Observation
Setting. On a Sabbath Jesus’ disciples pick and rub grain in the fields, and the Pharisees object (vv1–5). On another Sabbath, in a synagogue, He heals a man’s withered right hand while the scribes and Pharisees watch for a charge (vv6–11). He spends the whole night praying on a mountain and at daybreak chooses twelve apostles (vv12–16). He comes down to a level place, where crowds from Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre and Sidon are healed (vv17–19), and He teaches His disciples (vv20–49).
Structure:
- vv1–11 — Lord of the Sabbath: grain in the fields — “Why do you do what is not lawful?” (vv1–2); David and the consecrated bread (vv3–4); “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath” (v5); the withered hand — “Get up and come forward!”; “is it lawful to do good or to do harm …?”; “Stretch out your hand!” — restored (vv6–10); filled with rage (v11).
- vv12–19 — prayer and the Twelve: the whole night in prayer (v12); twelve chosen, named apostles (vv13–16); a level place, a great throng, power coming from Him (vv17–19).
- vv20–26 — blessings and woes: blessed are the poor, the hungry, the weeping, the hated (vv20–23); woe to the rich, the well-fed, the laughing, the praised (vv24–26).
- vv27–38 — love your enemies: love, do good, bless, pray (vv27–28); cheek, coat, giving (vv29–30); the golden rule (v31); “what credit is that to you?” ×3 (vv32–34); sons of the Most High; be merciful as your Father (vv35–36); do not judge, condemn — pardon, give; good measure (vv37–38).
- vv39–49 — fruit and foundation: blind guides; pupil and teacher (vv39–40); speck and log (vv41–42); good and bad trees, the heart’s treasure (vv43–45); “Lord, Lord” — two builders, one torrent (vv46–49).
Repeated words, with counts:
- “good” ×11 — vv9, 27, 33 (×2), 35, 38, 43 (×2), 45 (×3); “do good” ×5 — vv9, 27, 33 (×2), 35.
- “Sabbath” ×6 — vv1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 9; “lawful” ×3 — vv2, 4, 9.
- “love” ×6 — vv27, 32 (×4), 35; “enemies” ×2 — vv27, 35.
- “eye” ×6 — vv41 (×2), 42 (×4); “speck” ×3 and “log” ×3 — vv41, 42 (×2).
- “judge / judged / condemn / condemned / pardon / pardoned” ×6 — all in v37.
- “Blessed” ×4 — vv20, 21 (×2), 22; “Woe” ×4 — vv24, 25 (×2), 26.
- “now” ×4 — vv21 (×2), 25 (×2).
- “sinners” ×4 — vv32, 33, 34 (×2); “credit” ×3 — vv32, 33, 34.
- “hand” ×4 — vv6, 8, 10 (×2).
- “disciples” ×4 — vv1, 13, 17, 20.
- “hear / hears / heard” ×4 — vv18, 27, 47, 49; “acts / acted” ×2 — vv47, 49.
- “house” ×5 — vv4, 48 (×2), 49 (×2); “foundation” ×2 — vv48, 49.
- “evil” ×5 — vv22, 35, 45 (×3).
- “measure / measured” ×3 — v38; “give / given” ×3 — vv30, 38 (×2).
- “tree(s)” ×3 and “fruit” ×3 — vv43 (×2), 44; “heart” ×2 — v45.
- “Lord” ×3 — vv5, 46 (×2); “Son of Man” ×2 — vv5, 22.
- “pray / prayer” ×3 — vv12 (×2), 28; “merciful” ×2 — v36; “reward” ×2 — vv23, 35.
Contrasts: Not lawful ⟷ Lord of the Sabbath (vv2, 5). Do good ⟷ do harm; save ⟷ destroy (v9). Restored ⟷ filled with rage (vv10–11). Disciples ⟷ apostles (v13). Blessed ⟷ woe; now ⟷ then (vv20–26). Lovers ⟷ enemies; sinners ⟷ sons of the Most High (vv32–35). Speck ⟷ log (vv41–42). Good tree ⟷ bad tree; good treasure ⟷ evil treasure (vv43–45). Saying “Lord” ⟷ doing (v46). Rock ⟷ ground; stood ⟷ collapsed (vv48–49).
Shape of the chapter: two controversies (vv1–11) lead to a night of prayer and the founding of the Twelve (vv12–19), then the sermon on the level place: blessing and woe, the command of mercy, and a closing call to build on His words.
