ we read "the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing." (cf Lk 8:46+). Jesus first gave His 12 apostles "power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases," (Lk 9:1+), and then gave the 72 disciples “power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases" (Lk 10:19+). When Jesus entered Jerusalem, "the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles (dunamis) which they had seen" (Lk 19:37+). When Christ returns every one will see the Son of Man appear “with power and great glory,” (Lk 21:26-27+, Mt 24:30+) and "THE SON OF MAN WILL BE SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND of the power OF GOD.”(Lk 22:69+). Peter summarizes Jesus' power filled ministry in Acts declaring "you yourselves know the thing which took place throughout all Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. 38 “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power (dunamis), and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him." (Acts 10:37-38+). Allison A. Trites summarizes the transfer of Jesus' ministry to His apostles - Jesus’ power was passed on to his apostles, as is evident in Acts. The disciples were promised power from the Holy Spirit that would enable them to bear witness for Christ in ever-widening spheres (Acts 1:8). The apostles continued to perform miracles but claimed no “power” for themselves (Acts 3:12). When they were questioned about the source of their evident power, they attributed it to Jesus (Acts 4:10). They “testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus” (Acts 4:33). Similarly, Stephen, full of the Spirit (Acts 6:5), exhibited power in performing “amazing miracles and signs among the people” (Acts 6:8), and the same was true of Philip and Paul (Acts 8:13; 19:11). There was a case of fraudulent power presented by Simon the sorcerer, who called himself “the Power of God” (Acts 8:10), but he was sternly rebuked by Peter and told to repent (Acts 8:18-24). (Cornerstone Biblical Commentary – Volume 12: Luke and Acts) For power was coming from Him and healing (iaomai) them all - Observe that all were coming and healing was occurring in all. Healing is in the imperfect tense indicating over and over again, every person who came was healed. Jesus' ministry most likely resulted in a country with almost no one left who was sick, ill or demon possessed, so widespread were His miracles. THOUGHT - Robertson has a pithy application point - The preacher today who is not a vehicle of power from Christ to men may well question why that is true. Undoubtedly the failure to get a blessing is one reason why many people stop going to church. One may turn to Paul's tremendous words in Phil. 4:13+: "I have strength for all things in him who keeps on pouring power into me". It was at a time of surpassing dynamic spiritual energy when Jesus delivered this greatest of all sermons so far as they are reported to us. The very air was electric with spiritual power. There are such times as all preachers know. Touch (681)(hapto) means to grasp, to lay hold of with the basic meaning of touching for the purpose of manipulating. Hapto conveys the sense handling of an object as to exert a modifying influence upon it or upon oneself. The majority of the 39 uses are in the Gospels and are associated with Jesus touching someone (or someone touching Him) usually with a beneficial effect. In contrast the use in 1Jn 5:18 speaks of touching with the intent of a negative or harmful effect (cp harmful sense in Lxx of Ge 26:11, Ex 19:12). Four uses refer to lighting a lamp (Lk 8:17, 11:33, 15:8) or kindling a fire (Acts 28:2). Paul uses it of touching a woman, apparently a euphemism for sexual contact (2Cor 7:1, cp Abimelech "had not come near" [Lxx = haptomai] Sarah - Ge 20:4,6; see hapto in Pr 6:29). In Ge 32:25 (cp Ge 32:32) Hapto/haptomai is used over 100 times in the Septuagint (Lxx). The first use of hapto in Ge 3:3 is by the woman who misquoted God's command saying "You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.’” God touched the socket of Jacob's thigh resulting in dislocation while they wrestled! Hapto/haptomai is used in Leviticus numerous times of touching something with a negative impact (the majority of uses are negative and refer to touching something unclean e.g., Lev 5:2) or positive impact (consecrated - Lev 6:27). In Jdg 6:21 the Angel of the LORD touched Gideon's offering of meat and it was consumed (cp 1Ki 19:7). In Ru 2:9 Boaz instructed the servants not to touch Ruth apparently referring to touching her roughly. (cp Ru 2:9NLT). 1Sa 10:26 refers to God touching hearts of the valiant men. Of the wings of the cherubim touching each other (1Ki 6:27, 2Chr 3:11). Of an angel touching Elijah (1Ki 19:5). In 1Chr 16:22 hapto/haptomai is used in a negative sense - "Do not touch My anointed ones, And do My prophets no harm." In Isa 6:7 (hapto used twice) the angel touched Isaiah's mouth and his iniquity was taken away. Jehovah touched (Lxx - hapto) Jeremiah's mouth, placing His words in his mouth. (Jer 1:9) All Luke's uses of hapto - Lk. 5:13; Lk. 6:19; Lk. 7:14; Lk. 7:39; Lk. 8:16; Lk. 8:44; Lk. 8:45; Lk. 8:46; Lk. 8:47; Lk. 11:33; Lk. 15:8; Lk. 18:15; Lk. 22:51; Acts 28:2 Power (Miracles) (1411)(dunamis from dunamai = to be able, to have power) power especially achieving power. It refers to intrinsic power or inherent ability, the power or ability to carry out some function, the potential for functioning in some way (power, might, strength, ability, capability), the power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature. Dunamis is the implied ability or capacity to perform. It