Luke 6:27-38

 ²⁷ “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. ²⁹ To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back. ³¹ And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. ³² “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. ³⁶ Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. ³⁷ “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. ³⁸ Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Commentary

Vs. 27-28 ²⁷ “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.

The Lord Jesus Christ having already foretold of all believer’s rejection and persecution now says to us who hear Him, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.”
“Love your enemies” because love is of God and everyone born of God loves, not hates, (1 John 4:7), but loves one’s enemies as Jesus commands us all here. For consider that when Jesus Christ suffered and died on the Cross, He did not do so just for His friends, but for all of us who were still enemies of God, being estranged from Him by our own sins and transgressions, our own blasphemy and cursing, our own godless lifestyles and wicked ways, and yet God still loved us, and died on the Cross for us (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8-11) so that we could have remission of all our sins and new and everlasting life. Therefore, Jesus is restoring us back to God the Father through His love now commands the same from us, that we love our enemies, so that they too might come know and believe the love that God has for them. For in Jesus; commandment is our letting the heart of God work Divinely through us, which thus also manifests itself towards those who hate us by our doing good towards them. And so, linked with our loving those who hate us is for us to: “bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.” The whole notion then of our being hateful or hostile towards those who oppose us, or are in opposition to us, is not from the Lord Jesus Christ, but from our sinful old nature, or the devil preying on our hurt feelings or weaknesses. For the Lord Jesus Christ commands that we bless those who curse us, and that we pray for those who spitefully use (and persecute) us. The Kingdom of God then is unlike anything here on earth. Therefore, it is given to us who believe to manifest it down here.

Vs. 29-30 ²⁹ To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.

Turning then the other cheek from insults and offenses, from cruel and unjust public shamming, cursing, and reproaches is a part and parcel of abiding in, and thus living through God’s love. Similarly, then Jesus says that when we are faced with an unjust person wanting to take either our clothing or goods from us, we are not to resist them, but rather we are to freely offer them up to them, through an attitude of non-resistance.

Vs. 31 “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”

This is the Golden Rule, but more than a “rule” it is God's Word to us all of what to do in any situation, whether ambiguous or not.  

Vs. 32-36 ³² “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. ³³ And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. ³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. ³⁶ Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

Here Jesus reveals to us that loving those who love us is doing nothing more than what everyone of the world does. For anyone can love their own family and children, or their friends and neighbors who love them or get along with them. Indeed, Jesus says that even sinners do the same things, so doing just that makes us of no more distinction than they. Same with lending or borrowing. Anyone can lend out to those that they hope to receive as much or more back from, for even sinners do that! (vs. 32-34). Therefore, Jesus says that as Gods Kingdom people we are to live by a higher standard, a standard that love’s one’s enemies; that is, we seek their wellbeing, in all aspects of life, and thus we choose to do good towards our enemies, and to all. For when we do our reward from Him will be great, and we will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the unthankful and the evil (vs. 35). “Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”

 Vs. 37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”

“Judge not, and you shall not be judged.”
In Jesus’ first exhortation He simply says that we are not to judge others, that is we are remove ourselves from the role of Judge, and leave that to Jesus Christ alone who is God’s Judge! (John 5:22; James 4:12). For the sinner today just maybe a redeemed child of God tomorrow, therefore judging others, or imputing their sins against them, while they are alienated from God is not our role or duty. Our duty then is to offer every sinner the grace of God through the love of God seen in His Son Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross and Resurrection from the dead, so that they too might have remission of all their sins and new and everlasting life (2 Cor. 5:18-21). Now is there a time when we must judge, of course there is, when calling sin what it is, certainly is not what Jesus is referring too, and thus when there is sin in our own lives, or in the church, then we are to “judge” (consider 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 1 Tim. 5:20; also 2 Cor. 11:12-15, 18-21; 2 Peter 2:1; Rev. 2:2 etc.). But that is not what Jesus is referring to here. For here Jesus is referring to the judging of others that so easily pervades our own thoughts and mouths, so that we either totally forget that we once were the same! Dead in our own sins and transgressions, and thus also living contrary to will and the Word of God. Or more subtly the kind of evil judging of people which is not fact based, but only is rumor or predisposed biased or “fear” based, and only leads to all kinds of evil and unjust thoughts and actions by those who do and say and practice such things (consider James 2). Similarly judging a believers’ motives only makes room for demonic spiritual forces to introduce evil thoughts in one’s mind about this person’s motives for doing this or that, and thus to undermine or destroy the unity and harmony and loving relationships or fellowship of any church or fellowship where Christ is named. Now I know that was a bit of a digression and so returning to the text, Jesus simply says, “Judge not, and you shall not be judged.” Therefore, if you want to keep yourselves from spiritual troubles than don’t judge others, leave that to God who alone sees and understands the complete picture of their person, motives, and lives.

“Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.”
Jesus here warns us all not to condemn others, for in doing so we will be condemned. Therefore, in preaching and warning about hell and the judgment to come, one must be very careful not to condemn anyone to the same. For God’s grace and Jesus Christ’s love within us compels us to want to see all people saved from eternal destruction, not condemned to it (2 Peter 3:9).

“Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Here Jesus links our own forgiveness with our forgiving others. Now what He is not linking is our salvation to it which comes unconditionally through God’s grace by our faith in His Person. For it is on the Cross, and there alone, by His Person alone that Jesus Christ paid the penalty (i.e. He took all the Judgment) for all our sins. Therefore, the forgiveness here is our relational forgiveness with God our Father, when we sin and we confess our sin, He forgives us (1 John 1:9), and thus restores us back to a right fellowship with Himself. However, if we will not forgive others, as He so freely forgives us, then He will not forgive us, since God cannot be unjust and forgive us when we will not forgive others, thus our own peace rests in our own hands. Now this principal is clearly laid out by Jesus in His parable of the unforgiving servant (see Matt. 18:21-35). Therefore, brethren don’t be unjust, cruel, or stubborn, but rather forgive and you will be forgiven because love demands as much (1 Cor 13:5 NIV; 1 Peter 4:8).

Vs. 38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Here the Lord Jesus Christ is encouraging us all to be generous, for as He says, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom…” Thus, God’s rewards and blessings for us in our lives (and in eternity) is also conditional on how we give of our time and talents and resources down here. For with the measure that we use so shall the same measure be applied to us, thus if we are generous down here (with our time, talents, and resources; even with our assessments of others) so God will be even more generous towards us, that is the essence of His good measure which is always pressed down and shaken together so that even more can be put in, and so it does not just fill the bucket to the brim, but God’s good measure quite intentionally overflows it! Be generous then so that you may have the same generous and overflowing measure given back to you, for its by our own measure that we will each decide our own rewards and blessings (consider Prov. 11:25; 2 Cor. 2 Cor 9:6-8).

