PREVIEW LUKE CHAPTER 6

Luke 6 - The Sermon On The Plain

A. Sabbath controversy

1. (1-2) The source of the controversy: the disciples are accused of "harvesting" on the Sabbath
a. There was nothing wrong with what they did (their gleaning was not considered stealing, according to Deuteronomy 23:25), only the day on which they did it. The Rabbis made an elaborate list of "do" and "don't" relevant to the Sabbath, and this violated one of the items on this list
i. When the disciples did what they did, they were (in the eyes of the religious leaders) guilty of: reaping, threshing, winnowing, and preparing food. Four violations of the Sabbath in one mouthful!
b. This approach to the Sabbath continues today among Orthodox Jews; in early 1992, tenants let three apartments in an Orthodox neighborhood in Israel burn to the ground while they asked a rabbi whether a telephone call to the fire department on the Sabbath would violate Jewish law. Observant Jews are forbidden to use the phone on the Sabbath, because doing so would break an electrical current, which is considered a form of work. In the half hour it took the rabbi to decide "yes," the fire spread to two neighboring apartments
2. (3-5) Jesus responds to the accusation with two important principles
a. The reference to David's use of the "holy bread" in 1 Samuel 21:1-6 shows the first principle: human need is more important than religious ritual
i. This is exactly what many people, steeped in tradition, simply cannot accept: that what God really wants is mercy before sacrifice (Hosea 6:6); that love to others is more important than religious rituals (Isaiah 58:1-9); that the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart; These, O God, You will not despise (Psalm 51:17)
ii. "Any application of the Sabbath Law which operates to the detriment of man is out of harmony with God's purpose" (Morgan)

b. The second principle is even more dramatic: Jesus declares that He is the Lord of the Sabbath; if He, the very Lord of the Sabbath, was not offended by His disciple's actions, than these others should not have been
3. (6-11) The Lord of the Sabbath heals on the Sabbath
a. By their very actions, the Pharisees admit Jesus has the power of God to work miracles; yet they seek to entrap Him. It is as if a man could fly and the authorities arrest him for not landing at airports!
i. The religious leaders studied Jesus closely, but with no heart of love for Him.
ii. What is more, they knew Jesus would do something when He saw this man in need. In this sense, the Pharisees had more faith than many of us, because we often doubt Jesus' desire to meet the needs of others

b. In His question to the religious leaders, Jesus emphasizes the truth about the Sabbath: there is never a wrong day to do something truly good
c. Jesus commanded the man with the withered hand to do something impossible - stretch out your hand; but as the man put forth effort, God did the rest. God never commands us without enabling us

d. The reaction of the religious leaders is shocking, but true; they were filled with rage because in doing such a wonderful miracles, Jesus had broken their petty religious traditions

i. There is always such a powerful lure to this type of religious legalism in the Christian life because there is never a shortage of leaders who want to lead this way, and never a shortage of people who want to follow this way. But God wants us to have the Holy Spirit write the application of His word into our hearts, not the rules of man made into the law of God
ii. Jesus constantly rebuked the religious leaders of his day for this kind of heart: laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men . . . all too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition . . . making the word of God of no effect through your tradition (Mark 7:8-9, 13)

iii. Jesus wasn't trying to reform the Sabbath; He was trying to show that in their interpreting the of the Sabbath, they were missing the whole point. A legalist will want to get you debating rules; but the point isn't which rules - it is the basic way we approach God: based on what we do for Him, or based on what He has done for us in Jesus Christ?

e. Apparently, the religious leaders thought it was fine to be filled with rage and desire to kill a godly man who never sinned against anybody on the Sabbath - but you better not heal someone!
B. The choosing of the twelve apostles
1. (12-13) Jesus chooses the twelve
a. In one sense, there was nothing in Jesus' three years of ministry before the cross more important than this. These were the men who would carry on what He had done; without them, the work of Jesus would never extend through the whole world. No wonder Jesus gave this an entire night of prayer
i. Jesus was God; why didn't He simply use His infinite knowledge to pick the apostles instead of praying all night? Because like most every other struggle Jesus faced, He faced this one as a man, a man who needed to seek the will of His Father just as you and I do
ii. You have to wonder how many hours of that night in prayer were spent praying over Judas alone

b. The disciples (and the apostles for that matter) belonged to Jesus; He called His disciples to Him. Disciples never belong to any man, they only belong to Jesus. They are His disciples
i. "A disciple was a learner, a student, but in the first century a student did not simply study a subject; he followed a teacher. There is an element of personal attachment in 'disciple' that is lacking in 'student.'" (Morris)
c. From among the group of His followers (the larger group of disciples), He picked twelve to be apostles. What is an apostle?
i. The idea behind the Greek word for apostle is "ambassador;" they represent somebody and have a message from their sender (Jesus was an "apostle," in this sense, according to Hebrews 3:1)
d. Why did Jesus choose twelve disciples? Because this is the foundation of the new chosen people, and as Israel had twelve tribes, Jesus would have twelve apostles
2. (14-16) The twelve listed
a. How many of these men do we really know anything about? Peter, James, John, and Judas we know something about, but the other eight, we pretty much only know their name. Their fame is reserved for heaven, where their names are on the twelve foundations of God's heavenly city (Revelation 21:14)
b. There are many interesting connections with this group; there are brothers (James and John, Peter and Andrew); business associates (Peter, James, and John, all fishermen); opposing political viewpoints (Matthew the Roman-friendly tax collector, and Simon, the Roman-hating zealot); and one who would betray Jesus (Judas Iscariot)

i. "Judas's surname of Iscariot probably indicates that he was a man from Kerioth: he thus seems to have been the only Judean among the twelve." (Geldenhuys)
c. A man once asked a theologian, "Why did Jesus choose Judas Iscariot to be his disciple?" The teacher replied, "I don't know, but I have an even harder question: Why did Jesus choose me?"
3. (17-19) Jesus ministers healing and deliverance to a multitude
a. Jesus comes down with them to minister to this crowd; Jesus not only wanted to teach them about serving others, He wanted them to help Him. Here they seem to be working as a team
i. Jesus could have done it all by Himself. But it was important that He work together as a team with these twelve, both for their sake and the sake of the work.
b. People are coming from great distances to be healed and touched by Jesus, even from Gentile cities like Tyre and Sidon
c. Jesus not only had the power of God in Him; the power went out from Him and healed them all. Many of us want the power of God in us, to help us; but how many really long for the power of God to go out from us to touch a needy world?

C. Introduction to the Sermon on the Plain
1. This has been long hailed as the sum of Jesus' (or anybody's) ethical teaching; no portion of Jesus' teaching has made such an impression
a. Once, when the religious leaders sent officers to arrest Jesus, they came back empty handed, saying No man ever spoke like this Man! (John 7:46) More than any other one teaching, this sermon of Jesus sets Him apart from any other teacher
b. It has been said if you took all the good advice for how to live ever uttered by any philosopher or psychiatrist or counselor, took out the foolishness and boiled it all down to the real essentials, you would be left with a poor imitation of this great sermon

c. The American Revolutionaries had their Declaration of Independence; Karl Marx had his Communist Manifesto; Adolf Hitler had his Mien Kampf; this is Jesus' main message telling us what the nature of His Kingdom is all about; it is a defining document

d. The early Church was very aware of it; James (one of the first epistles) quotes it often as do many other early Church Fathers

2. Why is Luke's version different than Matthew's? Are they the same sermon?
a. Scholarly opinion is divided on this issue - but remember that Jesus was an itinerant preacher, whose main emphasis was the Kingdom of God (see Luke 4:43)
b. Itinerant preachers often repeat themselves to different crowds, especially when teaching upon the same topic. This is probably the same sermon as Matthew 5-7, but possibly at a different time and a different place

3. This sermon is often, and properly, referred to as the "'Agenda of God's Kingdom"; it does not deal with salvation so much, but lays out for the disciple and the potential disciple how having Jesus as King translates into how you live every day
D. Jesus shows us how different God's agenda is
1. (20-23) Strange blessings
a. We notice that Jesus is speaking to His disciples (toward His disciples); the Sermon on the Plain is directed towards disciples, though others may (and should) hear
b. To be poor in spirit is not a man's confession that he is by nature insignificant, or personally without value, for that would be untrue; instead, it is a confession that he is sinful and rebellious and utterly without moral virtues adequate to commend him to God

i. Jesus uses the more severe term for poverty; it indicates someone who must beg for whatever they have or get
ii. But those who are poor in spirit, so poor they must beg, are rewarded: they receive the kingdom of God- and poverty of spirit is an absolute prerequisite for receiving the kingdom of heaven, because as long as we harbor illusions about our own spiritual resources, we will never receive from God what we absolutely need to be saved

iii. Poverty of spirit cannot be artificially induced by self-hatred; it is brought about by the Holy Spirit and our response to His working in our hearts

iv. Jesus says that the poor in spirit would be blessed: the idea behind the word is happy, but in the truest, Godly sense of the word, not in our modern sense of merely be comfortable at the moment

v. Poverty of spirit is placed first for a reason, because it puts the following commands into perspective: they cannot be fulfilled by one's own strength, but only by a beggar's reliance on God's power

c. Jesus' adds two other kinds of seekers: those who hunger and those who weep; the poor, the hungry, the weeping can all be blessed because Jesus is here to meet their needs
i. Unfortunately, we look for the wrong things to fill our sense of poverty, hunger, and need for comfort. Jesus is telling us to find the answers to all these needs in Him!
d. When we seek God like a poor man seeks money, like a hungry man seeks food, or like a weeping person seeks comfort, we will face persecution from those who want other things
i. We can really rejoice when we are persecuted, because we know that it means we are on the right side - God's side, and the side of so many faithful who went on before us
e. Jesus makes what seem to be paradoxical promises, but He can make them because He is God, and knows that God will settle all things rightly, and according to these principles
i. He seems to promise that if we are really following Him, we will be totally happy and often in trouble - two things that seem to contradict one another
2. (24-26) Strange woes
a. Woe is an expression of regret and compassion, not a threat; the woes Jesus pronounces seem just as paradoxical as His blessings
b. We should right feel bad for people who do not sense their own need of God; we won't come to Him the way we should until we know we are poor, hungry, and needing comfort

i. Tragically, many won't come to Jesus until their lives are falling apart around them. No wonder Jesus felt bad for people who would never come to Him except under those kind of circumstances!
3. What does Jesus mean by these strange sayings?
a. He is contrasting the current expectations of the kingdom with the spiritual reality of His Kingdom. Jesus is telling us that God is doing unexpected things; His words make a mockery of the world's values. He exalts what the world despises and rejects what the world admires
i. Too often, we just ask God to bless our agenda instead of giving ourselves over to His agenda - the things that follow should be at the top of our "to do" list
b. He is turning upside-down (rather, rightside-up) their perception of the Kingdom of God. Many feel that if their are rich, full, and laughing, then they have all they need in life. Jesus is pointing out just how wrong this thinking is
E. God's agenda is an agenda of love
1. (27-30) The way to act towards your enemies
a. Jesus tells us first to love your enemies; then He tells you exactly how to do it: do good, bless, and pray for those who spitefully use you
i. The love Jesus tells us to have for our enemies is not a warm, fuzzy feeling that we have deep in our hearts. If we wait for that, we will never love them. The love we are to have for our enemies is a love that does something for them, quite apart from how we may feel about them
ii. You can look for loopholes here as long as you like, but you won't find them. We are commanded to love our enemies

b. We are called to bless those who curse you; that means loving them by the way you talk about them
c. Jesus then tells us how to deal with people who mistreat, coerce, and manipulate us: take command of the situation by sacrificial love

i. When Jesus speaks about turning the other cheek, He isn't talking about being passive in the face of a physical assault. He is talking about not defending one's self in the face of a grievous insult (culturally, the slap on the cheek was more an attack on honor than a physical assault)
ii. Jesus isn't prohibiting defense, but retaliation. When we truly love our enemies, it will drive them crazy!

