Глава 6

1–11. Clashes between the Lord Jesus Christ and the Pharisees over the issue of keeping the Sabbath. – 12–19. Election of the Apostles. – 20–49. Conversation on the Mount. Luke 6:1. On Saturday, the first after the second day of Easter, He happened to pass through sown fields, and His disciples plucked ears of corn and ate them, rubbing them with their hands. Luke 6:2. But some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why do you do what you should not do on the Sabbath?” Luke 6:3. Jesus answered and said to them, Have you not read what David did when he and those with him were hungry? Luke 6:4. How did he enter the house of God, take the showbread, which no one was to eat except the priests, and eat it, and give it to those with him? Luke 6:5. And he said to them: The Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath. Evangelist Luke depicts Christ’s clash with the Pharisees regarding His disciples’ violation of the law of the Sabbath rest in accordance with Evangelist Mark (Mark 2:23–28; cf. Matt. 12:1–8). “On Saturday, the first after the second day of Easter” - more correctly: “second-first” (δευτεροπρώτῳ). This term is found only here and nowhere else, which is why all its interpretations are nothing more than assumptions. Of the various attempts to explain this term, it is necessary to point out first of all the patristic ones, which start from the assumption that an ordinary Saturday could coincide with a holiday. Hence, by “second-first” Saturday, some understand the Saturday preceding this holiday (Chrysostom, Epiphanius), others - the Saturday following this holiday, which fell on Saturday (Blessed Theophylact). Among the views of scientists, the most widespread is the view of Scaliger, who understood the “second-first” Saturday as the first Saturday after the second day of Easter. They counted from the second Passover day, on which the first sheaf was brought to the altar (Lev.23:10 et seq.), seven Saturdays until the Feast of Pentecost (Lev.23:15). Thus, the “second-first” Saturday, according to Scaliger, is, in fact, the second after Passover, but the first after the first day of unleavened bread. The one following it was called “second-second”, etc. to the seventh. We may also note the opinion of Wiesler, according to which this was the first Sabbath in the second year of the seven-year period. Finally, the newest Protestant interpreters, having no data to explain this term, insist that this expression was introduced into the Gospel of Luke by some scribe through a misunderstanding, since in many respected codices of this Gospel the word “second-first” is omitted (Sinaiticus, Vatican, Paris). Of our Russian interpreters, it seems that F. Troitsky gives a more natural explanation for the expression being analyzed (The Last Easter Supper of Jesus Christ according to the weather forecasters and John, Kazan 1907, pp. 21–22). Based on the research of Prof. Khvolson, he claims that in the days of Christ the rabbis called the Passover holiday Saturday, no matter what day of the week this holiday fell on (“Saturday” means “rest”). It was a Saturday in the improper sense of the word, but the ordinary Saturday following this Saturday in the improper sense, in the proper sense of the word, was no longer called just a Saturday, but the “second-first” Saturday. This meant that, on the one hand, she was the first in the new year (the new year for the Jews began with Easter), and on the other hand, the second, because the first Saturday, although not in the proper sense of the word, was Easter. This interpretation can be accepted as the most successful solution to the difficult question. “Rubbing with hands”, i.e. releasing the contents of the ears - the grains themselves - through grinding. Such an action of the disciples, from the point of view of the legends of the elders, was already the work of cooking, which was considered a desecration of the Sabbath rest. Luke 6:6. It happened on another Saturday that He entered the synagogue and taught. There was a man whose right hand was dry. Luke 6:7. The scribes and Pharisees watched Him to see if He would heal on the Sabbath, in order to find an accusation against Him. Luke 6:8. But He, knowing their thoughts, said to the man who had a withered hand: stand up and step into the middle. And he stood up and spoke. Luke 6:9. Then Jesus said to them: I ask you: what should you do on the Sabbath? good or evil? save your soul or destroy it? They were silent. Luke 6:10. And looking at them all, he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so; and his hand became as healthy as the other. Luke 6:11. They became furious and talked among themselves about what they should do with Jesus. The Evangelist Luke also talks about the healing of a withered man on Saturday in accordance with Mark (Mark 3:1–6; cf. Matt. 12:9 et seq.). “On another Saturday” - probably the one that followed the “second-first”. "Right Hand". Only Luke notices this. The right one is, of course, more important than the left one. "Scribes". Only Luke also mentions them. "What would they do with Jesus". Evangelist Luke presents their plans in a somewhat softened form (cf. Mark 3:6). Luke 6:12. In those days He went up the mountain to pray and spent the whole night in prayer to God. Luke 6:13. When the day came, he called his disciples and chose twelve of them, whom he named apostles: Luke 6:14. Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Luke 6:15. Matthew and Thomas, James Alphaeus and Simon, called the Zealot, Luke 6:16. Judas Jacob and Judas Iscariot, who later became a traitor. Luke 6:17. And He went down with them and stood on level ground, and a multitude of His disciples, and a great crowd from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal regions of Tire and Sidon, Luke 6:18. who came to listen to Him and be healed of their illnesses, also those suffering from unclean spirits; and were healed. Luke 6:19. And all the people sought to touch Him, because power came from Him and healed everyone. The Evangelist Luke speaks about the election of the apostles in agreement with Mark (Mark 3:7-19), although with some deviations from him. “Go to the mountain to pray.” This is noted only by Luke as an event indicating the extreme importance of the subsequent election of the apostles. “Called Apostles”, i.e. gave them a well-known appointment, which is sufficiently defined by the name “apostle” - messenger, authorized (cf. Matt. 10:2). "Andrey, his brother". Luke has not yet mentioned Andrew and therefore notes that he was Simon's brother. On the contrary, the relationship between James and John, as is known (see Luke 5:10), is not indicated here. The Zealot is the same as the Zealot in Matthew 10:4. Judah Jacob, i.e. the son of Jacob (a well-known person) is the same one whom Matthew calls Levway, nicknamed Thaddeus (Matthew 10:3), and Mark is simply Thaddeus (Mark 3:18). “And he went down with them” - after he went down with the chosen apostles from the mountain. “Standed out of the blue” - i.e. on one of the sites that exist in the Palestinian mountains (cf. 2 Samuel 1:21). The Lord nevertheless remained within the confines of the mountain, and therefore His next speech may well be called a “mountain” conversation. “And the multitude of His disciples” means: “the same became or stopped.” By “disciples” we generally mean the followers of Christ, except for the 12 apostles. “And those who suffer from unclean spirits; and were healed." According to a more authenticated text, the preposition “from” in Greek is indicated by the particle ἀπό, and not ὑπό, and before the word “healed” the particle “and” is superfluous. Therefore, the entire verse should be translated: “and those who suffered were healed of unclean spirits” (cf. in the same verse the expression: “to be healed of” (ἀπό) “their illnesses”). Luke 6:20. And He lifted His eyes to His disciples and said: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for yours is the Kingdom of God. Luke 6:21. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are those who weep now, for you will laugh. Luke 6:22. Blessed are you when people hate you and when they excommunicate you and revile you and call your name dishonorable because of the Son of Man. Luke 6:23. Rejoice in that day and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven. This is what their fathers did to the prophets. Outlining Christ's Discourse on the Mount, the Evangelist Luke, first of all, like the Evangelist Matthew, cites the promises that Christ gave to all His followers (the so-called beatitudes, of which only four are given in Luke, and nine in Matthew). “Lifting up His eyes.” In Matthew, this expression corresponds to the words: “He opened His mouth” (Matthew 5:2). Both expressions highlight the special importance of the moment. "On the disciples". Around Christ, of course, in the foreground were the twelve, behind them stood the disciples of Christ in the general sense of the word, i.e. a crowd of His followers, and then - just listeners, perhaps who came here only out of curiosity. According to Luke, the Lord in His conversation had in mind the first two categories of listeners. "Poor in Spirit". Since there is no doubt that the word “by the Spirit” was introduced into the Gospel of Luke from the Gospel of Matthew (in most ancient codices of the Gospel of Luke this addition is not present), the newest interpreters believe that the Evangelist Luke depicts in this beatitude the external position of the disciples of Christ, and precisely taking into account the contemporary state of the Christian Church, which was composed mainly of poor people (cf. James 2:5; 1 Cor. 1:27 et seq.). In the same way, in the following beatitudes, which apparently are addressed to Christians suffering from various external disasters and shortcomings (this is supposedly indicated by the addition: “now”), these interpreters again see only an indication of the external qualities that the followers of Christ must have in order to have the right to receive the beatitude. But we cannot agree with this opinion for the following reasons. 1. If the contrast between the rich and the poor were understood in Luke in such a way that the poor are hungry because they cannot eat well, and cry because their life is generally bad, and the rich, on the contrary, are well-fed because they eat well, and laugh because they feel good, then it would not be clear to what the Lord adds that the poor, hungry and weeping will be reproached “for the Son of Man’s sake.” This means that we are not just talking about people who are under the yoke of poverty and external disasters, but about those who bear these disasters in the name of Christ with complete patience. On the other hand, it is completely incomprehensible why Christ equates people who are rich and lead a quiet life with “false prophets.” It is obvious that by “rich” He does not mean wealthy people in general, but those who deny Christ for the sake of earthly benefits. 