Scripture Quotations

New King James Version. (1982): Thomas Nelson

Luke 6:20–26

 ²⁰ Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. ²¹ Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. ²² Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. ²³ Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets. ²⁴ “But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation. ²⁵ Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep. ²⁶ Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Commentary

Vs. 20 “Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: “Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God.”

The Lord Jesus Christ than having chosen His twelve Apostles and having all His disciples now gathered all around Him, now tells them (and us all) that:
“Blessed are you poor,
For yours is the kingdom of God.” ^{Vs. 20}
In striking contrast then to what people generally think as being blessed by God is, Jesus turns being poor (for His and the Gospels sake) as having God’s greatest blessing. For it is being in the Kingdom of God where true and everlasting riches only are. Everything else then down here is temporary and should be used to forward God’s purposes. And so being poor down here for the Gospels sake means making many rich, as the Apostle Paul once said (2 Cor. 6:10; also consider Prov. 13:7). For there is no other way to evangelize a lost world than to forsake all and follow Jesus Christ. Therefore, Jesus knew that His disciples would (and we will) have to endure poverty, (i.e. suffer loss), as part and parcel of faithfully following Him. For Christian discipleship is not a life of pursuing wealth and privilege, or of seeking one’s own ease and comfort, or of trying to keep what one cannot forever possess, but at its heart is a life of self-denial and service. That is what Jesus is referring to here, faithfully following Him means that we will have to endure poverty (in all its forms). Not that being poor in of itself grants one admittance into the Kingdom of God; though being poor often makes one far more receptive to receive it than those who are “self-made” and rich; who cling to their riches, wealth, and privileges like the rich young ruler did to the poverty and detriment of his own soul (see Luke 18:18-27; also consider James 2:1-12, vs. 6; 5:1-6); but that those who are poor now are truly blessed, for theirs is the Kingdom of God.

Vs. 21 “Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh.”

Jesus having pronounced His blessing on His disciples who are poor now, follows that up by also saying that those who are hungry now shall be filled. That is all of Christ’s disciples, who for the Kingdom of God’s sake endure hunger for it, or because of their loyalty to it, shall be filled in it. For when the Lord Jesus Christ reigns, He shall satisfy the poor and hungry with an overflowing of abundance and goodness (consider Psalm 22:26). God’s people then who once suffered poverty and hunger down here will never again suffer hunger and poverty up there. For in the Kingdom of God when Jesus reigns, He will reward and repay and give great consolations and comfort to His disciples for what they did and endured and sacrificed in following Him down here (Matt. 19:27-29). Thus, those who once hungered down here shall be filled, and those who once wept shall now forever laugh! There is then a great and blessed future for all who suffer and are suffering for the Kingdom of heaven’s sake. For in this world believers will mourn and weep, just look at the life of David in the Psalms, or the Apostle Paul, or all the Apostles (1 Cor. 4:9-13), or more specifically just read Hebrews chapter eleven to get a sense of the suffering of the saints down through the ages. Therefore, the Lord Jesus Christ does not want us to be discouraged by those things that now bring sorrow to us, because as He says later to the disciples, “²⁰ Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy. ²¹ A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world. ²² Therefore you now have sorrow; but I will see you again and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take from you.” ^{John 20:20-22} There is then God’s Promise of everlasting Joy and Comfort for those who mourn now (consider Rev. 21:4).

Vs. 22-23 ²² Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. ²³ Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

Jesus knowing then the hostility, hatred, rejection, and opposition that being loyal to Him will bring to His disciples (John 15:18-21; 1 John 3:13-15), now pronounces His blessing on us, so as to encourage us, and remind us that these persecutions will come with obeying and faithfully following Him. For neither the world, nor the ruler of it, will like it when you stand up for Gospel, which alone brings salvation to one’s soul and righteousness and truth into this world which has forsaken it (Isaiah 26:9), and thus is ever hostile towards it (consider 2 Tim. 2:8-9). Therefore, Jesus says when men hate you, and exclude you, and revile you, and cast out your name as being evil for the Son of Mans sake, rejoice and leap for joy, for great is your reward in heaven! For just as they persecute you for your faith in the Son of Man, (for holding fast to God’s Righteousness and Truth), so did their fathers persecute the prophets who were before you. Therefore, do not be alarmed, or discouraged by such things, for such things must happen to us, so that all the Word of God is fulfilled. Therefore, rejoice in that day and leap for joy because God has counted you worthy to suffer such things for the Son of Man’s sake, and so great is your reward in heaven!

Vs. 24-26 ²⁴ “But woe to you who are rich, For you have received your consolation. ²⁵ Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger. Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep. ²⁶ Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

“But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.”

The Lord Jesus Christ in taking His stand with the poor of His people now pronounces His woes on those who are rich now, because as He says they have received their consolation. Therefore, in the Kingdom of God the rich now are not counted as blessed, as people always count people who are rich now as being blessed (consider Psalm 49, vs. 18), rather Jesus pronounces His woes on them, because they’re lot is found (and stored up for themselves and their own) in this life (consider Psalm 17:14). Those then who turn being a Christian into something by which one can make profit for themselves, or satisfy their greed and covetous desires, or live a life of ease and comfort, are only enemies of the Cross of Christ (consider Phil. 3:18-21; 1 Tim. 6:5-10; James 4:1-4; 2 Peter 2:1-3; 1 John 2:15-17 etc.). Therefore, if anyone proclaims the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and has this worlds goods and riches let them be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, and thus lay up for themselves treasures in heaven (1 Tim. 6:17-19; 1 John 3:17-18). For as Jesus warns us all, “where your treasures is there your heart will be also” (consider Matt. 6:19-21, 24).

“Woe to you who are full, For you shall hunger.”

Jesus’ Words here should stand as a warning to all who make filling their own bellies priority one, while utterly neglecting or ignoring the immense needs all around us. In some ways Jesus’ Words remind me of His parable about the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31). And in the NKJV in the center column reference notes they cite in brackets Isaiah 65:14 as sort of having a parallel to what Jesus is saying here, that those who hunger now shall be filled, while those who are full now shall hunger. Therefore, in the Kingdom of God there will be a reversal of what once was and now is.

“Woe to you who laugh now, For you shall mourn and weep.”

Those then who laugh now, who do not see their own need for salvation from their own sins, and the death that follows, will not laugh when the Lord Jesus Christ Reigns.

“Woe to you when all men speak well of you, For so did their fathers to the false prophets.”

No one then who is faithfully following the Lord Jesus Christ will be well thought of by those of this world. Because neither the world, nor the ungodly of it, will like the one who preaches and teaches God’s righteousness and truth. Only the false prophets and false teachers who embrace the morals and values of the day will hold their favor, for these will always pass over (or seek to change) the everlasting moral judgments of God; who for their own financial gain will make the Gospel into a means that one can make oneself financially “blessed” or “rich” (consider 1 Tim. 6:5-10; 2 Peter 2:1-22 etc.).

