Gospel of Luke Study – Chapter 6 (Part 1)

Chapter 6 continues the story from chapter 5 without any break between the two. The seeming linkage of all of these stories which began in chapter 5 are that they each begin with exactly the same wording in the Greek, “And it came to pass…” 5:1, 5:12, 5:17, 6:1, 6:12 – Are all translated into English in various bibles with “Once” or “One Day.” It is common in English writing to vary the words so as not to be redundant, though in Greek and Hebrew the redundancy is important to telling the story. We must remember that when these stories were written down they were not meant to be read, but actually meant to be heard. When you are telling a story for people to hear rather than read you want a lot of redundancy in order for the people listening to be able to follow along, and see the connections between the stories. There is a balance within this section (5:1-6:16). It is ultimately about discipleship. In the first section Simon (along with James & John) is called as a disciple, then two healing stories, then Levi is called. The movement is from healing & illness to healing & forgiving of sins. Also, the confrontations with the Pharisees grow through this section. After Levi the Pharisees question Jesus about fasting, and next their problem is with his observance of the Sabbath!

Chapter 6:1-11 – Two Sabbath Controversies
Jesus and his disciples were walking through a field, and his disciples picked some grain to eat along their way. According to the law this was not stealing and was allowed for those who were traveling so long as they didn’t harvest it with a sickle, thus taking more than they would need for immediate needs. It is interesting that the law provided travelers to eat along the way from the fields. The God of the Hebrews is very much concerned with hospitality to strangers! The problem here is in the violation of doing work on the Sabbath. Jesus combats them with scripture, and challenges their knowledge, “Haven’t you read…” This connection with David shows Jesus to be the descendent of David who has come, and who has authority similar (and even greater) to David. David set aside the rule regarding sacred bread; Jesus is setting aside the rule regarding sacred time (Sabbath). It seems in both instances human need (hunger) is allowed to supersede these rules, or at least provide exceptions. Second “Son of Man” statement and Jesus basically is saying to the Pharisees that he is in charge of the Sabbath, and can adjust the rules as he sees fit.

Now we move from satisfying the human need of hunger to satisfying the human need of healing on the Sabbath. Now the Pharisees and scribes are watching Jesus closely to see if he will break the Sabbath rules, he seems to do it all the time! Luke lets us know that the person’s “right” hand was withered. This hand was what one normally used to work, and greet others. The left hand was used for personal hygiene, and thus wasn’t to be presented publicly, but since his right hand was withered this possibly brought further shame upon the man. In the tradition it was allowed to heal on the Sabbath if it was a life threatening situation. Here, however, it is not life-threatening and so the situation is will Jesus break the rule or not. Jesus is teaching in the synagogue and it seems as if he is about to have an object lesson for all to see and learn. He places the man in front of everyone. Jesus lifts up a question that no one is asking. Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the Sabbath? Save life or destroy it? That isn’t part of the rule! This question changes the subject that is in the Pharisees minds, which Jesus knows, and sets them off balance. Simeon had spoken that this child will reveal the thoughts of people’s hearts, and Jesus both knows what is in their hearts, and is doing the revealing!! This question links to the question Jesus asked of the Pharisees at the healing of the paralyzed man. Jesus is about to show that he is here to do good and standing in his way is standing in the way of God’s goodness that Jesus is bringing into the world. More than that, though, Jesus is here to SAVE LIFE. Standing against Jesus is destroying life, and of course that is exactly where the Pharisees are headed.

The question Jesus poses is both for Jesus to answer, which he will, but also for the Pharisees to answer -- in their observance of the Sabbath have they in fact been guilty of destroying life with their rules? How is this possible and how is this still possible today? What are our rules that we follow without regard to people? It seems Jesus places people above the rules, and in essence it seems that Jesus sees this placing of people as more important than the rules may actually be a fulfillment of the ultimate rules (10 commandments, and later Jesus top 2). Jesus is calling upon us to be about saving lives, especially on the Sabbath! The Pharisees aren’t following false rules, but those they believe to be faithful interpretations of God’s commandments. Jesus shows what the purpose behind these rules is, and thus what trumps the rules they are following. It doesn’t mean the rules they are following are wrong, instead, they are just following them without regard to something greater, and according to Jesus people outweigh the rules of the Sabbath.

The Pharisees do not respond to his question, and Jesus “looks” at all of them, and then goes about his business of saving life. Jesus asks for the hand to be made public (stretched out), and he heals with a word. The act of obedience as we have seen in other healings brings about the healing. At this healing the Pharisees are filled with fury (rage). Anger is the response to Jesus’ saving of a life. The Pharisees now are beginning to talk about what to “do” about Jesus. In Luke they aren’t quite plotting yet, but they are beginning to move in that direction.

