RSV ~ Luke 6 Notes
Lk 6:1 | ISB Notes
sabbath: Under the Old Covenant, every seventh day (Saturday) was set aside for worship and rest; and no man, woman, slave, or beast was permitted to work (Gen 2:3; Ex 20:8-11; Deut 5:12-15). By NT times, Sabbath observance was greatly emphasized as a symbol of Israel’s unique relationship with God. The Pharisees made Sabbath observance a benchmark of Jewish faithfulness and added a multitude of precepts that differentiated between lawful and unlawful behavior. Even the slightest infraction of these Sabbath standards would bring one’s religious commitment into question in the eyes of the Pharisees. Jesus, though frequently accused of disregarding the Sabbath, acts out the true meaning of the Sabbath by restoring and giving rest to suffering individuals on this day.
Lk 6:2 | ISB Notes
not lawful: The Pharisees equate plucking grain with harvesting it. In their view, the disciples violated God’s commandment to abstain from gathering crops (Ex 34:21).
Lk 6:3 | ISB Notes
Have you not read: The question is intentionally sarcastic and would be taken as an insult by the well-educated Pharisees.
what David did: Jesus appeals to a scriptural precedent from 1 Sam 21:1-6.
• The legal exception once made for King David and his men to eat holy bread permits Jesus and his disciples to eat grain on the holy day of Sabbath. In both cases the strict regulations of the Torah were allowed to bend to meet a pressing need (hunger) and to serve the anointed king of Israel (David and Jesus).
Lk 6:4 | ISB Notes
showbread: Twelve cakes of bread were replaced weekly in the Temple (Ex 25:30). When new loaves were set out on the Sabbath, Levitical priests ate the old ones (Lev 24:5-9). David and his men were permitted to breach this Levitical legislation by eating the bread reserved only for priests (1 Sam 21:6).
Lk 6:5 | ISB Notes
Son of man: Hints at Jesus’ messianic authority.
See topical essay: Jesus, the Son of Man, at Lk 17.
Lk 6:9 | ISB Notes
is it lawful: Jesus unmasks his opponents with a question: Is the Sabbath day for good or harm? The implied answer is obvious (for good) and designed to expose the malice of the Pharisees (6:7). For regardless of what Jesus does, they are already planning to harm him. In the end, it is the Pharisees who violate the Sabbath and walk straight into their own trap.
Lk 6:10 | ISB Notes
his hand was restored: Jesus looks to the Sabbath as the most suitable day to relieve the oppressed of their burdens.
• Allegorically (St. Bede, In Lucam): the crippled man signifies mankind corrupt and fallen from grace. His hand is withered in sin because it stretched forth to eat the forbidden fruit in paradise. Christ now comes with forgiveness to restore man to spiritual health.
Lk 6:12 | ISB Notes
all night: Jesus undertakes a prayer vigil to prepare for his selection of the twelve apostles in the morning (6:13). See note on Lk 3:21.
Lk 6:13 | ISB Notes
apostles: Those who will preach the gospel and lead the early Church. They are emissaries invested with Christ’s royal and priestly authority (9:1-6; Mt 28:16-20) (CCC 765, 1577).
See chart: The Twelve Apostles at Mk 3.
• Like the 12 patriarchs of Israel (Gen 35:22-26), Jesus chooses 12 men to be the father figures of the renewed kingdom of Israel, the Church (22:28-30; Gal 6:16; Rev 21:14).
Lk 6:17-49 | ISB Notes
Luke’s “Sermon on the Plain” is similar to Matthew’s longer “Sermon on the Mount” (Mt 5-7). Both begin with Beatitudes (6:20-22; Mt 5:3-10); both advocate love of enemies (6:27-36; Mt 5:43-48); and both end with the parable of two builders (6:47-49; Mt 7:24-27). The sermon encapsulates the high moral standards of the New Covenant. See note on Mt 5:1.
Lk 6:17 | ISB Notes
Tyre and Sidon: Two coastal cities north of Palestine in Phoenicia. People from these areas are predominantly Gentiles— a fact that highlights Jesus’ popularity outside Israel (2:31-32).
Lk 6:20-26 | ISB Notes
The Beatitudes (6:20-22) stand opposite the covenant curses, or Woes (6:24-26; Deut 30:19-20). Jesus envisions the conditions of this life being overturned in the next, where the blessed can expect their present suffering to give way to future peace, and the prosperous can expect divine curses if wealth and notoriety have smothered their love for God. See notes on Mt 5:3-10.
Lk 6:20 | ISB Notes
Blessed: God’s children receive his blessing for their faith and adherence to his Law (11:28; Ps 1:1-2; Gal 3:9).
