Setting the scene
Who wrote it
Traditionally Luke, a doctor and companion of Paul
Who it was for
Theophilus and other followers of Jesus
What was happening
Lord of the Sabbath, the twelve chosen, and the sermon on the plain
Read the full background in the book overview

What’s happening

On a Sabbath, as Jesus' disciples pick and rub grain in their hands, some Pharisees say, "Why do you do what is not lawful on the Sabbath?" Jesus answers by recalling what David did when he and his men were hungry, entering the house of God and eating the bread of the Presence, and says, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." On another Sabbath, in the synagogue, there is a man whose right hand is withered, and the scribes and Pharisees watch to see if he will heal on the Sabbath. Knowing their thoughts, Jesus has the man stand in the middle: "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do harm? To save a life, or to destroy it?" He tells the man to stretch out his hand, and it is restored. They are filled with fury and discuss what to do. Jesus goes to the mountain to pray, spending the whole night in prayer. In the morning he calls his disciples and chooses twelve whom he names apostles: Simon, whom he names Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon called the Zealot, Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. He comes down with them and stands on a level place, with a great crowd from all Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast of Tyre and Sidon, and power goes out from him and heals them all. Looking at his disciples, he says, "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the Kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh." He blesses those who are hated and excluded for the Son of Man's sake, then gives four woes: to the rich, the full, those who laugh now, and those of whom everyone speaks well. "But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you." He teaches turning the other cheek, giving to everyone who asks, the golden rule, lending expecting nothing back, and "be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful." "Don't judge, and you won't be judged ... Give, and it will be given to you." Can a blind man lead a blind man? Why look at the speck in your brother's eye and not the log in your own? A good tree bears good fruit, and out of the heart the mouth speaks. "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord,' and don't do the things which I say?" The one who hears and does is like a man who dug deep and built on rock; the flood beat on that house and could not shake it. The one who hears and does not do is like a man who built on the ground without a foundation, and the ruin of that house was great.

Why the setting matters

Luke has the teaching on a "level place," not on a mountain as in Matthew, which is why this is called the Sermon on the Plain. The two versions overlap and differ; whether they record one sermon, two, or the same teaching used on different occasions is debated. Picking grain as one walked through a field was allowed (Deuteronomy 23:25), but Pharisees counted rubbing it as work on the Sabbath. David and the bread of the Presence is the story in 1 Samuel 21:1-6. The twelve echo the twelve tribes; the names vary slightly between Gospel lists, and Luke gives "Judas the son of James" where Matthew and Mark have Thaddaeus. The Zealots were a movement committed to resisting Rome, and Simon is labeled with the name. Luke's beatitudes are blunt: "Blessed are you who are poor," not "poor in spirit," and they are paired with woes, so they address both the poor and the rich. "Love your enemies" would have been a radical break in a world that took revenge and honor for granted. Lending without expecting repayment meant giving away money. The final story about the two builders is about hearing and doing; a house on a rock beside a flood-prone wadi is a vivid image in the Judean landscape.

Read Luke 6 (World English Bible)

Who’s in this chapter

Jesus

Lord of the Sabbath, who chooses twelve and teaches on a level place.

The disciples

Pick grain, are named apostles, and are taught.

The twelve

Chosen after a night of prayer.

Simon Peter

Named first, and renamed by Jesus.

Judas Iscariot

Last on the list, "who became a traitor."

The man with the withered hand

Restored on the Sabbath.

Pharisees and scribes

Scribes and Pharisees who watch him.

The crowds

Come from Judea, Jerusalem, and the coast to be healed.

Talk it through

  1. Jesus asks, "Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm?" How does that reframe the debate?
  2. The blessings and woes in Luke are to those who are actually poor, hungry, and weeping. What do you hear in them?
  3. "Love your enemies" is easy to say. What would it look like for the people Jesus was talking to?
  4. Why call him "Lord, Lord" and not do what he says? What does Jesus want from those who say it?

Read Luke 6

World English Bible

1Now on the second Sabbath after the first, he was going through the grain fields. His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate, rubbing them in their hands. 2But some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why do you do that which is not lawful to do on the Sabbath day?”

3Jesus, answering them, said, “Haven’t you read what David did when he was hungry, he, and those who were with him; 4how he entered into God’s house, and took and ate the show bread, and gave also to those who were with him, which is not lawful to eat except for the priests alone?” 5He said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

6It also happened on another Sabbath that he entered into the synagogue and taught. There was a man there, and his right hand was withered. 7The scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against him. 8But he knew their thoughts; and he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Rise up, and stand in the middle.” He arose and stood. 9Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you something: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good, or to do harm? To save a life, or to kill?” 10He looked around at them all, and said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did, and his hand was restored as sound as the other. 11But they were filled with rage, and talked with one another about what they might do to Jesus.

12In these days, he went out to the mountain to pray, and he continued all night in prayer to God. 13When it was day, he called his disciples, and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles: 14Simon, whom he also named Peter; Andrew, his brother; James; John; Philip; Bartholomew; 15Matthew; Thomas; James, the son of Alphaeus; Simon, who was called the Zealot; 16Judas the son of James; and Judas Iscariot, who also became a traitor. 17He came down with them, and stood on a level place, with a crowd of his disciples, and a great number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; 18as well as those who were troubled by unclean spirits, and they were being healed. 19All the multitude sought to touch him, for power came out of him and healed them all.

20He lifted up his eyes to his disciples, and said,

“Blessed are you who are poor, God’s Kingdom is yours. 21Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 22Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude and mock you, and throw out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake. 23Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven, for their fathers did the same thing to the prophets.

24“But woe to you who are rich! For you have received your consolation. 25Woe to you, you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. 26Woe, when men speak well of you, for their fathers did the same thing to the false prophets.

27“But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. 29To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer also the other; and from him who takes away your cloak, don’t withhold your coat also. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and don’t ask him who takes away your goods to give them back again.

31“As you would like people to do to you, do exactly so to them. 32If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive back as much. 35But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.

36“Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful. 37Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned. Set free, and you will be set free.

38“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you.”

39He spoke a parable to them. “Can the blind guide the blind? Won’t they both fall into a pit? 40A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. 41Why do you see the speck of chaff that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? 42Or how can you tell your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck of chaff that is in your eye,’ when you yourself don’t see the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck of chaff that is in your brother’s eye. 43For there is no good tree that produces rotten fruit; nor again a rotten tree that produces good fruit. 44For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don’t gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.

46“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say? 47Everyone who comes to me, and hears my words, and does them, I will show you who he is like. 48He is like a man building a house, who dug and went deep, and laid a foundation on the rock. When a flood arose, the stream broke against that house, and could not shake it, because it was founded on the rock. 49But he who hears, and doesn’t do, is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream broke, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.”

Text: World English Bible, Public domain. About our sources