Scripture Quotations

New King James Version. (1982): Thomas Nelson

Luke 6:12–19

 ¹² Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. ¹³ And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles: ¹⁴ Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; ¹⁵ Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot; ¹⁶ Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor. ¹⁷ And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, ¹⁸ as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. ¹⁹ And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.

Commentary

The Lord Jesus Christ before choosing the twelve apostles spent the night in prayer with God the Father. Having done so He then called the twelve men whom He had chosen to Himself, (vs. 12-16), they are: Simon, whom He also named Peter, (or Cephas, John 1:42), and Andrew his brother, who introduced him to Jesus, (for they both were early disciples of John the Baptist, John 1:35-42) they’re fathers name was Jonah. Now in the lists of the Apostles, though Andrew brought Peter to Jesus, Peter in the list of the Apostles is always listed first, for he would become the most prominent Apostle in the early church. Both men were fishermen in a sort of business partnership with James the son of Zebedee and John his brother until Jesus called them to follow Him as His disciples (Matt. 4:18-22, Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11). Now from the beginning of his following Jesus, it seems obvious Jesus had a special call for Peter, for it was Peter that Jesus upon first meeting him renamed Peter, Cephas, meaning “a stone” (John 1:42). In Peter then Jesus saw something He could build His church upon, and this would be Peter’s later bold and unapologetic confession of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God (see Matt. 16:13-19). Thus, it is Peter throughout the Gospels who is often the most forward in following Jesus; (this is clearly seen in Peter walking on the water in wanting to come to Jesus, Matt. 14:22-33); and it is with Peter that Jesus has the most one on one interactions with; sometimes teaching, sometimes correcting, and when necessary even rebuking (Matthew 16:21-23; John 18:11 etc.). Now it was from Peters house that upon healing Peter’s mother-in-law (thus the Apostle Peter was married) that Jesus began to heal all who were brought to his house, to fulfill the Scripture which states: “He Himself took our infirmities, and bore our sicknesses.” ^{Matt. 8:17} Something Peter would more fully understand the significance of after Jesus Christ’s Crucifixion, Resurrection, then Ascension back to heaven (1 Peter 2:23). Later when Jesus healed Jairus daughter, He would permit no one to follow Him accept Peter, James and John; the three men who would become the most prominent Apostles in the early church (Mark 6:35-43). Indeed, it will be Peter who will be the first to openly declare Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God, having this revealed to him by God the Father. Thus, it will be upon that confession of Jesus as the Christ (or Messiah) the Son of God, and thus the Lord and Savior of one and all who believe in Him, that Jesus will build His church upon (Matthew 16:13-20). Now with that revelation given to Peter and the Apostles, by God the Father, Jesus will begin to forewarn them of His betrayal by Israel’s leadership, then His Crucifixion death at their hands, and Resurrection from the dead on the third day. However, Peter not understanding that these things must take place for their and all of believing humanities redemption, will try to convince Jesus not to let that happen to Him, for which Jesus must very sternly rebuke Peter by exposing the source of reasoning behind his not wanting that to happen (Matt. 16:21-23). Now after Peter’s confession of Jesus, and then that terrible stumble soon afterwards, it will be Peter along with James and John who will be the ones to whom Jesus will fully reveal Himself too, when He is transfigured before them on the mountain (Matt. 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36; 2 Peter 1:17-18). However, Peter being unsettled at the sight will once again speak rashly and this time will be corrected by God the Father Himself (Matt. 17:4-8). Nonetheless neither God the Father nor Christ His Son will abandon Peter for his rash and misspoken words. Instead Jesus time and again turns these failures of Peter’s, and all the disciples, into teaching moments, and thus opportunities for their (and our) Spiritual growth and maturity. Now because Peter was a leader amongst the disciples, it will be to him that those who received the Temple tax will come, asking Peter if Jesus pays the Temple tax or not, to which Jesus will respond with both a Word and a miraculous act, thus instructing both them and Peter (Matt. 17:24-27). Later Peter again comes to the forefront when He asks Jesus about forgiveness, asking Him is there a limit on how often we are to forgive. Jesus’ unequivocal reply is that there is to be no limits to be placed on our forgiveness (Matt. 18:21-35). Now after Jesus’ encounter with the rich young ruler, Peter in considering the mans departure will be the first to ask Jesus about their own heavenly rewards for forsaking all and following Him, to which Jesus promises not just rewards in this life and eternal life (Matt. 19:27-29; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:29-30), but also Jesus’ promises that in the Kingdom of heaven the twelve Apostles will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel (also consider 1 Cor. 6:2; Rev. 2:26). However, in stating that, Jesus also says that there will be many who are first now, who will be last there, and many who are last now, who will be first there (Matt. 19:27-30). Upon nearing the time of Christ’s Crucifixion, and while sitting on the Mount of Olives and viewing the Temple, it will be Peter, James, John and Andrew who will ask Jesus about the end times, which will precipitate Jesus’ sermon on that (Mark 13:1-4). Later Jesus in preparing to keep the Passover before His Crucifixion will send Peter and John to go to prepare the already set apart place for Him to keep the Passover meal (Luke 22:7-13). And it will be these two men sitting on either side of Jesus who will lean on Jesus’ chest during their keeping the Passover meal the night before Christ’s Crucifixion (John 21:20). Now it will be during that meal that Jesus will predict Peters three denials (Matt. 26:30-35; Mark 14:26-31; John 13:36-38). Nonetheless Jesus tells Peter that after Satan has sifted him like wheat, when he returns to Him, to strengthen His brethren (Luke 21:31-34), thus again not only restoring Peter but also employing God’s grace in such away so that Peter as a leader in the church may later strengthen other believers as well. Later that night in the garden of Gethsemane Jesus while with the twelve will once again choose Peter, James and John to be with Him to keep watch while He prays to God the Father to strengthen Him for what is about to come upon Him; and though the disciples fail Him; Jesus does not abandon them (Matt. 26:36-46). Later that night during Jesus’ arrest it will be Peter who will be the one who will strike the high priest’s servant with a sword, cutting off his ear, for which Jesus rebukes him, and heals the servant (Matt. 26:47-56; John 18:10-11). Now after Jesus’ arrest, both Peter and John will follow Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard and it will be there that Peters denials will take place, upon which he when he realizes what he has just done is deeply remorseful (Matthew 26:74-75). Now after Jesus Christ’s Crucifixion and Burial it will be at Christ’s empty tomb that the angel of God will tell Mary Magdalene and Mary to go and tell Jesus’ disciples that He is Risen from the dead, now in this he will specifically mention Peter, thus Jesus wanted Peter to know that though he did deny Him, as He said he would, He has now restored him back to Himself (Mark 16:1-7). Peter then along with John in great anticipation will run to see the empty tomb (John 20:1-9). Later Jesus having Risen from the dead will personally reveal Himself to Peter and John (and five other disciples with them) while they are discouraged and fishing on the shores of the Sea of Tiberias (i.e. Galilee, John 21:1-14). Now it is to Peter that Jesus Christ while feeding them by the Seashore will three times exhort Peter to “Feed My sheep” (2x) and “Tend My sheep” (1x) (see John 21:15-23). Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ charges the Apostle Peter with the care and oversight of all His disciples in the early church. Thus, Peter will be the primary leader and preacher and spokesmen in the early church; for it is Peter after Jesus Christ’s Ascension back to heaven who will according to the Word of God initiate the replacement for Judas Iscariot (see Acts 1:15-26). And it is Peter after the Holy Spirit’s outpouring who first defends and then preaches the Gospel on the Day of Pentecost to all the Jews assembled there from all over the world (Acts 2:14-40). After that it is Peter and John who upon entering the Temple at the hour of prayer encounter a lame man whom by Holy Spirit power they heal, upon which Peter then preaches and declares to all there that this deed was done by the Lord Jesus Christ’s Name and Power, for He is God’s Son and God’s Chosen Prophet sent to Israel and though they and their leaders with the help of the Gentiles Crucified Him, yet now Jesus Christ is Risen from the dead, and so by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Peter declares God’s salvation and times of refreshing to them, and to all who repent and believe in Him (Acts 3). Peter and John then while preaching that in Jesus Christ there is a resurrection from the dead, will be arrested by the priests, the captain of the guard, and the Sadducees while declaring Christ in the temple. And thus, being brought before their Sanhedrin counsel, Peter will fully and boldly preach the Lord Jesus Christ to all of them there, for which they both threaten and then beat them. Nonetheless neither Peter or John will be deterred from preaching Jesus Christ Crucified and Risen from the dead to them or to anyone (Acts 4:1-22), and so returning to the brethren, they all with one accord ask God for great boldness and Holy Spirit power to continue to witness to the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 4:23-31). Now it is during this time that the disciples hold all things in common (Acts 4:32-37), which makes Ananias and Sapphira his wife’s lying to the early church about selling their possessions and giving them to the church that much more heinous, and thus is judged by the Holy Spirit through the Apostle Peter with both their deaths (Acts 5:1-11). After this event then Peter becomes thoroughly revered in the early church, and even amongst those outside of it, because through Peter and all the Apostles great signs and wonders and miraculous healings were being done by the Holy Spirit (see Acts 5:12-16). After this the Apostles will be again arrested by the high priest and once again God will provide for their deliverance (Acts 5:17-21). However, upon returning to preaching the Gospel in the Temple and all-around Jerusalem, they will again be placed on trial before the Sanhedrin counsel, where once again the Apostle Peter proclaims the Lord Jesus Christ to them (Acts 5:22-32). And being threatened and beaten once again for doing so, and commanded no more to preach in Jesus Christ’s Name, they refuse to obey them and rather continued to obey God (Acts 5:33-42). In Acts chapter six the Apostles being located in Jerusalem and the visible church rapidly growing there they decide to dedicate themselves to the ministry of the Word of God and prayer, rather than trying to deal will all the needs and logistics, for which they appoint Godly men full of faith to take care of (Acts 6:1-7). The next major event that involves Peter is when the church being severely persecuted in Jerusalem which causes believers to go out from it everywhere, begin preaching the gospel in all the regions where they went. Now when Philip the evangelist preached the Gospel in Samaria, and had great success there, the church leadership in Jerusalem, then sends to them the Apostles Peter and John to establish them in the faith. And it is there that the Apostle Peter rebukes the “converted” sorcerer Simon for thinking he could purchase the gift of God with money, for which Simon is never heard from again (Acts 8:14-25). From this point on it seems that the Apostle Peter discovers the ministry of mission evangelism, for he begins to reach out in regions way beyond Jerusalem, healing a man in Lydda, and making many disciples there (Acts 9:32-35). And it was while Peter was at Joppa that he also raised a woman from the dead who was named Tabitha (which is translated Dorcas), upon which many hearing of this deed became disciples of Jesus Christ in that region (Acts 9:36-42). Now up until this point the Apostle Peters preaching and evangelism had not reached out to the Gentiles, for under the Law it was not lawful for Jews to have contact with Gentiles, (thus Peter and the church) had restricted their ministry to the Jews and the Samaritans. That though is about to change, as God will choose a Gentile Centurion of the Italian regiment (thus a military leader connected with Rome, who for all intense purposes was not one that the Apostles or Peter would ever gravitate towards trying to reach, for again Jews had no dealings with Gentiles, much less with one of their military commanders who then held them in subjugation to Rome). Nonetheless Jesus Himself set the example when He Himself healed a centurion’s servant (Matt. 8:5-13). Therefore, the Holy Spirit wanted not just this man and his household saved; for he was a righteous man who feared God; but God also wanted His salvation to go out into all the world. And so through Cornelius the Roman centurion, God was about to reveal to Peter and all the church, that God has no boundaries when it comes to proclaiming the Gospel, and seeking to reach everyone with it. Thus, God communicating first with Cornelius by a vision of an angel coming to him, tells him to request Peter come to him, and then with Peter through a vision God tells him no longer to see the Gentiles as defiled, but now cleansed. Thus, God will bring these two men together, upon which the Apostle Peter will preach the Gospel to Cornelius and his whole household; and upon his and those with him receiving the Gospel; Peter and those with him will see them receive the Holy Spirit, just as they had, and thus they will now see and understand that God has also sanctified the Gentiles (Acts 10). It’s an incredible moment in the early church that is fully in accord with the Word and Will of God, and by which the dynamic of the people of God in accord with it changes forever (Isaiah 49:6). Now when Peter returns to Jerusalem and the church leadership there, initially he is brought under scrutiny by them because it is told them that he (and those with him) went to the Gentiles. However, Peter will explain it all to them how the Holy Spirit brought him and Cornelius together, and what has happened because of it, and with that the they now all understand the Will of God (Acts 11). After this the Apostle Peter will again find himself imprisoned when Herod seeking to please the Jews will kill the Apostle James, and then seeing this pleased the Jews will seize and arrest Peter. Now Peters imprisonment is temporary as God will send an angel into the prison house to free him, and lead Peter out of it. And thus, once again show His Sovereignty over both Herod and the Jews that opposed the Gospel there. The Apostle Peter thus being freed will then dwell in Caesarea (Acts 12). It is at this point that God has been raising up for Himself an Apostle to the Gentiles, the Apostle Paul, who will far and away surpass Peter’s ministry to them and to all, who will become the churches greatest Apostle to the Gentiles, because Paul himself being a Jew of Jews, and a Pharisee of Pharisees, being reared in the most strictest sect (and yet so profoundly experiencing the grace of God himself) will have not only the heart and love for God, but also the knowledge and reasoning abilities to refute those Jews who will not embrace this new dynamic, of Jews and Gentiles as one Body or church In Christ, for that is the will of God for His people that we all be one. Thus, as the Apostle Paul’s ministry by the Holy Spirit grows and grows, even the Apostle Peter will concede this role to him, recorded by both the Apostle Paul and Peter (Gal 2:6-10; 2 Peter 3:14-16). And so, the Apostle Paul will be the one who will begin setting the course for the church from that time forward, being the primary Apostle to whom God brings His Word through His Holy Spirit to His people (now made up of both Jews and Gentiles). Now some of the Apostle Peters last great acts then are his embracing and defending this the grace of God in Acts chapter fifteen, where the Apostle Paul will defend the grace of God that the Gentiles do not need to be circumcised or be placed under the Law. Thus, the Apostle Peter and all the Apostles and church leadership now fully understanding the New Covenant era will fully agree, and thus we have the Jerusalem decree, the one and only church decree, a decree that liberates all who believe in Jesus Christ from being circumcised and keeping the law of Moses. After this the Apostle Peter will write two Epistles both which bear his name and are in full accord with Apostle Paul’s and all the New Testament Writings. Now the one black mark on the Apostle Peters ministry life is his needing to be rebuked by the Apostle Paul for a certain hypocrisy when he came to Antioch; the pivotal place and center for the early church after the persecutions in Jerusalem; where believers were first called Christians. For Peter would openly eat with the Gentile believers there, however when certain Jews came from James in Jerusalem, he would withdraw himself and only eat with those Jews, for he feared those of the circumcision. Therefore, the Apostle Paul fully rebukes him and those Jews who were playing the hypocrite with him (See Gal. 2:11-21). Thus, being rebuked and instructed it is safe to say that the Apostle Peter never conducted himself that way again. Now the Apostle Peters last epistle records his waiting for the Lord Jesus Christs Words fulfillment about his own martyrdom death (2 Peter 1:12-15; see John 21:18-19), and with-it Peter’s legacy and life forever lives on as an incredible life transformed by the love and grace of God given through the Person and Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. The best then for Peter is still to come. 

