Luke | Chapter 6

Luke 6:1-5

“Lord of the Sabbath”

 

 

  • Introduction
  • 1-2 The Sabbath a blessing or a burden?
  • 3-4 Defending the disciples by David
  • 5 Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath

 

Introduction

We have noted that with the increase of Jesus’ ministry that it naturally came with popularity as well as opposition. The opposition was led by those that were in spiritual authority as Jesus practiced what they believed God had entrusted them with very differently. One of those areas that was a constant source of irritant to the religious leaders was the way they kept the Sabbath compared with how Jesus kept it. And just as we noted last week in chapter 5:33-39 Jesus hadn’t come to patch-up Judaism He came to reveal what God had planned all along. This section deals with the Sabbath and requires the bible student to know a bit about the Sabbath.

  • First, the Sabbath was God’s idea: According to Nehemiah 9:13-14 as the prophet re-establishes the Sabbath to the those returning from the Babylonian exile, God established the Sabbath for the nation when Moses came down from Mount Sinai along with the ordinances and the Law.
  • Second, according to Exodus 20:8-11, 31:12-17 God set it apart as a sign between Him and the Nation.
  • Third, it was a sign of REST as that is what the word means, and its connection is with after the sixth day of creation according to Genesis 2:2-3 God Himself ceased from the work of creation.

Because of these things the religious leaders taught that Messiah couldn’t come until the nation kept the Sabbath perfectly, thus obeying the law with regards to the Sabbath was both personal and national. Christians need to understand the difference between Sunday and the Sabbath as the two are not the same thing.

  • The Sabbath is a reminder of the completion of the Old creation prior to the fall.
  • The Sabbath is Friday night after sunset through Saturday night sunset.
  • Sunday, or the Lord’s day, is a reminder of our Lord’s finished work in the “New Creation” according to 2 Corinth. 5:21, Eph. 2:10, 4:24.
  • The Sabbath speaks of REST AFTER WORK and relates to the law.
  • Sunday reminds us to REST BEFORE WORK as it relates to what Jesus has finished and we inherit because of grace.
  • Sunday is a celebration of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead as well as the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church according to Act chapter 2.

 

It is for these differences that the early church met on the first day of the week according to Acts 20:7. There were Jewish believers that continued to keep the Sabbath and sometimes this led to a division in which Paul addressed in Romans 14:1-15:13. In those verses Paul addressed this conflict by promoting liberty and unity, but he made it clear that observing special days had nothing to do with salvation.

At the start of chapter 6 Luke records two questions asked or implied by the Pharisees concerning religious life and its place in society that specifically focus on the Sabbath, verses 1-5 and verses 6-11. The Sabbath in the hands of religious leaders had 39 different categories known as the “Abhoth”  which meant “fathers” then they added thousands of rules called the “Toldoth” which means “descendants”. The idea was how did our fathers practice the law and how do we interpret what our fathers meant.  And the result of those two questions was then imposed upon the people which had caused it to no longer be a day of rest, instead it had become a day of restrictions. The Sabbath was God’s idea to restore a person, to give them a time of rest, recuperation; a day set aside where they would have time to reflect upon their relationship with Him! When observed as intended it was a joyous time of family, fellowship and feasting all with God at the center. The religious rulers had established thousands of interpretations of what constituted “work” and because of this had stolen the day of rest and transformed it into a day of restrictions and burdens to keep. For instance you could spit on a rock but not on the dirt as you would be making mud which was used for mortar, and this would constitute work. The law on the Sabbath was never meant to be full of burdens but rather blessings, they weren’t given as punishments, but for protection. 

  Vs. 1-2 The Sabbath a blessing or a burden?

 

Vs. 1-2 The 3rd charge against Jesus was aimed at His seeming inability to distinguish between the sacred and the secular. The plucking of wheat and breaking the hulls from the nut was not sinful but normal on any other day. What they took issue with was timing of this as they were engaged in doing so on a sacred day, the Sabbath. It was Pharisaical tradition not to pick grain of the Sabbath as Deuteronomy 23:25 doesn’t offer a prohibition against plucking grain on any day so long as you only picked and did not use a sickle.

Of the 39 different categories the Pharisees had classified work under, four of them centered on food “reaping, winnowing, threshing and preparing a meal” and as far as the action of the disciples were concerned in the Pharisees eyes they had broken all four. The ancient biblical languages of Greek and Hebrew are exact languages, and they offer a complete picture of the scene. Luke chose a Greek word for “said”  in verse 2 that relates to the Pharisees conversation with Jesus that is in the “imperfect tense” which means continuing action. Luke is showing that these Pharisees kept on asking and badgering Jesus about the matter until He finally answered. So in their eyes as they observed the disciples reacting out of their hunger it would have been better for those boys to have growling stomachs than to have working hands. Matthew 12:1 records that the disciples had just begun to do this which indicates that the religious leaders were waiting for the opportunity to complain.

One of the truths that this passage reveals is that it provides some insight into how this group of disciples and followers of Jesus lived. They were traveling on the Sabbath and were close by grain fields, and the disciples started pulling off some of the grain and eating it because they were hungry. But why were they hungry? Because they were following the King who had said in Matthew 8:20 that “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of man has nowhere to lay His head.”

Jesus’ ministry wasn’t rich and financially supported and instead was subsidized solely upon what the Heavenly Father provided, so Jesus fed His followers on that which was provided by the roadside. They were to be all about the Father’s business, and part of their training wasn’t how to fund raise it was instead to teach them that they were not to be concerned about what they were to eat. So when they got hungry, there was some grain close by, and they began to eat. I love the simplicity of the lives of this group. In Deut. 23:24-25 There were provisions made for travelers. They could pluck the heads of grain with their hands, but they could not use a sickle. So this was not theft; it was lawful.

 

Vs. 3-4 Defending the disciples by David

 

Vs. 3-4 Notice that there is no mention of Jesus doing this by the religious leaders, only His followers, yet their complaint is aimed at Jesus. Jesus had no problem with what they were doing, and He is proud to defend them. Is that not great to be doing something that others question you for, and the Lord defends you?

Jesus’ response as to why they were doing what was considered secular on a sacred day is very simple, “they were hungry”! As an illustration of this Jesus offers another story in their history in 1 Samuel chapter 22 verse 18. The area of Nob was where 85 priests plus women and children lived taking care of the tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant. “David”, Jesus said, “When he was hungry entered the tabernacle and ate the showbread.” (Jesus says that it was Abiathar the High Priest but in 1 Samuel chapter 21, Samuel records for us that the High priest was Abimelech. The critics will take this as a clear sign the Bible is full of contradictions as both can’t be right. Ah but according to 1 Samuel 22:20, 2 Samuel 8:17 and 1 Chron. 18:16 we are looking at father and son as Abimelech was the son of Abiathar and apparently both were involved in this decision to give the bread to David.)  We are told that they have no “common bread” and only “holy bread” which tells us two very important things:

“Common bread” was bread that was brought into the tabernacle by way of the offerings and the fact that they have no “common bread” tells us that this was a spiritually lean time for the nation as well for David and his mighty men.

