Chapter Text
Lord of the Sabbath
And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands.
2And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?
3And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him;
4How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread , and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone?
5And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.
6And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered.
7And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.
8But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth.
9Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it?
10And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other.
11And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.
The Twelve Apostles
12And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
13And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;
14Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
15Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,
16And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.
Blessings and Woes
17And he came down with them, and stood in the plain , and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;
18And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.
19And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.
20And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.
21Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
22Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man's sake.
23Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.
24But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.
25Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.
26Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
Love Your Enemies
27But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also.
30Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
34And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
Judging Others
37Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
38Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.
39And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?
40The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.
41And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
42Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.
43For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
44For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.
45A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh.
The Wise and Foolish Builders
46And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
47Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
48He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
Summary
Jesus defends His disciples for plucking grain on the Sabbath and heals a man's withered hand on the Sabbath in the synagogue, provoking the fury of the scribes and Pharisees. After spending the entire night in prayer on a mountain, He chooses the twelve apostles.
He descends to a plain and delivers a sermon to a great multitude. He pronounces blessings on the poor, hungry, weeping, and persecuted, and woes on the rich, full, laughing, and well-spoken-of. He commands love for enemies, mercy, non-judgment, and generosity, concluding with the parable of building on rock versus sand.
Meaning
Luke's version of the Beatitudes is more direct and socially concrete than Matthew's. The blessings and woes together create a complete picture: God's kingdom reverses the fortunes of this present age. Those who suffer now will be comforted; those who are comfortable now should be warned.
The command to love enemies is the most radical ethical teaching in all of Scripture. It is not sentiment but deliberate action: do good, bless, pray for those who mistreat you. This love reflects the character of God Himself, who is kind to the unthankful and the evil.
Background
Luke records that Jesus spent the entire night in prayer before choosing the twelve, highlighting the gravity of this decision. The sermon on the plain may be a different occasion from Matthew's Sermon on the Mount, or Luke may be presenting the same teaching in a condensed form.
The four woes in Luke have no parallel in Matthew and reflect Luke's consistent concern for the dangers of wealth and self-sufficiency. This emphasis runs throughout his Gospel.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-5Lord of the Sabbath
- vv. 6-11Healing the Withered Hand
- vv. 12-16Choosing the Twelve Apostles
- vv. 17-19Multitudes Healed on the Plain
- vv. 20-26Beatitudes and Woes
- vv. 27-38Love of Enemies and Mercy
- vv. 39-49Fruit, Foundations, and True Discipleship
Key Verses
“But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,”— 6:27
One of the most radical and recognizable commands of Jesus, overturning natural human ethics and defining the distinctive love of the kingdom.
“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.”— 6:31
The Golden Rule in its classic form — a positive ethic that summarizes the law and prophets and has shaped moral thought across cultures.
“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.”— 6:38
A foundational verse on generosity and reciprocity, frequently quoted in teaching on stewardship and the principle that our posture toward others returns upon us.
“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”— 6:46
A piercing rebuke against empty profession, setting up the closing parable and grounding discipleship in obedience rather than mere confession.
People & Places
People
- Jesus — The Son of man who declares himself Lord of the sabbath, chooses the Twelve, and delivers the Sermon on the Plain.
- David — Israel's king, cited by Jesus as precedent for sabbath mercy when he ate the shewbread.
- Pharisees and scribes — Religious leaders who challenge Jesus over sabbath observance and plot against him.
- Simon Peter — Fisherman renamed Peter, listed first among the Twelve apostles.
- Andrew — Brother of Simon Peter, called among the first apostles.
- James and John — Sons of Zebedee, included among the Twelve.
- Philip — One of the twelve apostles chosen on the mountain.
- Bartholomew — One of the twelve apostles, traditionally identified with Nathanael.
- Matthew — The tax collector turned apostle, named among the Twelve.
- Thomas — Apostle later remembered for his demand to see the risen Christ.
- James the son of Alphaeus — One of the Twelve, distinct from James the son of Zebedee.
- Simon Zelotes — Apostle identified with the zealot party, marking the breadth of Jesus' calling.
- Judas the brother of James — One of the Twelve, also known as Thaddaeus.
- Judas Iscariot — The apostle identified here as the one who would betray Jesus.
- Man with the withered hand — A worshipper in the synagogue whom Jesus heals on the sabbath, provoking the leaders' fury.
Places
- The corn fields — Grain fields through which Jesus and his disciples walked on the sabbath.
- The synagogue — Local house of worship where Jesus taught and healed the man with the withered hand.
- The mountain — Place of solitude where Jesus spent the night in prayer before choosing the Twelve.
- The plain — Level place where Jesus stood to deliver the sermon to his disciples and the multitude.
- Judaea — Southern region of the Holy Land from which crowds came to hear Jesus.
- Jerusalem — The holy city, sending hearers to seek Jesus' teaching and healing.
- Tyre and Sidon — Gentile coastal cities in Phoenicia from which crowds traveled to Jesus, signaling his wider appeal.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
Jesus' declaration that 'the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath' (6:5) draws on Daniel 7:13–14, claiming the divine authority of the Danielic Son of man over the very institutions of the law. His warning that the persecuted will be treated as 'their fathers unto the prophets' (6:23) and that flatterers share the lot of 'the false prophets' (6:26) places his disciples within the prophetic line foretold throughout the Old Testament. The Beatitudes also echo Isaiah 61's promise of comfort to the poor and mourning, a passage Jesus had already claimed for himself in Luke 4.
Devotional
Luke 6 presses discipleship beyond admiration into imitation. Jesus blesses the poor, the hungry, and the hated — not because suffering is good, but because the kingdom reorders every value the world clings to. He then asks the harder thing: love the people who wound you, lend without calculating return, refuse the satisfaction of judgment.
The closing image lingers. Two houses look identical until the storm comes. What separates them is not sincerity but obedience — quietly digging deep, letting Christ's words shape the foundation before the flood ever arrives.
Literary Style
Gospel narrative interwoven with extended discourse. The chapter pairs sabbath controversy stories with the Sermon on the Plain, featuring Hebrew-style parallelism in the Beatitudes and Woes, wisdom sayings, vivid metaphors (mote and beam, tree and fruit), and a closing parabolic contrast of two builders.