Luke 6

Listen to Luke 6

The Lord of the Sabbath

1 One Sabbath ^[a] Jesus was passing through the grainfields, and His disciples began to pick the heads of grain, rub them in their hands, and eat them. ¹

2 But some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?”

3 Jesus replied, “Have you not read what David did when he and his companions were hungry?

4 He entered the house of God, took the consecrated bread ^[b] and gave it to his companions, and ate what is lawful only for the priests to eat.”

5 Then Jesus declared, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals on the Sabbath

6 On another Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. ²

7 Looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, the scribes and Pharisees were watching Him closely to see if He would heal on the Sabbath.

8 But Jesus knew their thoughts and said to the man with the withered hand, “Get up and stand among us.” So he got up and stood there.

9 Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?”

10 And after looking around at all of them, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and it was restored.

11 But the scribes and Pharisees were filled with rage and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.

The Twelve Apostles

12 In those days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God. ³

13 When daylight came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated as apostles:

14 Simon, whom He named Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;

15 Matthew and Thomas; James son of Alphaeus and Simon called the Zealot;

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

Jesus Heals the Multitudes

17 Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of His disciples was there, along with a great number of people from all over Judea, Jerusalem, and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon. ⁴

18 They had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases, and those troubled by unclean spirits were healed.

19 The entire crowd was trying to touch Him, because power was coming from Him and healing them all.

The Beatitudes

20 Looking up at His disciples, Jesus said: ⁵

21 Blessed are you who hunger now,

22 Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil because of the Son of Man.

23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For their fathers treated the prophets in the same way.

Woes to the Satisfied

24 But woe to you who are rich, ⁶

25 Woe to you who are well fed now,

26 Woe to you when all men speak well of you,

Love Your Enemies

27 But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ⁷

28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

29 If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. And if someone takes your cloak, do not withhold your tunic as well.

30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what is yours, do not demand it back.

31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.

32 If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.

33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.

34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full.

35 But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

Judging Others

37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ⁸

38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.”

39 Jesus also told them a parable: “Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit?

40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher.

41 Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye?

42 How can you say, ‘Brother, ^[c] let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while you yourself fail to see the beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

A Tree and Its Fruit

43 No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁹

44 For each tree is known by its own fruit. Indeed, figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor grapes from brambles.

45 The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.

The House on the Rock

46 Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ but do not do what I say? ¹⁰

47 I will show you what he is like who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them:

48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid his foundation on the rock. When the flood came, the torrent crashed against that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. ^[d]

49 But the one who hears My words and does not act on them is like a man who built his house on ground without a foundation. The torrent crashed against that house, and immediately it fell—and great was its destruction!”

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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.