Luke 7:24-35 comments: Jesus' testimony about John the Baptist

Luke 7:24  And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 25  But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they which are gorgeously apparelled, and live delicately, are in kings’ courts. 26  But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? Yea, I say unto you, and much more than a prophet. 27  This is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 28  For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. 29  And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. 30  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him. 31  And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? 32  They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. 33  For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. 34  The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! 35  But wisdom is justified of all her children.

In proclaiming who John the Baptist is Jesus quotes Old Testament prophecy in verse 27.

Malachi 3:1 ¶  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me…

Verse 28 leads us to a controversial point. First, though, Christ says that the least person in the kingdom of God is greater than John the Baptist although John the Baptist was the greatest prophet to that time. The logical conclusion and interpretation of that in context is that each Christian has a greater revelation of Christ than John had, based on the previous exchange with John’s disciples. From a prophetic standpoint each Christian has a greater advantage and a greater access to the truth than John did. 

The controversy for us comes from interpreting the meaning of phrases in the New Testament. If we compare 28 with;

Matthew 11:11  Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

The question then begs itself, what is the relationship between the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Heaven, which is mentioned only in Matthew? Let’s compare verse with verse, the most reliable way to interpret scripture.

Matthew 19:23 ¶  Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24  And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

Then, starting with the verses we just mentioned.

Matthew 11:11  Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12  And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

With;

Luke 7:28  For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

…then…

Matthew 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.

With;

Mark 4:10  And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. 11  And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables:

And…

Matthew 13:31  Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field: 32  Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

With…

Mark 4:30  And he said, Whereunto shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it? 31  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all the seeds that be in the earth: 32  But when it is sown, it groweth up, and becometh greater than all herbs, and shooteth out great branches; so that the fowls of the air may lodge under the shadow of it.

  

Luke 13:18 ¶  Then said he, Unto what is the kingdom of God like? and whereunto shall I resemble it? 19  It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree; and the fowls of the air lodged in the branches of it.

And…

Matthew 13:33  Another parable spake he unto them; The kingdom of heaven is like unto leaven, which a woman took, and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

With…

Luke 13:20  And again he said, Whereunto shall I liken the kingdom of God? 21  It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.

And…

Matthew 18:3  And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 4  Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

With…

Mark 10:14  But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 15  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein.

Luke 18:16  But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God. 17  Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.

And…

Matthew 4:17  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

With…

Mark 1:14 ¶  Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

And…

Matthew 5:3 ¶  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

With…

Luke 6:20 ¶  And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

Honestly, without relying on what you’ve been taught outside of the Bible text, would you say that the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Heaven are synonymous or are they two different things like some evangelicals and fundamentalists insist upon by stating that a difference must exist between them to prove the millennial reign of Christ. I would say that there are plenty of verses to prove that without twisting the text to make distinctions and divisions where there are none.

Verse 29 tells us there were two distinct parties; the common people having submitted to John’s baptism and the elite who had not. One accepts Jesus’ testimony about John the Baptist and one rejects. But wisdom is justified of all her children it says.

Those who are wise in that generation accepted the baptism of John and the testimony of Christ. Jesus states that some will simply not respond to joyful or mournful music and they will either accuse John of being too severe and strict or Christ of being too inclusive and open-armed. Those people will neither dance for joy nor weep for sorrow. They will hear neither John the Baptist nor will they receive the testimony of Christ.  

This reminds me of Old Testament words of Jeremiah…

Jeremiah 5:3  O LORD, are not thine eyes upon the truth? thou hast stricken them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

God visits people and chastises them but they will not receive rebuke from God or even act as if they are aware it is from Him. He visits them and blesses them but they will not acknowledge His hand in it. It is so with many Christians today, sadly.

Luke 7:19-23 comments: Jesus, the Christ, Messiah, Saviour of all mankind

Luke 7:19 ¶  And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 20  When the men were come unto him, they said, John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying, Art thou he that should come? or look we for another? 21  And in that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. 22  Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. 23  And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.

