Luke 6

Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

1 ¹On a Sabbath,^[a] while he was going through the grainfields, his disciples ²plucked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands.

2 But some of the Pharisees said, ³"Why are you doing ⁴what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?"

3 And Jesus answered them, ⁵"Have you not read ⁶what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:

4 how he entered the house of God and took and ate ⁷the bread of the Presence, ⁸which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those with him?"

5 And he said to them, ⁹"The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."

A Man with a Withered Hand

6 On another Sabbath, ¹⁰he entered the synagogue ¹¹and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered.

7 And the scribes and the Pharisees ¹²watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, ¹³so that they might find a reason to accuse him.

8 But ¹⁴he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, "Come and stand here." And he rose and stood there.

9 And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, ¹⁵is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?"

10 And ¹⁶after looking around at them all he said to him, "Stretch out your hand." And ¹⁷he did so, and his hand was restored.

11 But they were filled with ¹⁸fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

The Twelve Apostles

12 In these days ¹⁹he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.

13 And when day came, ²⁰he called his disciples ²¹and ²²chose from them twelve, whom he named ²³apostles:

14 Simon, ²⁴whom he named Peter, and ²⁵Andrew his brother, and ²⁶James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew,

15 and ²⁷Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called ²⁸the Zealot,

16 and ²⁹Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Jesus Ministers to a Great Multitude

17 And ³⁰he came down with them and stood on a level place, with ³¹a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of ³²Tyre and Sidon,

18 who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. ³³And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.

19 And all the crowd ³⁴sought to touch him, for ³⁵power came out from him and healed them all.

The Beatitudes

20 And ³⁶he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, ³⁷and said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for ³⁸yours is the kingdom of God.

21 ³⁹"Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. ⁴⁰"Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh.

22 "Blessed are you when ⁴¹people hate you and when they ⁴²exclude you and revile you and ⁴³spurn your name as evil, ⁴⁴on account of the Son of Man!

23 ⁴⁵Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for ⁴⁶so their fathers did to the prophets.

Jesus Pronounces Woes

24 ⁴⁷"But woe to you who are rich, ⁴⁸for you ⁴⁹have received your consolation.

25 "Woe to you who are full now, for ⁵⁰you shall be hungry. "Woe to ⁵¹you who laugh now, ⁵²for you shall mourn and weep.

26 "Woe to you, ⁵³when all people speak well of you, for ⁵⁴so their fathers did to ⁵⁵the false prophets.

Love Your Enemies

27 "But I say to you who hear, ⁵⁶Love your enemies, ⁵⁷do good to those who hate you,

28 ⁵⁸bless those who curse you, ⁵⁹pray for those who abuse you.

29 ⁶⁰To one who ⁶¹strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic^[b] either.

30 ⁶²Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back.

31 And ⁶³as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

32 ⁶⁴"If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

34 And ⁶⁵if you ⁶⁶lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount.

35 But ⁶⁷love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and ⁶⁸you will be sons of ⁶⁹the Most High, for ⁷⁰he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.

36 ⁷¹Be merciful, even as ⁷²your Father is merciful.

Judging Others

37 "Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; ⁷³forgive, and you will be forgiven;

38 ⁷⁴give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put ⁷⁵into your lap. For ⁷⁶with the measure you use it will be measured back to you."

39 He also told them a parable: ⁷⁷"Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?

40 ⁷⁸A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is ⁷⁹fully trained will be like his teacher.

41 ⁸⁰Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but ⁸¹do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

42 How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,' when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother's eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit

43 "For ⁸²no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,

44 for ⁸³each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush.

45 ⁸⁴The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces ⁸⁵evil, ⁸⁶for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

Build Your House on the Rock

46 ⁸⁷"Why ⁸⁸do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?

47 ⁸⁹Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like:

48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.^[c]

49 ⁹⁰But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and ⁹¹the ruin of that house was great."

