The Gospel according to Luke (6)

5:27 to 6:24

        Luke now continues and relates the call of Levi.  As the Lord 
went out of the house where He was, He noticed a tax collector 
named Levi sitting at his tax booth.  Mark 2:14 adds that he was 
'the son of Alphaeus', while he is called Matthew in Matthew 
9:9, and of course he had both names, Matthew Levi.  Tax 
gatherers were despised by Jews as they collected money for 
Rome, and some of them were dishonest as well, so they were 
certainly not in favour with the people.  All three Gospels give 
the command of the Lord, 'Follow Me', and like the fishermen 
whom Christ called, Levi left everything and followed Him.  
Leaving a profitable business was not an easy thing, but this man 
did not hesitate.  The verb 'followed' is in the imperfect tense, 
which meant he began at once to follow Him and he kept it up.

        Evidently, as part of his response to the Lord, he arranged a 
great feast for Him and invited many tax collectors and others, 
some of whom did not have a good reputation.  This gave the 
Scribes and Pharisees the opportunity to criticise and ask the 
disciples, 'Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and 
"sinners"?'  The answer of the Lord was:
        
'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.  I have 
not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance' (verse 
31,32 N.I.V.).

        The Greek word for 'healthy' is peculiar to Luke the 
physician.  It was used in pathology as the opposite of 
'diseased'.  This illustration explains Christ's reason for being 
in strange company.  It was their need that drew Him to these 
people, not any personal attraction they might have had.  These 
people were sinners, and sinners need a Saviour.  But who are the 
righteous?  Certainly not the critics with their self-satisfaction.  
And yet their need was just as great had they faced up to God's 
standard of righteousness.

        They go on to find fault with the disciples because they did 
not fast like the disciples of John.  But the Lord pointed out that 
the two sets of disciples cannot be compared.  He had come like a 
bridegroom, and the wedding scene was one of joy, not sadness 
and fasting.  And if the two are mixed it could only lead to 
spoiling and disappointment, hence the illustration, the new and 
old patch of cloth, or the new wine put into old wineskins.  In the 
old dispensation a certain amount of fasting was enjoined by the 
Law, such as on the Day of Atonement (Lev. 23:32).  But the 
Rabbis had added to these fasts and made them obligatory, thus 
increasing the burden the people had to bear.  The Pharisee in the 
parable boasted that he fasted twice a week (Luke 18:12).  There 
is no saying of Christ requiring or commending fasting.  His 
ministry opened with gladness and joy, although verse 35 
contains the shadow of the cross when He would be taken away 
from His own.  Then they would fast, not as a rule or penance, 
but as the result of grief.

        These illustrations are likened to parables (verse 36) and the 
essence of a parable is that it should be recognized at once as 
what cannot be denied in every-day life.  So that it served as 
more than an illustration; it was an argument from analogy.

Chapter 6

        From this point onwards, the history shows the ever widening 
gap between the Lord Jesus and the religious leaders of His day.  
Luke now records the homely scene of Christ and His disciples 
passing through a cornfield on the Sabbath day.  The disciples, 
evidently hungry, picked a few ears of corn and rubbing them in 
their hands, commenced to eat the grain.  This was permitted by 
the Law (Deut. 23:25).  The Pharisees pounced on them at once, 
asking why they were doing what was unlawful on the sabbath.  
True it was that all work was suspended by God on the seventh 
day of each week, but in what sense were the disciples working?  
It seems unbelievable, but the Rabbis' verdict was that the 
disciples' action in plucking and rubbing the ears of corn was 
'reaping, threshing, winnowing, and preparing food all at once!'
And this was regarded as labour!  Could anything have been 
more puerile or petty?  These deluded men were certainly 
'Straining out gnats and swallowing camels!'

        The Lord's reply was overwhelming and crushing to these 
extremists.  He refers to the case of David as described in 
1 Samuel 21:1-6, when he came to Nob, tired and hungry, and 
demanded bread from the priest Ahimelech who told him he had 
none but the sacrificial bread, the twelve loaves placed weekly on 
a table in the holy place, which were renewed once a week.  The 
old bread was eaten by the priests as they came and went (Lev. 
24:5-9).  It was this bread that David ate in spite of technically 
breaking the law in so doing, but necessity of hunger was allowed 
to override the law.

        The Pharisees would not have dared to put David in the 
wrong.  Then why should they object to the disciples satisfying 
their hunger?

