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Luke Chapter 6

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Luke 6 Outline:

6:1-5      The disciples pick grain on the Sabbath.

6:6-11    Jesus heals a man’s hand on the Sabbath.

6:12       Jesus prays all night on a mountain.

6:13-16  Jesus names 12 apostles.

6:17-19  Jesus heals multitudes.

6:20-23  Four Beatitudes.

6:24-26  Four Woes.

6:27-38  Golden rules of love.

6:39-45  Warnings about blind guides.

6:46-59  Application: Wise and Foolish Builders.

Fun Facts:

— Gospel means “Good News.”

— Jesus had two disciples named “Judas” (16).

— Jews passing through a neighbor’s vineyard or field were allowed to eat some of the crop; provided that they did not harvest for later (Deuteronomy 23:25).

— Jesus sat while delivering the Sermon on the Mount. Rabbis traditionally sat while teaching because sitting connoted authority.

Study Notes:

— In Luke chapter 6, we see religious rules clashing with personal relationship, and common sense. The pharisees were very strict religious leaders and strove to go beyond the law. Even though Jews passing through each other's fields were permitted to eat, but not harvest for later, the pharisees would not touch the grain at all. This soon became a new law in itself. Much like Adam was told to not eat the fruit, but Eve added “do not touch it” (Genesis 3:3). It was law enforcement in the extreme, while you could not harvest on the sabbath, you could eat. The pharisees turned God’s law into a form of bondage and control. 

— The disciples were hungry and ate some grain. When confronted about it, Jesus told the story of David and his men who ate the “bread of the presence” in the temple when they were hungry. Human need came before barren legalism.

— In the temple, the scribes and pharisees watched Jesus closely so that they might find a reason to accuse Him. They were not concerned with the good that He was doing. Instead they searched for a reason to discredit Him, to disagree with Him, to ultimately kill Him. I have to laugh when I read this because nothing has changed today. We have readers that read our devotional for months waiting for something to complain about. You never hear from them at all until they can find a single point of dispute, then they email you seven times, post it on Facebook, and create an account on your website to rant about it. And I say “Who are you again? Ah yes, satan the accuser of the brethren. Welcome to Refreshing Hope Ministries. :)”

— Before He healed the man with the withered hand (6:6), Jesus asked the religious leaders if it was better to do good, or to do harm. There was no middle ground or neutrality. You either saved life, or you destroyed it by doing nothing. Jesus gave them a moment to answer and looked around the room at them while they sat in silence, then He healed the man. He had given them a chance to speak, but they could give Him no answer. The leaders became filled with fury and discussed what they might do to Jesus. 

—  The religious leaders (Scribes and Pharisees) were not impressed by miracles of healing, truth, or the words of God coming from the “Son of God.” The word of God was rendered powerless because of their traditions. “making the word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down.” (Mark 7:13 NKJV)

— Jesus could see that His enemies were increasing, they were becoming more hostile and would one day kill Him. He prayed all night long to God, and the next morning He chose twelves apostles who would carry on His work after He was gone. 

— There was a group of “disciples = students” that loosely followed Jesus. From that group He chose twelve to be “Apostles”, meaning “to send, someone sent, a messenger.” Luke uses this term six times in Luke, and 28 times in the book of Acts. 

— Luke said that Judas Iscariot “became a traitor” which means that he was faithful in the beginning. 

The twelve Apostles were: 

01) Peter (originally Simon, but there was another Simon in the group. Jesus renamed this one Peter). Meaning: “A rock.”

02) Andrew (Peter’s brother). Meaning: “A strong man.”

03) James. Meaning: “Jacob, [James] that supplants, undermines; the heel.”

04) John (The brother of James). Meaning: “John, [Jona] the grace or mercy of the Lord.”

05) Philip. Meaning: “Philip, [Philippi] warlike; a lover of horses.”

06) Bartholomew. Meaning: “Bartholomew, a son that suspends the waters.”

07) Matthew. Meaning: “Matthew, given; a reward.”

08) Thomas. Meaning: “Thomas, a twin.”

09) James (the son of Alphaeus). Meaning: “Jacob, [James] that supplants, undermines; the heel.”

10) Simon (the zealot). Meaning: “Simon, that hears; that obeys.”

11) Judas (the son of James). Matthew and Mark call him “Thaddaeus.” Meaning: “[Thaddaeus] that praises or confesses.”

12) Judas Iscariot (who became a traitor). Meaning: “the praise of the Lord; confession.”

— The beatitudes and woes that Jesus taught really make a mockery of the world's value system.

— “Blessed are you who are poor” (6:20). It is the humble or poor in spirit that enter the kingdom of God. Jesus is not talking about heaven, for the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). He also meant now, and not one day coming when He said “yours is the kingdom of God.” 

— “Blessed are you who are hungry” (6:21). In Matthew there is the addition ‘and thirst for righteousness’ after the blessing on those who hunger, so those who hunger and thirst for righteousness will be satisfied. 

— “Blessed are you who weep.” Those who hate evil and the wrong in the world will one day laugh. 

— “Blessed are you when people hate you” (6:22). Jesus told His followers that they would never be out of trouble, but they would be happy. Rejoice and leap for joy, for great is your reward when you are persecuted because of Jesus.

— “But woe to you who are rich” (6:24). The woes are only found in Luke. This is the opposite of poor in spirit. Money often brings with a spirit of self-sufficiency. You do not need to depend on God when you have an abundance. “Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked” (Revelation 3:17 NKJV).

— “Woe to you who are full now” (6:25) continues on the same theme. Those who do not hunger and thirst for righteousness, will one day.

— “Woe to you who laugh” (6:25). Obviously Jesus is not objecting to laughter as His whole ministry was a protest against the killjoy attitudes of the religious. He enjoyed life and must have laughed often, and with His disciples like when He nicknamed James and John, “The Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). When read in context with the others, it means that those who are contented with the present world and success will give way to weeping and mourning. 

— “Woe to you, when all people speak well of you” (6:26). It is a danger when “All Men” speak well of you. This can hardly happen without living to please men instead of God. They plotted to kill Jesus, and when you take a stand for Him, enemies will appear. 

— The heart of the Lord’s sermon is “Love.” Love the unloving, God does. Love your enemies. Standing in Israel which was occupied by Roman soldiers, the crowd must have thought that He was a traitor to even suggest that. Do not react in anger. Always forgive your enemies. 

— 1) Judge not, you will not be judged. 2) Forgive, you will be forgiven. 3) Give, it will be given to you. These are God’s laws. These work in either direction and can be written in reverse like this: 1) Judge, and you will be judged. 2) Don’t forgive others, and you will not be forgiven. 3) Don’t give, and it won’t be given to you. We can hang onto our excuses but just like gravity, excuses will not reverse the law.

— There were two houses mentioned in 6:47. They are represented by those who hear, and those who hear and then act on it. Simply hearing the words of Jesus, without acting on it results in a shallow faith. When the storms come, that house will fall. The one who follows the teachings of Jesus are like the one who dug a deep foundation, and it will stand the test of time. 

The traditional site of the Sermon on the Mount when viewed from the Sea of Galilee. The Church of the Beatitudes is in the center of the photo. 

Questions: (if your answers are very long, you may want to type them first in something like Word or Notepad, which doesn't require an Internet connection, then copy and paste (Ctrl-A to select, Ctrl-V to copy, Ctrl-V to paste), to prevent mishaps.  Also, there is a 3K character limit, so if they are super long, feel free to post more than once, and just answer a couple of questions at a time. Also, you are welcome to post any questions you may have. We look forward to your thoughts!)

   1. What did it mean for us when Jesus declared to the Pharisees that He was the Lord of the Sabbath?

   2. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declared that the poor, the hungry, those who weep, and those who were hated, were the ones who were blessed. It may not be easy to remember this when we are going through times of lack, sorry or persecution. What can we do in our lives to prepare ourselves for such times and see it through God’s eyes?

   3. Jesus told us that we are to love our enemies, probably one of His more difficult principles. What steps can we take to better succeed in showing love to our enemies?

   4. When Jesus told us to “judge not, and you will not be judged” how do we follow this instruction along with trying to be an example of Christian living in a fallen world?

   5. Jesus said that we are to build our foundation on the rock, built on obedience to His words: “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them”. How can we apply this teaching each day, so that our lives will be on a solid foundation?