“Holy Bread” was the 12 loaves (one for each tribe) that was placed on the table of “showbread” on the right side of the tabernacle opposite the lampstand. It was to be kept fresh and was replaced once a week with hot bread and the old loaves were to be eaten by the priests. The words “Showbread” literally comes from the words meaning “bread of faces” and spoke of being in the Lord’s presence. The idea behind the showbread was that of being invited over to the Lord’s House for a meal in which He supplied everything necessary for continual fellowship. Upon eating this bread the priest was saying, “I love you Lord and I’m in your presence fellowshipping with You by that which you have supplied to sustain me!”

What is sacred according to Jesus is not TIME but PEOPLE! The Sabbath’s holiness is derived from its purpose, and its purpose is the wellbeing of mankind, of which ministering to their needs is part of its sacredness! The Sabbath therefore is to serve humanity, not humanity serving the Sabbath. Love is greater than law; relationships are greater than rituals.

In Matthew 12:5, Matthew records another part of Jesus point which comes   from Num. 28:9-10, where the priests worked on the Sabbath. Jesus’ point was that if all work on the Sabbath was wrong, then how could they justify the priest’s work? Jesus then declares that He is greater than the temple. If the priests could break the law for the service in the temple, and it was surely serving the Lord, which is greater, then the temple would be ok.

 

Vs. 5 Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath

 

Vs. 5 In Matthew 12:7-8 Jesus quotes the Hosea 6:6. The prophet Hosea was telling Israel that what God looks at is mercy, not sacrifice. If a man brings a sacrifice and there is no mercy in his heart, then his sacrifice is an abomination. The Pharisees were more interested in the outward, where God is more interested in the inward. Then Jesus declares that he is greater than the Sabbath, the day of rest, for He gives rest to men’s souls.

In fact, that is what they were doing when they took a break to pluck the grain. The most sacred symbol of the nation was the Sabbath, and Jesus declares that they have missed the point of it, for it was about mercy, not sacrifice. It is about resting in Him, finding joy in being with the Lord. Folks, we are at rest only in as much as we are enjoying fellowship with Jesus. Christianity is not about what we do for the Lord. It is about enjoying Him and worshiping Him, for that is the sole basis of our service. 

Mankind was created before the Sabbath; he was not to be either a slave or a victim of the laws concerning the Sabbath. The best way to use sacred things is to use them for the benefit of mankind. The showbread was never more sacred than it was that day when it went to hungry men. The Greek word for Lord is Kurios which in the Greek means, “He who a person or a thing belongs to, the owner”. In the Septuagint the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures it was the word chosen by the scribes to be the word used for Jehovah and as such it was meant to imply deity.

Thus Jesus is saying that He is the Creator who brought forth the Sabbath for the sake of mankind! They had accused Jesus and His disciples of being Sabbath breakers and Jesus says in essence, “I am the creator, and I created the Sabbath for man, not man for the Sabbath and we aren’t breaking the Sabbath you are by altering its intent!”

 

Luke 6:6-11

“Stretching the Sabbath”

 

 

  • Introduction
  • 6-7 Restored hands and weathered hearts
  • 8-9 Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil?
  • 10-11 Hating healing

 

 

Introduction

One of the chief sources of irritation to the religious leaders was the way Jesus kept the Sabbath compared with how they kept it. Luke records two questions asked or implied by the Pharisees concerning religious life and its place in society that specifically focus on the Sabbath, verses 1-5 which dealt with food and here in verses 6-11 which dealt with healing. As mentioned, when it came to food the Pharisaical tradition had 39 different categories the Pharisees had classified work under, four of them centered on food “reaping, winnowing, threshing and preparing a meal” and as far as the action of the disciples were concerned in the Pharisees eyes, they had broken all four. We take up the 2nd part of the question about the sabbath here in verses 6-11.

 

Restored hands and weathered hearts

 

Vs. 6-7 Here we note a departure in the questioning of the religious leaders about the purpose of religion in society, they no longer use words to express their dissatisfaction at Jesus and His disciple’s departure from their rules and rituals. In Matthew 12:9 Matthew adds the words “their synagogue” and by that I suppose that it was the home synagogue of many of the religious leaders who were in attendance that Sabbath morning. It was no longer the house of God; it was now their synagogue. 

How tragic when a church is no longer God’s house; instead, it becomes is so and so’s church. This is the inevitable outcome of every fellowship when they becomes more interested in their pastor or the church’s programs as they begin to  identify more with the church than it does with the Head of the Church, Jesus. That is a sure indication that it is no longer Jesus’ church; it is theirs.

Luke the doctor turned historian tells us it was the man’s right hand and the Greek word for “withered” indicated that his condition was not a birth defect but an affliction due to either an accident or disease. The law regarding the Sabbath was very detailed as to what medical attention could be given, and it was only if the person’s life was in danger. If a person was bleeding, you could only cover the wound, but you could not put on anything that might help keep out infection, for that would be healing. A broken bone couldn’t be set, a sprain attended to by even placing it in cold water. You could only keep things from getting worse but could do nothing to make them get better. Clearly this man’s life was not in danger, he would have been no worse if left until another day and they saw him as a perfect case to entrap Jesus.

The word “watched” is in a tense that means a continuous action as they “kept watching Jesus, bent on finding fault with Him concerning the Sabbath”. They are not curious as to His opinions; they are not questioning to see what He thinks. No, they are looking to entrap and condemn as they have concluded that Jesus is their enemy. Indirectly by their entrapment they pay Jesus a great compliment as a man came into a synagogue with a withered hand and they were certain that Jesus would heal this man on the Sabbath.

Sometimes it is the testimony of the enemies of Jesus that seem to exercise more faith than His followers. I’m certain that they didn’t mean it as a compliment but none-the-less, they thought to themselves: “There is a man with a withered hand, and then there is Jesus, and they just know that Jesus is the type of person who is going to heal him.”

These “keepers of rules” had no doubt of either Jesus’ ability to heal or that he would choose to do so. Their prideful blindness could not see what they readily admitted by their entrapment, that before them was the Sabbath and their only concern was that He would violate their rules and upset their authority!

 

Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil?

 

Vs. 8-9 In Matthew 12:11-13, Matthew includes Jesus’ reply by stating that Jesus does so by asking two questions of which only Matthew records both.

  • 11 Notice that Jesus implies ownership of the sheep. He says, “What man among you who HAS one sheep.” Simply put, they rescue the sheep because it is theirs. Now, in the context of this, Jesus is saying that mankind is His. He is their creator, and He cares for His sheep. The point Jesus is making is that He is far more than just Lord over the Sabbath; He is Lord over mankind as well. If fallen humanity would do so for a sheep that they own, how much more right is it for Jesus, who is Lord over all of mankind, to heal those who are His sheep?
  • 12 Which is directly connected to what Jesus said but far more direct and the application would include everything that is beneficial to humanity. It is unlawful NOT to do good. Jesus doesn’t wait for their answer by actions affirming that doing good is never out of season.