        The sabbath, inaugurated in the Old Testament by Jehovah, 
was the seventh day, which God claimed as peculiarly His (Exod. 
20:10).  He was indeed the Lord of the Sabbath day.  And this is 
what Christ claimed to be in Luke 6:5, otherwise words have no 
meaning.  But Mark adds the statement, 'The Sabbath was made 
for man, not man for the Sabbath' (Mark 2:27), which 
subordinates the Sabbath to man's needs and welfare, hence the 
frequent expression Sabbath of rest, resulting in physical and 
mental relaxation.  The religious leaders turned this round the 
opposite way, making man for the Sabbath, with all their petty 
rules and regulations.  And this battle against human institutions 
and additions to God's Word has gone on ever since.

        Having made trouble over the disciples' conduct on the 
Sabbath, and being routed by the Lord, for He always won by 
His infinite wisdom and knowledge, Luke now records an action 
of Christ Himself on the Sabbath day which to the Pharisees was 
even worse.  This concerned the healing of the man with the 
withered hand.
        
'On another Sabbath He went into the synagogue and was 
teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shrivelled.  
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a 
reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched Him closely to see if He 
would heal on the Sabbath'  (6:6,7 N.I.V.).

        Luke, the doctor, notices that it is the man's right hand that 
is affected and adds that Christ knew what they were thinking.  
This ability of the Lord was not just clever guesswork.  It is 
mentioned frequently in the New Testament and is an evidence of 
His deity.  He read men's thoughts and intentions as though they 
were an open book.  He called the man forward in front of 
everyone, so that all could see.  But before He did any more, He 
put a question to the critics:
        
"I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to 
do evil, to save life or to destroy it?"

        When reasoning, the Lord had a marvellous way of going 
right to the heart of the matter, and hitting the nail right on the 
head, as we say.  So much so, there was often nothing to add, 
which His enemies found very disconcerting to say the least.

        In this case the atmosphere must have been electric, as 'He 
looked round at them all' (verse 10) and paused as they waited 
eagerly to see what His next action would be.  He then said to the 
man:  '"Stretch out your hand."  He did so, and his hand was 
completely restored.  But they were furious and began to discuss 
with one another what they might do to Jesus' (verses 10,11 
N.I.V.).

        The enemies were routed again.  They were only too ready to 
lay down the law on what might not be done on the Sabbath, yet 
on this holy day, they were plotting to destroy Christ.  No wonder 
later on He was to call them hypocrites.  Mark 3:6 tells us that 
they went out and plotted even with the Herodians (whom they 
hated) to overthrow the Lord.  All the Gospel writers write in 
showing up the murderous intentions of the religious leaders.  In 
four different ways the Lord Jesus had defied the Pharisaical 
party, (1) in the claim to forgive sins, (2) consorting with people 
of ill repute, (3) sanctioning the neglect of fasting, (4) two cases 
of supposed Sabbath breaking, which was the greatest of 
offences in the eyes of the Rabbis.

        The narrative goes on to record how the Lord went to the hills 
for privacy and prayer.  We have seen how Luke stresses this 
more than the other Evangelists.  Christ was about to make the 
important step of choosing His Apostles and therefore He spends 
the whole night in communion with the Father.  There was 
evidently a considerable group of 'disciples' or 'learners' and 
from them He chose twelve, whom He designated 'apostles'.  
The word comes from apostello, 'to send', and represents 'sent 
ones' or messengers.  The word is later on applied to others 
beside the Twelve, such as James, Barnabas, Andronicus and 
Junias, and Paul who were on a par with the Twelve in rank and 
authority.  Mark tells us that the Twelve were chosen by the Lord 
'that they might be with Him', to be trained by Himself and to 
interpret Him and His kingdom message far and wide.  They were 
specially linked with Israel, and in this sphere could have no 
successors, as they had to be personal witnesses to the life and 
resurrection of the Lord as Acts 1:22 makes clear.

        The selection of Matthias to succeed Judas Iscariot is 
certainly not a mistake as is sometimes asserted.  A careful study 
of the Gospels and the Acts will show that Matthias was chosen 
under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  All through this context 
we should know that the word 'choose' is 'elect'.  Christ 
Himself said to these disciples, 'You did not elect Me, but I 
elected you' (John 15:16).  The doctrine of God's election goes 
right through Scripture, touching His earthly and heavenly 
purposes, and to ignore it blots out divine understanding.

        The names of the Twelve earthly kingdom Apostles are given 
three times in the Gospels.  In each case Peter heads the list.  Just 
as Paul was the Apostle to the Gentiles, Peter was chosen to be 
the Apostle to the circumcision (Israel) and comes to the fore at 
Pentecost and in the early chapters of the Acts.  Judas Iscariot is 
last each time.  The same is true of the eleven names given in 
Acts 1:13 except that Judas Iscariot's name is missing because 
he was already dead.  First we have the four fishermen, four men 
whom the Lord first called to follow Him.  Philip comes fifth and 
James, the son of Alphaeus ninth.  He is probably the same as 
James the little (Mark 15:40) and so was a short man.

