Luke 6:1
Now it happened that He was passing through some grainfields on a Sabbath; and His disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating the grain.
(a) Sabbath. The Sabbath was the day of rest mandated in the Law of Moses (Ex. 31:14, Lev. 23:3). The Sabbath day began at sunset on Friday and ended on sunset on Saturday.
(b) Picking the heads of grain. The Pharisees claimed the disciples were breaking the law (see next verse).
Luke 6:2
But some of the Pharisees said, “Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?”
(a) Pharisees; see entry for Matt. 3:7.
(b) What is not lawful. It was a violation of the Law to do any work on the Sabbath (Lev. 23:3).
Luke 6:5
And He was saying to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
(a) The Son of Man; see entry for Matt. 8:20.
(b) Lord of the Sabbath. The Sabbath is a signpost that points to Jesus.
The Sabbath day of rest, which was enshrined in the Ten Commandments (Ex. 20:10) and repeated elsewhere in the Law of Moses (Ex. 31:14, Lev. 23:3), reflected the seventh day when God rested from his work of creation (Gen. 2:2–3). By saying he was Lord of the Sabbath, Jesus was essentially saying “I am the Creator who rested and who helps you to rest.” It was an astounding claim that would have shocked the Pharisees. The original Sabbath law, that some still strive to keep, was a mere shadow (Heb. 10:1). The substance or reality is found in Christ (Col. 2:17).
Luke 6:6
On another Sabbath He entered the synagogue and was teaching; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered.
(a) Sabbath. The Sabbath was the day of rest mandated in the Law of Moses (Ex. 31:14, Lev. 23:3). The Sabbath day began at sunset on Friday and ended on sunset on Saturday.
(b) Synagogue. Jesus often preached in the Jewish assemblies or synagogues; see entry for Luke 4:44.
Luke 6:7
The scribes and the Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He healed on the Sabbath, so that they might find reason to accuse Him.
Accuse him. Accusations against you will typically come from three sources: (1) the Accuser, a.k.a. Satan (see entry for Rev. 12:10), (2) law-lovers who are opposed to grace (see entry for Matt. 12:10), and (3) a conscience that is mindful of the law (Rom. 2:15). What these three things have in common is an affinity for using the law as a weapon of condemnation.
Luke 6:13
And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles:
Apostles. An apostle is someone one “sent out” as a messenger for God. Originally the word was applied to the twelve apostles chosen by Jesus (Matt. 10:2). But in the early church, others came to be recognized as apostles (e.g., Andronicus and Junias; Rom. 16:7). In a sense, we are all called to be God’s messengers or ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:20). But in the church, some are uniquely gifted and called to be apostles (1 Cor. 12:28-29). Paul was a stellar example of an apostle and displayed all the signs of an authentic apostle, namely signs and wonders and miracles (2 Cor. 12:12).
Luke 6:14
Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew;
(a) Simon; see entry for Luke 4:38.
(b) Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, had been a disciple of John the Baptist when he first encountered Jesus (John 1:35–40). Later, Jesus called both Andrew and Simon Peter to follow him (see next verse).
(c) Philip, who was from Bethsaida at the northern end of Galilee, met Jesus at the Jordan River near where John was baptizing (John 1:43–44).
(d) James; see entry for Luke 5:10.
(e) John; see entry for Luke 5:10.
(f) Bartholomew. The disciple known in three of the gospels as Bartholomew (Matt. 10:3, Mark 3:18), was probably the Nathanael written about in John (John 1:45). If so, he was a native of Cana (John 21:2) who famously held a dim view of Nazareth (John 1:46). Bartholomew was Nathanael’s patronymic name (bar-Tolmai or “son of Tolmai”).
Luke 6:15
and Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called the Zealot;
(a) Matthew. As a tax collector working for the hated Romans (Matt. 9:9), Matthew would have been despised by his fellow Jews. (Tax collectors were lumped together with prostitutes and sinners; Matt. 9:10, 21:31.) Yet Jesus loved him and called him to be a disciple and an apostle.
(b) Thomas was also known as Didymus which means “the Twin” (John 11:16). Thomas had a sibling about whom we know nothing. Thomas is remembered for being absent when the Risen Lord appeared to the other disciples and not believing their report (John 20:24–25). It wasn’t until he saw the Lord himself that he believed in the resurrection (John 20:28–29).
(c) James the son of Alphaeus was so-called to distinguish him from James the son of Zebedee (Matt. 10:2).
(d) Simon the Zealot was a member of a fanatical Jewish sect. In older Bible translations, he is called Simon the Canaanite.
Luke 6:16
Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
(a) Judas the son of James was also known as Thaddaeus (Matt. 10:3). Like Simon Peter, he was known by two names. He is the most obscure of the twelve apostles.
(b) Judas Iscariot. Two of the twelve disciples were named Judas, hence the need to distinguish the one who betrayed Jesus (Luke 6:16). The name Iscariot suggests this Judas was from the town of Kerioth, in Judea. If so, he was the only one of the twelve who was not a Galilean. Judas took care of, and occasionally stole from, the disciples’ money box (John 12:6). Although Jesus treated Judas no differently from his other disciples (see entry for John 13:28), he knew that Judas was not one of his own (see entry for John 13:11) and that he would eventually betray him (John 6:70–71).
Luke 6:17
Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon,
Level place. Jesus’ message in the following verses is referred to as the Sermon on the Plain.
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.
(a) The kingdom of God is synonymous with the kingdom of heaven; see entry for Matt. 3:2.
(b) You who are poor. We are all poor and needy when it comes to salvation. Happily, the gospel of the kingdom is good news for the poor (Luke 4:18). The true riches that Christ offers come without cost, or rather, they come with a great cost that he has paid on our behalf. We come to him poor and empty-handed, and receive everything in return. We come naked and are clothed. We come hungry and are filled. We come thirsty and are satisfied.
Luke 6:23
“Be glad in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven. For in the same way their fathers used to treat the prophets.
Your reward is great in heaven; see entry for Matt. 6:1.
Luke 6:35
“But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men.
(a) Do good. When Jesus tells us to love our enemies in the hope of a great reward, the reward is that our enemies will become eternal friends. We store up treasure in heaven and earn a great reward and make eternal friends by doing good to others. “Lend, expecting nothing in return.” To give to the ungrateful with no thought of repayment is to show grace. It’s revealing the unmerited favor of a good God whose best is better than our worst and who holds nothing against us.
(b) Your reward will be great. You will have treasures in heaven.
Several types of reward are mentioned in scripture. There is the reward of eternal life that comes from trusting in Jesus (see entry for Matt. 16:27). And there is the reward or wage we get in accordance for our labor (see entry for 1 Cor. 3:14). It is the second type of reward Jesus is talking about here. What is the reward? It’s people – eternal friends and spiritual offspring.
See entry for Eternal Rewards.
(c) You will be sons of the Most High. When we give generously of ourselves expecting nothing in return, we are acting in a Christlike manner. We are revealing the spirit of Christ who loved his enemies and did good without expecting anything in return. When we shine with the light of Christ, it brings praise to our Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16).
The wrong way to read this verse is to think philanthropy qualifies us for sonship. We are saved by grace alone. We don’t imitate Christ to become children of God. Rather, we imitate God as beloved children (Eph. 5:1).
Luke 6:36
“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
(a) Your Father; see entry for Luke 2:49.
(b) Merciful. The God Jesus revealed is a merciful, gracious and forgiving Father (Matt. 6:14, 18:27, Luke 7:47, 15:22, 23:34, John 1:14).
Luke 6:37
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; and do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; pardon, and you will be pardoned.
(a) Do not judge because judging misrepresents God’s merciful character (Luke 6:36).
There is a time and place for righteous judgment (see entry for John 7:24), but in context Jesus is saying, “Do not judge people according to the law.” (He’s speaking to people born under law.)
Someone who hammers others with the law is acting contrary to the gracious heart of the Father. Since the law empowers sin, a judgmental type will excite the very sin they are condemning. Judgment and condemnation do not bring freedom. Only the grace of God can empower us to live godly lives (Tit, 2:11–12).
(b) Do not condemn. We reap what we sow (Rom 2:1). If we criticize and condemn others, we will come under condemnation ourselves. Our consciences will condemn us (1 John 3:20, John 8:9), the accuser will condemn us (Rev 12:10), and when our faults become known, others will condemn us as hypocrites.
Luke 6:39
And He also spoke a parable to them: “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he? Will they not both fall into a pit?
Parable. Parables are traditionally understood to be stories or word pictures with hidden meanings (see entry for Matt. 13:3). But the following examples do not meet that definition. They are proverbial sayings.
Luke 6:46
“Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?
(a) Lord, Lord. On three occasions, Jesus spoke of people who would cry out “Lord, Lord” yet not be received into his kingdom (Matt. 7:21–22, 25:11, Luke 6:46). Each time, he was speaking of those who neither knew him nor did what he said.
(b) Do what I say. Jesus said only those who do the will of the Father will enter the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 7:21). “For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I myself will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40). Jesus does not give us a long list of requirements for entering the kingdom. Instead, he calls us to trust that he is who he claims to be (the Son sent from the Father) and that he will do what he has promised to do (save us and raise us).
To illustrate the importance of doing what he says, Jesus tells a parable about two builders.
Further reading: “What about those who cry ‘Lord, Lord’?”
Luke 6:47
“Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like:
(a) Hears my words. Jesus is speaking to the crowds. The parable of the Two Builders comes at the end of the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:47–49).
(b) Acts on them. Jesus calls us to repent and believe the good news (Mark 1:15). Those who do this are wise like those who build on a firm foundation.
Faith without works is dead and useless faith (Jas. 2:17, 20). We are exhorted to be doers and not merely hearers of the word (Jas. 1:22). To be a doer of the word is to receive, with humility, the Living Word of truth that can save our souls (Jas. 1:21). Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is the work that accompanies our faith. It may seem strange to think of believing as a work, but believing in Jesus is the work of God (see entry for John 6:29).
There is a temptation to read the parable of the Two Builders as a message of works-based salvation. “To be saved, you have to do everything Jesus says in the Sermon on the Plain. You have to turn the other cheek, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, be merciful, and don’t judge. Fail to do all these things and you are doomed to destruction.” Others say we must do all these things to become mature believers. But no one was ever saved or sanctified through law keeping or good works (Rom. 3:20).
Jesus is saying the same thing he said to the Sardians. “I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God” (Rev. 3:2) The Sardians had heard the gospel of Christ, but some had not believed it. Jesus urges them to “remember what you have received and heard (the gospel), keep it (heed it), and repent (turn to God in faith)” (Rev. 3:3).
Luke 6:48
he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.
(a) A man building a house. The parable of the Two Builders comes at the end of the Sermon on the Plain. It is similar to the parable of the Wise and Foolish Builders Jesus told at the end of the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 7:24–27).
(b) Building a house. In Israel, villagers built houses in summer when the weather was fair but the ground was hard. A wise builder dug down through the hard ground until he reached rock, knowing that the rain and wind of winter would surely come.
(c) The rock. Those who are tempted to allegorize might say that Jesus is the rock or foundation on which we stand (1 Cor. 3:11).
(d) Flood… torrent. Jewish home owners were familiar with the sudden downpours and flash floods that afflicted Israel during the rainy season.
To a Jewish listener familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures, storms were a common metaphor for divine judgment (e.g., Is. 28:2, Jer. 23:19, 30:23, Ez. 13:13). Jesus is painting a picture of Judgment Day (Matt. 7:13, 21–22).
(e) Could not shake it. Those who are established in the love of the Father can look forward to Judgment Day with an unshakable confidence. One with the Lord, they know his future is their future (1 John 4:17).
Luke 6:49
“But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.”
(a) Has not acted accordingly. It’s not enough to hear the good news that Jesus brings; you need to believe it. Faith in God (such as the Jews had) is dead unless accompanied by believing in the One he sent (see entry for Jas. 2:18).
(b) Without any foundation. To build without first laying a foundation is to be careless and shortsighted.
(c) Ruin. Those who refuse to turn to God in faith are heading for destruction (2 Pet. 3:7). Those who reject the gift of life shall perish in the ultimate or second death (John 3:16, 10:28, Rev 21:8).
The message of the Wise and Foolish Builders is abundantly clear: Don’t be like the foolish man who did not plan for the future, but be like the wise man who built on the rock.
There are no half measures with Jesus and we all respond to him one way or the other. Either we will say, “Lord, your will be done” (that’s faith), or we will say “My will be done” (that’s unbelief). In the end, we are not judged for our sins, morality, or the net balance of our good works. We judge ourselves by our response to the words of Jesus. Jesus speaks the “words of eternal life” (John 6:68) and those who heed him shall live.
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