Andrew: Simon Peter’s brother, a fisherman by trade who worked alongside his father and brother Simon Peter in that occupation, and like his brother Peter, he was a man looking for the Messiah. As such both men were disciples of John the Baptist who after Jesus Christ s baptism John pointed both of them to Jesus as the Lamb of God. Now it was Andrew who first “found” Jesus and who then brought his brother Peter to Him (John 1:40), whereupon Jesus named Peter, Cephas meaning “a stone” (John 1:35-41; also see Matt. 4:18-19; Mark 1:16-20). Andrews other mentions are in Mark 1:29 where it states that Peter and Andrew lived in the same residence (parallel passages Matt. 8:14-15; Luke 4:38-39). Also, Andrew and Peter along with Philip (another Apostle) were all from the city of Bethsaida (John 1:44). In the lists of the Apostles Andrew is always listed after Peter his brother who have been older? (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 3:13-18; Luke 6:12-16). Andrew was one of the twelve Apostles that Jesus sent out to preach and to tell the people to repent. And in this Jesus also gave them power over unclean spirits and power to heal, so that all of Israel would know that what they spoke and did was being done in Jesus Christ’ s Name (Matthew 10:1-3; Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6). Now it was Andrew who found the lad with the two loaves and five small fish when Jesus fed the five thousand (John 6:8-14). And when certain Greeks wanted to speak with Jesus, they first approached Philip who then went and told Andrew before both men went and told Jesus (John 12:20-22). Now Andrew was present along with Peter James and John on the Mount of Olives when Jesus gave His oracle on the end times (Matt. 24:1-51; Mark 13:1-37; Luke 21:5-37). Andrews last mention by name in the N.T. is when he is present with the other Apostles and disciples in the upper prayer room (Acts 1:13-14). 

James and John: James and John were the sons of Zebedee, both were fishermen like their father. And both are always mentioned in connection with Peter and Andrew with whom they were originally in a business partnership with. They’re mothers name was Salome who often ministered to the Lord (Matt. 27:56; Mark 15:40-41). These two brothers were called by Jesus soon after He began His public ministry and called Peter and Andrew (Matt. 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20). And as when Jesus renamed Peter, Cephas, meaning a Stone, Jesus also designated these two brothers the “Sons of Thunder” (Mark 3:17). Both men were then strong-willed individuals. For once when a Samaritan village would not receive Jesus, they asked Him if they should call down fire upon it, just as the great Elijah once did (2 Kings 1:10-12), for which Jesus rebuked them by saying: “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. ⁵⁶ For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” (Luke 9:51-56). Later both these brothers; along with they’re mother interceding on their behalf; would ask Jesus to grant them to sit on thrones with Him on either side of Him in His Kingdom, for which Jesus then gives His sermon on seeking service rather than greatness for oneself (Matt. 20:20-28; Mark 10:35-45). Even so James and John along with Peter share a unique place with Jesus during His earthly ministry. For it is only them that Jesus brings with Himself when He heals Jairus daughter (Mark 5:35-43, vs. 37; Luke 8:49-56); when He is transfigured on the mountain (Matt. 17:1-8; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28); and when He prays in Gethsemane, He asks just these three men to keep watch with Him (Matt. 26:36-46, vs. 37-38). And though James name always appears before John’s, it will be John the younger brother that will rise to the forefront. For it will be Peter and John whom Jesus will select to go and make preparations for them all to keep the Passover Meal the night before Jesus’ Crucifixion (Luke 22:8). And it will be Peter and John sitting on either side of Jesus at that meal that will lean upon Jesus’ chest (John 21:20-23). Now after Jesus’ Crucifixion, and then Resurrection from the dead, it is both Peter and John who will be the first men to visit the empty tomb (John 20:1-10). And in the early church it is John who is only seen with Peter when Peter after the Holy Spirit’s outpouring heals the lame man in the Temple, (a power which all the Apostles had, Acts 5:12) and thus they are subsequentially arrested, tried, and beaten for preaching in Jesus Christ the Resurrection from the dead (Acts 3:1-4:22). Later Peter and John will be arrested again, and this time imprisoned for preaching the Lord Jesus Christ, however, an angel of God will free them and tell them to continue to preach to the people all the words of this life (Acts 5:17-6:42). Later when persecutions in Jerusalem become so fierce that believers must leave and to go out everywhere, and Philip the evangelist having done so preaches the Gospel in Samaria, and the Samaritans receive the Gospel, the church leadership in Jerusalem sends Peter and John to them, so that they too might receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 8). Thus, the only other mentions of James, John’s brother in the Book of Acts then is when Herod will target and kill him so as to please the Jews in Jerusalem, before setting his heart upon arresting and imprisoning the Apostle Peter (Acts 12). Thus, James must have been viewed by Herod and the Jews as one of the key leaders in the early church. One finial note on James, and that is that the James the brother of John is to be distinguished from James the brother of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was the oldest of His four younger brothers (Matt. 13:55), and who is accredited with the Epistle of James, and who apparently filled the Apostle James void in the church leadership after his martyrdom, because it is James the brother of Jesus who is at the Jerusalem counsel where Peter, and then James both give a brief but eloquent defense of the grace of God to the Gentiles, in which James also gives the basic tenants that the church is to now be bound by (Acts 15:13-21). The Apostle James then, unlike Peter and John must have been early on completely set apart in the early church to the Word of God and prayer (Acts 6:1-7), rather than the churches early mission evangelism preaching, that Peter and John were initially so involved in. Now John’s legacy in the early church after his brother James death is extensive; for it is through him that the Holy Spirit gives us the Gospel of John which bears his name. As well as three Epistles, which also bear his Name. And the Book of Revelations which was given to John by the Holy Spirit while he was imprisoned on the isle of Patmos for his faith in and faithfulness to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. An absolutely incredible legacy is then the legacies of the Apostles and brothers James and John.