        Some of these men had more than one name and this explains 
apparent contradictions in these lists.  Bartholomew is another 
name for Nathaniel.  This name does not appear in the Synoptic 
Gospels, but in John (21:2).  Thaddaeus is Judas, the brother of 
James, and is also called Lebbaeus (Matt. 10:3).  Simon Zelotes 
is also called Simon the Canaanite.  Thomas is Hebrew and 
means Twin (Didymus, John 11:16.).

        Matthew names them in pairs, probably as they were sent out 
by the Lord.  They were chosen for three great purposes, (1) that 
they might be His associates and come under His special 
instruction as we have seen, and (2) that they might act as His 
messengers and delegates, proclaiming the good news of the 
earthly kingdom and (3) that they would heal all physical 
disabilities.  Thus they had a double ministry of preaching and 
healing, which included the power to cast out demons (Matt. 
10:1).  Thus barriers to the reception of the gospel of the 
kingdom were removed by God.

        Luke goes on to state that Christ 'went down with them and 
stood on a level place' (verse 17).  Crowds flocked there from 
Judaea, Jerusalem and Tyre and Sidon.  The Lord taught them, 
healed their diseases and cast out spirits (verses 18,19).  At this 
point the Evangelist gives his account of the Sermon on the 
Mount.  This is a shorter version than Matthew's and differs in 
some details, but one is complementary to the other.  Luke omits 
the passages dealing with the law as superseded by the teaching 
of Christ and it lays more stress on love and mercy.  But we shall 
find that portions of the teaching given in Matthew occur later on 
in Luke.

        One thing we must always remember is that the Lord Jesus 
must have repeated important truths over and over again, 
especially when he was visiting new places.  In the New 
Testament, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit we have a 
selection of the Truth that this greatest of all teachers uttered.  It 
would be quite foolish to suppose that the important doctrine of 
the Sermon on the Mount was spoken only once by the Lord in 
His earthly ministry.  Both Matthew and Luke agree in saying 
that Christ had His disciples primarily in view in this great 
address.  They were gathered round Him and would be intently 
listening to what He was saying.

        As Professor  A.T. Robertson remarks, 'It is useless to 
speculate why Luke gives only four of the eight beatitudes in 
Matthew or why Matthew does not give the four woes in Luke.  
Neither professes to give a complete report of the Sermon.'

        In each of the beatitudes the present state of loss, hunger and 
sorrow is compared with the future richness of blessing in the 
kingdom of heaven when it is established.

                'Blessed are you who are poor'
                'Blessed are you who hunger now'
                'Blessed are you who weep now'
                'Blessed are you when men hate you'
                (verses 20-22 N.I.V.).

        The present life is one of testing and difficulty and is ruled 
over by the prince of this world, the enemy of God and His 
people.  Christ is not teaching that all sorrowing and needy 
people will have fulness of joy.  The whole discourse is addressed 
to His disciples, as we have previously pointed out.  It is His own 
people that the Lord is concerned with, those who believe in Him 
and choose to follow Him.  He is encouraging them to hold fast 
even if now they are in very adverse conditions.  Soon would 
come the great reversal, the glorious consummation in God's 
kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy.  Then, as the apostle 
Paul said later on, their sufferings could not be compared with 
the glory that awaited them.

        Elsewhere Christ shows how riches are a barrier to attaining 
this, not on God's side, but on man's, for wealth so often gives 
men a false security and promises so much that it cannot fulfil 
and tends to make people independent of God.

        No true disciple should expect to have an easy time now, and 
in the future age of the kingdom.  God's promises of special joy 
then are in the nature of reward for faithfulness, and rewards can 
be won or lost by believers.  In Matthew's account of this great 
Sermon, reward is one of the key words (Matt. 5:12; 6:1,2,4-
6,16).  This must not be missed.*  Luke stresses it in verse 23 :

         'Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your 
reward in heaven.O

        Four woes follow these future blessings:

                'Woe to you who are rich'
                'Woe to you who are well fed now'
                'Woe to you who laugh now'
                'Woe to you when all men speak well of you'
                (verses 24-26 N.I.V.).

        Again we have the present sharply contrasted with the future.  
These woes are not just denunciation; they are lamentations and 
are revealed by Luke only.

STUART ALLEN.