Luke 6 Commentary

Chapter 6

The disciples pluck corn on the sabbath. (1-5) Works of mercy suitable to the sabbath day. (6-11) The apostles chosen. (12-19) Blessings and woes declared. (20-26) Christ exhorts to mercy. (27-36) And to justice and sincerity. (37-49)

Verses 1-5 Christ justifies his disciples in a work of necessity for themselves on the sabbath day, and that was plucking the ears of corn when they were hungry. But we must take heed that we mistake not this liberty for leave to commit sin. Christ will have us to know and remember that it is his day, therefore to be spent in his service, and to his honour.

Verses 6-11 Christ was neither ashamed nor afraid to own the purposes of his grace. He healed the poor man, though he knew that his enemies would take advantage against him for it. Let us not be drawn either from our duty or from our usefulness by any opposition. We may well be amazed, that the sons of men should be so wicked.

Verses 12-19 We often think one half hour a great deal to spend in meditation and secret prayer, but Christ was whole nights engaged in these duties. In serving God, our great care should be not to lose time, but to make the end of one good duty the beginning of another. The twelve apostles are here named; never were men so privileged, yet one of them had a devil, and proved a traitor. Those who have not faithful preaching near them, had better travel far than be without it. It is indeed worth while to go a great way to hear the word of Christ, and to go out of the way of other business for it. They came to be cured by him, and he healed them. There is a fulness of grace in Christ, and healing virtue in him, ready to go out from him, that is enough for all, enough for each. Men regard the diseases of the body as greater evils than those of their souls; but the Scripture teaches us differently.

Verses 20-26 Here begins a discourse of Christ, most of which is also found in ( Matthew 5 , Matthew 7 ) . But some think that this was preached at another time and place. All believers that take the precepts of the gospel to themselves, and live by them, may take the promises of the gospel to themselves, and live upon them. Woes are denounced against prosperous sinners as miserable people, though the world envies them. Those are blessed indeed whom Christ blesses, but those must be dreadfully miserable who fall under his woe and curse! What a vast advantage will the saint have over the sinner in the other world! and what a wide difference will there be in their rewards, how much soever the sinner may prosper, and the saint be afflicted here!

Verses 27-36 These are hard lessons to flesh and blood. But if we are thoroughly grounded in the faith of Christ's love, this will make his commands easy to us. Every one that comes to him for washing in his blood, and knows the greatness of the mercy and the love there is in him, can say, in truth and sincerity, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Let us then aim to be merciful, even according to the mercy of our heavenly Father to us.

Verses 37-49 All these sayings Christ often used; it was easy to apply them. We ought to be very careful when we blame others; for we need allowance ourselves. If we are of a giving and a forgiving spirit, we shall ourselves reap the benefit. Though full and exact returns are made in another world, not in this world, yet Providence does what should encourage us in doing good. Those who follow the multitude to do evil, follow in the broad way that leads to destruction. The tree is known by its fruits; may the word of Christ be so grafted in our hearts, that we may be fruitful in every good word and work. And what the mouth commonly speaks, generally agrees with what is most in the heart. Those only make sure work for their souls and eternity, and take the course that will profit in a trying time, who think, speak, and act according to the words of Christ. Those who take pains in religion, found their hope upon Christ, who is the Rock of Ages, and other foundation can no man lay. In death and judgment they are safe, being kept by the power of Christ through faith unto salvation, and they shall never perish.