conveys the idea of effective, productive energy, rather than that which is raw and unbridled. Dunamis is the word generally used by Paul of divine energy. Scripture uses dunamis to describe deeds that exhibit the ability to function powerfully (deeds of power, miracles, wonders) (eg, see Mt 11:20, 23, 13:54, 58, etc) NET Note on power - There was a recognition that there was great power at work through Jesus, the subject of a great debate in Lk 11:14–23. Luke highlights Jesus’ healing ministry (Lk 5:17; 6:18; 7:7; 8:47; 9:11, 42; 14:4; 17:15; 18:42–43; 22:51; Acts 10:38). Healing (curing) (2390)(iaomai) means to cure, to heal, to restore. Iaomai is used literally of deliverance from physical diseases and afflictions and so to make whole, restore to bodily health or heal. To cause someone to achieve health after having been sick. In the passive it means to be healed or cured. Figuratively, iaomai speaks of deliverance from sin and its evil consequences and thus to restore (to spiritual good health), make whole, renew (Mt 13.15). In the passive, iaomai figuratively means to be restored, to recover or to be healed as in 1Pe 2.24. Iaomai refers primarily to physical healing in the NT (although clearly there is overlap because some of these instances involved demonic oppression - Lk 9:42), and much less commonly to spiritual healing or healing (saving) from "moral illnesses" and the consequences of sin. When used in this sense iaomai has much the same meaning as sozo, to save, make whole, restore to spiritual health. Here are the uses of iaomai used with a spiritual meaning = Mt 13:15, John 12:40, Acts 28:27 - preceding quotes from Isa 6:10, 1Pe 2:24 = quote from Isa 53:5. It is interesting that most of the NT uses in the Gospels refer to physical healing by Jesus (excepting the physical healing that resulted by release from demonic oppression). However in the OT (Lxx) uses iaomai refers primarily to spiritual healing by the Messiah (Isa 53:5, Isa 61:1, et al). Presumably the fact that Luke was a physician explains why he made frequent use of iaomai (14/26x). Matt. 8:8; Matt. 8:13; Matt. 13:15; Matt. 15:28; Mk. 5:29; Lk. 5:17; Lk. 6:18; Lk. 6:19; Lk. 7:7; Lk. 8:47; Lk. 9:2; Lk. 9:11; Lk. 9:42; Lk. 14:4; Lk. 17:15; Lk. 22:51; Jn. 4:47; Jn. 5:13; Jn. 12:40; Acts 9:34; Acts 10:38; Acts 28:8; Acts 28:27; Heb. 12:13; Jas. 5:16; 1 Pet. 2:24 Luke 6:20 And turning His gaze toward His disciples, He began to say, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. BGT Καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπάρας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ εἰς τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ ἔλεγεν· Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοί, ὅτι ὑμετέρα ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ. KJV And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. CSB Then looking up at His disciples, He said: You who are poor are blessed, because the kingdom of God is yours. NET Then he looked up at his disciples and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God belongs to you. YLT And he, having lifted up his eyes to his disciples, said: 'Happy the poor -- because yours is the reign of God. turning His gaze toward His disciples Matthew 5:2-12; 12:49,50; Mark 3:34,35 Blessed are you who are poor Lk 6:24; 4:18; 16:25; 1 Samuel 2:8; Psalms 37:16; 113:7,8; Proverbs 16:19; 19:1; Isaiah 29:19; Isaiah 57:15,16; 66:2; Zephaniah 3:12; Zechariah 11:11; Matthew 11:5; John 7:48,49; 1 Corinthians 1:26-29; 2 Corinthians 6:10; 8:2,9; 1 Thessalonians 1:6; James 1:9,10; 2:5; Revelation 2:9 for yours is the kingdom of God Lk 12:32; 13:28; 14:15; Matthew 5:3,10; Acts 14:22; 1 Corinthians 3:21-23; 2 Thessalonians 1:5; James 1:12 Luke 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 6:20-23 The Character of a True Christian-1 - John MacArthur Luke 6:20-26 How to Live Happily Ever After - Steven Cole Jesus and the Poor: Two Texts and a Tentative Conclusion - Hans Kvalbein The Poor in the Gospels and the Good News Proclaimed to Them - Jey J. Kanagaraj Luke 6:20-26 Characteristics of those in His kingdom - Beatitudes and Woes Luke 6:27-45 Practice of those in His kingdom - Commands Luke 6:46-49 Exhortation to those who consider Him - Parables and Illustrations Related Passages: Note beatitudes (and words) in bold are not in Luke. Matthew 5:3+ “Blessed are the poor (ptochos) in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (OF GOD) 4+ “Blessed are those who mourn, (WEEP) for they shall be comforted. (LAUGH) 5+ “Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth. 6+ “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7+ “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9+ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10+ “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11+ “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. 