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Texts -- Luke 6:1-20 (NET)

Context
Lord of the Sabbath
6:1 Jesus was going through the grain fields on a Sabbath , and his disciples picked some heads of wheat , rubbed them in their hands , and ate them. 6:2 But some of the Pharisees said , “Why are you doing what is against the law on the Sabbath ?” 6:3 Jesus answered them , “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry 6:4 how he entered the house of God , took and ate the sacred bread , which is not lawful for any to eat but the priests alone , and gave it to his companions ?” 6:5 Then he said to them , “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath .”
Healing a Withered Hand
6:6 On another Sabbath , Jesus entered the synagogue and was teaching . Now a man was there whose right hand was withered . 6:7 The experts in the law and the Pharisees watched Jesus closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath , so that they could find a reason to accuse him . 6:8 But he knew their thoughts , and said to the man who had the withered hand , “Get up and stand here .” So he rose and stood there. 6:9 Then Jesus said to them , “I ask you , is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil , to save a life or to destroy it?” 6:10 After looking around at them all , he said to the man , “Stretch out your hand .” The man did so , and his hand was restored . 6:11 But they were filled with mindless rage and began debating with one another what they would do to Jesus .
Choosing the Twelve Apostles
6:12 Now it was during this time that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray , and he spent all night in prayer to God . 6:13 When morning came , he called his disciples and chose twelve of them , whom he also named apostles : 6:14 Simon (whom he named Peter ), and his brother Andrew ; and James , John , Philip , Bartholomew , 6:15 Matthew , Thomas , James the son of Alphaeus , Simon who was called the Zealot , 6:16 Judas the son of James , and Judas Iscariot , who became a traitor .
The Sermon on the Plain
6:17 Then he came down with them and stood on a level place . And a large number of his disciples had gathered along with a vast multitude from all over Judea , from Jerusalem , and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon . They came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases , 6:18 and those who suffered from unclean spirits were cured . 6:19 The whole crowd was trying to touch him , because power was coming out from him and healing them all . 6:20 Then he looked up at his disciples and said : “Blessed are you who are poor , for the kingdom of God belongs to you .

Pericope

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How Jesus Interacted With People; General; Called…; Shut The Door to Turn on the Light; Matthew 6:6; Quotes; Mountains, and prayer