Philip and Bartholomew: Philip was from Bethsaida the same city that Andrew and Peter were from (John 1:43). His call by Jesus Christ to follow Him in discipleship came after Jesus had called Peter to Himself (John 1:43-51) Philips delight in finding Jesus, and believing that He is the One whom Moses in the Law and prophets wrote about, then leads Philip to tell a friend about Jesus whose name is Nathaniel, who was from Cana of Galilee, and who some believe to be the same person as the Apostle Bartholomew (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14). Nathaniel though is initially less than thrilled about this, for he is rather uncertain that anything good can come out of Nazareth. Nonetheless he agrees to go with Philip and come and see Jesus for himself (John 1:46). Now when Jesus sees Nathaniel (or Bartholomew) coming towards Him, Jesus says to him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” ^{John 1:47} Thus, we deduct from Jesus’ very forward statement about Nathaniel that he was not a man who was easily swayed by popular opinions or “movements.” However, when Jesus said this to Nathaniel, He seemed to touch something that resonated very deeply within him, for Nathaniel then says to Jesus: “How do You know me?” To which Jesus responds: “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” ^{John 1:48} Now when Jesus said this to him, Nathaniel was utterly shocked that Jesus knew him, and knew where he was, and what he was doing, even before Philip invited him to come and meet Him, which then leaves Nathaniel with no other conclusion then to say to Jesus that: “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” ^{John 1:49} Now when Jesus heard him say that, He responds by saying to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” Then Jesus also says to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” ^{John 1:50-51} Thus with Nathaniel (in John’s Gospel, or Bartholomew elsewhere) we have one of the most dramatic conversions, from once an initial cynical doubting that the Messiah could come out of Nazareth, to one of the boldest and earliest declarations recorded that we have of Jesus’ Person in the Gospel, with Jesus then promising to show him even greater things! Now after that initial encounter with Jesus Bartholomew is only mentioned by name in the N.T. again in the lists of Apostles, and as being present in the upper prayer room in the Book of Acts (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13). Thus, being recorded present at the upper prayer room after Jesus’ Ascension, Bartholomew would have heard all of Jesus’ teachings, and seen all of Jesus’ works and healings in the Gospels, along with being an eye witness to His Crucifixion, then His Resurrection three days later and then Jesus Ascension back to heaven. As well Bartholomew would have personally experienced the Holy Spirit’s outpouring on the Day of Pentecost. Thus, though his own deeds are not recorded for us, Bartholomew would have born eye witness too, and experienced the deeds of the One whose Work alone matters. Now both Philip and Bartholomew appear right after each other in the lists of the Apostles in the Gospel (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14), the exception being in Acts 1:13. Now Philips other mentions in the Gospel are when Jesus fed the five thousand in the wilderness; for it was when Jesus saw the five thousand coming towards Him that He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” so as to test Philip (John 6:5-6). Now Philip upon the seeing the multitude cannot fathom how they could possible feed them and all, and thus says to Jesus “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.” And thus, Philip rather than seeing Jesus as the One who provides the resources for us to do the work, and or meet the needs He brings to us, only saw the problem and not Jesus as the One who provides not just for us, but for us to do whatever He will us to do. Thankfully then the Gospel does not try to conceal any of the disciple’s failings, but always shows us the Lord’s faithfulness through them all. Philips only other mention in the Gospels then is when certain Greeks who had come to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem wanted to see Jesus, they initially approached Philip about this, Philip then came and told Andrew their request, and Andrew told Jesus (John 12:20-22).

Thomas and Matthew: Thomas is only mentioned in the three synoptic Gospels in the lists of the Apostles (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15). However, in the Gospel of John we learn more about him. Thomas’ first mention is in connection with Jesus Christ’s raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-45). For it was when Jesus went to raise Lazarus from the dead, and Jesus mentioned going into Judea, where the Jews and their leaders had previously tried to stone Him (John 11:8), Thomas then not understanding Jesus’ intentions to go there this time was only to raise Lazarus from the dead, as a witness to them, and not die Himself, rashly says: “let us go with Him that we may also die.” ^{John 11:16} Later when Jesus was foretelling the twelve of His own Death and then Resurrection from the dead, that after it was accomplished, that He was going to prepare a place for them, saying: “…I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know. ^{John 14:3-4} And so when Thomas’ responds by saying: “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?” ^{John 14:5} Jesus Christ gives us His Great declaration and promise of entering into God the Fathers Eternal Presence and Salvation through Him alone, by saying to him: … “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” ^{John 14:6}
Thomas’ next mention then is in connection with the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, where Jesus having Rising from the dead stands in the midst of the disciples, who out of fear of the Jews were in an inner room (John 20:19-25). Nonetheless Thomas was not there with them, and so upon hearing of the Lord’s Appearance to them, he says, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” ^{John 20:26} And so it will be that eight days later Jesus will make another Appearance to the disciples while they are all inside and Jesus having greeted them all, saying: “Peace to you!” will then say to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” To which Tomas will say to Jesus, “My Lord and my God!” (see John 20:26-29). Jesus’ next Word to him then is: “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” ^{John 20:29} Thomas’s last mention in the John’s Gospel is when he is listed amongst some of the disciples who being discouraged go back to fishing on the Sea of Galilee. Nonetheless it is here that Jesus will appear to them again, and prepare for them a breakfast by the sea before telling them of things to come to them and commissioning them into His Service (see John 21). Thomas then will go to be with the twelve Apostles, who upon the Holy Spirit’s outpouring at Pentecost are not only changed forever, but they will be the ones through whom the Lord will begin to change the world, that is by His redeemed and transformed people living in obedience to His Gospel! Which is the only “formula” which makes for church peace and growth in every generation.  
Now Matthew’s call by Jesus to follow Him in discipleship comes while he is sitting in the tax collector’s office and Jesus seeing him there then says to him, “follow Me.” Matthew then being chosen by Jesus shows us that Jesus does not respect cultural norms, beliefs, and practices, when these alienate someone from Him. As well with Jesus so unabashedly and publicly calling Matthew into His discipleship, we also see if a person’s heart is hungering for something more than what they have in this life, the Lord Jesus Christ will find them, and ask them to open their heart to Him, so that they may also follow Him in discipleship (Rev. 3:20). Now Matthews joy at being found by Jesus causes him to give a great supper for Jesus, and the other disciples. And so it is that Matthew having gladly received the Lord Jesus Christ, also unabashedly invites all of his friends and associates, who like himself, because of his occupation, are also “social outcasts.” Thus, Matthews only friends were other tax collectors and sinners. Nonetheless Jesus does shun such associations, but graciously attends with His disciples Matthews feast that he was giving for Him. Now it is while Jesus is at this feast that the scribes and Pharisees seeing Him there are outraged that a “rabbi” or teacher like Jesus would attend such a feast where tax collectors and sinners were assembled (see Matt. 9:9-13;). Therefore, when Jesus heard their evil and unjust outrage at Him, He said to them: … “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. ¹³ But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” ^{Matt. 9:12-13} Thus the Gospel isn’t just for “righteous” people it is for all who see their need for God’s salvation from their sins and transgressions and come to Him through the Lord Jesus Christ alone (Acts 4:12). Now Matthew is not mentioned again in the N.T. by name except in the lists of the Apostles, and in the Gospels of Mark and Luke, where they refer to him in the passage cited here as Levi (see Mark 2:15-17; Luke 5:29-32). Nonetheless Matthews acute observation and scribal skills as a former tax collector will come into Christ’s service, for it will be this Matthew through whom God, by the Holy Spirit will give us the Gospel of Matthew, which is the first Gospel given in the New Testament! Jesus then not only calls sinners and social outcasts to follow Him in discipleship, but when they do He uses them mightily!

