Luke 6

King James Version

Full text for Luke Chapter 6

1¶ 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;›

4‹How 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.

12¶ And 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.

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.

20¶ And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, ‹Blessed [be ye] poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.›

21‹Blessed [are ye] that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed [are ye] that weep now: for ye shall laugh.›

22‹Blessed 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.›

23‹Rejoice 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.›

24‹But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.›

25‹Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.›

26‹Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.›

27¶ ‹But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,›

28‹Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.›

29‹And 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.›

30‹Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask [them] not again.›

31‹And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.›

32‹For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.›

33‹And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.›

34‹And 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.›

35‹But 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.›

36‹Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.›

37¶ ‹Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:›

38‹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.›

39And he spake a parable unto them, ‹Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?›

40‹The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.›

41‹And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?›

42‹Either 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.›

43‹For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.›

44‹For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.›

45‹A 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.›

46‹And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?›

47‹Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:›

48‹He 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.›

49‹But 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.›

AI Analysis

AI Summaries

Short Summary

Jesus asserts his authority over the Sabbath by allowing his disciples to pluck corn and by healing a man with a withered hand, provoking the Pharisees. He then chooses twelve apostles after a night of prayer. On a plain, Jesus delivers teachings, including blessings for the poor and woes for the rich, and exhortations to love enemies, be merciful, and practice self-examination before judging others. He concludes with parables emphasizing that true discipleship involves hearing and doing his words, likening it to building a house on a strong foundation.

Medium Summary

Luke chapter 6 opens with Jesus defending his disciples for plucking corn on the Sabbath, declaring himself "Lord also of the sabbath." He further challenges the Pharisees by healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, which fills them with anger. Following this, Jesus spends a night in prayer on a mountain before selecting twelve of his disciples to be apostles, listing their names. Descending to a plain, he encounters a large multitude whom he heals of various diseases and unclean spirits. Jesus then delivers a significant discourse, beginning with beatitudes for the poor, hungry, weeping, and persecuted, contrasted with woes for the rich, full, and those praised by all. He teaches radical love for enemies, advocating for blessing those who curse and giving generously. The chapter continues with warnings against judging others and parables about the blind leading the blind and removing the "beam" from one's own eye. Finally, Jesus stresses that a person's fruit reveals their heart and concludes by likening those who hear and obey his words to a wise builder whose house stands firm on a rock, while those who only hear are like a foolish builder whose house collapses.

Long Summary

Chapter 6 of Luke's Gospel begins with two incidents that highlight Jesus' authority over the Sabbath. First, his disciples pluck corn on the Sabbath, leading to a confrontation with the Pharisees, whom Jesus rebukes by citing David's actions with the shewbread and by declaring that "the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath." Shortly thereafter, Jesus heals a man with a withered hand in the synagogue on another Sabbath, despite the watchful eyes of the scribes and Pharisees seeking an accusation against him. This act of mercy fills his adversaries with "madness." Following these events, Jesus retreats to a mountain, spending an entire night in prayer to God. The next day, he calls his disciples and formally chooses twelve of them, whom he names apostles, listing their specific names, including Simon Peter, James, John, and Judas Iscariot. Descending from the mountain, Jesus stands on a plain with his apostles, a company of disciples, and a vast multitude gathered from various regions, all seeking to hear him and be healed. Indeed, many are healed of their diseases and vexing unclean spirits, as "virtue" goes out from him. Jesus then delivers a profound sermon, often referred to as the Sermon on the Plain, which commences with a series of blessings for the poor, the hungry, those who weep, and those persecuted for his sake, promising them the kingdom, satisfaction, laughter, and a great reward in heaven. These beatitudes are immediately followed by corresponding woes for the rich, the full, those who laugh now, and those of whom all men speak well, indicating a reversal of worldly fortunes. He then issues radical commands concerning love, urging his hearers to love their enemies, do good to those who hate them, bless those who curse, and pray for those who despitefully use them, even advocating for non-retaliation and generous giving. Jesus emphasizes that such actions, performed without expectation of return, make them "children of the Highest," who is kind to the unthankful and evil, and calls them to be merciful as their Father is merciful. Further teachings include injunctions against judging and condemning others, promoting forgiveness and generous giving, which will be returned in "good measure." He uses parables to illustrate the dangers of spiritual blindness (blind leading the blind) and hypocrisy (mote and beam), urging self-correction before attempting to correct others. The chapter concludes with a metaphor of trees and their fruit, asserting that a good man speaks good from his heart's treasure, while an evil man speaks evil. Finally, Jesus challenges his audience to be doers of his words, not just hearers, likening the obedient to a wise builder who lays a deep foundation on a rock, enduring floods, while the disobedient are like a foolish builder whose house, lacking a foundation, collapses in ruin.

Core Concepts

  • Sabbath AuthorityJesus asserts his divine authority over the Sabbath, first by defending his disciples' actions of plucking corn, and then by deliberately healing a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath day, declaring, "The Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath." These acts challenge the rigid interpretations of the Pharisees.
  • Selection of ApostlesAfter a night of prayer, Jesus formally chooses twelve of his disciples and names them apostles, signifying their special commission and role in his ministry. This foundational act establishes the core leadership of his nascent church.
  • Beatitudes and WoesJesus delivers a series of blessings for the poor, hungry, sorrowful, and persecuted, promising them future comfort and reward in God's kingdom. Conversely, he pronounces woes upon the rich, full, joyful, and those universally praised, indicating a reversal of worldly values in the divine order.
  • Love for EnemiesA central and radical teaching where Jesus commands his followers to love those who hate them, bless those who curse, pray for those who despitefully use them, and practice non-retaliation. This principle extends God's kindness to the undeserving and calls believers to emulate divine mercy.
  • Judging and HypocrisyJesus warns against judging others and highlights the hypocrisy of attempting to correct a "mote" in another's eye while ignoring the "beam" in one's own. He emphasizes self-examination and forgiveness as prerequisites for righteous conduct.
  • Hearers and DoersJesus concludes his discourse by stressing the importance of not merely hearing his words but actively obeying them. He illustrates this with the parable of two builders: one wise, building on a rock, and one foolish, building without a foundation, demonstrating that true discipleship is founded on obedience.