Discovery BoxLuke 6:1-21
Context6:1 Jesus 1 was going through the grain fields on 2 a Sabbath, 3 and his disciples picked some heads of wheat, 4 rubbed them in their hands, and ate them. 5 6:2 But some of the Pharisees 6 said, “Why are you 7 doing what is against the law 8 on the Sabbath?” 6:3 Jesus 9 answered them, 10 “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry – 6:4 how he entered the house of God, took 11 and ate the sacred bread, 12 which is not lawful 13 for any to eat but the priests alone, and 14 gave it to his companions?” 15 6:5 Then 16 he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord 17 of the Sabbath.”
6:6 On 18 another Sabbath, Jesus 19 entered the synagogue 20 and was teaching. Now 21 a man was there whose right hand was withered. 22 6:7 The experts in the law 23 and the Pharisees 24 watched 25 Jesus 26 closely to see if 27 he would heal on the Sabbath, 28 so that they could find a reason to accuse him. 6:8 But 29 he knew 30 their thoughts, 31 and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Get up and stand here.” 32 So 33 he rose and stood there. 6:9 Then 34 Jesus said to them, “I ask you, 35 is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath or to do evil, to save a life or to destroy it?” 6:10 After 36 looking around 37 at them all, he said to the man, 38 “Stretch out your hand.” The man 39 did so, and his hand was restored. 40 6:11 But they were filled with mindless rage 41 and began debating with one another what they would do 42 to Jesus.
6:12 Now 43 it was during this time that Jesus 44 went out to the mountain 45 to pray, and he spent all night 46 in prayer to God. 47 6:13 When 48 morning came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles: 49 6:14 Simon 50 (whom he named Peter), and his brother Andrew; and James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, 51 6:15 Matthew, Thomas, 52 James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, 53 6:16 Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, 54 who became a traitor.
6:17 Then 55 he came down with them and stood on a level place. 56 And a large number 57 of his disciples had gathered 58 along with 59 a vast multitude from all over Judea, from 60 Jerusalem, 61 and from the seacoast of Tyre 62 and Sidon. 63 They came to hear him and to be healed 64 of their diseases, 6:18 and those who suffered from 65 unclean 66 spirits were cured. 6:19 The 67 whole crowd was trying to touch him, because power 68 was coming out from him and healing them all.
6:20 Then 69 he looked up 70 at his disciples and said:
“Blessed 71 are you who are poor, 72 for the kingdom of God belongs 73 to you.
6:21 “Blessed are you who hunger 74 now, for you will be satisfied. 75
“Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 76
[6:1] 1 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:1] 2 tn Grk “Now it happened that on.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[6:1] 3 tc Most later
[6:1] 4 tn Or “heads of grain.” While the generic term στάχυς (stacus) can refer to the cluster of seeds at the top of grain such as barley or wheat, in the NT the term is restricted to wheat (L&N 3.40; BDAG 941 s.v. 1).
[6:1] 5 tn Grk “picked and ate some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands.” The participle ψώχοντες (ywconte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style, and the order of the clauses has been transposed to reflect the logical order, which sounds more natural in English.
[6:2] 6 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
[6:2] 7 tn Note that the verb is second person plural (with an understood plural pronominal subject in Greek). The charge is again indirectly made against Jesus by charging the disciples.
[6:2] 8 sn The alleged violation expressed by the phrase what is against the law is performing work on the Sabbath. That the disciples ate from such a field is no problem given Deut 23:25, but Sabbath activity is another matter in the leaders’ view (Exod 20:8-11 and Mishnah, m. Shabbat 7.2). The supposed violation involved reaping, threshing, winnowing, and preparing food. This probably explains why the clause describing the disciples “rubbing” the heads of grain in their hands is mentioned last, in emphatic position. This was preparation of food.
[6:3] 9 tn Grk “And Jesus.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[6:3] 10 tn Grk “Jesus, answering them, said.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified to “Jesus answered them.”
[6:4] 12 tn Grk “the bread of presentation.”
