C. Jesus' teaching of His disciples 6:12-49

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 to identify the disciples first, and then he summarized what Jesus taught them.

There is some similarity between Luke's narrative and the account of Moses ascending Mt. Sinai when he received the law from God and then descending and teaching it to the people (Exod. 19; 32; 34).¹⁹⁸Perhaps Luke intended the reader to recognize the fulfillment of Deuteronomy 18:18 in this similarity.

 1. The selection of 12 disciples 6:12-16 (cf. Mark 3:13-19)

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 among the company of Jesus' companions from the beginning of his ministry who were to be in a special sense the witnesses to his resurrection and the messengers of the gospel."¹⁹⁹

6:12 Jesus' choice of the Twelve followed His conflict with the Jewish leaders. Luke implied that that hostility played a part in Jesus' decision to spend the night in prayer before selecting the apostles. In view of mounting hostility it was imperative that He receive direction from His Father in this choice. A mountain or hill was a traditional place to pray since it provided seclusion and its elevation gave the person praying a special sense of nearness to God. Luke alone mentioned Jesus' all night prayer vigil. It shows Jesus' conscious dependence on God, a special emphasis in the third Gospel. The early church followed Jesus' example (Acts 13:2; 14:23; cf. Acts 1:2, 24-26).

6:13-16 Jesus selected the Twelve from the larger group of learners who followed Him around (cf. Matt. 10:2-4; Acts 1:13). Only Luke mentioned that Jesus called the Twelve "apostles"(lit. sent ones). This fact reflects his continuing interest in the mission that Jesus began and continued through these apostles and the whole church (Acts 1:1-2). The fact that Jesus chose 12 apostles now probably suggests continuity in God's plan of salvation because the 12 apostles in one sense replaced the 12 sons of Israel (Jacob). However, I believe the many points of discontinuity with Israel are just as important and make the equating of Israel and the church impossible (cf. Eph. 2).

Luke's list contains the same names as those that Matthew and Mark have given us with some variation in the order.

Matt. 10:2-4

Mark 3:16-19

Luke 6:14-16

Acts 1:13

1.

Simon Peter

Simon Peter

Simon Peter

Peter

2.

Andrew

James

Andrew

John

3.

James

John

James

James

4.

John

Andrew

John

Andrew

5.

Philip

Philip

Philip

Philip

6.

Bartholomew

Bartholomew

Bartholomew

Thomas

7.

Thomas

Matthew

Matthew

Bartholomew

8.

Matthew

Thomas

Thomas

Matthew

9.

James, son of

Alphaeus

James, son of

Alphaeus

James, son of

Alphaeus

James, son of

Alphaeus

10.

Thaddaeus

Thaddaeus

Judas, son or

brother of

James

Judas, son or

brother of

James

11.

Simon the

Cananaean

Simon the

Cananaean

Simon the

Zealot

Simon the

Zealot

12.

Judas Iscariot

Judas Iscariot

Judas Iscariot

 2. The assembling of the people 6:17-19 (cf. Matt. 5:1-2)

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 passages to conclude that Jesus gave two different addresses on separate occasions. Harmonization of the introductions is possible, and this would point to one sermon that Luke edited more severely than Matthew did. Matthew wrote that Jesus was on a mountainside when He delivered this address (Matt. 5:1), but Luke said that He was on a level place (v. 17). The place where Jesus gave this sermon is the major problem in harmonizing the two accounts.²⁰⁰

Apparently Jesus went up into a mountain near Capernaum to pray all night (v. 12). There in the morning He selected the Twelve (v. 13; cf. Mark 3:13-14). Then He descended to a level place where He met a large crowd that had come to hear Him and to receive healing (vv. 17-19). Such a site exists near Capernaum.²⁰¹Next He apparently went back up the mountainside to get away from the huge crowd (Matt. 5:1a). There His disciples came to Him and He taught them (Matt. 5:1b-2). As the sermon progressed, more people made their way up the mountainside and began listening to what Jesus was teaching (Matt. 7:28; Luke 7:1; cf. Matt. 7:24; Luke 6:46-47).²⁰²Another possibility is that the place where Jesus preached may have been a level place in a mountainous region (cf. Isa. 13:2; Jer. 21:13).²⁰³

Luke's emphasis in this section was on Jesus' widespread appeal and His willingness to give of Himself freely to help those who came to Him in need.

 3. The Sermon on the Mount 6:20-49

Luke's version of this important address, primarily aimed at Jesus' disciples, is much shorter than Matthew's (Matt. 5:3-7:29). Matthew's account contains 137 verses whereas Luke's has 30. Both accounts begin with beatitudes, contain the same general content, and end with the same parables. However, Luke edited out the teachings that have distinctively Jewish appeal, specifically Jesus' interpretations of the Mosaic Law, the "legal matters."These parts had less significance for an audience of predominantly Gentile Christians.

"Luke's including the Sermon in a form that relates to Gentiles shows the message is timeless."²⁰⁴

Some commentators refer to this section of Luke's Gospel as the Sermon on the Plain. Some of them believe that it was a different sermon from the Sermon on the Mount, given on a different occasion and in a different place, as mentioned above. Others believe there was only one sermon, and they use this name to differentiate this version of the sermon from Matthew's version that they call the Sermon on the Mount. I believe it is the same sermon and prefer to call it the Sermon on the Mount.