James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus. This James is listed ninth in the lists of the Apostles (NNIBD), but he is not mentioned in the Gospels outside of the lists of the Apostles (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15), and so not much is known about him. He is mentioned as being an Apostle in the upper prayer room in Acts 1:13 and so he was an active Apostle in the early church after the Ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ. As well some authorities recognize him as being the same persons as James the less (see Mark 15:40). Now Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus is the tenth Apostle listed in the Gospels (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18). He is assumed to be the same person as Judas the son of James in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13; and thus, the Judas (not Iscariot) asking Jesus in John 14:22 how Jesus will manifest Himself to His disciples and not the world. 

Simon the Cananite, This Apostle Simon bears the designation, “the Cananite” to likely help distinguish him from Simon Peter (Matt. 10:4; Mark 3:18). Now in Luke 6:15 and Acts 1:13 Luke the Gentile gives Simons designation as “the zealot” which maybe indicating that he was once a member of a fanatical Jewish sect called the zealots, a group which was fiercely opposed to all Roman rule of the Jews, and or, Gentile interference in the affairs of their lives.

Judas Iscariot: the betrayer and the traitor of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Matt. 10:4). His father’s name was Simon. From the beginning Jesus knew this man would be the one who would betray Him (John 6:70-71). Nonetheless Judas seems to have earned the trust of the other Apostles since he was put in charge of the money box, from which he then stole what was put into it. Now we learn of Judas’ thievery when Mary six days before the Passover when our Lord and Savior would be crucified took a pound of very costly spikenard oil and then she first anoints Jesus feet with it, and then wipes His feet dry with her hair. However, upon seeing Mary’s gracious act, Judas Iscariot only sees the potential loss of profit for himself, and so he then turns against her and says to all there: “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” Now the Scripture says: “This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it.” ^{John 12:4-6} Judas Iscariot thus having set the disciples against her by saying as much, so as to conceal his own evil deeds and desires, only brings the Lord Jesus Christ to her defense who then says:  … “Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. ⁸ For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always.” ^{John 12:7-8}
Now it is after this rebuke by Jesus, that Judas Iscariot goes to chief priests and asks them what they will give him if He betrays Jesus to them, for which they promise him thirty pieces of silver (Matt. 26:14-16; Mark 14:10; Luke 22:3-6). Thus, Judas Iscariot will be the man who will fulfill the Scripture which foretold that this would occur (Zech. 11:12). Therefore, it will be during the Passover Meal, the night before the Lord’s Crucifixion, (i.e. the Last Supper) that Jesus will reveal His betrayer to all. For it will be there that Jesus while sharing the Passover meal with His disciples will say that one of them will betray Him that night. And so, Jesus will reveal His betrayer by saying, that it will be the one who dips his bread in the dish with Him who will betray, Him, to which Jesus also pronounces a grave woe on the man who betrays Him (Matt. 26:20-25; Mark 14:17-21), and having done so, and handed Judas Iscariot the piece of bread that had been dipped, Satan then enters Judas, and with that Jesus says to him, “what you do, do quickly.” Judas then at Word of the Lord goes out to betray Him (see John 13:21-30). Therefore, it will be that night at the Garden of Gethsemane that Judas with a detachment of troops and officers, sent with him from the chief priests and Pharisees, along with a great multitude of armed men, will seek out Jesus (see Matt. 27:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:1-11). Judas’ last act then will be his own hanging, for having betrayed Jesus to the chief priests, and seen His arrest, and knowing that he has betrayed innocent blood to death, Judas will now try to return the silver to relieve his own deep guilt, however there is no relief for the one who betrays the Son of Man, (Matt. 26:24). And so, Judas finding no relief, and having tried to return the silver to the chief priests now throws down the thirty pieces of silver in the Temple and goes out and hangs himself, upon which another Scripture is fulfilled when the chief priests purchase a field to bury strangers in with the dirty money he has abandoned (see Matt. 27:3-10). And so, it will be with Judas’ departure, according to the Word of God, so shall Judas’ replacement come by the same. For it will be after the Lord Jesus Christ’s Crucifixion Death, Resurrection from the Dead three days later, and then His Ascension back to heaven forty days later, that the Apostle Peter being assembled with the other Apostles and early church disciples will propose Judas’ replacement (see Acts 1:15-26). Thus, two men are proposed as candidates to replace Judas, Joseph called Barsabbas, whose surname was Justus, and Matthias (Acts 1:23), for these also were with the Apostles, from the beginning of John’s Baptism to the Lord Jesus Christ’s Ascension, and so from them one must be chosen to be a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ’s Resurrection, and Matthias is chosen by God to be numbered with them through prayer and the casting of lots. Thus, we have the twelve Apostles of the church, who will also sit on twelve thrones judging Israel (Matt. 19:28).

Vs. 17-19 ¹⁷ And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, ¹⁸ as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. ¹⁹ And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all.

Therefore having called His Twelve Apostles to Himself on the mountain top, the Lord Jesus Christ now comes down with them, and standing on some level ground with them, and with all of His disciples, “…a great multitude of people from Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, ¹⁸ as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. ¹⁹ And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. ^{vs. 18-19}And so it will ne after this event that the Gospel of Luke records the Lord Jesus Christ giving His disciples the beatitudes. 