12+ “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. Luke 4:18 - “THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME, BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR (ptochos). HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO THE CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, JESUS GAZES AT THE DISCIPLES AND DROPS A BOMB! To drop a bomb means on reveals or says something totally unexpected, surprising, startling and shocking. On this day Jesus dropped a bombshell on the Jews and on the entire world of religiosity! In Luke 6:20-22 Jesus gives four radical statements describing four "paradoxical" blessings to four groups -- poor, hungry, weeping and detested. To the natural mind (1Co 2:14) Jesus' words seem utterly absurd and make absolutely no sense, because a natural man reads them from the world's perspective as referring to literal poverty, hunger, etc. However, to the one whose eyes have been opened to spiritual truth by the Holy Spirit, each of these conditions refers to spiritual conditions - poor in spirit, hungry for Jesus, mourning over sin, and persecuted for following Jesus. Jesus knows that it will not be easy being His disciple, and so with these four beatitudes He reassures and encourages any potential disciple with the truth that they will experience spiritual blessings in this life and in the life to come, in contrast to those who reject His offer of eternal life and forgiveness of sins. Steven Cole aptly titles Lk 6:20-26 "How to Live Happily Ever After!" Naturally the world considers this type of thinking as sheer narrow-minded lunacy! But on the contrary, this foolishness is the pinnacle of wisdom! Warren
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Robertson - The word accents the actual inner state rather than the outward appearance as another sees it… It is important to note that in the discussion of righteousness which is to follow Jesus assumes the new heart (Ed: Or serves to challenge unbelievers to believe in Jesus and receive a new heart), which alone makes it possible to come up to the lofty ethical standard here set up. Rob
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Robertson says "it is a long process to get the pupil patched up to the plane of his teacher." It was used in Mt 4:21+ of torn fishing nets which were repaired and capable of fulfilling their purpose of catching fish (cf Mk 1:19+). Is this not a great metaphor of a disciple who after being rendered fit and complete are to fulfill their purpose of "catching fish," as "fishers of men!" All uses of katartizo - Matt. 4:21; Matt. 21:16; Mk. 1:19; Lk. 6:40; Rom. 9:22; 1 Co. 1:10; 2 Co. 13:11; Gal. 6:1; 1 Thess. 3:10; Heb. 10:5; Heb. 11:3; Heb. 13:21; 1 Pet. 5:10 Luke 6:41 "Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? KJV Luke 6:41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? why Matthew 7:3-5; Romans 2:1,21-24 but 2 Samuel 12:5-7; 20:9,10,20,21; 1 Kings 2:32; 1 Chronicles 21:6; Psalms 36:2; Jeremiah 17:9; Ezekiel 18:28; John 8:7,40-44; James 1:24 Luke 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 6:39-45 The Danger of Following the Wrong Spiritual Teacher - John MacArthur Luke 6:36-45 Judging Others, Judging Self - Steven Cole Luke 6:17-49 Jesus' Teaching - Darrell Bock Related Passages: Matthew 15:14 “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.” Matthew 23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple is obligated.’ Matthew 23:24 “You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Matthew 7:3-5+ Why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 “Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye? 5 “You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Galatians 6:1-2+ Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. 2 Bear (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey)one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. The Metropolitan Museum of Art DISCIPLES ARE NOT TO BE SPECK INSPECTORS! Why do you look (blepo) at the speck (karphos) that is in your brother's eye - Jesus has a sense of humor as is clear from this illustration of the absurdity of sitting in judgment on other people. Like a good (God) Teacher, Jesus asks another rhetorical question thus putting the ball in His hearer's court, so to speak. Questions should evoke a response, either in one's thinking or in actually answering the question. It's a great way to teach or preach and makes it much more difficult for the hearer to be passive. How ludicrous would it be for a man with a huge beam in his eye to even be able to see a fleck of dust in another's eye and propose to remove it! The beam Jesus describes is so large that the man could not even get in close proximity to the one with the speck! "Eye doctors" who themselves cannot see to perform the delicate maneuvers necessary to perform speck removal! The Speck is a small piece of wood (like a piece of sawdust), chaff, or straw and is used figuratively of faults (defects of secondary importance, slight imperfections, minor personal faults, small moral faults) we detect and pick on in others. This person focuses on the small speck as if it were some major spiritual flaw, something of vital importance! "Speck was used by Classical Greek writers for the material that made up a bird's nest. Therefore, we are talking about bits of plant material and similar insignificant small items." (Utley) Brother's in this context could refer either to other Jews (cf. Lk 14:12; Acts 2:29 cf. Lk 6:22, Acts 2:37; 3:17; 7:2) or possibly to other believers (cf. Lk 17:3; Lk 22:32; Acts 1:15; Acts 6:3) People who are constantly criticizing others are usually guilty of something worse in their own lives. -- Warren Wiersbe But do not notice (katanoeo in present tense - But is a term of contrast, in this case contrasting two ways of looking, at others versus at one's self, at the man in the mirror. And as an aside when I look at my face in the mirror each morning, I am looking at my worst problem (fallen flesh, the old man, sinful self and selfishness)! You absolutely (the negative is "ou" - absolute negation) and continually fail to consider carefully or be concerned about the log (dokos) that is in your own eye! This is a dramatic hyperbole, because as alluded to above the log (or beam) refers to a huge plank, like the main central supporting beam of a building, and stands in dramatic contrast to a small speck. As someone has well said fault-finders seldom find anything else. Inspect your own life before you look for specks in others. Steven