John is seeking confirmation that there is no one to come after Jesus. This seems rather odd for us as John the Baptist is the one who announced Jesus first to the people. However, I read in a book entitled A History of Messianic Speculation in Israel from the First through the Seventeenth Centuries by Rabbi Abba Hillel Silver that there was an expectation of two messiahs at times, one; Messiah ben Joseph and, two; Messiah ben David. One is a conqueror and one suffers for the people of Israel and dies fighting the enemies of God and Israel. Jewish tradition also refers to, “The Four Craftsmen.”  Whether these rabbinic teachings of multiple messiahs are later interpolations or not it is clear that John is wondering if all of the prophecies will be fulfilled in one man; Jesus Christ. The Dead Sea Scrolls also speak of something like a war-messiah from the tribe of Ephraim dated to the first century before Christ, a suffering Messiah, and a priestly Messiah figure.

Jesus implies that there is no need to look for anyone else to come after Him. All is being fulfilled and will be fulfilled in Him. Just as Jesus quoted Isaiah in chapter 4 stopping at a point in the prophecy where what comes next signified His second coming to earth at the end to take control so here is another example of a prophecy in Isaiah where by Jesus alluding to it He is saying He is fulfilling and will fulfill in Himself the prophecies concerning the Messiah. Read the entire chapters of Isaiah 34 and 35 to see examples of what I mean. In these passages we have the return of the Jews supernaturally to Israel at the end as well as the judgment of God.

Isaiah 35:3  Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. 4  Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.

    5 ¶  Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 6  Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert. 7  And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes. 8  And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein. 9  No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there: 10  And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

And again, review Isaiah 61;

Isaiah 61:1 ¶  The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; 2  To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; 3  To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.

Compare the break after the comma in verse 2 of Isaiah 61:1 with where Jesus stops reading in Luke 4.

Luke 4:17  And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, 18  The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, 19  To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. 20  And he closed

the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21  And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.

It is a person’s own hard heart that would prevent them from seeing that He is the Messiah, God walking on earth in the flesh, the Redeemer of all mankind. It is your own sinful nature that prevents you from receiving Christ as your Saviour, to be offended in Him.

Isaiah 8:13  Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. 14  And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 15  And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken.

1Peter 2:8  And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

Jesus declares Himself to be the Messiah that the Jews are waiting for and God, our Creator, the Saviour of all mankind. This is clear.

John 4:25  The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

John 14:9  Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Luke 23:42  And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. 43  And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

In the interaction with Peter in Matthew Jesus lets Peter make this declaration of faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the living God or God walking in the flesh, and it is upon that belief, that rock of faith, that He will build His church, a called-out assembly, His body walking on earth after His physical departure.

Matthew 16:13 ¶  When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? 14  And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. 15  He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? 16  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 20  Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

There are no other messiahs to come and Christ is the only way to approach God the Father as He was Him walking in the flesh.

Isaiah 43:11  I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Acts 4:12  Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

He is the Saviour of the world.

John 1:29  The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Luke 6:37-49 comments: a solid foundation

Luke 6:37 ¶  Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: 38  Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. 39  And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40  The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master. 41  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42  Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye. 43  For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 44  For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. 45  A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh. 46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? 47  Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: 48  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. 49  But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Verses 37 and 38 show us something of the nature of the judgment awaiting the followers of Christ, who it appears shall be judged by the same leniency or severity, mercy or self-righteousness, that they judged others by. We are warned elsewhere.

James 2:13  For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

To render benevolence to others is an important trait that Christ commands we are to express.

Proverbs 19:17  He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

The person who does not understand or accept the basic fundamentals of Christ’s will for the believer is like a blind person trying to lead someone who is blind. Both will stumble. We are to be like Christ, He says.

In keeping with these thoughts the question arises of why, when we have our own glaring faults and transgressions are we so intent on nitpicking other people’s faults? Be concerned with your own sins first before you go off on others about theirs.

Before we can examine the sins of someone else we must look to our own. I mentioned Galatians 5 in the last passage and a born-again person produces that fruit. How can we hope, with a bitter, self-righteous, and judgmental heart to produce the fruit that Christ wants for us?

Christ finishes in this passage with an analogy to building a house with a foundation on solid ground or on soft soil. These passages have been ripped out of context and misused so many times to justify a pastor’s desire for control or a political agenda that it is sickening. Look at the context of the entire passage and see what Christ is trying to get across to His followers as to what He expects from them. This is the solid rock on which Christ’s Christian religion is based. It is not about the respect you think you deserve, your desire for vengeance, a pathological fear of not having your manhood affirmed, or any other selfish desire you feel. It is about Christ. Would it be so that more conservative Christians would put self, paranoia, bigotry, and fear aside and trust and obey the one who created them.

Luke 6:27-36 comments: love your enemies

Luke 6:27 ¶  But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, 28  Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. 29  And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloke forbid not to take thy coat also. 30  Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. 31  And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. 32  For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. 33  And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. 34  And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35  But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. 36  Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

The blessing now turns to instruction in the Christian attitude toward living and the nuts and bolts of how we are to interact with the world. Verse 27 is backed up by several Old Testament verses under the Law given to Moses.

Exodus 23:4  If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again. 5  If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.

There is a principle under the Law of not rejoicing when one’s enemy suffers and to do good to one’s enemies but Jesus clarifies it by taking it one step further, calling on His followers to love those who hurt them and use them.

Verse 29 reminds me that in some of the more backward cultures in America there is a thing called, “takin’ your manhood,” where a guy will slap another guy just to see if he will respond in kind or back down when dominated. If the person doesn’t retaliate with a fist he’s surrendered his manhood and dignity. It is like how men would challenge each other to a duel and to preserve your manhood you had to accept.

Remembering that Jesus could have called on legions of angels to protect Him from the Cross…

Matthew 26:53  Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

And that He told His disciples to carry a sword for protection…

Luke 22:36  Then said he unto them, But now, he that hath a purse, let him take it, and likewise his scrip: and he that hath no sword, let him sell his garment, and buy one. 37  For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, And he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end. 38  And they said, Lord, behold, here are two swords. And he said unto them, It is enough.

…it is clear that the context of this command is important for understanding. This is about power under restraint, having the right to do a thing but for the Lord’s sake, for eternity’s sake, not doing it. This is one of the hardest parts of the Christian walk after trusting and loving God.

This is not about just being a doormat for people to walk on and wipe their feet. The key to this passage is in the “Golden Rule” starting in verse 31. Considering what we have done to God and how He constantly forbears exacting our just desserts He is only asking us to have the same mercy and grace that He does to others. This doctrine is not acceptable to many, especially those who want the benefits of eternal life and yet don’t want to obey Christ. These aren’t suggestions. Like the Ten Commandments and the Law given to Moses these are God’s standard of righteousness. You can pretend that you are close to God because you don’t curse, drink, do drugs, or look at porn, do work a job, support your family, pay your taxes, and obey the law but this is where the proverbial rubber hits the road.

The first test of this would be to see if you can display this behavior within your own family, to your own spouse and children, and then outward from there. This is not possible without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the proof or fruit of which is…

Galatians 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24  And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 26  Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

For those of us who demand our “propers” and get angry when we feel slighted or not appreciated this is a huge challenge. But, it’s not over. Christ isn’t finished. Verses 35 and 36 helps us understand why bad people are allowed to flourish in this world, or so it seems. It really rankles us who have been their victims.

Jeremiah 12:1  Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore [why, or for what reason] doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?

Luke 6:1- 26 comments: the sermon given on the plain

Luke 6:1 ¶  And it came to pass on the second sabbath after the first, that he went through the corn fields; and his disciples plucked the ears of corn, and did eat, rubbing them in their hands. 2  And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days? 3  And Jesus answering them said, Have ye not read so much as this, what David did, when himself was an hungred, and they which were with him; 4  How he went into the house of God, and did take and eat the shewbread, and gave also to them that were with him; which it is not lawful to eat but for the priests alone? 5  And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath. 6  And it came to pass also on another sabbath, that he entered into the synagogue and taught: and there was a man whose right hand was withered. 7  And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him. 8  But he knew their thoughts, and said to the man which had the withered hand, Rise up, and stand forth in the midst. And he arose and stood forth. 9  Then said Jesus unto them, I will ask you one thing; Is it lawful on the sabbath days to do good, or to do evil? to save life, or to destroy it? 10  And looking round about upon them all, he said unto the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he did so: and his hand was restored whole as the other. 11  And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.

Again, Jesus’ disciples are being criticized by the Pharisees for what the Pharisees consider to be disregarding the traditions of the Jews that had grown up around the Law. Jesus defends necessity against ritual observance of regulations. He refers to circumstances in 1Samuel 21.

Jesus forces the issue in the synagogue by healing a man and then does this to provoke the scribes and Pharisees who were present.

    Luke 6:12 ¶  And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. 13  And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he 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 Zelotes, 16  And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor. 17  And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; 18  And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed. 19  And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.

Modern evangelical scholars will say that this is just a variation of the giving of the Sermon on the Mount given in Matthew. But, they are wrong. Its emphasis is more social and political while the sermon in Matthew is more spiritual. Secondly, Jesus is standing in a plain here, not seated on a hillside. Third, he has all of His disciples here but does not have them all when He gives the sermon in Matthew. Fourth, the sermon in Matthew is given by Him seated in front of a few disciples not in front of the multitude of people as here. Jesus is poking at the social order here as well as calling His disciples to holiness and trust in God.

I suspect that historically scholars who have tried to make these two sermons the same wanted to uphold the social order that supported them and elevated them and the content of what comes next was probably disturbing taken on its own.

    Luke 6:20 ¶  And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. 21  Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. 22  Blessed are ye, when men shall hate  you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake. 23  Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. 24  But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. 25  Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. 26  Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Jesus speaks to His disciples and in a land where many people were desperately poor and struggled to survive against disease and hunger every day. The fool says that happiness is the highest achievement of man or woman. Happiness is enjoying what one wants without being disturbed and one can be happy over many things that are like wisps of smoke dissolving in a breeze like ambition, pleasure, possessions, and other things of mankind’s fancy that can be taken away in a moment due to a bad circumstance or failing health.

The highest state of mankind is blessedness from God, a sense of closeness to our Creator and a love for Him. To be blessed by God is to have things bestowed on you that will count in eternity. Children that are led to receive Christ as their Saviour, joy in adversity, a satisfying prayer life speaking to God, and reading the Bible, God speaking to you, the relationships between loving family and dear friends, a good reputation, feeling that God’s hand is on your life rather then you thinking of yourself as your own god are all things that cannot be bought with money.

God holds in contempt the things that man lifts up as being of high value; wealth, power, education, obsessions with things sexual, privilege, and possessions. Later in Luke Jesus says;

Luke 16:15  And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.

This blessing on the poor, the hungry, and the sorrowful revolves around their devotion to Christ. It is not a blanket social statement for the poor in general as He is speaking to His disciples. The sermon here, as in Matthew, is a declaration of the constitution for the Kingdom of God. It is the ground rules.

Most followers of Christ were poor in the beginnings of the Christian religion and the wealthy elite persecuted them. The Bible, God’s word, contains here a declaration of independence from the rich and powerful who oppressed them. Their blessedness, their happiness, if you will, comes from God Himself not from circumstances or from the pity or kindness of a member of the power elite.

In the earlier sermon, giving on a hillside and reported in Matthew, Jesus says;

Matthew 5:3 ¶  Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The poor in spirit is the condition of a person’s whole demeanor as no person will truly come to Christ until they realize they are spiritually bankrupt and hopeless without Him.

For the verse in Matthew there are several important verses from the Old Testament to consider.

Psalm 34:18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Psalm 51:17  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Isaiah 57:15  For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Isaiah 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

Here in Luke, though, there is a context of the status of the disciples of Christ as poor, hungry, sorrowful, and hated for His name’s sake but they are blessed by God for these very reasons. This is hard for us in the modern world as wealth is worshipped and in the 19^th century in America the most popular sermon was entitled Acres of Diamonds which uplifted the wealthy as the best of people. The author of the sermon, Russel H. Conwell, founder of Temple University, insisted that it was your duty to get rich.

But, the Bible says;

Proverbs 23:4  Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom.

Those who have wealth are warned not to trust in it as it cannot save them.

Psalm 49:6 ¶  They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; 7  None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: 8  (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) 9  That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption.

Paul told Timothy to warn Christians;

1Timothy 6:6 ¶  But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7  For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8  And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9  But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10  For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and

pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 11  But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12  Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

    13 ¶  I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; 14  That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: 15  Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16  Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. 17  Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18  That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19  Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

And Paul, a tentmaker as per Acts 18:3, gave the ideal for Christian employment;

1Thessalonians 4:11  And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;12  That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing.

James warned Christians to have the proper attitude toward status and wealth.

James 2:1 ¶  My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2  For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3  And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4  Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are

become judges of evil thoughts? 5  Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 6  But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? 7  Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?

We have laws in this country today that protect us from many, but not all, of the abuses of the past that the rich and powerful imposed upon their lessers but we must always remember that our safety and protection can ultimately only come from God.

Verse 26 is a warning that being celebrated and approved by the powerful, asked to be on their TV shows, sponsored on their stages, etc. is not necessarily a sign of God’s approval. As Ruckman said, the media won’t celebrate a preacher they can’t use and so it goes with power in general.