Chapter theme (my words): The Lord of the Sabbath gathers a new people and tells them how His kingdom lives — upside down from the world, merciful like the Father, and built on actually doing what He says.
Interpretation
Did the disciples break the Law? No. Deuteronomy 23:25 let a hungry man pick grain by hand. Sproul: “By no means were Jesus and His disciples breaking the law of God”; they broke the Pharisees’ hundreds of added rules. Guzik: the problem was the day, not the deed. David’s example shows “human need is more important than religious ritual.”
What does “Lord of the Sabbath” claim? Sproul: the Sabbath “was instituted at creation,” so “Only the Creator can be Lord of the Sabbath day” — “a clear declaration of the deity of Christ.” Guzik: “This was a direct claim to Deity.” Sproul also explains why the church gathers on the first day: the Lord of the Sabbath rose on it.
Why did healing make them furious? Guzik: “There is never a wrong day to do something truly good,” and their rage and plotting were the real Sabbath violation. Henry: “Anger is a short madness, malice is a long one.” Jesus’ question in v9 exposes them: refusing to do good is doing harm.
Why pray all night, and why choose Judas? The night came right after the plot (v11) and before the choice (v13). Guzik: Jesus did not simply use His infinite knowledge; He prayed as a man who depended on the Father. Sproul: He prayed knowing one would betray Him. Choosing Judas was not a mistake; it was part of the Father’s plan (Luke 22:22).
Sermon on the Plain or on the Mount? Guzik calls it the Sermon on the Plain; Sproul treats it as a segment of the Sermon on the Mount. Luke says “a level place” (v17) — possibly a plateau on the mountainside. Jesus surely taught these things more than once; the substance is the same either way.
Who are “the poor”? Here our teachers lean differently. Guzik: a spiritual reversal, not social revolution; poverty of spirit is the entry point. Henry: “Christ’s poor are rich in faith.” Sproul, in one sermon, weighs real material poverty too, since Luke omits “in spirit,” and warns against assuming the poor are lazy; in the next, he reads poor and hungry spiritually. I hold both: God cares for the literally poor, and the blessing rests on the poor who look to Him. The rich are not doomed (Sproul) — but they are “paid in full” if riches are their comfort.
Blessings now or later? The “now” of vv21 and 25 points forward: “your reward is great in heaven” (v23). Jesus speaks to disciples living between His first coming and His kingdom. Sproul: “Mourning is not the final chapter.” I believe that kingdom will come in fullness when Christ returns and reigns.
Does “turn the other cheek” mean never resist evil? Guzik: “It is wrong to think Jesus meant evil should never be resisted” — this is personal ethics, not the state’s duty. Sproul: “mercy, not vengeance”; vengeance belongs to God. Love acts: “love is defined more by a verb than a noun.”
Does “Do not judge” forbid discernment? Sproul: “Our Lord was not saying … that we are to do away with discernment between good and evil.” It forbids a harsh, fault-finding spirit — give your neighbor “the benefit of the doubt.” Then deal with your own log first.
Faith and works in the two builders. Sproul: “What we do will not get us into the kingdom of God,” yet “the proof of the pudding is obedience” — “justification is by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone.” Guzik: none of us does these words perfectly, which keeps us dependent on our Savior. Spurgeon: the rock is real repentance and faith on Christ alone.
Word study (Greek):
- lawful — exesti (G1832): permitted (vv2, 4, 9).
- withered — xēros (G3584): dried up; his right hand.
- rage — anoia (G454): senseless fury; Luke 6:11; 2 Tim 3:9.
- spent the whole night — dianyktereuō (G1273): only here in the NT.
- apostles — apostolos (G652): envoys carrying the sender’s authority.
- power — dynamis (G1411): power coming from Him (v19; 5:17).
- blessed — makarios (G3107) / woe — ouai (G3759): God’s favor / a cry of doom.
- receiving in full — apechō (G568): “paid in full”; comfort — paraklēsis (G3874).
- love — agapaō (G25): keep on loving, by action.
- credit — charis (G5485): grace, thanks (vv32–34).
- merciful — oiktirmōn (G3629): compassionate; Luke 6:36; Jas 5:11. kind — chrēstos (G5543).
- speck — karphos (G2595) / log — dokos (G1385): a straw / a beam; hypocrite — hypokritēs (G5273).
