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Luke 6

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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.

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And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?

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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;

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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?

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And he said unto them, That the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

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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.

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And the scribes and Pharisees watched him, whether he would heal on the sabbath day; that they might find an accusation against him.

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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.

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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?

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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.

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And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus.

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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.

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And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;

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Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,

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Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alpheus, and Simon called Zelotes,

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And Judas the brother of James, and Judas Iscariot, which also was the traitor.

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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 Judea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;

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And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.

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And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.

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

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Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.

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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.

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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.

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But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.

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Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.

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Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

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But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,

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Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.

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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.

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Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.

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And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

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For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.

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And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.

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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.

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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.

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Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

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Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:

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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.

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And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch?

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The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

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And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

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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.

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For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.

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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.

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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.

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And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

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Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:

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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.

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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.

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Luke 6

Two Sabbath controversies open the chapter — the grainfield plucking and the withered-hand healing — culminating in Jesus' most sweeping authority claim: the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. The overnight prayer before the appointment of the twelve apostles communicates the weight of the decision and the Spirit-dependence that characterizes all of Jesus' major actions in Luke. The Sermon on the Plain, delivered from a level place to a crowd from Galilee to Tyre and Sidon, opens with Luke's version of the Beatitudes — addressed in the second person directly to the disciples — and the unique Woes, which mirror the Beatitudes' reversals. The sermon's ethical core is the radical love of enemies: do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, lend without expecting repayment, because your Father is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. The credit questions expose the inadequacy of reciprocal love. The sermon's final sequence — judge-not, plank-and-speck, tree-and-fruit, Lord-Lord, two builders — establishes the hearing-and-doing criterion that will become the chapter's lasting contribution to Christian ethics: the house on rock is the person who not only hears but does.

Luke 6:1

One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands and eating the kernels — the grainfield Sabbath controversy opens chapter 6's sequence of controversies and teachings. Rubbing the heads of grain in their hands is Luke's detail: the rubbing separates the grain from the husk — the action that could be categorized as threshing, one of the Sabbath's prohibited labors.

Luke 6:2

Some of the Pharisees asked, why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath? — the question is directed to Jesus rather than the disciples, holding him responsible for his followers' Sabbath behavior. Unlawful (ouk exestin, not permitted) refers to the scribal interpretation that categorizes the disciples' action as prohibited Sabbath labor.

Luke 6:3

Jesus answered them, have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? — the appeal to the David precedent is the response to the Sabbath challenge. Have you never read positions the questioners as failing to understand their own Scripture. The David story (1 Samuel 21:1–6) is the precedent for necessity overriding ritual restriction.

Luke 6:4

He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions — the specific precedent: David ate the bread of the Presence, which was restricted to priests, when he was in genuine need. The precedent establishes that necessity can override ritual restriction — the law is not abolished but its purpose (human flourishing) determines its application.

Luke 6:5

Then Jesus said to them, the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath — the authority claim is the chapter's most sweeping: the Son of Man is Lord (kyrios) of the Sabbath. Not merely a teacher who interprets the Sabbath but the Lord who gave it — the one who made the Sabbath for humanity has the authority to determine its application. The claim is simultaneously humanizing (the Sabbath exists for human flourishing) and divine (the Son of Man rules what God created).

Luke 6:6

On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled — the withered-hand healing is the second Sabbath controversy in the sequence. Luke specifies the right hand — the dominant hand, whose shriveling represents the most significant functional limitation. The man is present in the synagogue without any request for healing — the Pharisees will use him as a test case.

Luke 6:7

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath — the watching is hostile surveillance: looking for (paraterountes, watching carefully) a reason to accuse. The man's presence in the synagogue is the Pharisees' opportunity — they want to know if Jesus will heal on the Sabbath so they can bring charges.

Luke 6:8

But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, get up and stand in front of everyone. So he got up and stood there — Jesus' awareness of the hostile thinking and his deliberate response is the characteristic pattern. Get up and stand in front of everyone: the transparency is deliberate — Jesus will heal in full view, not avoiding the test. The man's compliance communicates the faith that allows the healing.