He is the owner of mankind, and he has come to rescue them from the pit and set them free from the things that bind them; to not do so would be evil.

According to Luke’s account in verse 8 Jesus called the man with the withered hand forward so as all wouldn’t miss the priority of the day of rest.

In effect Jesus contrasted the intentions of His heart towards others compared to the intentions of the religious establishments heart towards others, (the others being himself) all on the Sabbath. The question paraphrased was, “You are concerned about the “day of rest”, whose heart is nearer the purpose of the Sabbath yours or mine? I want to do good to this man while you want to do evil to me, I want to save this man’s life, you want to take my life. Which best represents the intentions of the Sabbath?”

 

Hating healing

 

Vs. 10-11 To demonstrate His Lordship, He tells the man with the withered hand to stretch it forth. Though this isn’t a major point I find it interesting that Jesus asked the man with the one withered hand to stretch it forth and this of course indicates that it was his hand and not his entire arm.  This man does just what Jesus tells him to do; his hand is made whole. How many times does the Lord tell us to stretch out our withered lives, and we tell Him we can’t? Won’t you just stretch forth your lives that He might touch them?

In the Pharisees’ zeal to maintain the Sabbath they had not only altered it, but they had also killed its benefits! Their silence angered our Lord. The hardness of their heart towards truth grieved Him that though they were clearly in the wrong with regard to the Sabbath, yet they still wouldn’t repent. These men were more motivated to maintain the practice of a lie that they could clearly see was evil and life taking than they were to embrace the truth that was good and life giving. Jesus always drove out evil; He would drive it out of a person or at very least He would drive it out in the open as he did with the Pharisees.

By words and action Jesus answered His own question: He had come to facilitate the CURE for what ails humanity and through that He created the reason for abiding and abounding joy. His presence enlarged the area of sacredness, and it encompassed the secular including all the self-imposed sanctions of religious leaders. He had come to save them; not to harm or kill them!

 

 

 

Luke 6:12-16

“Apprentices on a Mission” 

 

 

  • Introduction
  • 12-13 Characteristics of the called
  • 14-16 He chose who? 

 

Introduction

The passage we start tonight is a break from where we have been even though we are still in chapter six. We know this by Luke’s use of the phrase, “Now it came to pass in those days”. The question that Luke is getting the reader to ask is In what days? The answer to this questions sets the context of what follows. Those days of Jesus’ ministry were days that were filled with two opposing realities:

  • Days in which His popularity among the people was increasing
  • Days in which as we read in verse 11 that the religious leaders were increasing in rage and were discussing with the Herodians how they might destroy Jesus

This section examines this through the remainder of the 6th chapter but does so in two sections marked by two different times of day as well as two different types of locations.

  • First, in verses 12-16 we read that in verse 16 that “Jesus went out to the mountains to pray and continued all night”. So the first was at night in the mountains.
  • Second, in verses 17-49 we read in verse 17 that, “He (Jesus) came down with them and stood on a level place”. And the second was during the day in the flat land.

 

Vs. 12-13 Characteristics of the called

 

Vs. 12 So in the days of growing popularity among the people and hostility among the religious elite Jesus did these two things at different times of the day and at different places. Our focus tonight is what took place at night on the mountain as Jesus elected after a night of communion with the Father 12 from among His many disciples that He would commission as His apostles. We know that there was a very large number of followers that the 12 were selected from as we are told in verse 17 that on the plain there was a “crowd of His disciples”.

What these verses give us is Jesus’ plan of carrying on His ministry. The whole history of the Church finds its beginning in these 5 little verses. In this sense everything that came from these 5 verses even to today is apostolic succession. What this informs us today is that every believer and follower of Jesus is involved in the work of Jesus’ continual ministry. No professing follower of Christ and member of His church can simply belong to Him apart from having a personal responsibility and calling to carry on His ministry into the world.

Another thing that we can see is found in Mark’s account and that is according to Mark 3:7 the choosing of the 12 disciples is placed next to how Jesus withdrew from the popularity of the multitudes.

  • Jesus withdrew from successful testimonies of pretentious crowds
  • He also withdrew from truthful titles given by demonic liars.
  • And as noted in Mark 3:6 Jesus withdrew from the plotting of His premature destruction by the combined efforts of the Pharisees and Herodians who could only agree upon Jesus’ destruction.
  • Instead at the selection of these 12 men we are given a methodology of selection and the facts are Jesus wanted ordinary men who by their words and works would demonstrate what will happen to a common person who spends time with Him.

Vs. 13 In the New Testament you will find three other lists of the names of the Twelve, Matthew 10:1-4, Mark 3:13-19, here in Luke 6:12-16 and the book of Acts 1:12-14 (minus Judas) which took place at the meeting in the upper room after the Ascension of Jesus from Mount Olivet. In each of these four lists Peter is named first, and Judas last except as I mentioned above in Acts where he isn’t mentioned at all. Only Luke tells us that Jesus gave the group the name of apostles.

The difference between a disciple and an apostle is:

  • A disciple is a person who learns by doing, today we might use the word apprentice.
  • An apostle is a person who is sent out on official service with a commission, and today we might use the word ambassador.

It is very significant that Christianity began with a group.

  • The Pharisaical approach was similarity and separation.
  • Jesus’ methodology was the exact opposite, diversity and inclusion.

Nothing better demonstrates this than the extremes of the men Jesus called: A revolutionary anti Roman zealot and a pro Roman tax collector both of which are part of the 12-man team. With this extreme diversity all 12 did possess two common traits:

  • They all had an unbreakable attraction to Jesus; they wanted to make Him their master!
  • They all had the courage to visibly align themselves with Him! No band of men ever risked more than these 12 with their allegiance to a radical peasant Galilean who was crashing headlong into religious leaders and being labeled as a rule breaking sinner.

These 12 had faults but one of them wasn’t a lack of love for their Master. They loved Jesus and weren’t afraid to tell the world that they did. Before giving us the cast of characters in verses 16-19 Mark 3:13-15 gives us three traits Jesus looked for in those He personally called to service!

Vs. 13 PERSONAL ENCOUNTER: People who wanted to be with Him for the right reasons: Jesus didn’t want a sales force or advocates who had received benefits! What He desired was men who from personal experience had chosen to be with Him. They weren’t trained to talk about Him, instead they were told of how their encounter was not temporary and superficial but everlasting. There is too much of Christianity today that has been scrubbed and sanitized from the raw truthful testimonies of transformed lives. Oh, it is polished and pointed, but sounds like an infomercial that gets the stains out without harming the fabric.

The outcome of this new sales force are converts who become members of a church that caters to their every whim and demand. Yes, we now have professional spokesmen, but it has been at the price of unlearned fishermen that had been with Jesus. And I am reminded that it was those unlearned fishermen that were chosen to change the world!

