Luke 6:7-31

6 Jewish tradition carried sabbath observance to ridiculous lengths. They gravely discussed whether it is lawful to put out one's hand to give to a beggar, and how far! They disagreed as to whether it is allowable to comfort the sick on that day! It is striking how many times the Lord is reported as healing on the sabbath. The reason is clear. These instances are signs indicative of the healing of the nation. But when the nation is cured it will enter into the great sabbatism of the day of the Lord, commonly called the millennium. Healing brings relaxation, rest. How fitting that it should be on the sabbath!

12 Communion with God is the only proper and adequate preparation for His work. The apostles were not chosen without God's guidance. They were not chosen for their own excellence, but for their fitness to fulfill the will of God and carry out His purpose. Thus one of them was actually selected from the beginning to betray his Lord.

13-16 Compare Mat_10:1-4; Mar_3:13-19.

13 The name "apostle" is really our "commissioner". They were to be His authoritative representatives, when He was not present. As God had given Him a commission, with authority to enforce it, so He delegated it to them. After His ascension they became the recognized leaders until the increasing apostasy deposed them and put James, the Lord's brother according to the flesh, in their place. In the kingdom they will rule the twelve tribes, with Matthias in the place of Jud_1:14 Simon, or Peter, is always first among the apostles. His name hitherto was Simon, meaning Hearing, but the Lord changes it to Peter, meaning Rock, as he is the first stone in the spiritual edifice He is about to build. His father's name was John, but this is also changed by our Lord to Jonah, meaning Dove, a symbol of the spirit, and of Peter's spiritual paternity. Simon, son of John, is the physical man, Peter, son of Jonah, the spiritual.

17-19 Compare Mat_12:15-21; Mar_3:7-12.

20-23 Compare Mat_5:1-12.

20 There is no reason for creating a difficulty by insisting that this is Luke's version of the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew's account. Our Lord undoubtedly repeated much of His message to fresh audiences. The variations and differences in detail are intentional and correspond with the character of the account. Matthew takes Him up into a mountain and surrounds Him with His disciples. Luke takes Him down to an even place and surrounds Him with a vast concourse, though He spoke only to the disciples.

20 The weal and woe pronounced on the poor and rich, the hungry and the full, the lamenting and the laughing, those who are hated and those who are flattered, is strictly limited by the word now. Conditions on earth preceding the coming of the kingdom involve the true disciple in poverty, hunger, distress, and hatred. The same conditions will prevail again just before the kingdom actually appears. These beatitudes will be fulfilled in the vast throng who come out of the great affliction (Rev_7:13-17). Of them it is said "They shall be hungering no longer... and every tear shall God be brushing away from their eyes." The woes are equally applicable in the same period to the apostates in great Babylon. The rich apostate Jews represented by the false woman of the apocalypse (Rev.17, 18) who indulge themselves and have no sorrow-these shall suffer death and mourning and famine. And those who see their judgment will repeat our Lord's words: " Woe! Woe!" (Rev_18:10). In the present interval of God's transcendent grace, while blessing comes to the nations because of Israel's rejection of the kingdom, there is no woe pronounced on the rich, but they are charged to use their riches for God (1Ti_6:17-19).

24 Compare Jam_5:1-6.

25 Compare Pro_14:13.

26 Compare Joh_15:19; Jam_4:4.

27-31 Compare Mat_5:38-44; Mat_7:12; Exo_23:4; Pro_25:21; Rom_12:20.

27-31 These precepts reflect the persecutions preceding the kingdom, and give the conduct proper to those who enter it.

28 Compare Luk_23:34; Act_7:60.

29 Compare 1Co_6:7.

30 Compare Deu_15:7-8; Deu_15:10.

31 Compare Gal_5:14; Gal_5:10.