[6:4] 13 sn Jesus’ response to the charge that what his disciples were doing was not lawful is one of analogy: ‘If David did it for his troops in a time of need, then so can I with my disciples.’ Jesus is clear that on the surface there was a violation here. What is not as clear is whether he is arguing a “greater need” makes this permissible or that this was within the intention of the law all along.
[6:4] 14 tc Most
[6:4] 15 tc The Western ms D adds here a full saying that reads, “On the same day, as he saw someone working on the Sabbath he said, ‘Man, if you know what you are doing, you are blessed, but if you do not know, you are cursed and a violator of the law.’” Though this is not well enough attested to be considered authentic, many commentators have debated whether this saying might go back to Jesus. Most reject it, though it does have wording that looks like Rom 2:25, 27 and Jas 2:11.
[6:5] 16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[6:5] 17 tn The term “lord” is in emphatic position in the Greek text. To make this point even clearer a few
[6:6] 18 tn Grk “Now it happened that on.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[6:6] 19 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:6] 20 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.
[6:6] 21 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. In addition, because the Greek sentence is rather long and complex, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[6:6] 22 tn Grk “a man was there and his right hand was withered.”
[6:7] 23 tn Or “The scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.
[6:7] 24 sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.
[6:7] 25 sn The term translated watched…closely is emotive, since it carries negative connotations. It means they were watching him out of the corner of their eye or spying on him.
[6:7] 26 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:7] 27 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text; Jesus’ opponents anticipated he would do this.
[6:7] 28 sn The background for this is the view that only if life was endangered should one attempt to heal on the Sabbath (see the Mishnah, m. Shabbat 6.3; 12.1; 18.3; 19.2; m. Yoma 8.6).
[6:8] 29 tn Here the conjunction δέ (de) has been translated as contrastive.
[6:8] 30 sn The statement that Jesus knew their thoughts adds a prophetic note to his response; see Luke 5:22.
[6:8] 31 tn Grk “their reasonings.” The implication is that Jesus knew his opponents’ plans and motives, so the translation “thoughts” was used here.
[6:8] 32 sn Most likely synagogues were arranged with benches along the walls and open space in the center for seating on the floor.
[6:8] 33 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the man’s action was a result of Jesus’ order.
[6:9] 34 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[6:9] 35 sn With the use of the plural pronoun (“you”), Jesus addressed not just the leaders but the crowd with his question to challenge what the leadership was doing. There is irony as well. As Jesus sought to restore on the Sabbath (but improperly according to the leaders’ complaints) the leaders were seeking to destroy, which surely is wrong. The implied critique recalls the OT: Isa 1:1-17; 58:6-14.
[6:10] 36 tn Grk “And after.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[6:10] 37 tn The aorist participle περιβλεψάμενος (peribleyameno") has been translated as antecedent (prior) to the action of the main verb. It could also be translated as contemporaneous (“Looking around… he said”).
[6:10] 38 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the man with the withered hand) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:10] 39 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the man) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[6:10] 40 sn The passive was restored points to healing by God. Now the question became: Would God exercise his power through Jesus, if what Jesus was doing were wrong? Note also Jesus’ “labor.” He simply spoke and it was so.
[6:11] 41 tn The term ἄνοια (anoia) denotes a kind of insane or mindless fury; the opponents were beside themselves with rage. They could not rejoice in the healing, but could only react against Jesus.
[6:11] 42 tn The use of the optative (ποιήσαιεν, poihsaien, “might do”) in an indirect question indicates that the formal opposition and planning of Jesus’ enemies started here (BDF §§385.1; 386.1).
[6:12] 43 tn Grk “Now it happened that in.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[6:12] 44 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[6:12] 45 tn Or “to a mountain” (εἰς τὸ ὅρος, eis to Joro").
[6:12] 46 sn This is the only time all night prayer is mentioned in the NT.
[6:12] 47 tn This is an objective genitive, so prayer “to God.”
[6:13] 48 tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[6:13] 49 sn The term apostles is rare in the gospels, found only in Matt 10:2, possibly in Mark 3:14, and six more times in Luke (here plus 9:10; 11:49; 17:5; 22:14; 24:10).