Cross References

• 1. For ver. 1-5, see Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28
• 2. Deuteronomy 23:25
• 3. [Matthew 9:11]
• 4. [Exodus 20:9-11]
• 5. See Matthew 21:16
• 6. 1 Samuel 21:1-6
• 7. Exodus 25:30; Leviticus 24:5-9
• 8. Exodus 25:30; Leviticus 24:5-9
• 9. [Luke 5:24]
• 10. For ver. 6-11, see Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6
• 11. See Mark 6:2
• 12. Luke 14:1; Luke 20:20; [Luke 11:54]
• 13. [John 8:6]
• 14. See Matthew 9:4
• 15. Luke 14:3
• 16. Mark 3:34; Mark 5:32; Mark 10:23; [Mark 10:21]
• 17. [1 Kings 13:4]
• 18. 2 Timothy 3:9(Gk.)
• 19. See Matthew 14:23
• 20. Luke 9:1; Matthew 10:1; Mark 3:13; Mark 6:7
• 21. For ver. 13-16, see Matthew 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Acts 1:13
• 22. See John 13:18
• 23. See Mark 6:30
• 24. Matthew 16:18; John 1:42
• 25. Matthew 4:18, 21
• 26. Matthew 4:18, 21
• 27. Matthew 9:9
• 28. [Acts 21:20]
• 29. John 14:22
• 30. [ver. 12; Matthew 5:1]
• 31. Matthew 4:25; Mark 3:7, 8
• 32. See Matthew 11:21
• 33. Matthew 4:24
• 34. Matthew 14:36; Mark 3:10; [Acts 5:15]
• 35. See Luke 8:46
• 36. John 6:5
• 37. For ver. 20-23, [Matthew 5:3-12]
• 38. [Luke 12:32]
• 39. [Luke 1:53]
• 40. Isaiah 25:8; Isaiah 57:18; See Matthew 5:4
• 41. See Matthew 10:22
• 42. [John 9:22; John 12:42; John 16:2]
• 43. Hebrews 11:26; 1 Peter 4:14
• 44. John 15:21
• 45. See Matthew 5:12
• 46. See Matthew 21:35
• 47. Amos 6:1; James 5:1; [Luke 12:21]
• 48. [Luke 16:25]
• 49. Matthew 6:2
• 50. Isaiah 65:13
• 51. Isaiah 65:14; [Proverbs 14:13; James 4:9]
• 52. Isaiah 65:14; [Proverbs 14:13; James 4:9]
• 53. [John 15:19; John 17:14; James 4:4; 1 John 4:5]
• 54. Jeremiah 5:31; [Isaiah 30:10; Micah 2:11]
• 55. See Matthew 7:15
• 56. See Matthew 5:44
• 57. Proverbs 25:21, 22; Romans 12:20, 21
• 58. 1 Peter 3:9
• 59. [See ver. 27 above]
• 60. For ver. 29, 30, see Matthew 5:39-42; [Romans 12:17]
• 61. Isaiah 50:6; Lamentations 3:30; Matthew 26:67
• 62. Psalms 37:21; Proverbs 21:26
• 63. Matthew 7:12
• 64. Matthew 5:46
• 65. [Luke 14:12-14; Proverbs 19:17; Matthew 5:42]
• 66. Psalms 37:26
• 67. ver. 27
• 68. Matthew 5:45
• 69. Luke 1:32; See Mark 5:7
• 70. [James 1:5]
• 71. [Matthew 5:7, 48; Ephesians 5:1, 2; James 3:17]
• 72. James 5:11
• 73. [Matthew 6:14; Matthew 18:23-35]
• 74. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8
• 75. Psalms 79:12; Isaiah 65:6, 7
• 76. Mark 4:24; [Judges 1:7]
• 77. Matthew 15:14
• 78. See Matthew 10:24
• 79. 2 Corinthians 13:11; Hebrews 13:21; 1 Peter 5:10; [1 Corinthians 1:10; 2 Timothy 3:17]
• 80. [See ver. 37 above]
• 81. [John 8:7-9]
• 82. For ver. 43, 44, see Matthew 7:16, 20
• 83. Matthew 12:33
• 84. Matthew 12:35; Matthew 15:18, 19; [Matthew 13:52; Ephesians 4:29]
• 85. [Matthew 5:37]
• 86. Matthew 12:34
• 87. [Malachi 1:6]; See Matthew 7:21
• 88. John 13:13
• 89. For ver. 47-49, see Matthew 7:24-27
• 90. [Ezekiel 13:10-16]
• 91. Amos 6:11

Footnotes

• [a]. Some manuscripts On the second first Sabbath (that is, on the second Sabbath after the first)
• [b]. Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin
• [c]. Some manuscripts founded upon the rock