Vs. 14 PRACTICAL EVANGELISM: The selection was not based upon giftedness nor education. From beginning to end we have proof that Jesus deliberately chose to build His church with inferior material. That was by design to prove that it is only through and by Jesus that this organism we know as the Church has the power, position and the ability to perform what He has called us to.

Their appointment had a threefold tasks according to Mark 3:13-15

That they might be with Him. The highest priority was not in making a professional team but rather a relational team. This appointment was of men who more than anything else just wanted to be with and near Jesus. The job interview, (there wasn’t one) did not include a resume, past job experience, training, or education. None of these mattered to the Master, what mattered was would they unequivocally, without any direction or promises, obey the simplest of tasks, which by His own words was to be with Him. Why is this question never asked? It seems to me that far too often the church ends up with people who either want a position or a career path but not Jesus!

That He would send them out: Secondly the team needed to have settled who the Master was and who it wasn’t. The sending out was not based upon a catalog of desirable locations or situations in which a person could naturally choose what was the most appealing and beneficial to their life. The applicant must adapt the attitude that Peter would manifest when asked by Jesus to exercise a direction which Peter had far more experience outwardly than did Jesus, commercial fishing. When Peter heard Jesus’ orders to “cast the net upon the other side” Peter in his professional understanding explained that they had been out fishing all night but “nevertheless at Your word” he would cast the net as directed. There will be many times when our all-night fishing has not yielded the results that we thought we would have achieved for our effort, but our obedience is not leveled upon outcome but because our Master told us too!

To preach: Their primary task is to be His proclaimers! They weren’t called to be His entertainers! It was a very simple task: Speak what you have learned from Him. It didn’t require any talent or education, why even unlearned fishermen could be considered accomplished. There is a progressive order to this appointment that if not followed as laid out will cause a mess. People can have natural skills in communication, be comfortable in front of others. But if that person eyes the calling to preach and is allowed to do so without noting the above two items, the results will be an egotistical entertainer who is far more interested in being worshiped then having the Person they are to proclaim worshipped.

Vs. 15 POWER-FILLED EXPERIENCE: The final trait Jesus looked for were men who understood that they were only receivers or stewards of His blessing and power in order that they would be distributors of them. He gave them power; it was not their own and it was not to be used for their benefit or promotion. They were given something to say and something to do, then were sent out for that purpose with power to accomplish it. There ought to be an authenticity that manifests itself when a person who has been with Jesus is where they are supposed to be, doing what they are called to do. They were His ambassadors to make public proclamations with such authority as to make what they said obeyed and given delegated power that people were healed and demons fled.

 

Vs. 14-16 He chose who?

 

Vs. 14-16 Matthew Chapter 10 starts where 9:37-38 left off. Jesus had just spoken to the disciples and asked them to pray for laborers for the harvest. Then in Matthew 10:5 we see Jesus’s words to them in verse 5 as “He sent them out.” Matthew also records that prior to this calling of the 12 Jesus was up all night in prayer over who He would select. While some believe that this time in prayer was spent receiving direction and confirmation from the Father on who He would choose, men who would be most impactful and influential upon the world. I could also make the case looking at the cast of characters chosen that perhaps the prayer was to be kept from selecting those that seemed most outwardly a perfect fit. There are two surprises in Jesus’ selection mentioned in these verses: How many He selected and who He selected.

How many: When we factor in the extremely large numbers of people, the political, religious and economic situation that made up this time, 12 men seems like extreme under staffing. Why 12? Yes it’s a biblical number but I seriously doubt that Jesus selected 12 because He thought “Gee, that’s a biblical number!” No, Jesus selected 12 because that was about the max that He could pour Himself into and have quality time with each. Jesus’ method in the number of men He called indicates His confidence in the task at reaching the world. Jesus and any single one of them fully and wholly consecrated to Him was more than enough to change the world, 12 was over kill! Jesus didn’t launch this enterprise during our era which suggests to me that He didn’t need our technological advancements to reach the world. Don’t get me wrong I’m not saying that He hasn’t used mass media, technology, radio T.V., C.D’s etc. What I am saying is that those technological advancements are not essential nor indispensable as far as Jesus is concerned. What is essential and indispensable is Jesus in the life of those He calls.

Who He selected: These names appear in other places, usually in the same order: Peter first, Judas last, but what do we really know of these guys? Out of the 12, we know 5 of their occupations: 4 were fishermen, and one was a tax collector. As for the rest, we are not told. All except for Judas were from the wrong side of the country; (Galilee) Judas was most likely from the area of Judah. The first three mentioned Simon (Peter), James and John are all given special names as He “surnamed” them, giving them nicknames. This special designation indicates an inner circle of responsibility. They are the ones we see going on special details, called upon to accompany Jesus at specific opportunities as well as the ones Jesus tended to spend the most of His time with.

It appears that they were designated the leaders of the 12. In both Jesus’ selection of the 12 and the three within the 12 we see a consistent methodology by Jesus of investing in a select few to reach the many! Looking at Jesus’ nicknames of these three in the placement of them over the 12 seems to indicate Jesus’ assessment of what this group needed most: “A rock and two loud voices”! Personally having pastored for over 35 years I think a rock and two loud voices comes in pretty handy when dealing with sheep!

Peter: Here is a choice of a man that Jesus knew would deny that he ever knew Him. The acknowledged leader was a person who went from shifting sand to the Rock, which describes what he became after the Holy Spirit took control of him.

Andrew: His name comes from a Greek origin and was used to describe a person who was “manly”. He was the first to enquire about the Lord.

James: The surnames of both James and his brother John in Syrian is “Sons of thunder,” but in Hebrew is “Sons of tumult”. The name was laid upon these two for their “tumultuous zeal” which characterized both of them. Here is a choice of two brothers who had such tempers that they wanted to blow away or burn up people who didn’t comply. James would leave his mark not by being a loud voice but by being the first to lay down his life.

John: Who would remain until the end and was noted more for his actions of prayer and love than a loud voice.

Phillip: Is another Greek name that means fond of horses and in ancient Greek was used of a person who was a chariot driver. John 1:43 tells us that he was the third that Jesus called.

Bartholomew: Also known as Nathanael in whom we are told had no guile.

Matthew: Is a name that means a “gift of God”, he is the one known as Levi in chapter 5 verse 27, the tax collector and future gospel writer. As a tax collector he was most hated among his own people and financially had the most to lose.

Thomas: His name means “twin”, and we know him as the magnificent skeptic. Again a questionable choice as this fellow will deny you’re alive unlike Peter who denied he knew you.

James the son of Alphaeus: Also known as James the less. According to Mark 2:14 he may be the brother of Matthew as both are said to be the son of Alphaeus.

Simon called the Zealot also called the Canaanite: More properly the “Canaanaean” which is used to differentiate him from Peter by geographical location. Here was a choice of a man that had a complete make over from a revolutionary to a missionary, from a terrorist to tender hearted.

Judas the son of James also known as Thaddaeus: He is the other Judas mentioned in John 14:22 and Martin Luther called the “good Judas”. Him we shall hear speak in the upper room.