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Robertson - Here (NOW IS) twice as in Luke 6:21 in contrast with future punishment. The joys and sorrows in these two verses are turned round, measure for measure reversed. The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31) illustrate these contrasts in the present and the future. For - term of explanation. What's Jesus explaining? You shall be hungry (peinao) - Shall be is future tense, which is very apropos for indeed their future will be TENSE! Jesus prophesies that the end of the satisfied ones would be very "unsatisfactory" for they would be hungry. Do you understand what He is saying? Jesus is speaking ultimately in the inversion of their fate from fortunate in this world (now) to unfortunate in the world to come. Whether He means literal (hungry in hell!) or figurative hunger or both, without question they will be "spiritually hungry" forever for Paul writes they are removed "away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power." (2Th 1:9+) This truth should break our heart and motivate a fire and passion within us to share the Gospel while there is still time. We see a parallel prophecy of contrasting fates for the righteous and the unrighteous in Isaiah 65:13-14) Therefore, thus says the Lord GOD, Behold, My servants will eat, but you will be hungry. Behold, My servants will drink, but you will be thirsty. Behold, My servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame. Behold, My servants shall shout joyfully with a glad heart, But you shall cry out with a heavy heart, And you shall wail with a broken spirit. Woe (ouai) to you who laugh (galeo) now, for you shall mourn (pentheo) and weep (klaio) - This woe is no "laughing matter" and is similar in that it is directed at those who enjoy merriment in this life, will mourn and weep in the life to come. There used to be a popular beer commercial which could be the "tagline" for this verse - "You only go around once. Grab for all the gusto you can." Mattoon - The context of the passage indicates Jesus is referring to those who laugh because they have a careless and unconcerned attitude toward God, their sin, and their soul. They have a party mentality that says, "Live it up now! Do your own thing! I can live any way I want and I don't care what you say! I don't care about God!" Those who lean upon the pillar of party mentality have no sense about sin and its destructiveness. They have no shame, sorrow, or regret over their sin and are unconcerned about its consequences or judgment. Brokenness over the cross of Calvary does not enter their mind. (cf the "woe" of Php 3:18-19). (Treasures from the Scriptures) King James Bible Commentary on Lk 6:25-30 - Here Jesus is seeking to inculcate a godly spirit, which is exactly the opposite of how we normally react to situations around us. The point is that a man must be a Christian before he can exhibit Christian behavior. (Free to use KJV Bible Commentary.) Well fed (filled)(1705)(empiplemi from en = in + pimplemi = to fill) means to make full and in NT used only of food. When a person is filled they are satisfied or satiated. It means “to fill quite full.” It is based on the root plē which means “full.” This term is used from Homer on and means “to fill a vessel” so that it can be seen as full (for example, of water). It can also mean “to fill a hungry man full of food” (see Liddell-Scott) Empiplemi - enjoyed(1), filled(2), satisfying(1), well-fed(1). Lk. 1:53; Lk. 6:25; Jn. 6:12; Acts 14:17; Rom. 15:24 Will mourn (3996)(pentheo) means that these who once were full on earth will experience great sadness as the result of their future adverse conditions and circumstances! This same verb pentheo is used in the opposite (good, beneficial) sense in Mt 5:4+ where Jesus promises "Blessed are those who mourn (pentheo), for they shall be comforted." Pentheo - 10v - mourn(6), mourned(1), mourning(3). Matt. 5:4; Matt. 9:15; Mk. 16:10; Lk. 6:25; 1 Co. 5:2; 2 Co. 12:21; Jas. 4:9; Rev. 18:11; Rev. 18:15; Rev. 18:19 Rod Mattoon has an illustration on Lk 6:25 - A duck was flying with his flock in the springtime northward across Europe. During the flight he came down in a Danish barnyard where there were tame ducks. He enjoyed some of their corn. He stayed, for an hour, then for a day, then for a week, then for a month, and finally, because he relished the good fare and the safety of the barnyard, he stayed all summer. But one autumn day, when the flocks of wild ducks were winging their way southward again, they passed over the barnyard, and their mate heard their cries. He was stirred with a strange thrill of joy and delight, and with a great flapping of wings he rose into the air to join his old comrades in their flight. He found, however, that all his goodies had made him so soft and heavy that he could rise no higher than the eaves of the barn. So he dropped back again to the barnyard, and said to himself, "Oh well, my life is safe here and the food is good." Every spring and autumn when he heard the wild ducks calling, his eyes would gleam for a moment and he would begin to flap his wings. Finally, the day came when the wild ducks flew over him and uttered their cry, but he paid not the slightest attention to them. His contentment with his laziness caused him to embrace a life of mediocrity. Beloved, may we never become so packed with plenty, may we never be so satisfied with the things of this life, that we no longer