Scripture Quotations

New King James Version. (1982): Thomas Nelson

Luke 6:6-11

 ⁶ Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁷ So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. ⁸ But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” ¹⁰ And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. ¹¹ But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Commentary
Vs. 6-7 ⁶ Now it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered. ⁷ So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him.

Luke now recalls another incident that occurred on a Sabbath. On this occasion Jesus entered a synagogue on the Sabbath and taught. Now there was there a man who had a withered hand. And seeing the man there the scribes and Pharisees watch Jesus closely to see whether He would heal the man on the Sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against Him. Thus, two things are readily evident: First they were not interested in learning anything from Jesus, they were only there to watch Him, in order to find something to accuse Him of. Second, upon seeing the man with the withered hand they were not moved with any sort of empathy towards him, instead they only saw him as the means by which they could bring an accusation against Jesus. And so, they watched both Jesus and the man hoping above all hope that Jesus would see him and heal him, so that they could accuse Him of breaking their most “precious” Sabbath. Thus, for them neither people. nor the Word of God mattered, what mattered to them was bringing down Jesus, that’s all that mattered to them. Everything else then was just a justifiable means to that end. Now that sort of blinded obsessive focus, that darkens one’s own heart and soul and strips one of all sound discernment is not unique to them, but plays itself out wherever and whenever those in lawful authority likewise become blinded by their own zeal, and thus are not realizing that they themselves are being deceived and mislead by those who are using them for their own evil ends.

Vs. 8-9 ⁸ But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood. ⁹ Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?”

Jesus’ then knowing their thoughts that they were watching Him to see if He would heal the man on the Sabbath so that they might accuse Him of breaking it, now says to the man with the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” Jesus then will not shun away from healing the man in the presence of them all, even though He knew they were going to use it to justify seeking to kill Him. For the good works of God must never be hidden, even though evil and unjust men will only see them in the worst possible light, because they themselves are only motivated by the lowest and basest of things. Therefore, Jesus having called the man to Himself will heal him, but before He does, He says to them all, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” Now their silence to Jesus’ question is not only revealing, but it is deafening! Because through it they reveal what they really are (consider Psalm 58:1-2); that is a pack of ravenous wolves who disguise their true natures in religious garb and jargon so they might have and enjoy and privileges of it, or seek they’re prey through it. For they could care less about doing justly, or showing mercy, or walking humbly with their God (see Micah 6:8). Because for them all that mattered was not the man’s wellbeing as was Jesus’ focus, but keeping the Sabbath according to their and their fathers’ traditions, that was all that mattered to them. Now in Jesus’ question there is a fundamental truth that is being revealed, and that is that doing good on the Sabbath (or any other day) is fully in accord with it, for that is the Will of God, that we all do good to one another regardless of Day, all which requires our “working”. For as Jesus says elsewhere about the Sabbath, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” ^{John 5:17} Meaning there are works that must be done on the Sabbath that God does not cease from just because it is the Sabbath. Therefore, there are works that are fully justifiable to do on the Sabbath (even while under the law), and healing a man with a withered hand so that he might fully enjoy the Sabbath and the rest it was meant to bring, is one of them. Jesus then in healing the mans withered hand will not only restore his body, but He will bring rest to his soul. For that is what Jesus Christ does, He brings rest to everyone who is weary and heavy laden (see Matt. 11:28-30). And that is why God also now commands us all to enter His Rest; that is to cease from all our own attempts to save ourselves by religious observances, or whatever else one tries to do to please God, and rather trust and believe in His Son who already has done everything needed for our salvation (see John 3:16), because God’s Sabbath Rest is that we trust and believe in His Son. For that is how we now according to God’s New Covenant Commandment keep and observe His Sabbath Rest (see Heb. 3-4:10).

Vs. 10-11 ¹⁰ And when He had looked around at them all, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored as whole as the other. ¹¹ But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

Jesus’ then looking at them all, looking to see if there is even one who understands the heart of God, now tells the man to stretch out his hand, and with that Word from Jesus the man does! In that instant then the man’s hand is fully healed and restored. However, when the scribes and Pharisees saw what had just took place before their own eyes, they were not filled with joy and praise as the multitudes were so often given to spontaneous praise when Jesus healed someone in their midst. Instead they were only filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. Thus, in them we see the grave pitfall of “religion” without love, which only produces wrath, man’s cruel, and evil, and unjust wrath (Rom. 4:15).

Scripture Quotations

New King James Version. (1982): Thomas Nelson

Luke 6:1–5

 ¹ Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. ² And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?” ³ But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: ⁴ how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?” ⁵ And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Commentary

Vs. 1-2 ¹ Now it happened on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands. ² And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

In what was such an innocent act Jesus with His disciples while passing through some grain fields will pluck some heads of grain with their hands and rubbing them in their hands to break them open then eat them. Now there is nothing unlawful in what they did (see Deut. 23:5). Nonetheless because the Pharisees had such an unsound and hardened understanding of the law, and it’s Sabbath regulations, their interpretation of the Sabbath meant that even the disciples rubbing their hands together to open the grain they plucked to feed themselves was by their strict measure “working on the Sabbath.” Therefore, when they saw Jesus’ disciples doing so, immediately they took great offense at the disciples, and Jesus for letting them do so.

Vs. 3-5 ³ But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: ⁴ how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, which is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?” ⁵ And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

Now in Jesus’ reply to them He neither regards nor mentions their misunderstandings and interpretations of the law and Sabbath. Because clearly, they had elevated the Sabbath to a place which neither God, nor the law which God gave to govern it, ever intended it to be elevated too. Therefore, Jesus cities to them David’s example of eating the priest’s showbread while fleeing from then king Saul and his murderous pursuits of him. Now the fact the David did so with the then officiating priest’s assistance shows that both of them understood that David as God’s king in waiting was fully justified in doing so (see 1 Samuel 21:1-9), because he was in fact God’s rightful chosen king, and he was to be the one to usher in the throne which the Son of Man the Lord Jesus Christ as God’s Eternal King and High Priest is the only Heir too. Therefore, Jesus having cited David’s example to them then says unequivocally to them: “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.” Therefore, Jesus is not just Lord of His disciples and David (whom the Jews all revere), but He is also Lord of the Sabbath, which they had elevated to heights which God never had. For God did not create man for the Sabbath, but the Sabbath for man (see Mark 2:27) as a day of rest for him, but they had only turned it into a legalistic burden, something that is not unique to them. Therefore, because Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath, allowing His disciples to pluck the heads of grain and break them open with their hands so that they could eat them is fully lawful for both Him and them to do, because the Word of God is not bound by the self-imposed religious ordinances of man (John 1:1).

Scripture Quotations

New King James Version. (1982): Thomas Nelson