Judas Iscariot: His name is placed at the end of the list. Iscariot means “the man from Kerioth” which is a name of a town given in Joshua chapter 15 verse 25 as one of the last of the cities of Judah along the coast near Edom. What a tragic figure Judas is as here we note that he was given authority to cast out demons but in the end will be the one that Satan will enter.

I close with this and that is to remind us that Judas Iscariot was chosen by Jesus after a full night of prayer with the Father. In John 17:6 at the end of His earthly ministry Jesus prayed, “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.” These 12 men were the ones selected by Jesus after a night of prayer on the mountain with sweet fellowship with the Father. Now look at John 6:70 where Jesus says, “Did I not choose you, the twelve, and yet one of you is a devil.” Jesus didn’t say a demon he said a devil! Now go back and look again at Jesus final prayer of His earthly ministry in John 17:12 where Jesus prayed, “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept. And none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” The son of perdition is a phrase that suggests a total abandonment of character, one who is utterly lost and given over to evil. These are the facts concerning Judas Iscariot’s selection. Jesus chose Judas alongside His Father, among the 12 Jesus chose and included that dark and sinister traitor and that is all we are given. G Campbell Morgan writes that he doesn’t believe that Judas was a man in the ordinary sense of the word. He believes that he was a devil incarnate, created in history for the work of hell!

 

Luke 6:17-20

“What to expect” 

 

 

  • Introduction
  • 17-19 Helping the hurting
  • 20-23 Blessed, Are and For

 

Introduction

We last noted that the passage transitioned in the sixth chapter as Luke recorded the phrase, “Now it came to pass in those days” and the question that Luke was getting the reader to ask is “In what days?” The answer to this questions set the context of what follows throughout the rest of chapter six. Those days of Jesus’ ministry were days that were filled with two opposing realities:

  • Days in which His popularity among the people was increasing
  • Days in which as we read in verse 11 that the religious leaders were increasing in rage and were discussing with the Herodians how they might destroy Jesus

Both of which I might add were problematic to Jesus’ ministry and play a large part in both the selection of the 12 and the instructions on how to carry on ministry among people who will either persecute you or patronize you.

The chapter divided in two sections marked by two different times of day as well as two different types of locations.

  • First, in verses 12-16 we read that in verse 16 that “Jesus went out to the mountains to pray and continued all NIGHT”. So the first was at night in the mountains.
  • Second, in verses 17-49 we read in verse 17 that, “He (Jesus) came down with them and stood on a level place”. And the second was during the day in the flat land.

It is the second half that we will begin to investigate now! As Bible students you will no doubt recognize a good portion of the text as it seems to parallel Mathew chapters 5-7 and the text known as the Sermon on the Mount.

If you have access to Harmony of the gospel as I do you can turn and note that writers like A.T. Robertson say that these two accounts record the same event, however, I and many other commentators disagree and believe this is two separate teachings. For instance:

  • Matthew 5:1-2 – Luke 6:17-19 * No mention of the healing of the multitudes in Matthew’s account
  • Matthew 5:3-12 – Luke 6:20-26 * No mention of the woes pronounced by Jesus in Matthew’s account
  • Matthew 5:13-20 * Not mentioned by Luke
  • Matthew 5:21-48 – Luke 6:27-30, 32-36 * Lukes account is different, for instance Matthew 5:21 starts with “You have heard it said to those of old, You shall not murder,” and whoever murders will be in danger of judgement” and Luke’s account 6:27 starts with, “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”

 

And this is just a sample of the many differences! It is also noteworthy that Matthew 5:1 records the Sermon being taught up on a mountain whereas we saw that Luke 6:17 records that this message was given in a level place. But of greater interest than the location is those that were in attendance as Matthew 5:1 tells us that Jesus seeing the multitudes went up on a mountain and when He was seated His disciples came to Him and He taught them what is again known as the Sermon on the Mount.

Luke’s setting is not only different in location but also in who was there as verse 19-20 tells us that it was a mixed multitude as many were there to receive a touch from Jesus to be healed and Jesus lifted up His eyes towards His disciples. This is further brought out in Luke 7:1 where we are told that, “when He concluded all His sayings in the HEARING OF THE PEOPLE, He entered Capernaum.”

Based upon this evidence I’m inclined to think that Matthew records the message that was first delivered on the Mountain with the primary audience being as Matthew says, His Disciples, and Luke records the abbreviated message that included the disciples but also a much broader audience that included the multitude with no doubt some of the religious leaders as we note Jesus’ own words in 6:23 when He said, “For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.” Luke also tells us that in 6:17 that the great multitude that was present was from Judea, Jerusalem, from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon which are located on the Mediterranean in modern day Lebon.

The message in Luke most likely was delivered a few hours down the Mountain from the first message and this best explains the differences as well clarifying the context. So though the message is similar the audience necessitated the differences. Both sermons have a great moral tone and a deep spirituality as there is no higher ethical teaching ever given. Both contain the heart of Jesus’ teaching, but we must not assume that either sermon is the gospel. The gospel is the declaration of God concerning His Son Jesus, whereas in this sermon we have no reference to the work of Jesus and instead its concern is the disciples and their behavior in a world that is contrary to their transformation.

Both sermons set forth the principles that should control all followers of Christ during the time of Jesus’ absence from being on earth living in a Christ rejecting world.

While I believe that these principles will be what governs the 1000-year reign of Christ the needed exhortation won’t be necessary then as they clearly are now as the conditions will have changed as He is reigning on earth. These words are ones that are given to motivate the believer’s life and conduct while they are waiting His return.

I’m of the opinion that the principals taught on the mountaintop were pressed further into Jesus disciples when they all came down the mountain to the plane. And as we see Jesus amongst human needs, touching and healing people Jesus gave an abbreviated version of the sermon as a way of saying, “You see all this? This is why I just told you and now remind you. The world won’t understand you, they will persecute you and patronize you but love them anyway.”

Vs. 17-19 Helping the hurting

Vs. 17 It is always good to be reminded of this fact about Jesus; fame followed Him, but He did not follow fame! People thronging Him wanting Him, listening to Him but you will note that Matthew records this happening and Jesus taking leave of this and going up into the mountain with His disciples. Here upon the return trip fresh from the teaching of how to live and minister was the opportunity to put into practice and remind them of what they had just heard.

Luke mentions that they came from far and wide to both “hear Him and to be healed of their diseases”. Without minimizing the human need, by far their greatest need wasn’t a temporary elevation of their circumstances but a permanent transformation of their lives.

Vs. 18-19 The diversity of the people gathered and apparently was matched by an equal amount of afflictions as Luke uses the word “diseases” in the plural then adds here that there were also many that came that were tormented with unclean spirits and all were healed.

Note as well that the whole multitude which will be in large part be categorized in verses 21-26 as those that persecute and those that patronize, they are all in need and suffering, and sought to touch Jesus, for power went out from Him and healed them all. It was for this very reason that the instruction of the mountain had just taken place and why it needed to be spoken again. Looking out into history since the calling of the 12 and the church we can see what one man said, Jesus promised His disciples three things:

  • That they could be completely fearless
  • That they could be absurdly happy
  • And because of the above two that they would be constantly in trouble. Ah but let us never forget that getting into this kind of hot water just helps you keep clean!