[6:14] 50 sn In the various lists of the twelve, Simon (that is, Peter) is always mentioned first (Matt 10:1-4; Mark 3:16-19; Acts 1:13) and the first four are always the same, though not in the same order after Peter.
[6:14] 51 sn Bartholomew (meaning “son of Tolmai” in Aramaic) could be another name for Nathanael mentioned in John 1:45.
[6:15] 52 sn This is the “doubting Thomas” of John 20:24-29.
[6:15] 53 sn The designation Zealot means that Simon was a political nationalist before coming to follow Jesus. He may not have been technically a member of the particular Jewish nationalistic party known as “Zealots” (since according to some scholars this party had not been organized at that time), but simply someone who was zealous for Jewish independence from Rome, in which case the descriptive term applied to Simon means something like “Simon the patriot” (see L&N 25.77 and especially 11.88).
[6:16] 54 sn There is some debate about what the name Iscariot means. It probably alludes to a region in Judea and thus might make Judas the only non-Galilean in the group. Several explanations for the name Iscariot have been proposed, but it is probably transliterated Hebrew with the meaning “man of Kerioth” (there are at least two villages that had that name). For further discussion see D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 1:546; also D. A. Carson, John, 304.
[6:17] 55 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[6:17] 56 tn Or “on a plateau.” This could refer to a message given in a flat locale or in a flat locale in the midst of a more mountainous region (Jer 21:13; Isa 13:2). It is quite possible that this sermon is a summary version of the better known Sermon on the Mount from Matt 5-7.
[6:17] 57 tn Grk “large crowd.”
[6:17] 58 tn There is no verb in Greek at this point, but since “a large crowd” (see preceding tn) is in the nominative case, one needs to be supplied.
[6:17] 60 tn Grk “and from,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
[6:17] 61 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[6:17] 62 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[6:17] 63 sn These last two locations, Tyre and Sidon, represented an expansion outside of traditional Jewish territory. Jesus’ reputation continued to expand into new regions.
[6:17] 64 sn To hear him and to be healed. Jesus had a two-level ministry: The word and then wondrous acts of service that showed his message of God’s care were real.
[6:18] 65 tn Or “were oppressed by,” “were troubled with.” See L&N 22.17.
[6:18] 66 sn Unclean spirits refers to evil spirits. See Luke 4:33.
[6:19] 67 tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[6:19] 68 sn There was a recognition that there was great power at work through Jesus, the subject of a great debate in 11:14-23. Luke highlights Jesus’ healing ministry (5:17; 6:18; 7:7; 8:47; 9:11, 42; 14:4; 17:15; 18:42-43; 22:51; Acts 10:38).
[6:20] 69 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[6:20] 70 tn Grk “lifting up his eyes” (an idiom). The participle ἐπάρας (epara") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
[6:20] 71 sn The term Blessed introduces the first of several beatitudes promising blessing to those whom God cares for. They serve as an invitation to come into the grace God offers.
[6:20] 72 sn You who are poor is a reference to the “pious poor” for whom God especially cares. See Ps 14:6; 22:24; 25:16; 34:6; 40:17; 69:29.
[6:20] 73 sn The present tense (belongs) here is significant. Jesus makes the kingdom and its blessings currently available. This phrase is unlike the others in the list with the possessive pronoun being emphasized. Jesus was saying, in effect, “the kingdom belongs even now to people like you.”
[6:21] 74 sn You who hunger are people like the poor Jesus has already mentioned. The term has OT roots both in conjunction with the poor (Isa 32:6-7; 58:6-7, 9-10; Ezek 18:7, 16) or by itself (Ps 37:16-19; 107:9).
[6:21] 75 sn The promise you will be satisfied is the first of several “reversals” noted in these promises. The beatitudes and the reversals that accompany them serve in the sermon as an invitation to enter into God’s care, because one can know God cares for those who turn to him.
[6:21] 76 sn You will laugh alludes to the joy that comes to God’s people in the salvation to come.
