Luke 06
Lord of the Sabbath
1Jesus 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.
Judaism had created 1500 new laws for keeping the Sabbath. The disciples had broken four of these 1500 laws. First, when they picked the wheat off of the stalk, they were guilty of reaping on the Sabbath. Second, when they rubbed the wheat in their hands to separate the wheat from the chaff, they were guilty of threshing the wheat on the Sabbath. Third, when they blew the chaff away, they were guilty of winnowing on the Sabbath. Fourth, when they ate the wheat, they were guilty of storing on the Sabbath.
The poor were allowed to glean the fields so that they could at least have the dignity of working for their food. Jesus and His disciples were living in poverty, so the Mosaic Law allowed them to glean the fields.
Many modern social programs place the burden of feeding the poor on the over-taxed community. However, the poor do not have to work to receive benefits. Therefore, there are many lazy people who do not want to work for a living. They burden society by receiving these benefits without working for them. Politicians allow them to do so, because they want to receive their votes and remain in power.
The Mosaic Law did not support a poverty program that allowed the lazy to benefit. Everyone had to work for their own food. The Mosaic Law allowed the poor to glean the sides of the grain fields for food. The farmers were to only glean the fields once, but leave the rest of the crop for the poor. This was God's welfare program. No one received a check without working. Everyone had to work for their own food.
Jesus and His disciples were living in poverty, so they were gleaning the fields. It was the Sabbath day and they were hungry. There was no Mosaic Law which forbade them to glean the fields on the Sabbath.
2But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is against the law on the Sabbath?”
The Pharisees were now in their second stage of investigation. They would attempt to ask questions to discredit Jesus and His disciples. They were accusing Jesus and His disciples of breaking the man-made rabbinic Oral Law.
3Jesus answered them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry –
The Jewish leaders claimed that Moses received both a written and oral law at Mount Sinai. They claimed that Moses memorized the Oral Law and then shared it with Joshua. Joshua passed it down to the judges who passed it down to the prophets who passed it down to the Pharisees. If this was so, then the prophets of David's time knew the Oral Law.
4how 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?”
King David entered the Temple and ate the sacred bread. This was a violation of the Mosaic law, but the priests did not accuse him of breaking the Law.
5Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
Jesus often called Himself "the Son of Man." What does He mean when He calls Himself the Son of Man? To understand this title, one must have a deep understand of Daniel 7:13-14.
In Daniel 7:13-14, the prophet saw a vision of the Son of Man, "I was watching in the night visions, And with the clouds of the sky one like a son of man was approaching. He went up to the Ancient of Days and was escorted before him. To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty. All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving him. His authority is eternal and will not pass away. His kingdom will not be destroyed."
Daniel was watching in the night. He saw a vision of the future. Out of the clouds came one like the Son of Man. The Son of Man is the Messiah. The Son of Man was escorted to the Ancient of Days. The Ancient of Days is God the Father. The Ancient of Days gave the Son of Man all ruling authority over all of the heavens and the earth. The Ancient of Days gave the Son of Man all honor, even the honor that belongs to the Ancient of Days as being deity. The Ancient of Days gave the Son of Man sovereignty over everything in heaven and earth. The Son of Man was in control of every single event which happens in history. Every person in the world will serve the Son of Man. Every nation in the world will serve the Son of Man. Every language in the world will be used to serve the Son of Man. When the Ancient of Days gives all of this authority to the Son of Man, then this authority will be eternal. This authority will never pass away. This kingdom will never be destroyed.
Jesus was claiming that he was this same Son of Man who will be given all of this eternal authority directly from the Ancient of Days. Therefore, these men were not to judge Jesus. Instead, Jesus was to judge them for eternity.
The other point that Jesus made was since He was the Son of Man, and since He had authority over everything, then He could decide what could and could not be done on the Sabbath. Jesus was claiming to be the Master, the Owner, the Creator, and the Keeper of the Sabbath. Since the Sabbath was created by God and given to Moses through angels, then Jesus was claiming to be God.