The focus of the sermon on the mount deals with the disciples’ attitudes and as we know attitudes affect actions. It seems looking at Luke’s account of this sermon you can see four areas that our attitudes need the right direction:

  1. 6:20-26 Circumstances
  2. 6:27-38 People
  3. 6:39-45 Ourselves
  4. 6:46-49 God

 

Vs. 20-23 Blessed, Are and For

Vs. 20 In our U.S. constitution the citizens of this country are guaranteed the right of the pursuit of happiness. Those outside have no promise given to them, so to with Jesus’ declaration. This sermon on the mount does not concern itself with what the citizens are to do but rather with the character of who they are. Who they are is summed up with one word, “Blessed or Happy” the rest of these beatitudes describes the character of the person who is happy or blessed. You will notice that these are not the Do-Attitudes, simply put these attitudes describe the state of being that all that are in Christ’s kingdom should look like and in so looking like this they will find the most Joy! Jesus came to teach His disciples, that character is before conduct. Jesus did not say a word about policy, or government, not one condition of this blessing has to do with us doing anything it is all pronounced upon our BEING.

There are three words repeated each and every time. Understanding these three words will cause you to understand the character that is blessed! They are, BLESSED, ARE, and FOR. It is important that we don’t miss this truth from Jesus:

  • Blessed: The King Jesus does not bestow gifts to make people happy, He creates a condition within their hearts, which enables them to find joy everywhere. Jesus does not create joy by new surroundings; He creates new surroundings by Joy!
  • ARE: Here we see that the Joy I spoke of above is not conditioned upon doing, or possessing, but on being.“Oh, how happy ARE”; that is what Jesus declares here, not “Oh, how happy are they that Do or HAVE.” A person is described as being full of Joy based upon who he is not what he does or have.
  • FOR: Here Jesus declares that character creates conditions by which a person experiences God’s ideal for them, “full joy”. By way of illustration Jesus does notsay here that the kingdom of heaven will be given to the man that is “poor in spirit”. Instead He says, that the “poor in spirit” is full of joy because he has the kingdom of heaven. Notice the word “is”!

Next, we will look at these individual traits of character in those children of the King.

 

Luke 6:20-23

“The Blessings of persecution”

 

 

  • Introduction
  • 20-23 Blessed, Are and For

 

Introduction

Jesus’ earthly ministry was filled with two opposing realities:

  • Days in which His popularity among the people was increasing
  • Days in which religious leaders were increasing in rage

As a result of those two realities Jesus selected the 12 Disciples and then gave them instructions on how to carry on ministry among people who will either persecute you or patronize you.

As noted last week I’m of the opinion that even though there are similarities between Luke 6:17-49 and Mathew chapters 5-7 they are not the same sermon known as the Sermon on the Mount. I’ll refer you to that teaching for examples and instead emphasize that the primary reason for this was that after giving a full instruction on the mountain to His disciples Jesus felt it was beneficial to place re-emphasis on certain things that He had just told them as they faced a mixed multitude on the flat land.

I believe Luke calls attention to that detail in verse 20 when in front of the facing multitude Jesus lifted His eyes towards His disciples and even though we are told in Luke 7:1 that others heard this teaching of Jesus because, “when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He entered Capernaum” the primary audience was His disciples. There are other clues to this such as 6:23 when He said, “For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets” which suggests to us that the religious leaders were present as well.

As it relates to our study, both sermons of Jesus as recorded by Matthew and Luke respectively have a great moral tone and a deep spirituality as there is no higher ethical teaching ever given. Both contain the heart of Jesus teaching, but we must not assume that either sermon is the gospel. Both sermons set forth the principles that should control all followers of Christ during the time of Jesus’ absence from being on earth living in a Christ rejecting world. For sake of clarity we will use the Sermon recorded by Matthew as well as Luke as both are given to motivate the believer’s life and conduct while they are waiting His return.

This sermon as well as the one on the mount does not concern itself with what the citizens are to do, but rather with the character of who they are. Who they are is summed up with one word, “Blessed or Happy” the rest of these beatitudes describes the character of the person who is happy or blessed. You will notice that these are not the Do-Attitudes, these attitudes describe the state of being that all that are in Christ’s kingdom should look like and in so looking like this they will find the most Joy! Jesus taught His disciples, that character is before conduct. Jesus did not say a word about policy, or government, not one condition of this blessing has to do with us doing anything, it is all pronounced upon our Being.

There are three words that are repeated every time. Understanding these three words will cause you to understand the character that is blessed! They are, BLESSED, ARE, and FOR. It is important that we don’t miss this truth from Jesus:

  • Blessed: The King Jesus does not bestow gifts to make people happy, He creates a condition within their hearts, which enables them to find joy Jesus does not create joy by new surroundings; He creates new surroundings by Joy!
  • ARE: Here we see that the Joy I spoke of above is not conditioned upon doing, or possessing, but on being. “Oh, how happy ARE…”; that is what Jesus declares here, not “Oh, how happy are they that Do or Have.” A person is described as being full of Joy based upon who he is not what he does or have.

 

  • FOR: Here Jesus declares that character creates conditions by which a person experiences Gods ideal for them, “full joy”. By way of illustration Jesus does not say here that the kingdom of heaven will be given to the man that is “poor in spirit”. Instead He says, that the “poor in spirit” is full of joy because he has the kingdom of heaven. Notice the word “is”!

 

Vs. 20-23 Blessed, Are and For

Here we are given the individual traits of character for the disciple of Jesus who is facing persecution from those they are engaged in reaching for the Kingdom.

  • 20 “Blessed are you Poor: And Matthew records Jesus’ words on the Mountain as they included the words “in spirit”. Poor usually means you have a lack of something which is not usually associated with happiness or joy. But here Jesus stated that His disciples are characterized by an understanding that they are poor in spirit, and that means they understand that apart from Jesus they are empty, bankrupt spiritually. This character trait is one that describes the condition of the heart that has recognized that it has nothing to offer, it is empty of pride and self-importance. They are insignificant as to value in and of themselves. It is the agreement that we are sinners devoid of any spiritual assets. It is only the empty, broken person that can truly experience the kingdom of heaven. As it relates to Luke’s recorded message it was a reminder that because of the above truth of being poor in spirit those that were persecuting them could not add to or take away anything from them or their value. The reality of this truth when applied would enable the disciple to continue to love those that were engaged in persecuting them because their value wasn’t determined on how others treated them, nothing anyone could do would change who they belonged to. This would produce security that couldn’t be taken or minimized when it is realized.