2. It cannot be thought that in the present case Christ presented His disciples as poor, poorly provided for and suffering under the yoke of external disasters: their situation at that time was not at all bad and they knew no need (see Luke 8: 1-3). There is even less reason to call the wide circle of Christ’s followers “poor”: this circle included scribes and wealthy people. Thus, it would be quite correct to understand the beatitudes in the Gospel of Luke in the sense that here Christ has in mind such poverty and such suffering that make those who endure them faithful heirs of the Kingdom of God. And such poverty can only be a humble consciousness that a person does not have a “higher” good, to which the human soul should strive and which does not consist in external well-being and not in temporary satisfaction, but fills the soul with the highest, heavenly peace and bliss. Such poor people are not only the disciples of Christ who abandoned their studies in order to constantly follow Christ, but in general everyone who does not find peace for themselves in the blessings of this world and strives for Christ in order to hear His word and in communication with Him find complete consolation for themselves. These people can console themselves with His promise that they have a part in the Kingdom of God. “Blessed are those who hunger now...”. The second and third beatitudes refer to those “now”, i.e. in this earthly life, when people must suffer as a result of ancestral sin, the consequences of which were not destroyed by Christ, they patiently endure various sufferings for the sake of Christ. The consolation that the Lord promises them here, of course, they can only perceive for now with faith alone and feel relief only to the extent that they give space in their hearts to the action of Christ and the Spirit of God. They will receive complete consolation when Christ defeats all the dark forces that interfere with the happiness of redeemed humanity. But the suffering that Christ has in mind here is not only external: and people who are completely secure in terms of earthly well-being may have a feeling of internal dissatisfaction, may yearn for another life and cry over the failure that befalls them in their aspirations for the highest perfection. “Blessed are you when men hate you...” The fourth beatitude corresponds to the eighth and ninth beatitudes in the Gospel of Matthew. It means the attitude of the world towards the disciples of Christ, caused by their firm confession of faith in Christ. “They will hate” - this word denotes the mood of the world towards Christians. The following expressions show the way in which the world reveals its mood. This will partly be expressed in the fact that Christians will be “excommunicated” – both from participation in worship and from participation in public affairs. Such excommunication was called by the Jews “niddui” (cf. John 9:22). “And they will revile.” Part of the mood of the Jews will be revealed in the censure of the Christian name, which the followers of Christ will bear as members of a special society. “And they will carry your name through as dishonorable.” Perhaps there is a hint here that the name “Christian” will begin to be used as a curse word, as a swear word, or perhaps even a prophecy that the enemies of Christ will drive out the name of Christ (ἐκβάλωσι τὸ ὄνομα ὑμῶν) from use, as the name of villains, criminals, will not give them the right to even declare its existence as a known society. “For the Son of Man”, i.e. for the reason that the Son of Man - Christ, whom Christians confess, will be an object of hatred for the world. “On that day”, i.e. then when you experience this hatred of the world. “Reward in heaven” (see Matthew 5:12). "Their Fathers". This addition shows that the persecution that will fall over time on the true disciples and faithful followers of Christ will not be something unexpected: the ancestors of the Jews of Christ’s time, hostile to the Gospel, did the same with the best people of the Old Testament - the prophets. Luke 6:24. On the contrary, woe to you, rich people! for you have already received your consolation. Luke 6:25. Woe to you who are now satiated! for you will hunger. Woe to you who laugh now! for you will mourn and lament. Luke 6:26. Woe to you when all people speak well of you! For this is what their fathers did to the false prophets. In the source used by the Evangelist Luke when presenting the Talk on the Mount, four sorrows were added to the four above-mentioned bliss. It is obvious that in the vast circle of Christ’s listeners there were people who, by their attachment to the world, deserved severe reproof, coupled with a prediction that they would be deprived of the worldly advantages that they now enjoy. The Evangelist Matthew does not have these threats in the Talk on the Mount. "You have received your consolation". Instead of receiving consolation in the Kingdom of the Messiah (cf. Luke 2:25), if you belonged to the poor (in spirit), you found complete satisfaction in wealth, which you are also now deprived of. It would be more correct to translate these words as follows: “your joy is gone” (cf. James 5:2 et seq.). “Now satiated” – now enjoying the benefits of life to the fullest. "You will hunger", i.e. the judgment of the Messiah will put an end to your satiety, and you will be in the position of starving people. “They who laugh now”, i.e. rejoicing from the consciousness of their special advantageous position, their worldly