hunger for the "things above." This is the issue that I believe Jesus is addressing here. Paul put it this way in Colossians 3:1-2, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. [2] Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." Jesus warned that terrible problems and pain were coming for those who were full of temporal delicacies. You will hunger. This is a little different than the first "woe" addressed to the rich. The difference is you may not be rich, but you can still be "full" and lack nothing. Does this mean it's wrong to be full? No, of course it's not wrong. I believe this is a reference to people who are "sinfully or carnally full" and "spiritually empty." They are so full of themselves, their own desires and will, or the earthly delicacies that are offered by society, that they have no hunger or thirst for righteousness or the Lord Jesus Christ. These folks are filled or content with that which may be good, that which may be wrong or spiritually unhealthy, that they have no desire to pursue that which is good and will strengthen them spiritually. A desire for dedication has been replaced with a determination to do one's own will instead of God's will. The craving for Christ has been conquered by carnality and the desire for convenience. The passion for purity and the Prince of Peace has been pulverized by perverse attitudes and behavior.....Rejecting Christ, and replacing Him with temporal things or attitudes, will eventually leave you weak and empty (Treasures from Luke, Volume 1) (Ed: Not just in this life but worse in the life to come!). (Treasures from the Scriptures) Luke 6:26 "Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way. KJV Luke 6:26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. Woe to you when all men speak well of you Micah 2:11; John 7:7; 15:19; Romans 16:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12; James 4:4; 2 Peter 2:18,19; 1 John 4:5,6; Revelation 13:3,4 their fathers used to treat the false prophets 1 Kings 22:6-8,13,14,24-28; Isaiah 30:10; Jeremiah 5:31; 2 Peter 2:1-3 Luke 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 6:23-26 The Character of a True Christian- 2 - John MacArthur Luke 6:20-26 How to Live Happily Ever After - Steven Cole WOE TO THOSE WHO ARE POPULAR AND PRAISED We could subtitle this verse - DISCIPLES ARE NOT TO EXPECT "STANDING OVATIONS!" Woe (ouai) to you when all men speak well (kalos) of you - This brings out a clear contrast with Lk 6:23 - The persecuted are “blessed” but the patronized receive “woe”! This doesn't mean we cannot compliment a pastor for a sermon, etc. The adjective "all" means all without exception, describing "Mr Popular," In His upper room discourse with the disciples Jesus reminds them of why they are not to expect man's accolades... “If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you. (John 15:19) Not only does the world hate Jesus' disciples but it detests their Gospel message that faith in Jesus Christ is the only Way to eternal life (Acts 4:12, Jn 14:6). They see that doctrine as narrow and exclusive and thus they do not approve of it. A corollary thought is that if a disciple is continually receiving "glowing reviews" from the world, then he needs to seriously consider the content of his message! Is it tickling ears or transforming hearts? Paul gave a similar warning (and command) to his young disciple Timothy charging him to... preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate (PILE THEM UP) for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away (ACTIVE VOICE = CHOICE OF THEIR WILL) their ears from the truth and will turn aside (PASSIVE VOICE = THEY WILL BE TURNED ASIDE!) to myths. (2 Ti 4:2-4-note) (All verbs in bold red are commands in the aorist imperative = Do this now! Don't delay! It is urgent!) Rod Mattoon on the "Woe" to those who love the popularity and praise of others - They treasure the opinions of men instead of the commandments and directions laid out by God in His Word. God's opinions or directions are irrelevant to them. They do not matter at all because they are seeking the popularity of people. Folks that live to be praised by others live a very frustrating life. They find that pleasing one person or group may anger another person or group. When you cater to be popular with people, then those people in essence become your masters. Their opinions shape your decisions. If you are not careful, your neighbors, your friends at work or school, even your family, can become your master. Pleasing one family member may irritate another. Pleasing one friend at school may make another friend jealous. Ironically, millions of people live this way every single stressful day. For some, life is a nightmare. Endeavoring to please everyone is where the frustration begins because you can't have two, three, four or more masters. Life becomes one balancing act after another. Like a man on a tightrope, you go through life wobbling, unstable, and unsteady trying to make everybody happy. It ain't gonna happen! Jesus says, "Woe unto you!" James described the person who leans upon the pillar of popularity. James 1:8- A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. One group in the Old Testament that was praised by everyone, from the king to the common people, was the false prophets. The ancestors of these Israelites listening to Jesus had spoken well of the false prophets. They were praised by kings and crowds because their predictions of personal prosperity, and victory in war were exactly what the people wanted to hear. Unfortunately, their words were shown to be lies as the nations of Israel, and