For clarity’s sake even though Luke records Jesus abbreviated message which does not include the next two I’ve included them in this teaching:

  • Matthew 5:4 “those who mourn”: When examining the Sermon of the Mount you see that these “beatitudes” are progressive, A person who recognizes their own poverty of spirit will be more concerned with their own sinful condition instead of how other sinners are treating them. They will be conscious of their own failure. This is brought out more fully when we realize that the word for “mourn” does not mean casual sorrow for the consequences of our sin but instead is a deep grief over our falseness before God. As disciples of Christ we must appreciate how truly lost we were before we can be truly appreciate the grace that has been bestowed upon us. Sin had destroyed our lives and separated us from a loving God and it’s all our fault and we must be continually broken by that. Furthermore we were helpless on our own to resolve this condition before God. Again, we can see how this character trait would cause the disciple to react differently to the people who are actively trying to destroy them as we would be seeing ourselves as the worst sinner we have ever met, people lost in grief over our failure and sin yet thankful for Jesus will be comforted no matter how the world treats us.
  • Matthew 5:5 “the meek”: The work for meek does not mean weakness, but rather strength under control. The word meek was a word used to describe a powerful stallion who was broken and rideable. It describes a person who has recognized their own poverty of spirit, who has grieved over their failure, experienced the presence of the Lord in spite of themselves. In other words they are humble, willing to relinquish their rights and privileges. To the person who rests in the Lord everything is his. The disciple only wants the Lord to rule; they are not bucking the Lord they are strength under control!
  • 21 “those who hunger now.” And Matthew 5:6 adds the words, thirst for righteousness. The words “hunger” and “thirst” describe a longing that can never be fully satisfied by what the world has to offer. The reason for this is those who are blessed are craving not the temporary things of this world but that which can only come from God, Righteousness! Those that persecute as cannot take that which can only fill us as we will only want more of Jesus and nothing from the world. The disciple isn’t interested in snacking on Jesus, just enough of Jesus to soothe our guilty conscience. The reason persecution can have effect on us is that far too often we Christians are craving what the world has, power, success, comfort. To those that crave more of Jesus they will be filled, but with a filling that leaves you wanting more of Him!

Matthew records Jesus’ words in 5:7-9 on how these character traits display themselves in everyday life then Jesus in Matthew 5:10 teaches on how the world will react to them when they see them in us which is “persecute us for righteousness’s sake” because the disciple’s life is only for the kingdom of heaven.

Again in Matthew’s account of the three verses of 5:7-9 we see a further progression of character in the believer but as noted this is NOT something that we do or have instead of something that we are.

  • Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful”: Jesus says, “How full of joy are they that are merciful.” But what does that mean? Some think that it describes a person that is easy going. A person when someone breaks the law just says; “What does it matter let’s not do anything about that, just forget it.” Our interpretation of what it means to be merciful must be consistent with two things:
    • It must be consistent with the character of God for this is one of His attributes. Ps. 116:5 says of God, “Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; Yes, our God is merciful.” God doesn’t just wink at wrongdoing. He is holy and righteous, so whatever definition of mercy we come up with must include this.
    • It must be consistent with mercy as shown in scripture. Luke 10:29-37 and the story of the Good Samaritan offers us a great illustration. You remember the story of the man who was on his way to Jerico and on the way there was beat up and robbed. A priest went by him and saw him and crossed over to the other side of the road, likewise a Levite, but when a Samaritan saw the man, he had compassion. Later on Jesus asks the lawyer that asked the question “Who is my neighbor?”, which one of these three acted as a neighbor to the man? To which the lawyer replied, “The one who showed mercy on him.” The essential meaning of mercy is twofold, pity plus action. Grace describes us getting what we don’t deserve, but mercy is not getting what we do deserve. It is more than feeling bad for someone’s situation it is feeling bad enough to go across the road and do something about the situation.

Mercy does not gloss over the situation but looks at the ravages of sin in the human life, knows what that sin has done in their life, pities the person who has wronged them and goes to help them. This is how the disciple now views the people of the world both Christians and non-Christians. The person who has been forgiven and cleansed of their sins should not be self-righteous but merciful! Notes in Matthew 5:7 Jesus goes on to say, “For they shall obtain mercy” and it appears from a simple reading of this that we will only receive mercy if we are merciful. If that is true than am I only forgiven if I forgive, as Matt. 6:14-15 seems to say; “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

If any of us were judged based upon those terms then no one would obtain mercy nor would they have forgiveness. Furthermore this would contradict the clear teaching of grace in the New Testament which says that we have been saved by grace not of works least any man boast. As well as the fact that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Thus we must interpret scripture in light of scripture, the difficult by the clear. The Greek clarifies this as it literally is: “Blessed are the merciful, for they are the OBJECTS of mercy.” If I have truly been forgiven then I will forgive, that is what Jesus is saying. Since the disciple has been the object of mercy then we will be merciful. How full of joy are they that are reaching out to those who are suffering in sin, because they have found relief from that suffering already in Christ.

  • Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart”: Fullness of joy in our hearts cannot come about when we are concerned with outward things. The Christian life is not concerned with our intellect or understanding of doctrine it is a condition of the heart! The heart in scripture is the center of man’s being, that would include his emotions, his thoughts, and actions. That is what a person is! The pure means clean, but it also means whole! To be pure in heart is to be like Jesus, His whole being was clean, not just what we saw on the surface anybody can do that, but all the way through a single cleanness. Living in and for the glory of God in everything. The supreme desire of our lives is to know Him and glorify Him. That is pure in heart. There is a difference between having a clean heart and being pure in heart. Soap is clean by its very nature, but it may not be pure, it may have color added as well as perfume. That would not be pure, but it would be clean. It is only to the pure in heart that we see the blessing. Jesus goes on to say in Matthew 5:8 “For they shall see God.” Can anyone see God in this body? No! We have a partial understanding of what it means to see God. It is speaking of greater intimacy, greater clarity. When we are single hearted towards Him we will experience more of Him. The more we experience His presence in our lives the more we will want nothing but Him. The apostle John said this concerning seeing the Lord in 1 John 3:2-3 “Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.” Folks soon we will be ushered into His presence, what a great motivation to remain pure in heart.

 

  • Matthew 5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers.”: Obviously this is not talking about a natural disposition, but a condition of the believer’s heart. A peacemaker carries two main ideas:
  • A peacemaker is a person who is at peace, or if you will, is a rest in the state of being at peace.
  • A peacemaker is a person who is not quarrelsome. They are actively seeking to bring that state of peace or rest into wherever they are. 2 Cor. 5:18-20 describes what a peacemaker is, “Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God.”

The bringing together of two that have been at odds with each other is what Christ has done at the cross in His body paying for our sin bringing together God and us. And clearly we have been called to do the same. Rom. 5:1 further tells us “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” Jesus continues and says that they shall be called the sons of God. The idea is that we shall look like the one in Whom has brought us peace. We will be as to our very nature peacemakers because we have been peace partakers! There is No peace unless we Know Him who is peace.

I’m of the opinion that contextually that Matthew 5:10-11 would come next before what Jesus’ spoke of in Luke 6:22-23 as Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God.” Jesus on the mount spoke in verse 10-11 of the reaction of the world to our changed character which was the opposite of popularity.