Luke 6:9

Then Jesus said to them, I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it? — the question reframes the issue: the Pharisees' frame is work/no-work; Jesus' frame is good/evil, save/destroy. Failing to save when one could save is itself a choice — a choice to allow suffering to continue. The question implies that inaction is not neutral but is itself a form of doing evil.

Luke 6:10

He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, stretch out your hand. He did so, and his hand was completely restored — the looking around at them all communicates Jesus' full awareness of the watching crowd before he acts. Stretch out your hand: the command requires the man's active participation — he must stretch out the hand he cannot use. He did so, and it was completely restored: the obedience to the command in faith is the action through which the healing occurs.

Luke 6:11

But they were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus — the fury (eplēsthēsan anoias, filled with senselessness/madness) is the response to the healing that should have produced wonder. What they might do to Jesus: the conspiracy to harm Jesus begins explicitly in Luke at this point, following the pattern of Mark 3:6. The miracle that should have opened eyes has hardened hearts.

Luke 6:12

One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God — the night of prayer before the appointment of the twelve is unique to Luke — no other Gospel records the overnight prayer. Spent the night praying to God communicates the weight of what Jesus is about to do: the appointment of the twelve is not a managerial decision but a prayerful act of discernment. The mountain and the overnight prayer position the appointment within the pattern of divine encounter.

Luke 6:13

When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles — the morning follows the night of prayer: the twelve are appointed after the sustained communion with the Father. He called his disciples and chose twelve: the choice is from the larger circle of disciples — twelve out of many. Designated apostles (apostolous, sent ones): the appointment establishes the function — these twelve are specifically constituted as sent-out representatives.

Luke 6:14

Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew — the list of the twelve begins with Simon, whose name-change to Peter is noted at the calling. The first four are the fishing partners of chapter 5; Philip and Bartholomew are less characterized in the Synoptics.

Luke 6:15

Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot — Matthew (the tax collector of chapter 5), Thomas (who will be remembered for doubting), James son of Alphaeus (distinguished from James son of Zebedee), and Simon the Zealot (possibly a former member of the revolutionary movement, whose inclusion alongside Matthew the Roman collaborator is itself a statement about the kingdom's politics).

Luke 6:16

Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor — the two Judases: Judas son of James (also called Thaddaeus in Matthew and Mark) and Judas Iscariot. Who became a traitor (hos egeneto prodotēs): the aorist communicates that at the time of the list's composition, the betrayal was a completed historical event. The list ends with the betrayer — the same narrative placement as in Mark.

Luke 6:17

He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon — Luke's version of the Sermon is on a level place rather than a mountain (hence the Sermon on the Plain). The geographic sweep of the crowd (Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, Sidon) anticipates the universal scope of the teaching.

Luke 6:18

Who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured — the double purpose of the crowd (hear and be healed) is the consistent pattern of Luke's presentation of Jesus' ministry. Those troubled by impure spirits: the healing ministry includes both physical and spiritual dimensions.

Luke 6:19

And the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all — power coming from him (dynamis par' autou exērcheto): the power goes out from Jesus to heal — the same dynamic as the bleeding woman's healing (Mark 5:30). The all being healed communicates the comprehensive scope of the ministry — no one who reached Jesus was turned away.

Luke 6:20

Looking at his disciples, he said: blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God — Luke's Beatitudes are in the second person (you, not they as in Matthew), addressed directly to the disciples in the presence of the crowd. Blessed are you who are poor: the poor (ptōchoi, the economically destitute) are the recipients of the kingdom — not as a spiritual metaphor but as the literal description of the disciples' condition. Yours is the kingdom of God: present tense, already given.

Luke 6:21

Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh — the now/will be pattern communicates the present reality and the future reversal. Those who hunger now (physical hunger, not merely spiritual desire) will be satisfied; those who weep now (actual weeping, genuine grief) will laugh. The Beatitudes describe the condition of the disciples in the present age and the transformation that the kingdom will bring.

Luke 6:22

Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man — the fourth beatitude is specifically about persecution: the hatred, exclusion, insult, and rejection that come because of the Son of Man. The because of the Son of Man identifies the reason for the persecution — not general social difficulty but specifically the cost of identification with Jesus.

Luke 6:23

Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets — the rejoice in that day is the call to active joy in the midst of persecution: not merely endurance but exultation. Great is your reward in heaven communicates the eschatological reversal. That is how their ancestors treated the prophets: the persecution of Jesus' followers is in the tradition of the persecution of the prophets.

Luke 6:24

But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort — the Woes are unique to Luke's version of the Beatitudes, creating a prophetic balance of blessing and warning. Woe to you who are rich: the rich have already received their comfort (apechete, you have received in full, the word used for receipts). The present comfort exhausts the claim on future blessing — those who have their reward now will not receive it then.

Luke 6:25

Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep — the Woes mirror the Beatitudes in reverse: the well-fed will hunger, the laughing will mourn. The now/will contrast is the present abundance that will give way to future deprivation. The laughing who will mourn are those whose laughter is not the joy of the kingdom but the satisfaction of those who have received their portion in the present age.

Luke 6:26

Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets — the woe of universal praise: when everyone speaks well of you, be alarmed rather than pleased — that is how false prophets were treated. Genuine prophets were persecuted; false prophets were celebrated. The popularity that satisfies is the mark of the message that tells people what they want to hear.

Luke 6:27

But to you who are listening I say: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you — the love of enemies is the sermon's central command, the most distinctive and demanding ethical teaching in the Gospels. To you who are listening (tois akouousin, those who have ears to hear): the command is addressed to those who are genuinely receiving the teaching. Do good to those who hate you: the love is not merely emotional but active — doing good in response to hatred.

Luke 6:28

Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you — the positive responses to negative treatment: bless (eulogein, speak well of) those who curse; pray (proseuchesthe) for those who mistreat. The commands are specific and active: blessing, praying. The love of enemies is not passive tolerance but active good-doing in the face of hostility.

Luke 6:29

If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them — the cheek-turning and coat-giving are the specific applications of non-retaliatory response. The slap on the cheek is an insult rather than an attack; turning the other cheek refuses to accept the insulting framework. The coat taken and the shirt offered communicate generosity beyond what is demanded.

Luke 6:30

Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back — the give to everyone who asks and do not demand back what is taken are the economic expressions of the love-of-enemies ethic. The standard of giving is not proportionality or reciprocity but generosity beyond calculation.

Luke 6:31

Do to others as you would have them do to you — the Golden Rule is the positive formulation of the reciprocity principle — but applied to the treatment of others rather than the expectation of what others will do to you. Do to others: the initiative is yours, not a response to how others treat you. As you would have them do to you: the standard is the treatment you desire, not the treatment you receive.

Luke 6:32

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them — the three credit (charis, grace) questions expose the inadequacy of reciprocal love. Loving those who love you is the standard of the social exchange economy — everyone does it, including sinners. The kingdom's love exceeds the reciprocity principle because it extends to those who do not and will not love back.

Luke 6:33

And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that — the same logic applied to doing good: doing good to those who are good to you is the standard social exchange. Even sinners do that. The kingdom's goodness is not limited to the reciprocal network but extends beyond it.

Luke 6:34

And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full — the lending parallel: lending with expectation of repayment is normal commercial practice that anyone performs. The kingdom's generosity is the lending that does not expect repayment — the economic form of the love that does not expect reciprocity.

Luke 6:35

But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked — the positive summary: love, do good, lend without expectation. Your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High: the reward communicates that the ethic is not irrational but calibrated to the Father's character. He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked: the Father's love of enemies is the model and the ground for the disciples' love of enemies.

Luke 6:36

Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful — the summary command: be merciful (oiktirmones, compassionately merciful) as your Father is merciful. The Father's mercy is the standard for the disciples' mercy — not a human-achievable goal but the divine character as the aspiration. The parallel to Matthew 5:48 (be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect) communicates that perfection and mercy are the same thing: the complete expression of the Father's character.

Luke 6:37

Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven — the three positive/negative pairs form the community ethic: no judging, no condemning, active forgiving. The reciprocal structure (you will not be judged, you will be forgiven) communicates that the treatment one gives determines the treatment one receives — not as karma but as the character-formation that shapes one's relationship with God.

Luke 6:38

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you — the giving principle: give and it will be given to you. The good measure pressed down, shaken together, running over is the agricultural image of maximum generous measure — the grain-seller's most generous possible filling of the container. The measure you use will be used back to you: the standard of your giving becomes the standard of your receiving.

Luke 6:39

He also told them this parable: can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? — the blind-leading-the-blind parable addresses the community's guidance responsibility. Both fall into a pit: the blindness of the leader affects the led. The parable applies to the disciples as leaders in the kingdom community — they cannot guide others toward what they themselves cannot see.

Luke 6:40

The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher — the student-teacher relationship establishes the appropriate hierarchy and aspiration: the student is not above the teacher, but a fully trained student becomes like the teacher. The implication for discipleship is the aspiration of Christlikeness — not superiority to the Teacher but formation into the Teacher's character.

Luke 6:41

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? — the speck/plank contrast is the sermon's most memorable image. The speck in the brother's eye (a real, genuine problem) contrasted with the plank in one's own eye (a much larger problem) communicates the self-deception of focusing on others' faults while ignoring one's own. The hypocrite's hypocrisy is not deliberate dishonesty but the distorting effect of the plank on vision.

Luke 6:42

How can you say to your brother, brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye — the sequence is first remove your own plank, then help with your brother's speck. The correction of others is not prohibited — it is the order that is commanded. Self-correction precedes and enables the effective correction of others.

Luke 6:43

No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit — the tree/fruit principle introduces the character-behavior relationship. Good trees produce good fruit; bad trees produce bad fruit. The principle is self-evident in agriculture and applies to the human character: the quality of the fruit reveals the quality of the tree. The visible behavior (fruit) reveals the invisible character (tree).

Luke 6:44

Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers — the recognition of trees by their fruit is the practical hermeneutic for evaluating people. You cannot harvest figs from thorns or grapes from briers — the impossibility is the point: the nature of the plant determines the nature of the fruit. Character cannot ultimately hide behind behavior.

Luke 6:45

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of — the good treasure/evil treasure distinction is the application of the tree/fruit principle to the human person. The mouth speaks what the heart is full of: speech is the most reliable indicator of inner character. What overflows in words reveals what fills the heart.

Luke 6:46

Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say? — the Lord-Lord address is the most basic form of Christological confession — acknowledging Jesus' lordship. The pointed question is the sermon's diagnostic: the one who calls Jesus Lord but does not do what he says has a fundamental contradiction in their discipleship. Calling Lord without doing is the verbal form of the plank/speck hypocrisy — profession without practice.

Luke 6:47

As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like — the parable of the two builders follows the Lord-Lord saying as the sermon's conclusion. Comes to me, hears my words, puts them into practice: the three elements of genuine discipleship. The parable will contrast two hearers who both come and hear — the difference is in the putting into practice.

Luke 6:48

They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built — the house on rock withstands the flood because the foundation was laid on rock after digging down deep. The digging down deep communicates the effort required for the solid foundation — it is not the easy or obvious choice but the one that withstands the test. The flood that strikes both houses is the same test — the outcome depends entirely on the foundation.

Luke 6:49

But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete — the house without a foundation collapses completely when the same flood strikes. The destruction is complete: not damaged but destroyed. The without a foundation communicates the visible inadequacy of the builder who chose the easy surface rather than digging to the rock. Hearing without doing is the foundation of sand — it looks like a house but cannot withstand the test.