- rock — petra (G4073) / foundation — themelios (G2310): bedrock / foundation stone.
Key insights to carry (from the Deep Dive):
- The day was God’s; the rules were men’s (Sproul, Guzik).
- Only the Creator rules the Sabbath — v5 claims deity.
- Rage on the Sabbath — anoia, senseless fury.
- He prayed before He chose — and still chose Judas.
- Paid in full — apechō (v24).
- Mourning is not the last chapter (Sproul).
- Love is a verb — love, do good, bless, pray.
- “What credit?” is “what grace?” — charis.
- Merciful, like the Father — Luke’s “perfect.”
- The foundation is hidden until the flood (Guzik).
Cross-references: Gen 2:3; Exod 20:8–11; Lev 19:18; Deut 23:25; 1 Sam 16:7; 21:1–6; Ps 1:1–3; Prov 25:21; Isa 5:8–22; Dan 7:13–14; Matt 5–7; 12:1–14; Mark 2:23–3:19; Luke 2:25; 22:22; Rom 5:10; 12:14–21; 1 Cor 3:11; 2 Cor 8:9; Eph 2:20; Jas 1:22; 5:11; 1 Pet 2:23.
Application
Command to obey — “love your enemies.” Jesus didn’t leave it vague: do good to them, bless them, pray for them (vv27–28). Some of the men I sit with have real enemies — the man who testified against them, the family member who walked out, the guy on the block. I have mine too. This week I will pray by name, every day, for one person who has hurt me, and do one good thing for him if I can.
Sin to confess — the log in my own eye. I am quick to see other men’s specks and slow to see my beam. I give myself the best-case reading and give others the worst (Sproul). I confess the hypocrisy of correcting my brother while I step around my own sin. First the log, then I can see clearly.
Promise to trust — “your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.” When I love enemies and lend expecting nothing, I am not losing. Guzik: “you can’t out-give God.” And for the man who weeps now, hungers now, is hated now for Jesus’ sake — the “now” is not the last word. “Your reward is great in heaven.”
Example to follow — Jesus on the mountain. The Pharisees were plotting against Him, and He spent the night praying, then made the most important choice of His ministry. Before my next big decision — a job, a move, a relationship, a confrontation — I will take real time to pray before I choose.
Warning to heed — “Lord, Lord.” It’s easy to say the words in group and in chapel. Jesus asks why I call Him Lord and don’t do what He says. The storm is coming for every man; the only question is the foundation. I will pick one thing Jesus said in this chapter and do it this week, not just agree with it.
Questions for the table (from the Deep Dive):
- The Pharisees watched Jesus “closely” to find fault. When I watch other people, am I looking for something to accuse or someone to help? (6:7–11) They watched Jesus closely, but with no heart of love for Him (Guzik).
- Jesus spent the whole night praying before a big decision. What decision in front of me have I not really prayed about yet? (6:12–13) We are never less alone than when we are thus alone (Henry).
- Which of the four woes is the one I most need to hear — comfort, fullness, laughter, or everyone speaking well of me? (6:24–26) Watch out for the person of whom everyone speaks well (Sproul).
- Name one enemy — someone who has hurt me. What would it look like this week to do good to him, bless him, and pray for him? (6:27–28, 35; Rom 5:10) Love is defined more by a verb than a noun (Sproul).
- What is the “log” in my own eye that I keep stepping around while I point at other men’s specks? (6:41–42) We are far more tolerant of our own sin than of others’ (Guzik).
- If a flood hit my life tomorrow, what would it show my foundation to be — hearing Jesus, or doing what He says? (6:46–49; Jas 1:22) The real foundation is only proven in the storm (Guzik).
Worship. The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath — the Creator who rested on the seventh day stood in a synagogue and restored a withered hand. He prayed all night for the men He would send, power went out from Him to heal them all, and He spoke blessing over the poor. He is kind to ungrateful and evil men — He was kind to me — and His word is the rock that no flood can shake.
Prayer. Lord Jesus, You are Lord of the Sabbath and Lord of me. Forgive me for calling You “Lord, Lord” and not doing what You say. Take the log out of my eye. Teach me to love my enemies — to do good, to bless, to pray for the ones who hurt me — because You loved me when I was Your enemy. Make me merciful, as my Father is merciful. Help me dig deep and build on You before the storm comes. Amen.