  • Matthew 5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’s sake.” Jesus didn’t say that we are to most joyful if we are being persecuted for being objectionable, loud or quarrelsome. We have no right whatsoever to hide behind this badge if we are being jerks! The type of persecution Jesus is speaking of is only for right living. Jesus continues with the words, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. If the world is treating us like they treated Jesus then it is a fact that we are living under the principals of the Kingdom of heaven! The key to the interpretation of this is found in Matthew 5:11-12 for His name’s sake! The Christians life is to be dominated by Christ and when it is you will be misunderstood and hated Jesus said. You are in great company for they have done so to the prophets before us.
  • Both Matthew and Luke include what the disciple’s reaction to this persecution ought to be as Jesus said we are to “leap for joy”. Because the characteristic here above described are happening in our lives.  And great is our reward. Being rewarded for allowing Jesus to have all of me by which these characteristics are manifested in and through me. Wow! What a great God we serve!

 

Luke 6:24-26

“Going after the good at the cost of the best” 

 

 

  • Introduction
  • 24-26 The cost of character

 

Introduction

As we have already gone over, Jesus initially saw the crowds and then went up into the mountain with His disciples choosing 12 and then teaching them which is recorded for is in Matthew chapters 5-7. Luke then gives us the account of what happened as Jesus returned from the mountain teaching to the flat land as the mixed multitude was gathered there along with I believe the religious leaders. Amongst that chaos Jesus reemphasized some of the points He had just taught them which is what we see in Luke 6.

We see this in Luke’s words in verse 20 when in front of the facing multitude Jesus lifted His eyes towards His disciples and we are told in Luke 7:1 that others heard this teaching of Jesus because, “when He concluded all His sayings in the HEARING OF THE PEOPLE, He entered Capernaum”. Last time we noted the benefits of using both Luke’s account along with Matthew 5:3-10 as it gives us a better understanding of the exhortation of Jesus to His disciples of how to live in a world where those you are called to reach will in some measure be people who will either be engaged in persecuting you or patronizing you. In both accounts Jesus placed these character traits as the way of experiencing fullness of joy not on what a disciples does but rather in understanding who they are in Christ. We note that in the repeated three words of BLESSED, ARE, and FOR.

Having gone over verses 20-23 and the understanding of how having the right perspective will enable a disciple to love people in spite of their attitudes and actions towards us. Jesus looking at His disciples issued four warnings in verses 24-26 seen in the repeated word WOE. When we look at this section as a whole it seems to me that Jesus was revealing two different things that the world can employ to take the disciple off of their mission to reach the world by loving people enough to tell them the truth about Jesus. I can imagine that both types of people were present in the crowd: Those that wanted to persecute them as well as those who wanted to patronize them and it is here in verses 24-26 that Jesus addressing the second way the world will treat Jesus’ witnesses.

If we look throughout church history and the believers witness in the world to those who desperately need to know of His love, we can see both methods employed. History is filled with people who have attempted to silence the testimony of the saints. In the 20th century 67-100 million have been put to death by secular societies. But persecution in my opinion has not had the effects that secular societies had intended, but where that has failed, patronizing the church has succeeded far better than they could have ever imagined.

 

Vs. 24-26 The cost of character

 

Generally these four “woes” share a common truth and that is what you want from life will always exact a price that you will have to pay for. If a person decides to pursue as the secular goals of life:

  • Prosperity
  • Pleasure
  • Popularity

The reality is that you may be able on some level to be able to attain it, but there will be a price to pay and ultimately you will realize that is all you will receive. The author of Hebrews speaking of Moses mentioned it in Hebrews 11:24-25 saying that “By faith Moses, when he became of age refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.”

Notice that Jesus in Luke 6:24-26 doesn’t make the argument that those things were wrong, instead He says that those things will be all you get and in the end every person who has made the things that world offers as the greatest achievements and goals in life will discover that they never satisfy, which is its own judgment. To Jesus the warning was that having wrong values and goals in life ISNT that you are doomed to bitter disappointment in NOT achieving your goals and values but instead that if you do achieve secular goals and values you will only realize that you didn’t share His goals and values and often it is too late. Attaining such a pursuit will only leave the person bankrupt spiritually.

Life is built on character, and character is built upon decisions, but decisions are based on values and values must be based upon faith. There are far too many believers that have sacrificed the eternal for the temporal. C.T. Studd, the missionary once said, Only one life, twill soon be past, only what is done in Christ will last! The accepted goals and values in the world are upside down to Jesus’ as we read that the blessed person is often seen in the world as:

  • Poor
  • Hungry
  • Weeping
  • Hated, excluded and reviled

Whereas the world sees the blessed person as:

  • Rich and wealthy
  • Full on all that the world has to offer
  • Satiated with a life of ease and happiness

The people whom Jesus said were blessed the world would say they are cursed and the people Jesus said wretched the world would call them happy!

Vs. 24 The first woe deals with the danger of making prosperity our goal in life. The key to understanding this is in the little word in verse 24 “HAVE” received your consolation or reward. The word have is used for receiving payment in full. This is what makes being liked by the world so dangerous as we tend to adopt their philosophy of life. And here is in wealth! The woe Jesus issues here is to the disciple who has taken in the patronizing of the world and has started to value and pursue obtaining wealth as the prime motivation in life. Jesus spoke of this in Luke 16:19-31 of the former rich man who died having obtained what he valued only to discover upon his death that his hearse didn’t have a trailer hitch pulling a U-hall of all his wealth! Nothing of material value goes beyond the limits of this life. It is why Jesus had just spoken to His disciples on the mountain and said in 6:19-21 to not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth. The common problem here is in the storage container earth, it is not a safe place to guard your treasure. Contrast that with heaven and no problem. Notice that Jesus does not say anything about the good that you will have in so placing your treasure in heaven, all He does is say that the storage container is contaminant free. That is to say that if you place your treasure in heaven it is secure. You don’t need to worry about its security. No matter who you are we all will have a passion for possessing. Jesus says, you are going to be laying up treasures, that is the way we are made. But there is a direct correlation between what we treasure and our heart condition. What we treasure will have its effect upon our hearts. So everything depends upon where our treasure is because that is where our heart is going to be.

Vs. 25 Here we see the second way the world seeks to patronize the believer and that has to do with the pursuit of pleasure as Jesus mentions food and those things that cause us to laugh. Jesus isn’t against enjoying food nor is He against laughter, but only making such things as our goal and value in life. The world values entertainment above anything else and it has given way to people who will do anything to obtain pleasure. The world lacks sobriety and in the end they face an eternity of tears as they have wasted life in pursuit of the temporal pleasures of the world.

Vs. 26 the last offering the world has is popularity! Seeking to be popular in the eyes of the world has ruined many a Christian leader as they have pursued being liked by the world over being loved by God.

As noted, I believe that more damage has been done to the witness of Christ by what Jesus said in these four woes than by persecution. May we recognize the dangers!