Luke 6:12-16 – Choosing the Twelve Apostles
To date Jesus has been called people to be his disciples. Now he is going to choose a select few of them to be apostles. The inner group who will be taught the inner workings of “the son of man” so they will be able to carry forward this work when Jesus ascends. This work will be carried forward in the book of Acts of the Apostles. Here is where Luke begins his multiplication of ministry that will carry through both books. This ends the section on discipleship and gives us a clue as to what these Apostles are going to be doing, everything Jesus has been doing up to this point: healing (demons, illness), eating with sinners and outcasts, forgiving sins, saving life.

There is an obvious link between the 12 Apostles and the 12 tribes of Israel. The new wine needs new wineskins and these Apostles are the new skins for this new wine to be poured into and begin fermentation. Jesus chooses these, just as God chose the 12 tribes of Israel. This is so important Jesus goes off by himself to pray on a mountain. The mountain is a different place for Luke than it is for Matthew. In Luke it is for solitary communing with God, and for Jesus to be inculcated with God’s will prior to calling these 12 apostles. This is an important appointment, and requires all of Jesus to fulfill properly. No one else comes in the way of these decisions. The only other time Luke’s Jesus goes up to a mountain is in the Transfiguration. Prayer in Luke signifies important turning points.

Luke 6:17-49 – Jesus Instructs His Disciples/Apostles
Luke 6:17-19
Here is both a conclusion of the previous section and the beginning of the next. We conclude with everything Jesus has been doing up to this point. Large crowds of people are gathering because word of Jesus has spread around. They are coming to be healed, cured, released. Many are coming to him, thronging to him because of his powers, though it does say they had come to hear as well as to be healed. They are in this way humbling themselves before him, because of these great powers Jesus has displayed that he has. And it seems because of their eagerness, because of their belief that Jesus can do these things they seem to draw the power from him to them because of their eagerness. It doesn’t even say that Jesus wanted to heal, but that it was drawn out of him. This is why Jesus has come, but he has also come for greater than these kinds of healings, he has come for forgiveness of sin and the saving of life. He will now begin classes to teach this way of life to his disciples, and they will follow “me.”

The mountain for Luke is a special set apart place, and so for Jesus to teach the masses he comes down with his Apostles he has just chosen. Jesus is playing the Moses role in Luke’s telling. This teaching that follows is for the great crowds not just his inner circle of Apostles. There seem to be three groups now mentioned. We have the special hand picked Apostles, then the great crowd of disciples, and then a great multitude of people, reflecting differing levels of commitment to what is happening. Each of these are positively portrayed at this point. They have not come to test Jesus as the Pharisees had been doing, but to HEAR and be healed. Thus they are attentive to Jesus. There is a overarching (catholic, universal) sense to both this crowd and Jesus powers. The people have come from all over, all are reaching out to Jesus, and power is coming from Jesus to heal ALL.

Luke 6:20-49 - Sermon on the Plain
This is juxtaposed with Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount. They are quite similar, the pattern and flow is the same, with several additions and deletions. In Luke it is a much shorter, compact version. At this point Luke deviates from Mark (from 6:20-8:3), and places these as additions into the story he is telling. What Luke doesn’t have that Matthew does is a focus on the relationship between Jesus’ teachings and the law of God. Luke’s Jesus seems to focus more heavily on the relationship between the rich and poor, by not spiritualizing things, and by adding the woes. While it is clear that Luke is using some version of Mark, it isn’t clear about what other resources he is using. Obviously something similar to what Matthew uses, but they use them in different ways to help get across different ideas about Jesus. They are at the same time quite similar, and quite different.

Luke 6:20-26 – Blessings & Woes
In these we hear Jesus speaking to the “disciples,” thus taking a middle approach. Not just talking to the Apostles’, but not talking to the masses. The disciples are in the middle on the commitment scale. These words speak of conditions right NOW; Blessings to those who are poor, hungry, weeping, hated by others; Woes to those who are in a good condition NOW. The world sees this very much the opposite. It looks like those in the woes section are actually blessed, and those in the blessings section are cursed. Not so says Jesus, and this is the reversal that Jesus is bringing, which was proclaimed at this birth by so many people! God has a special concern for the poor and those who are in dire straits. The kingdom of God is bringing about a change. In this way Jesus is a continuation of the OT God who is the protector of the poor, the outcast, and the outsider. Ultimately Jesus is bringing into the picture the idea of the end of time, the eschatological feast for those who are in God’s favor, and Jesus is letting us know who is going to be seated at this table and who is not! The American Dream (are really a worldly dream) of comfort and ease of life is not what is receiving the blessings of Jesus!!

One of the major themes of Luke is the dangers of wealth. The wealthy are very short-sighted, and while it is thought that the wealth will bring comfort in the future (think pension / retirement) Jesus is telling us that the opposite is actually true! There is an inverse relationship between wealth and the kingdom of God! Luke will not leave the rich totally out. There is in fact hope, and that hope is Jesus, but as we see here first the rich need to hear what a pickle they (we) are in.

“Our pride and our ability to provide for ourselves have blocked the channels of blessing (from God).” (quote from p. 145, Culpepper, “New Interpreters Bible”)