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Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • 15:22-26 The wilderness of Shur was a section of semi-desert to the east of Egypt's border. It occupied the northwestern part of the Sinai peninsula, and it separated Egypt from Palestine (v. 22).". . . wilderness does not im...
  • God permitted traveling Israelites to glean the grapes and wheat from fields they passed through, but they were not to harvest their neighbors' crops (vv. 24-25; cf. Matt. 12:1; Mark 2:23; Luke 6:1). Here is another way in wh...
  • The last pericope of this chapter emphasizes the importance of persisting in the good practices that will lead to life. Success usually comes to those who keep concentrating on and perfecting the basics in their work. Our tem...
  • 13:3 This caution applies to transparent sharing as well as verbose communication. Both can bring ruin to the speaker.13:4 The "soul"stands for the whole person (cf. Matt. 16:24-27; Mark 3:4; Luke 6:9; 9:56; Rom. 13:1; 1 Thes...
  • There are several thematic connections between this chapter and chapter 28.298The general structure of the chapter is chiastic."AContemporary events: Egypt no help (1-7)BComing human events: the refusal of the word, the way o...
  • This section is another of Jeremiah's autobiographical "confessions."In literary form it is another individual lament, like many of the psalms (cf. Ps. 6). It is one of Jeremiah's most significant self-disclosures. The sectio...
  • The "multitudes"or "crowds"consisted of the people Matthew just mentioned in 4:23-25. They comprised a larger group than the "disciples."The disciples were not just the Twelve but many others who followed Jesus and sought to ...
  • 6:5-6 Jesus assumed that His disciples would pray, as He assumed they would give alms (v. 2) and fast (v. 16). Again He warned against ostentatious worship. The synagogues and streets were public places where people could pra...
  • 10:1 This is Matthew's first reference to Jesus' 12 disciples, though here He implied their previous identity as a group. He "summoned"(Gr. proskaleo) these men as a king commands His subjects. He who had all authority now de...
  • The following incident demonstrated Jesus' sovereign authority over the Sabbath. This is the last in this series of conflict accounts. It provides the climax in this section of Mark's narrative.3:1-2 This event happened on a ...
  • Jesus' selection of 12 disciples constituted an important advance in His ministry. These men would be the primary beneficiaries of His training for leadership to carry out His mission. The plot to take His life made the train...
  • 14:3 For thematic reasons Matthew and Mark both placed this event within the story of the hostility of Jesus' enemies. It is apparently out of chronological order (cf. John 12:1). This rearrangement of the material highlighte...
  • I. Introduction 1:1-4II. The birth and childhood of Jesus 1:5-2:52A. The announcement of John the Baptist's birth 1:5-251. The introduction of John's parents 1:5-72. The angel's announcement to Zechariah 1:8-233. The pregnanc...
  • Luke's account of this significant event is shorter than the parallel passages. At His baptism, Jesus received the anointing of the Holy Spirit for His ministry. It was also the occasion for the Father to authenticate Jesus a...
  • The final two instances of confrontation with the Pharisees that Luke recorded involved Sabbath observance. The Sabbath was one of Judaism's main institutions, and Jesus' violation of traditional views on Sabbath observance b...
  • This incident happened on a different Sabbath from the one in the preceding incident (v. 6). Note the similar terms Luke used to introduce both events. He evidently placed it here in his narrative because it builds on the ide...
  • Luke gave his readers an overview of Jesus' ministry (4:14-5:11) and then presented His relationship to His opponents (5:12-6:11). Next he described Jesus' relationship with His disciples (6:12-49). He arranged his material t...
  • Luke prefaced Jesus' teaching of His followers with an introduction of His most important disciples."It is clear that for Luke an important stage in the founding of the church is to be seen here, the choice of those from amon...
  • The similarities between the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 and what Luke recorded in 6:20-49 seem to suggest that Luke condensed that Sermon. However the introductions to the two sections have led many students of these ...
  • 6:20 Clearly Jesus' disciples were the primary objects of His instruction in this sermon (cf. vv. 13-19)."Blessed"(Gr. makarios) in this context describes the happy condition of someone whom God has blessed with His special f...
  • This final parable is an appeal to the hearers, primarily Jesus' disciples (v. 20), to obey the teaching that they had heard (cf. James 1:21-25; Ezek. 13:10-16). As such it is a conclusion to the whole sermon. Luke omitted th...
  • This incident shows Jesus extending grace to a Gentile. It would have helped Luke's original Gentile readers to appreciate that Jesus' mission included them as well as the Jews. It is another case in which Jesus commended the...
  • This miracle raised the popular appreciation of Jesus' authority to new heights. Luke also continued to stress Jesus' compassion for people, in this case a widow whose son had died, by including this incident in his Gospel. T...
  • The present section of Luke follows the same basic pattern as the former one. There is a block of teaching (8:1-21; cf. 6:12-49) followed by another account of Jesus' mighty works (8:22-56; cf. ch. 7)....
  • In this last major section describing Jesus' ministry in and around Galilee (4:14-9:50), Luke stressed Jesus' preparation of His disciples for the opposition that lay before them. This was the climax of Jesus' ministry in Gal...
  • This is the only miracle that all four evangelists recorded. It is important because it is the climax of Jesus' miracles that authenticated His person as divine (cf. Ps. 146:7). It was perhaps the most forceful demonstration ...
  • Luke omitted several incidents here that the other evangelists included (Matt. 14:22-16:12; Mark 6:45-8:26; John 6:16-66). By doing so, he tied the questions of Herod and the multitude about Jesus' identity with Peter's answe...
  • Disciples need to be aware of their attitude toward believers who are outside their circle of fellowship as well as their attitude toward those within that circle. Again Luke's account of this incident omits details to cut th...
  • This part of the new section continues to focus attention on Jesus' disciples (cf. vv. 1-50). The problem of their attitude toward other people also continues (cf. vv. 46-50). There is further instruction on the cost of disci...
  • This incident followed the preceding one immediately (v. 21). The subject of joy continues, and the section on the responsibilities and rewards of discipleship reaches its climax here. Jesus expressed His joy to the Father in...
  • Luke's record of Jesus' teaching the Lord's Prayer differs significantly enough from Matthew's account that we can safely conclude that Jesus gave similar teaching on separate occasions. This repetition illustrates the import...
  • There are several thematic connections that tie this pericope with what has preceded and show its role in the development of Luke's argument. Jesus had just called the nation to repentance (vv. 3, 5). Now He showed that chang...
  • 14:1 The setting for what follows is secondary to the attitude of the Pharisees who were present. They had already decided to do away with Jesus (11:53-54). Now the Pharisees and lawyers were watching Him like vultures waitin...
  • Jesus addressed the former parable to His fellow guests, but He directed this teaching to His host. This lesson, like the former parable, could have applied only to social relationships. However, Jesus' teaching was never sim...
  • In this parable the rich man and his brothers who did not listen to Moses and the prophets (vv. 29-31) represent the Pharisees (vv. 16-17). The Pharisees believed in a future life and a coming judgment, but they, as the rich ...
  • Luke's narration of this miracle focuses on the response of the Samaritan whom Jesus healed. It is not so much a story that he intended to show Jesus' divine identity, though it does that. It is rather another lesson for the ...
  • Luke omitted the story of Jesus' anointing in Bethany (Matt. 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:2-8). He had already narrated a similar event that happened on another occasion (7:36-50). By his omission Luke allowed the story of t...
  • The disciples of John were not the only men who began following Jesus. Andrew continued to bring other friends to Jesus. This incident preceded Jesus' formal appointment of the Twelve, but it shows Him preparing those who wou...
  • 6:66 Jesus lost many of His followers because of the Bread of Life discourse (cf. v. 60). His explanation to them following the discourse did not change their minds. He had made no concessions. They had understood Him correct...
  • In this pericope John stressed Jesus' deliberate purpose in allowing Lazarus to die and the reality of his death.11:1-2 "Lazarus"probably is a variant of "Eleazar"meaning "God helps."379The Synoptic writers did not mention hi...
  • 14:22 There were two members of the Twelve named Judas. The one who voiced this question was Judas the son or brother of James (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13). He is probably the same man as Thaddaeus (cf. Matt. 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19)....
  • Jesus' glorification depended on the well-being of those whom the Father had given to Him (v. 2). Consequently Jesus prayed for them too. He made several requests for them but first expressed the reasons He was praying for th...
  • 1:12-13 The disciples returned to Jerusalem to await the coming of the Holy Spirit. The short trip from where Jesus ascended on Mt. Olivet to the upper room was only a Sabbath day's journey away (about 2,000 cubits, two-third...
  • 1:15 In view of Peter's leadership gifts, so obvious in the Gospels, it is no surprise that he is the one who took the initiative on this occasion."Undoubtedly, the key disciple in Luke's writings is Peter. He was the represe...
  • 9:10-12 Evidently Ananias was not a refugee from Jerusalem (22:12) but a resident of Damascus. He, too, received a vision of the Lord Jesus (v. 17) to whom he submitted willingly (cf. 1 Sam. 3:4, 10). Jesus gave Ananias speci...
  • Luke devoted more space to Paul's evangelizing in Philippi than he did to the apostle's activities in any other city on the second and third journeys even though Paul was there only briefly. It was the first European city in ...
  • 12:4 Although there is only one Holy Spirit He gives many different abilities to different people. Everything in this pericope revolves around these two ideas. "Gifts"(Gr. charismata, from charismeaning "grace") are abilities...
  • The writer of this epistle was evidently the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal. 1:19) and the brother of Jude, the writer of the epistle that bears his name (cf. Matt. 13:55). This was the opinion of many of the earl...
  • The filthiness in view seems to be all kinds of unclean behavior that lies outside the will of God including anger and wrath. The "remains of wickedness"are those evil habits of life we carry over from the unredeemed world (c...
  • James' three questions in these verses all expect positive answers, as is clear in the construction of the Greek text.2:5 Since God has chosen the poor of this world to be the recipients of His blessings it is inconsistent fo...
  • Peter now reminded his readers of the consequences of Jesus' response to unjustified persecution. He did so to strengthen their resolve to rededicate themselves to follow God's will wholeheartedly and confidently. He also wan...

Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)

  • And He lifted up His eyes on His disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. 21. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. 22. Bles...
  • As He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray.'--Luke 11:1.IT is noteworthy that we owe our knowledge of the prayers of Jesus principally to the Evangelist Lu...
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