Healing a Withered Hand
6On another Sabbath, Jesus entered the synagogue and was teaching. Now a man was there whose right hand was withered.
Jesus’ miracles had made Him a very popular preacher. He was teaching in many of the synagogues of Galilee and Judea. The Pharisees planted a man in the synagogue with a withered hand in order to trap Jesus.
7The 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.
There was no Mosaic Law forbidding healing on the Sabbath. The Jewish leaders wanted to accuse Jesus of breaking the Oral Law.
8But 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.
Jesus was omniscient. He knew what they were thinking.
9Then 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?”
Jesus asked the rabbi a question that none would dare to answer.
10After looking around at them all, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” The man did so, and his hand was restored.
Jesus healed the man, intentionally breaking the Oral Law. With His actions, Jesus showed the Jewish leaders and the Jewish community that the Oral Law was not of divine origin.
11But they were filled with mindless rage and began debating with one another what they would do to Jesus.
They became a mob and began thinking like a mob. They could not decide among themselves what to do with Jesus.
Choosing the Twelve Apostles
12Now it was during this time that Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and he spent all night in prayer to God.
The crowds grew so large, that Jesus had to travel to the mountains at night in order to pray.
13When morning came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he also named apostles:
Jesus had gained many disciples at this time. Many wanted to follow Jesus, but out of all of these many disciples, Jesus chose twelve of them to be His apostles. Disciples were those who were learners. Apostles were those who were sent. The apostles will be with Jesus all of the time, day and night. They will be sent out to teach. They will be sent to cast out demons. The disciples would come and go, as Jesus called them.
14Simon (whom he named Peter), and his brother Andrew; and James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,
Simon was his Hebrew name. Peter was his Greek name. Cephas was his Aramaic name. Andrew was the brother of Peter. Simon would later become the leader of the apostles.
James was the Latinized name of the Hebrew Jacob.
Philip meant "lover of horses".
15Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot,
Matthew was the Hebrew name Levi. He was a tax collector.
Thomas was the Hebrew name. Didymus was his Greek name. Both names meant "twin," meaning that Thomas was most likely a twin. Thomas was the one who would doubt the resurrection of Jesus unless he could touch Him with his own hands.
Simon was a member of the zealot party. They were Pharisees who believed in active resistance. They would carry a dagger and kill those who were loyal to Rome. This included tax collectors, so Matthew and Simon were mortal enemies.
16Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.
Judas Iscariot came from the village of Iscariot. He would later betray Jesus.
The Sermon on the Plain
17Then 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,
The crowds listening to Jesus were so large, that Jesus had to either teach from boats or hilltops. The Sermon on the Mount was taught from a hilltop which would carry the voice of Jesus to large crowds. It was called the Sermon on the Mount, because of its location. It should be called "The Interpretation of the Mosaic Law according to Jesus". The Pharasaic interpretation of the Mosaic Law was contained in the Mishnah. Jesus was going to compare His interpretation of the Mosaic Law to that of the Pharisees.
This sermon took place after Jesus had appointed his apostles, after the leper was healed, and after Jesus claimed to be the Lord of the Sabbath. Jesus had gained many disciples and twelve apostles. There were people who walked to this hilltop from all over Judea, Jerusalem and even the Gentile twin cities of Tyre and Sidon. Jesus was a celebrity. Everyone wanted to hear him speak and watch him perform healing miracles.
18and those who suffered from unclean spirits were cured.
Many of the demons from all over the world flocked to Judea to possess people and interrupt the teachings of Jesus. Jesus cast out these demons and cured these people.
19The whole crowd was trying to touch him, because power was coming out from him and healing them all.
Everyone was trying to touch Jesus. This is why he often had to teach in boats.
20Then he looked up at his disciples and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God belongs to you.
The Greek word for "blessed" means "happy". The "poor on Spirit" are those who have humbled themselves in spirit, knowing that they need the grace of God in order to be saved. This is the opposite of those who had so much pride that they thought that they could keep the Mosaic Law and save themselves.