See word study: Blessed at Mt 5:3.
poor: This may denote material poverty defined by social or economic conditions as well as spiritual poverty defined by inward detachment. Note, however, that even the materially poor can be attached to the little they own, as even the wealthy can live in poverty of spirit (CCC 2444, 2546). .
• Morally (St. Ambrose, In Lucam): the Lucan Beatitudes reflect the four cardinal virtues. The poor exhibit temperance as they shun the vain and excessive pleasures of the world. The hungry display justice as they share the plight of the lowly and give to those who have little. Those who weep exercise prudence as they lament the vanity of temporal things and look to what is eternal. Those hated by men exercise fortitude because they persevere when persecuted for their faith (CCC 1805-9).
Lk 6:24 | ISB Notes
woe: A cry of impending distress used by the prophets of Israel (Is 5:8-22; Amos 6:1; Hab 2:6-20). Jesus voices the sa
me cry to warn that disaster awaits the comfortable of the world whose prosperity and notoriety have turned them away from God and the demands of his covenant. rich: Society’s most prosperous and prestigious members. Their success in this life can tempt them to overlook the need for God and his mercy. Worldly wealth is thus dangerous (14:33; 18:24) because it can lead to selfishness and a false sense of security (1 Tim 6:17-19; Heb 13:5; CCC 2547).
Lk 6:27 | ISB Notes
Love your enemies: A revolutionary commandment. Under the Old Covenant, loving one’s neighbor meant loving everyone within the covenant family of Israel (Lev 19:18). Jesus widens the scope of charity in the New, commanding a radical love that reaches out to everyone, even our enemies (Rom 12:9-21; 1 Jn 4:7-11).
Lk 6:29 | ISB Notes
him who takes away: A warning against retaliation. Even when robbed of one’s cloak (outer garment) and coat (inner garment worn next to the skin), Christians must fight the impulse to exact personal revenge on their oppressors (1 Cor 6:1-7) and be willing to part with belongings in the face of persecution (Heb 10:32-34).
Lk 6:31 | ISB Notes
do so to them: The “Golden Rule” summarizes the moral law of the New Covenant and is a sure test to distinguish virtue from vice (Mt 7:12). Similar statements are found in the OT (Tob 4:15; Sir 31:15) (CCC 1
970).
Lk 6:35 | ISB Notes
sons of the Most High: From a Hebrew perspective, parents reproduce character traits in the children who bear their image (Gen 5:3). Jesus applies this same logic to the family of God: as the Father is forgiving and loving, even toward the unfaithful and undeserving, so his children must imitate his kindness toward all without discrimination.
Lk 6:36 | ISB Notes
Be merciful: Mercy is the towering rule of Christ’s kingdom (10:36-37; Mt 9:13; CCC 1458).
• Jesus reformulates the teaching of Lev 19:2, replacing the command to imitate Yahweh’s holiness with a command to imitate his mercy. The subtle difference between these divine attributes points to the difference between the Old Covenant and the New. The quest for holiness in ancient Israel meant that God’s people had to separate themselves from everything ungodly, unclean, and impure, including Gentiles and sinners (Lev 15:31; 20:26). Jesus gives holiness a new focus, defining it as mercy that reaches out to others and no longer divides people into segregated camps or disqualifies some and not others to enter the family of God (CCC 2842).
Lk 6:38 | ISB Notes
into your lap: By folding one’s cloak over the belt, a pouch could be formed to carry grain from the marketplace. When grain was shaken and running over, the buyer was guaranteed a full and honest amount. The illustration shows how God’s generosity overflows on our behalf.
Lk 6:41 | ISB Notes
your brother’s eye: It is foolish to correct others for slight faults when we ourselves are beset with greater ones. The size difference between a speck and a log makes such practice look ridiculous.
Lk 6:45 | ISB Notes
abundance of the heart: The heart is the center of the person and the origin of all moral decisions. The goodness or wickedness of our heart is revealed through our life and deeds, just as a tree is known by the fruit that it bears (Mt 7:15-20; 12:33-37; 15:18-20).
Lk 6:47-49 | ISB Notes
The parable of the Builders is about preparation and practical living (Mt 7:24-27; 1 Cor 3:10-15). The wise builder (6:48) hears Jesus’ words and acts on them, investing great energy to dig a stable foundation for his life. The foolish builder (6:49) hears Jesus’ words but fails to heed his warnings. The wise builder will stand secure at the Last Judgment, while the foolish builder will reap the tragic consequences of his sins and shortcuts.