power. “You will cry” - then, of course, when the judgment of the Messiah touches you. “Everyone will speak well of you” is an obvious contrast to verses 22–23. Here the power of thought lies in the word “everything.” When “everyone” speaks well of someone, this shows that the character of the person being praised is not very strong, that he is trying to conform to the tastes of everyone, even the tastes of bad people. It is clear that such a person will not deserve praise from the Messiah, Who approves only of those who stand for the truth and skillfully expose injustice. About false prophets and the attitude of the people towards them, see Jer. 5:31, 23:17; Micah 2:11. Luke 6:27. But to you who hear, I say: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, Luke 6:28. bless those who curse you and pray for those who mistreat you. The first part of the conversation begins here (it continues until the 39th verse). Evangelist Luke omits everything that Christ says in the Gospel of Matthew about His attitude towards the Mosaic Law and its interpreters (Matthew 5:17–48), as well as His denunciations against hypocrites - zealots of the law (Matthew 6:1–18). Although all these speeches of Christ were known to the evangelist (cf. Luke 16:17–18), he did not consider it necessary to cite them, because the readers of his Gospel, who were far from Jewish relations, could not be interested in revealing the incorrectness of the views of the scribes and Pharisees in understanding the law of Moses. The Evangelist Luke directly reports the sayings of Christ, which had a universal purpose. "To you who are listening." Christ obviously contrasts His real listeners with those “rich” of whom He just spoke. These people are capable of moral improvement. The first commandment in the instructions to these listeners from the Evangelist Luke is the commandment of love for enemies, which in the Gospel of Matthew takes place at the end of the 5th chapter (Matthew 5:44). Luke 6:29. Give the other one to the one who hits you on the cheek, and do not prevent the one who takes your outer clothing from taking your shirt. “To him who struck you” (see Matt. 5:39–40). “To the one who takes away...”. The Evangelist Matthew has the opposite - you need to give away your outer clothing. But in Matthew we are talking about judicial punishment, and here we are talking about a robber attack, robbery. The robber, naturally, grabs outer clothing first. The Lord, according to the testimony of the Evangelist Luke, commands that such a robber be given his “lower” shirt. Luke 6:30. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not demand back from the one who took what is yours. “Don’t demand”, i.e. wait until he gives it himself. If he doesn’t pay, it means he has nothing to pay with... Luke 6:31. And as you want people to do to you, do so to them. Luke 6:32. And if you love those who love you, what gratitude do you have for that? for sinners also love those who love them. Luke 6:33. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what gratitude is that to you? for sinners do the same. Luke 6:34. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to get it back, what gratitude are you for that? for even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. Luke 6:35. But you love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing; and you will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Luke 6:36. Therefore, be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. The Evangelist Luke presents Christ’s speech about selflessness in acts of love in a more complete form than in Matthew. “What gratitude do you have?” Those. Will God appreciate your work? “Sinners” are people who have not been converted to Christ, those who are guided in their affairs by selfish considerations. “Without expecting anything”, i.e. without expecting reimbursement for your expenses. Some interpreters, however, translate the expression μηδὲν ἀπελπίζοντες, based on how it is used in later Greek, as follows: “despairing in nothing,” i.e. not considering your goods irretrievably lost, because the reward for it will be given by God: “and you will have a great reward...” “You will be sons of the Most High” (see Matthew 5:45). Evangelist Luke portrays this “sonship” as a reward, whereas in Matthew it is the result of love for enemies if Christ’s disciples show it. “For He is good...”. Only those who in this temporary life act in the same way as God does in relation to all people can have hope for Sonship of God in the Kingdom of the Messiah: in their deeds they are now like their Father - God (cf. 1 John 5:1). "Merciful". The Evangelist Matthew says “perfect” (Matthew 5:48). Evangelist Luke replaced the last expression with another due to the fact that he further speaks about works of mercy. Luke 6:37. Judge not, and ye shall not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; “Do not judge” is a stronger expression than “do not judge.” To condemn means not to limit yourself to minor insulting remarks for another, uttered, perhaps, to yourself, not out loud, but to pronounce in the ears of others a destructive judgment of your neighbor, as something final, as if some kind of sentence. Luke 6:38. give, and it will be given to you: good measure, shaken together, pressed, and running over, will be poured into your bosom; For with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you. “Shaped down”, i.e. one in which there are no empty spaces between loose bodies. “Pumped” - in which