21“Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. “Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
Those who hunger for the Word of God will be satisfied. Those who weep because of their sin nature will be filled with joy.
22“Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you and insult you and reject you as evil on account of the Son of Man!
The Son of Man is the Messiah that Daniel mentioned in chapter seven of his book. Whenever someone hates, insults, or rejects a Jewish messianic believer on the account of Jesus, then the Jewish messianic believers will be happy.
23Rejoice in that day, and jump for joy, because your reward is great in heaven. For their ancestors did the same things to the prophets.
This is a paradox. Usually, those who are persecuted mourn instead of rejoice. The prophets were persecuted for teaching the Word of God. Therefore, the Jewish messianic believers were receiving similar persecution to that of the prophets. They should rejoice, because they will receive a greater reward in heaven.
24“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your comfort already.
Those who gain wealth through the satanic world system already had gained their rewards. Their wealth cannot go to the grave with them.
25“Woe to you who are well satisfied with food now, for you will be hungry. “Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
Those who are fed and entertained by the satanic world system will be hungry and sad for eternity.
26“Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for their ancestors did the same things to the false prophets.
Even though the nation of Israel was the chosen people of God, most of their history was spent wrestling with God. The Jews spoke well of the wealthy and false prophets, but they insulted, persecuted, and killed the true prophets of God. The rich and wealthy Pharisees were following the same evil path as their fathers.
27“But I say to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
In verses 27-38, Jesus taught the Messianic Jewish believers about unconditional love. Unconditional love is the kind of love that the Father possesses for his children. Unconditional love is divine love. Divine love comes from study and application of the Scriptures.
Divine love is loving one's enemies. Divine love is doing good to those who hate believers. Jesus demonstrated divine love on the cross. As his enemies beat him, insulted him, humiliated him, tortured him, and killed him, Jesus died for their sins and adopted those who believed in him into his royal family to become co-heirs of the messianic kingdom.
The Oral Law taught that anyone who was not a Pharisee was an enemy. All enemies were to be hated. One did not have to do good for the enemy. Jesus taught the opposite.
28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Divine love is blessing those who curse you and praying for those who mistreat you. Jesus showed divine love on the cross by interceding for those who were cursing him.
The Oral Law taught that one could individually seek revenge on those who curse, harm, and mistreat others. Jesus commanded that instead of seeking revenge one was to pray for them. In Romans, Paul will command believers to make their enemies their friends by giving them the good news of Christ.
29To the person who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other as well, and from the person who takes away your coat, do not withhold your tunic either.
Divine love is turning the other cheek. When Jesus was struck on the cheek, he could have decked the entire mob that was beating him and sent them straight to hell. When they took away his clothes at the cross in order to humiliate him, he gave them an opportunity to reign with him forever in the messianic kingdom.
The Oral Law taught the Jews to retaliate. Jesus commanded believers to turn the other cheek and allow God to take care of the matter of revenge.
30Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your possessions back from the person who takes them away.
Divine love is giving to everyone who asks. Jesus gives eternal life to everyone who asks. However, they will not ask unless God changes their personality.
31Treat others in the same way that you would want them to treat you.
This is the golden rule. Divine love is treating others the same way that one wants to be treated.
32“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
Divine love is loving one's enemies. Divine love is seeing an enemy as one who is going to the Lake of Fire, yet you have the words that can change his path. Even sinners love those who love them. Divine love is loving the enemy.
33And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.
Divine love is doing good to those who hate the believer.
34And if you lend to those from whom you hope to be repaid, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, so that they may be repaid in full.
Divine love is lending to those who cannot pay back their debt.
35But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to ungrateful and evil people.
Divine love is loving one's enemies. Divine love is doing good to ones enemies. Divine lose is lending to one's enemies and expecting nothing back. The natural man cannot operate on this divine level. Only the mature believer can operate at this level. Those who do operate on this level will earn great rewards in heaven. They will become children of God. God is kind to those who are ungrateful. God is also kind to evil people. He provides food, shelter and clothing even for those who are ungrateful and evil.
36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
The Jewish believers were to be kind and merciful to their enemies, because they were to model the love of their Father.
Do Not Judge 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.
Many liberals like to use this verse to support such anti-biblical views as abortion, same-sex marriage, pornography, and socialist programs which steal from those who work and give to those who do not work. Believers are to judge other believers, but the standard is the Bible. Elders were established to judge other believers who live in sin and bring dishonor to Christ. In Ephesians 5, believers were commanded to expose evil. Evil is anything that is against God's will. The meaning of this verse is not to judge or condemn by human standards. Judgment and condemnation is to take place by the standards of the Word of God.
38Give, and it will be given to you: A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be poured into your lap. For the measure you use will be the measure you receive.”
A divine principle is that God loves to give and He loves a cheerful giver. Under the Mosaic Law, Israel was promised material blessings for keeping the Mosaic Law. In the dispensation of grace, believers are promised suffering in this world, but eternal rewards in the afterlife.
39He also told them a parable: “Someone who is blind cannot lead another who is blind, can he? Won’t they both fall into a pit?
The Pharisees were spiritually blind teachers who were leading others into the Lake of Fire.
40A disciple is not greater than his teacher, but everyone when fully trained will be like his teacher.
The teacher who possesses divine knowledge from the Scripture is greater than the student who does not. When the disciple becomes fully trained in divine knowledge, then he will be like his teacher, ready to teach others.
41Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own?
Those who do not have strong Bible doctrine will see the sins of others, but they will not have enough divine viewpoint to see their own sin.
42How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while you yourself don’t see the beam in your own? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
The study, mastery, and application of Bible doctrine is the only divine method that can keep a believer from becoming a hypocrite.
43“For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit,
A good tree is one who has strong Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God. He will apply what he learns and produce good fruit. A bad tree is one who does not have strong Bible doctrine. He thinks he is producing good fruit, but actually his fruit is rotten.
44for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thorns, nor are grapes picked from brambles.
Those with strong Bible doctrine will produce good fruit. Those who with weak or no Bible doctrine will produce thorns that can cut and bloody the hands.
45The good person out of the good treasury of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury produces evil, for his mouth speaks from what fills his heart.
The treasury is the amount of Bible doctrine that is produced in one's soul. Those who possess a wealth of Bible doctrine in their soul will produce divine good works. Those who possess no Bible doctrine in their soul will have an empty treasure, so they will not be able to produce any divine good works.
46“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do what I tell you?
Many believers call Jesus "Lord," meaning the master of their life. However, they do not obey him. Jesus said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." This is the command of the Divine Master to His beloved servants. The imperative is to keep the commandments of Christ, which is Bible doctrine from the entire counsel of the Word of God. If a believer does not study the entire written word, then he is fragmented. He does not know enough Bible doctrine to do what Jesus commands him to do.
Many modern Christians today say "I love Jesus. He is Lord of my life," yet they have never studied the entire counsel of the Word of God. How can one love Jesus when they do not know the mind of Christ? How can one claim that Jesus is Lord of their life if they have not even studied the entire manual?
Those who really love Christ love the Word of God. Those who say that they love Christ but have not studied His entire counsel of the Word of God are living upon superstition. Since they have never studied the entire counsel of the Word of God, they love Christ as a god that they have created in their own mind. If they really took the time to study the entire counsel of the Word of God, then either they would extremely love Christ and desire to study the Bible more at even the deepest level, or they would despise Him and never pick up the book again. The Bible will knock a lot of the superstition out of the average Christian. Those who hate studying the Bible do not love Christ. Those who are apathetic about studying the Bible are lukewarm, and God will vomit them out of His mouth.
47“Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them into practice – I will show you what he is like:
Jesus placed His own words equal to Scripture.
48He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep, and laid the foundation on bedrock. When a flood came, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built.
The teachings of Jesus are like a strong foundation. When the floods of the satanic world system come against the believer who is standing on the foundation of the Word of God, the house will stand as well.
49But the person who hears and does not put my words into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the river burst against that house, it collapsed immediately, and was utterly destroyed!”