later Judah, lost their freedom and their homeland when they were taken into Assyrian and Babylonian captivity. Popularity is no guarantee of a person's truthfulness, and human flattery does not bring God's approval. Sadness lies ahead for those who chase after the crowd's praise rather than God's truth. (Treasures from the Scriptures) For - term of explanation. What's Jesus explaining? Their fathers used to treat the false prophets in the same way - We see an excellent illustration of people pleasing prophets in the OT record in First Kings... Then the (UNGODLY) king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” 7 But Jehoshaphat (GODLY KING OF JUDAH) said, “Is there not yet a prophet of the LORD here (HE DISCERNED THEY WERE FALSE PROPHETS) that we may inquire of him?” 8 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD, but I hate him, (WHY?) because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil (IN OTHER WORDS, HE PROPHESIES TRUTH). He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Let not the king say so." 13 Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, “Behold now, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably.”(14) But Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, what the LORD says to me, that I shall speak (THIS IS IN ESSENCE WHAT JESUS IS TELLING HIS DISCIPLES TO DO).”... 24 Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, “How did the Spirit of the LORD pass from me to speak to you?” 25 Micaiah said, “Behold, you shall see on that day when you enter an inner room to hide yourself.” 26 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king’s son; 27 and say, ‘Thus says the king, “Put this man in prison and feed him sparingly with bread and water until I return safely.”’” 28 Micaiah said, “If you indeed return safely the LORD has not spoken by me.” And he said, “Listen, all you people.” (1 Kings 22:6-8, 13,14,24-28) We see this same genre of false prophets in Jeremiah's day... Jeremiah 6:14;“They have healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ But there is no peace. Jeremiah 8:11 "And they heal the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially, Saying, 'Peace, peace,' But there is no peace. Jeremiah 14:14 Then the LORD said to me, "The prophets are prophesying falsehood in My name. I have neither sent them nor commanded them nor spoken to them; they are prophesying to you a false vision, divination, futility and the deception of their own minds. 15 "Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, although it was not I who sent them-- yet they keep saying, 'There shall be no sword or famine in this land'-- by sword and famine those prophets shall meet their end! IVP Background Commentary - Greek philosophers, who often scoffed at the opinions of the masses, sometimes complained if the multitudes spoke well of them. But Jesus’ comparison with the prophets is even more appropriate; the burden of proof was always on prophets who told people what they wanted to hear (Jer 6:14; 28:8–9). Although the hearers often suspected some truth in the genuine prophets’ claims (Jer 21:1–2; 37:3; 42:2; cf. 1 Kings 22:27), false prophets were usually more popular (1 Kings 22:12–13; Jer 5:31; 23:13–14). False prophets (5578) (pseudoprophetes from pseudes = false, untrue + prophetes = prophet) who teach any other way than that our Lord has clearly marked out in this passage. These men (1) claim to be a prophet from God and (2) utter falsehoods under the name of divine prophecies. Steven Cole sums up Lk 6:20-26 - Jesus’ teaching here presupposes and demands an eternal perspective. Without that, His words are nonsense. Why be poor, hungry, sorrowful, and hated in this life if that’s all there is? Critics of Christianity will often scoff, “You believe in pie-in-the-sky-when-you-die.” The proper response is, “Absolutely! And you’re a fool not to believe it!” The Bible is abundantly clear that the hope of the believer is with God in eternity, not in this short life on earth (see 1Co 15:19, 1Co 15:32; Heb 11:13-16, Heb 11:35-40). As Charles Simeon put it, “He alone is happy, who is happy for eternity” (Expository Outlines on the Whole Bible [Zondervan], 12:345). Jesus here boldly asserts that there will be some startling reversals in eternity. He often taught this with the aphorism, “The last shall be first, and the first last” (see Mt 19:30; Mt 20:16; Lu 13:30). The world, the flesh, and the devil deceive us by offering us instant gratification through the pleasures of sin. We look around at other sinners who seem to be having a good time in life and we wrongly conclude that we’re missing out. The psalmist was there when he looked on the easy life of the wicked and concluded that he had turned from sin to God in vain. What got the psalmist back in focus? “When I pondered to understand this, it was troublesome in my sight until I came into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end. Surely You set them in slippery places; You cast them down to destruction” (Ps 73:16-18). D. L. Moody observed, “This life is all the heaven the worldling has, and all the hell the saint ever sees.” The believer knows that there is a God who will judge the world, and so he adopts a pilgrim mindset. We desperately need to recover this eternal perspective in our day. While I realize that the Four Spiritual Laws booklet has been greatly used to lead many to faith in Christ, in my judgment it focuses too much on the abundant life here and now and not enough on the hope of heaven and the fear of hell. But the emphasis of the Bible is clearly on the latter. “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?” (Mk 8:36). You can’t straddle the line. Followers of Jesus focus on the life to come, not on the fleeting pleasures of this present world. That’s the only way to true happiness. To live happily ever after, you must adopt God’s values while rejecting the world’s values. Leon Morris (p. 126) observes, “Together with the following woes, these beatitudes make a mockery of the world’s values. They exalt what the world despises and reject what the world admires.” Clearly Jesus is saying that the values of His followers are radically different than the values of the world. There should be clear line between the believer and the person of this world in terms of how we think, what we do, what we seek after, and how we use money. Yet, sadly, all too often there is no discernible difference between professing Christians and their worldly neighbors, except that the Christians go to church services. The worldly guy is living for personal peace and increasing affluence; so is the Christian. The worldly guy seeks pleasure vicariously by watching immoral, profane TV shows and videos; so does the Christian. The worldly guy spends his money to increase his own comfort and pleasure; so does the Christian, except for the two or three percent average that he gives. The worldly guy thinks that all good people who do the best they can will get to heaven; shockingly, so do vast numbers of those professing to be Christian. A recent Barna Report asked, “Can a good person earn his way to heaven?” Those responding “agree strongly” or “somewhat agree” included 22% of Assembly of God, 30% of nondenominational, 38% of Baptists, 54% of Lutherans, 58% of Episcopalians, 59% of Methodists, and 82% of Catholics (reported in “Viewpoint,” Reformation & Revival Ministries May/June, 1998). Christians must think biblically. To live happily ever after, you must live in dependence on God. These poor, hungry, sorrowful, and rejected people Jesus refers to have abandoned the world’s support system and have cast themselves totally on God for their daily bread, for their personal and emotional needs, and for their eternal well-being. The world’s rich, well-fed, happy men of acclaim are trusting in themselves and their own accomplishments. But, as Darrell Bock writes, “An attitude of independence from God is the road to destruction” (Luke [Baker], 1:582). The follower of Jesus trusts in Him totally for sustenance, joy, approval, and salvation. We live to hear from Him some day, “Well done, good and faithful slave;... enter into the joy of your master” (Mt 25:21). Conclusion - A question I often ask people who come to me for counsel is, “Do you want God’s blessing in your life?” Of course, we all instinctively want to answer, “Yes, of course I do!” But before you answer so quickly, stop and think about it. How you answer that question will make a huge difference in how you live. The person living for God’s blessing has deliberately decided to reject the world’s values and to live under the lordship of Jesus as King. Turning his back on this fleeting world and its pleasures, he is living in light of eternity. Letting go of self-sufficiency and self-confidence, he has cast himself on Jesus both for salvation from God’s judgment and for sustenance in this life. So, ask yourself, “Do I want God’s blessing on my life?” It’s the only way to live happily ever after. Jesus tells you how to have it: Live decisively for God’s kingdom and reject the world’s values. (Luke 6:20-26 How to Live Happily Ever After) Luke 6:27 "But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, KJV But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, But I say to you who hear - Lk 8:8,15,18; Mk 4:24 Love your enemies Lk 6:35; Lk 23:34; Ex 23:4,5; Job 31:29-31; Ps 7:4; Pr 24:17; 25:2,21,22; Mt 5:43-45; Acts 7:60; Ro 12:17-21; 1 Th 5:15 Do good to those who hate you - Lk 6:22; Acts 10:38; Gal 6:10; 3 Jn 1:11 Luke 6 Resources - Multiple Sermons and Commentaries Luke 6:27-28 The Commands of Kingdom Love - John MacArthur Luke 6:27-35 Radical Love - Steven Cole John Hannah has a nice outline... Characteristics of those in His kingdom (Luke 6:20-26) Practice of those in His kingdom (Luke 6:27-45) Exhortation to those who consider Him (Luke 6:46-49) Related Passages: Matthew 10:34-36+ “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 “For I came to SET A MAN AGAINST HIS FATHER, AND A DAUGHTER AGAINST HER MOTHER, AND A DAUGHTER-IN-LAW AGAINST HER MOTHER-IN-LAW; 36 and A MAN’S ENEMIES WILL BE THE MEMBERS OF HIS HOUSEHOLD. Acts 10:38+ (IMITATE JESUS!) “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him. Galatians 6:10+ So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith. Hebrews 13:16+ And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Romans 12:20+ “BUT IF YOUR ENEMY IS HUNGRY, FEED HIM, AND IF HE IS THIRSTY, GIVE HIM A DRINK; FOR IN SO DOING YOU WILL HEAP BURNING COALS ON HIS HEAD.” Proverbs 25:21 If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; 1 Thessalonians 5:15+ See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Exodus 23:4-5+ “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey wandering away, you shall surely return it to him. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying helpless under its load, you shall refrain from leaving it to him, you shall surely release it with him. RADICAL LOVE: THE DISCIPLES' RESPONSE TO PERSECUTORS But - term of contrast - What is Jesus contrasting? He has just described their "enemies" in Luke 6:22-23. Wiersbe introduces Luke 6:27-38 - Jesus assumed that anybody who lived for eternal values would get into trouble with the world's crowd. Christians are the "salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" (Matt. 5:13-16), and sometimes the salt stings and the light exposes sin (Ed: See Jn 3:19, 20). Sinners show their hatred by avoiding us or rejecting us (Luke 6:22), insulting us (Luke 6:28), physically abusing us (Luke 6:29), and suing us (Luke 6:30). This is something we must expect (Php 1:29; 2 Ti 3:12). (Borrow Be Compassionate - Luke 1-13) J C Ryle on Luke 6:27-38 - THE teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, in these verses, is confined to one great subject. That subject is Christian love and charity. Charity, which is the grand characteristic of the Gospel,—charity, which is the bond of perfectness,—charity, without which a man is nothing in God’s sight,—charity is here fully expounded and strongly enforced. Well would it have been for the Church of Christ, if its Master’s precept in this passage had been more carefully studied and more diligently observed!...They were to give up much, and endure emuch, for the sake of showing kindness and avoiding strife. They were to forego even their rights, and submit to wrong, rather than awaken angry passions and create quarrels. In this they were to be like their Master, long-suffering, meek, and lowly of heart. (Luke 6) Bock - The call to love unconditionally in Lk 6:27-36 is a hard one to follow if we cannot trust that God will one day exercise justice. The premise of the sacrificial spiritual life is the promise of God's faithful justice. (Jesus' Teaching Lk 6:17-49) I say to you who hear - To you who hear refers not just to those who hear the sound of His voice, but to those who have spiritual ears to hear spiritual truth, to understand the meaning of His words and most importantly to act on His words (as He says in Lk 6:47). One lexicon defines the Greek word akouo as to "hear and obey," and in context that is an accurate definition. NLT = "to you who are willing to listen." NET = "I say to you who are listening," which implies spiritual understanding and hopefully a willingness to obey what is heard. Who are you who hear? If we compare Lk 6:47+, these are true disciples of Jesus, those who are in the Kingdom of God, and they show they are true disciples because they not only hear His words, but they act upon His words (i.e., they obey). Some of the audience may have said "We believe in You Jesus," but they did not exhibit obedience to His words, and thus they lacked the fruit that demonstrates that one's belief is genuine belief and not just intellectual assent. In the next 5 verses (vv 27-31) Jesus gives 9 commands and the only ones who would be able to obey those commands would be those who had been born again an in the Kingdom of God (cf Jn 3:3, 5+). Each command calls for an act or action which is the antithesis of the way fallen men naturally respond. Obedience to Jesus' commands calls for dependence on a supernatural source, who for believers of course is the Holy Spirit. Love (agapao) your enemies (echthros), do (poieo) good (kalos) to those who hate (miseo - present tense - continually hate) you - Note Jesus repeats the commands to love and do in Lk 6:35. These words would come as shocking, radical commands because they go against every fiber of our fallen flesh. In fact if one listens to these commands from Jesus with fleshly ears, the reaction will be one of resistance and rebellion. Only those who have come into the Kingdom of God by grace through faith can even begin to receive these words, much less obey them! Jesus is commanding His hearers to love like God loves. Paul gives a similar command in Eph 5:1-2+ "Therefore be (present imperative see our need to depend on the Holy Spirit to obey) imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk (present imperative) in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma." Love is in the present imperative which is a command to do this continually. Clearly this command is humanly IM-possible and only supernaturally "HIM-possible." That is, this is a command we can keep only by continually relying on the supernatural enablement of the Holy Spirit. Loving your enemy is not our fleshly, natural response! Because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Ro 5:5+), we have His love and as we walk by the Spirit we can demonstrate His fruit (Gal 5:22-23+) and love our enemies who otherwise would be unlovable! This is not our natural but can only be a supernaturally enabled response! "We love (present tense - supernaturally, as our lifestyle) because He first loved us." (1 Jn 4:19+) Note love relates to do because it is easy to say "we love our enemies" but that love is fleshed out by "doing good" to them! Are you as convicted as I am? One way we can show love to our enemy is by expressing our forgiveness to them for whatever they have said or done. THOUGHT - Do you have any enemies, people who hate you because you are a Christ follower and because you practice His precepts in your life? Most genuine believers either presently have or have had those who hate them because of the Name of Christ. The only way we can love those people is by continually depending on the Holy Spirit. (See discussion of our desperate Need for the Holy Spirit to obey NT commands such as loving one's enemies.) "There is no greater testimony to a life changed by the grace of God than when someone does something good for someone who hates them or has done them harm. Loving like this will open doors to share the gospel with others with incredible effectiveness." (Bomkamp) To love a friend is natural, to love an enemy is Christlike.