Luke 6

One Sabbath day Jesus was walking through the grain fields. His followers picked the heads of grain, rubbed them in their hands, and ate them.

1And 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.

NoteThe Sabbath was the Jewish day of rest, running from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset. The law forbade work on it, and the whole argument in this scene is over what counts as work: reaping and threshing were both on the forbidden list, and picking heads of grain and rubbing them in the hands could be classed as either. Taking a few handfuls from someone else's field while walking through it was itself permitted by law. In 1611 English "corn" meant grain of any kind, here wheat or barley; it did not mean maize. The KJV's "the second sabbath after the first" translates a Greek phrase found nowhere else, whose meaning was already unclear to ancient copyists; many manuscripts simply read "a sabbath."

2Some of the Pharisees said to them, "Why are you doing something the law does not allow on the Sabbath?"

2And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?

NoteThe Pharisees were a religious movement, mostly ordinary laymen rather than priests or officials, known for close attention to the written law and to the body of oral tradition that worked out how to keep it in daily life. They were widely respected.

3Jesus answered them, "Have you never even read what David did when he and the men with him were hungry?

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;

NoteThe episode is told in 1 Samuel 21. David, not yet king and on the run from Saul, arrived hungry at the sanctuary at Nob and asked the priest for food.

4He went into the house of God, took the holy bread that was set out before God, ate it, and also gave it to the men with him. Only the priests are allowed to eat that bread."

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?

Note"Shewbread" is show bread, bread set out on show. Twelve loaves stood on a table inside the sanctuary in the presence of God, one for each tribe of Israel, and were replaced with fresh loaves every Sabbath. The loaves taken away were then eaten by the priests, and by no one else.

5Then he said to them, "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath too."

5And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Note"Son of man" is the title Jesus regularly uses for himself in the Gospels. In ordinary Hebrew and Aramaic the phrase simply means a human being, a mortal; it also echoes Daniel 7:13, where "one like the Son of man" is given lasting authority. The Greek keeps both senses available and does not settle between them.

6On another Sabbath, Jesus went into the synagogue and taught. A man was there whose right hand was shriveled and useless.

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.

NoteA synagogue was the local meeting house where Jews gathered on the Sabbath to hear the scriptures read and explained. There was no fixed preacher, and a visiting teacher could be invited to speak, which is how Jesus comes to be teaching there. A "withered" hand is one that has shrunk and stiffened, from injury, disease or paralysis, so that it cannot be opened or used.

7The scribes and Pharisees watched Jesus closely to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so they could find something to accuse him of.

7And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.

NoteScribes were professional experts in the law, trained to copy it, interpret it and teach it. They were the nearest thing this society had to lawyers.

8But he knew what they were thinking. He said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Get up and stand here in front of everyone." The man got up and stood there.

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 Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question. On the Sabbath, does the law allow doing good or doing harm? Saving a life or destroying one?"

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?

NoteJewish teachers already agreed that saving a life overrode the Sabbath. The disputed cases were ones like this, where the condition was long standing and no one would die if treatment waited until the next day. Jesus' question puts the case in the sharpest possible terms, as a choice between doing good and doing harm.

10He looked around at them all, then said to the man, "Hold out your hand." The man did, and his hand was made completely well, like the other one.

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.

11They were filled with rage, and they talked with each other about what they could do to Jesus.

11And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.

NoteIn 1611 English "madness" covered furious anger as well as insanity. The Greek word means senseless rage, not mental illness.

12About that time, Jesus went out to a mountain to pray, and he spent the whole night praying to God.

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.

13When morning came, he called his followers to him. From them he chose twelve, and he gave them the name apostles, which means those he sends out.

13And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;

NoteThe word translated "apostles" is the Greek apostoloi, meaning ones sent out. It was an ordinary word for an envoy or messenger dispatched with authority to act on the sender's behalf.

14They were Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Simon's brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;

14Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,

NotePeter comes from the Greek petros, a stone or rock. The same nickname in Aramaic was Cephas.

15Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon, who was called the Zealot;

15Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called Zelotes,

Note"Zelotes" means zealot, a man of fierce enthusiasm, particularly for the law and for God's honor. Later in the century Zealot became the name of an armed party that fought Rome, but that organized movement did not yet exist; here the word describes the man himself or some earlier grouping.

16and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became the one who handed Jesus over to his enemies.

16And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.

Note"Iscariot" is usually taken to mean "man of Kerioth," a town in southern Judea, which would make Judas the only one of the twelve not from Galilee. Other explanations have been offered and none is certain. The word the KJV renders "traitor" means one who hands another over, the term used throughout the Gospels for what Judas did.

17Jesus came down the mountain with them and stood on a level place. A large group of his followers was there, along with a huge crowd of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal towns of Tyre and Sidon.

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;

NoteJudea was the southern region around Jerusalem. Tyre and Sidon were Phoenician port cities up the Mediterranean coast to the north, outside Jewish territory, so the crowd includes people from Gentile districts. The KJV's "the plain" translates a phrase meaning a level place, which may be a flat shelf on the mountainside rather than open lowland; this is why Luke's sermon here is often contrasted with the one Matthew sets on a mountain.

18They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those who were troubled by evil spirits were healed too.

18And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.

Note"Vexed" in 1611 English meant tormented or afflicted, far stronger than the modern word. "Unclean" is a ritual term meaning unfit to come near what is holy, not dirty.

19Everyone in the crowd tried to touch him, because power was going out from him and healing them all.

19And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.

NoteIn 1611 English "virtue" could mean power or potency, as in the healing virtue of a medicine. The Greek word is dynamis, power. It has nothing to do with moral goodness here.

20He looked at his followers and said, "You who are poor are blessed, because the kingdom of God belongs to you.

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

NoteThe Greek word behind "blessed" describes someone who is fortunate, to be congratulated, in an enviable position; it is not a statement about how the person feels. "Poor" translates a word for the destitute, those with nothing at all, not people of modest means. "The kingdom of God" means God's reign, the state of affairs in which God is king, rather than a territory on a map.

21You who are hungry now are blessed, because you will be filled. You who are crying now are blessed, because you will laugh.

21Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.

22You are blessed when people hate you, when they shut you out, insult you, and treat your name as something evil, all because of the Son of Man.

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.

Note"Cast out your name as evil" is an idiom for throwing out someone's reputation as worthless, denouncing the very name. "Separate you from their company" covers formal exclusion from the synagogue and from the ordinary social life of the town, which in a small community meant losing trade and livelihood as well as friends.

23When that happens, be glad and jump for joy, because you have a great reward in heaven. Their ancestors treated the prophets the very same way.

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.

NoteThe prophets were those who spoke for God to Israel, often in criticism of its kings and priests. The Hebrew scriptures record several of them being rejected, imprisoned or killed. "Their fathers" means the ancestors of the people now doing the hating.

24But how terrible it will be for you who are rich, because you have already had your comfort.

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

Note"Woe" is not a curse but a cry of grief or warning, the exact counterpart of "blessed": how terrible for you. The verb behind "ye have received your consolation" was the standard commercial term for payment in full, written on receipts. The comfort has already been collected and nothing further is owing.

25How terrible for you who are full now, because you will go hungry. How terrible for you who laugh now, because you will grieve and cry.

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

26How terrible for you when everyone speaks well of you, because their ancestors spoke well of the false prophets in the same way.

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

NoteFalse prophets were men who claimed to speak for God and told rulers and people what they wanted to hear. Their popularity was the mark of them; see 1 Kings 22 and Jeremiah 28.

27"But I say to you who are listening: love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you.

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

NoteThe word for love here is not affection or liking but a settled commitment to act for another's good. That is why it can be commanded, as a feeling could not be.

28Ask God to bless those who curse you. Pray for those who treat you badly.

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

NoteTo bless and to curse are both forms of speech to God about a person. A curse called down real harm and was taken as a dangerous act, not merely rude words. "Despitefully use" in 1611 English means to treat with contempt and abuse.

29If someone hits you on one cheek, let him hit the other one too. If someone takes your coat, do not stop him from taking your shirt as well.

29And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.

NoteThe KJV's "cloak" is the outer garment, a large piece of cloth worn over everything else and used as a blanket at night; the "coat" is the tunic worn next to the skin. The saying moves from the outer layer to the inner one, and so names the one garment the law of Moses protected: a creditor who took a man's cloak in pledge had to hand it back by sunset, because he slept in it.

30Give to everyone who asks you. And if someone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.

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

31Treat other people the way you want them to treat you.

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

32If you love only the people who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love the people who love them.

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

NoteThe word behind "thank" is charis, favor or credit. The question is what merit is earned, not whether anyone says thank you. "Sinners" here is a social label rather than an abstract judgment; it means people known for not keeping the law, the sort the hearers would treat as the opposite of themselves.

33And if you do good only to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that much.

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 you lend only to people you expect to be paid back by, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to get it all back.

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.

NoteLending between neighbors here means interest free loans to people in need, which the law of Moses required and which were expected to be repaid in full. Charging interest to a fellow Israelite was forbidden, so the only return a lender could hope for was the principal, or the goodwill of someone able to lend back.

35Instead, love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High God, because he is kind to ungrateful and wicked people.

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.

Note"The Highest," or Most High, is an ancient title for God, used in Genesis and the Psalms. In this way of speaking, to be called someone's children means to share their character and to act as they act.

36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

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

37Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

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 will be given to you. A full amount, packed down, shaken together, and spilling over, will be poured into your lap. The same measure you use for others will be used for you."

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.

Note"Into your bosom" means into the fold of the outer robe, pulled up over the belt and used as a pocket or carrying bag. The picture is a grain seller filling a measure for a customer: shaking it and pressing the grain down so more will fit, then heaping it until it spills. "Mete" simply means measure.

39He also told them a short story to make a point: "Can one blind man lead another blind man? Won't they both fall into a pit?

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

NoteA parable is a comparison drawn from ordinary life to make a point, sometimes a whole story, sometimes a single image like this one. The "ditch" is a pit or open cistern, the sort of unfenced hazard common in open country.

40A student is not greater than his teacher, but every student who is fully trained will be like his teacher.

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

Note"Master" here means teacher, not owner. "Perfect" in 1611 English means finished or brought to completion, and the Greek word means fully trained; it does not mean morally flawless. The saying is about apprenticeship: the pupil ends up resembling the man who taught him.

41Why do you stare at the speck in your brother's eye and not notice the wooden plank in your own eye?

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

NoteA "mote" is a speck, a splinter or bit of chaff. A "beam" is a load bearing timber, the kind that holds up a roof. The contrast is deliberately absurd. "Brother" means a fellow member of the community, not a blood relation.

42How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take that speck out of your eye,' when you cannot see the plank in your own eye? You pretender! First take the plank out of your own eye. Then you will see clearly enough to take the speck out of your brother's 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.

NoteThe Greek word hypokrites was the everyday term for a stage actor, a man speaking lines written for someone he is not. Applied to a person it means one whose outward performance does not match what lies behind it.

43A good tree does not produce bad fruit, and a bad tree does not produce good fruit.

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

44Every tree is known by the fruit it produces. People do not pick figs off thornbushes, and they do not pick grapes off a briar patch.

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.

NoteFigs and grapes were the two staple fruits of the region; thornbush and bramble were the two commonest worthless scrubs. The pairing sets the most valuable produce against the least promising plants.

45A good person brings out good things from the good stored up in his heart. An evil person brings out evil things from the evil stored up in his heart. What fills a person's heart is what comes out of his mouth.

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.

NoteA "treasure" here is the storeroom or strongbox where things are kept, not the valuables themselves. In this way of speaking the heart is the whole inner person, the seat of thought and decision as much as of feeling.

46"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?

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

NoteThe Greek kyrios, translated "Lord," ran the whole range from a polite "sir" to the title of a master or ruler, and was also the word used for God in the Greek Old Testament. Doubling it, "Lord, Lord," was an intensified form of respectful address.

47I will show you what a person is like who comes to me, hears my words, and does what they 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 building a house. He dug down deep and set the foundation on solid rock. When the flood came, the rushing water crashed against that house but could not shake it, because it was built well.

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.

NoteIn this country a builder either dug down through the loose soil of a valley floor until he struck bedrock, or saved himself the labor and built on the soil. The difference showed only in the rainy season, when dry gullies filled within minutes and a wall of water came down them.

49But the person who hears my words and does not act on them is like a man who built a house on the ground with no foundation. The rushing water crashed against it, and it fell at once, and that house was completely destroyed."

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.