d. We can only practice this kind of sacrificial love when we know that God will take care of us; that if we give away our tunic, God has plenty more of them to give us
e. If we really lived this, wouldn't people walk all over us? Where would the limit be? The limit is easy to find: the limit of love. When fulfilling a person's request isn't loving towards them, then I shouldn't do it. Giving a person everything they ask for isn't love

i. But it is all too rare that we come to the limit of love. Usually, we allow our own pride, or lack of comfort, or unwillingness to sacrifice be our limit
2. (31-35) The attitude to have towards your enemies: treat them the way you would want to be treated
a. The Jews of Jesus' day bitterly resented their political enemies, the Romans, and looked for the day when the Kingdom would come and destroy them, thus fulfilling their hate
b. Jesus is saying that in His Kingdom, you love your enemies and do good for them - the best victory over an enemy is to make him a friend

c. This ethic is founded in the character of God - this is how He treats us

F. God's agenda is an agenda of mercy
1. (36-38) The principles to follow
a. Despite the way this passage is quoted by non-Christians (who have memorized it faithfully), and even by many Christians, Jesus is not giving a call to a universal acceptance of any lifestyle or teaching
i. Note what Jesus says in verses 43-45 of this very chapter; Jesus there calls us to know people by their fruits, and some sort of assessment is necessary for that
ii. The Christian is called to unconditionally love; but he is not called to unconditional approval - we really can love people who do things we do not approve of

b. Instead, Jesus is speaking against being judgmental, that is, judging motives and the inner man, which only God can know. Jesus is calling us to have the same kind of mercy God has towards us
i. We can judge the fruit of a man, but we can rarely judge their motives with accuracy
c. In addition, Jesus is not prohibiting judgment of others; He is only requiring that it be completely fair, and that we only judge others by a standard we would also like to be judged by
i. Most of our judgment in regard to others is wrong, not because we are judging according to a standard, but because we are being hypocritical in the application of that standard - we ignore it in our own lives
2. (39-42) Illustrations centered around the idea of seeing
a. We shouldn't look to other blind men to lead us; we can go no further than they themselves have. Instead, we should make Jesus our leader, our teacher, who sees and knows all things
b. The figures of a speck and a plank are real figures used humorously; Jesus is communicating the truth that we are generally far more tolerant to our own sin than we are to the sin of others. We need to show to others the mercy God shows to us

c. Our hypocrisy in these matters is always more evident to others than to ourselves; we somehow find a way to ignore the plank in our own eye, but others notice it immediately

i. A good example of this kind of hypocrisy was David's reaction to Nathan's story about a man who unjustly stole and killed another man's lamb; David quickly condemned the man, but was blind to his own (far greater) sin
d. It is a good thing to help your brother with his speck; but not before dealing with the plank in your own eye!
3. (43-45) We can only follow Jesus this way if we have been radically changed by Him. If our lives have been touched by Jesus, it will show in our lives
a. To live this way, to produce this fruit with your life, you must be good at the root, at the heart. The kind of love and mercy Jesus talks about is only possible if we are bearing fruit for God
b. This fruit is the inevitable result of who we are; eventually (though it may take a time for the harvest to come) the good or bad fruit is evident, revealing what sort of "tree" we are

c. Jesus wants to perform a radical change on heart in us; we need the transforming work of God to do it in our lives from the inside out

4. (46-49) Concluding exhortation: doing what Jesus commanded is our foundation
a. Outward conformity is not enough; you must be a doer of the word, not only a hearer. Calling Jesus "Lord" is an empty statement if it never makes a difference in your life
b. Both of these houses in Jesus' illustration looked the same from the outside; but they were far different because of their foundation

d. The flooding stream is a display of trials or judgment; we should be thankful for the flooding streams in our lives now, because it is better for us to find out now what kind of foundation our lives are on than at judgment before God

e. A mere hearing of God's word isn't enough to provide a secure foundation; it is necessary that we are also doers of His word. If we are not, we commit the sin that will surely find us out, the sin of doing nothing (Numbers 32:23) - and great will be our fall

i. Love and mercy are things we have to live as Christians, not just hear and talk about. We need to realize that if we do not want to live lives of love and mercy, we don't want to follow Jesus, we don't want His agenda





















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