what has been poured is still pressed down so that more can be poured on top. “Overflowing” - with which the bread is already pouring out. “They will send you to sleep” - neither people nor Angels: the verb (δώσουσιν) is placed impersonally and indicates Divine reward. “Into the bosom” is a wide bosom formed by girding the outer garment with a belt (cf. Jer.32:18; Is.65:6; Ruth.3:15). “For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” In the Evangelist Matthew (Matthew 7:2), this saying refers only to retribution for condemning one’s neighbor, while in Luke it refers to the benefits that a Christian benefactor should expect for himself. But since the Lord always sends blessings to good people in abundance, here too, obviously, it is not the quantitative correspondence of the reward to the feat that is indicated, but only the certainty of receiving it. Luke 6:39. He also told them a parable: Can a blind man lead a blind man? won't they both fall into the pit? Here begins the second part of the Discourse on the Mount, as can be seen from the transitional expression “said also.” The following speech of Christ is called in Luke a parable (παραβολή), obviously in the sense that all of Christ’s teaching that follows is clothed in the form of comparisons and sayings, which indicate the basic conditions under which the ministry of Christ’s disciples and the Christian vocation in general can be fruitful. First of all, in the parable of the blind men, of whom one is a leader, the other is led, the following idea is conveyed: a person who himself does not possess the knowledge of the truth cannot lead another to such knowledge (cf. Matt. 15:14). Luke 6:40. A student is never higher than his teacher; but, having been perfected, everyone will be like his teacher. The meaning of the second saying is this: a student cannot surpass his teacher and only through sufficient self-improvement can he become equal to him (at the same time, of course, the possibility is not excluded that with special talent a student can do much more than his teacher; the Lord has in mind only those people who develop all the time under the influence of their teacher and, therefore, do not possess any special creative talents). With this instruction, the Lord makes it clear to His disciples that they must first of all take care of their own development if they want to develop others, because those who are entrusted to them will only reach the same level of development as Christ’s disciples reached. In the Evangelist Matthew this saying has a different connection and a different meaning (Matthew 10:24). Luke 6:41. Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but do not feel the plank in your own eye? Luke 6:42. Or, as you can say to your brother: brother! Let me take the speck out of your eye, when you yourself cannot see the beam in your eye? Hypocrite! First take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. The Evangelist Luke has the following connection between this saying and the previous one: in order not to be a blind leader of the blind, you must, before discussing the moral state of others (verse 41) and improving it (verse 42), first take care of knowing yourself (verse 41) and self-improvement (verse 42). Otherwise, there will be no benefit from your experiences in converting your neighbors to the path of virtue. Luke 6:43. There is no good tree that bears bad fruit; and there is no bad tree that bears good fruit, Luke 6:44. For every tree is known by its fruit, because they do not gather figs from thorn trees, or pluck grapes from bushes. In the Evangelist Luke, the connection between this saying and the previous one is as follows: for a person’s own personal moral perfection relates to his activities for the benefit of others in exactly the same way as the nature of trees relates to their fruits (cf. Matt. 12:33). Luke 6:45. A good man brings forth good things from the good treasure of his heart, and an evil man brings forth evil things from the evil treasure of his heart, for out of the abundance of his heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:46. Why do you call Me: Lord! God! - and do not do what I say? Luke 6:47. Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and does them, I will tell you who he is like. Luke 6:48. He is like a man building a house, who dug, went deep and laid the foundation on the rock; why, when the flood happened and the water came against this house, it could not shake it, because it was founded on stone. Luke 6:49. But he who listens and does not do is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation, which, when water came upon it, immediately collapsed; and the destruction of this house was great. The thought contained in the Evangelist Luke is as follows. The confession of Jesus Christ, which does not correspond to a person's life, cannot come from a pure heart and, therefore, have a saving influence on others 9. “If you read with attention the entire Conversation on the Mount, as it is set out in the Gospel of Luke, you will come to the conclusion that it is not a combination of fragmentary instructions taken by the evangelist from its more extensive exposition by the Evangelist Matthew, but a harmonious whole, composed in relation to the needs of the Church, consisting of Christians of pagan origin. In this conversation, the main features of a true follower of Christ are drawn, the essential properties of the new righteousness are indicated” (Keil). You might be interested in: