Chapter 6

Lk. 6:1–5. On a Sabbath—the second after the first—he was passing through the grainfields, and his disciples were plucking heads of grain and eating them, rubbing them in their hands. Some of the Pharisees said to them: Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath? Jesus answered them: Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those with him—how he entered the house of God and took and ate the bread of the presence, and gave it also to those with him, though it is not lawful for anyone to eat it but the priests alone? And he said to them: The Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath. The Jews called every feast a sabbath, for the sabbath is a rest; and often the feast fell on a Friday, and they called the Friday a sabbath because of the feast, and then named the sabbath proper “second-first,” as being second, another feast and sabbath having preceded. It happened, then, that such a thing occurred at that time, and that sabbath was called “second-first.” And when the Pharisees blamed the disciples because on the sabbath they ate, plucking—that is, pulling up the ears—and rubbing them, that is, husking them with their hands, the Lord brings forward David, who when an hungered ate the showbread. For fleeing from Saul, he came to Abiathar the high priest, and deceived him, saying that the king was sending him on some most necessary errand; and being an hungered, he received from the priest both the loaves of the showbread, which they set out daily, twelve upon the holy table, six on the right and six on the left—and he received also the sword of Goliath. By telling them this history, the Lord puts them to shame from the deed of David. “For if you honor David,” he says, “how do you condemn my disciples?” Besides, the Son of man—that is, I—am Lord of the sabbath, as its Maker and Creator and Master and lawgiver, having authority to dissolve the sabbath. For the Son of man could be called no other than Christ, who, being Son of God, marvelously deigned to become and to be called Son of man also for the sake of men. For that I and you are called sons of man is one thing; but he who marvelously became man is the Son of man in a higher sense.

Lk. 6:6–11. On another Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and there was a man there whose right hand was withered. The scribes and the Pharisees were watching him closely, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a charge against him. But he knew their reasoning, and said to the man with the withered hand: Rise and stand in the middle. And he rose and stood there. Then Jesus said to them: I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save a life or to destroy it? And looking around at them all, he said to him: Stretch out your hand. He did so, and his hand was restored. But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. What we said in the Gospel according to Matthew is plain; but now we say this, that he has a withered hand who does none of the works of virtue. For the hand is the instrument of action, and he who has it withered is altogether idle. Whoever, then, wishes his hand to be healed, on the sabbath shall it be healed. What I mean is this: it is not possible to work any of the works of virtue, unless one cease from wickedness. For turn aside first from evil, and then do the good. When, therefore, you keep sabbath—that is, rest from the works of wickedness—then you will stretch forth your hand to the works of virtue, and it shall be restored to you. And fittingly he said, “It was restored.” For there was a time when human nature had the working of the good, and the hand—that is, the active power—whole; then, having lost the former good…

Lk. 6:12–19. In those days he went out to the mountain to pray, and spent the whole night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples, and from them he chose twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Matthew and Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot, Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. Coming down with them, he stood on a level place, with a crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by unclean spirits were healed. And the whole crowd sought to touch him, because power went out from him and healed them all. The Lord does all things teaching us, that we too may do likewise. Behold, then, when about to pray, he goes up into a mountain; for one must pray at leisure, and not in the midst of many, and continuing through the night—not standing at prayer for a moment and then departing. And after the prayer he chooses the disciples, that he may teach us also, when about to set anyone in a spiritual ministry, to choose this with prayer, being guided by God, and asking of him that the approved man be revealed to us. And having chosen the twelve, he comes down from the mountain, that he might heal those who had come from the cities, and benefit them doubly, both in soul and in body. For hear that “they came to hear him”—this is the healing of souls—“and to be healed of their diseases”—this, of bodies. For virtue went out from him and healed all. For the prophets and the other saints had not virtue going out from them, for they were not themselves fountains of powers; but the Lord had virtue going out from him, for he himself was the fountain of power, whereas the prophets and saints rather received power from above.

Lk. 6:20–26. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: Blessed be you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you that weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you, 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. Rejoice you in that day, and leap for joy; for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for in the like manner did their fathers to the prophets. But woe to you that are rich! for you have received your consolation. Woe to you that are full! for you shall hunger. Woe to you that laugh now! for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. After ordaining the disciples, he sets them in order, both through the beatitudes and through teaching, into a more spiritual state; for he directs his word to them. And first he blesses the poor—whether you would understand the humble-minded, or those who have a manner free from love of money. In short, all the beatitudes teach us frugality and humility and abasement and reproach. And likewise the “woe” is allotted to those, the rich in the present age, whom he says “have received their consolation”—that is, here in the present age they receive their gladness—and to those who laugh, and live luxuriously, and are praised. Let us shudder, brethren, how those have the “woe” who are praised by men, but grow old prematurely from God.

Lk. 6:27–36. But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you. And to him that smites you on the one cheek offer also the other; and from him that takes away your cloak forbid not to take your coat also. Give to every man that asks of you; and of him that takes away your goods ask them not again. And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them likewise. For if you love those who love you, what thank have you? for sinners also love those that love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thank have you? for sinners also do even the same. And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thank have you? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love you your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the children of the Highest; for he is kind to the unthankful and to the evil. Be you therefore merciful, as your Father in heaven also is merciful. Since the apostles were to be sent forth to the preaching, and many persecutors and plotters were therefore expected against them, if then the apostles, distressed by persecution, and wishing to defend themselves against those who grieved them, had fallen silent and not taught, the sun of the Gospel would have been quenched; for this reason, then, the Lord, anticipating, exhorts the apostles not to proceed to vengeance upon their enemies, but to bear nobly all that befalls, even if some insult them, even if they plot impiously against them. So also he himself did upon the cross, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Then, lest the apostles should be able to say that such a command is impossible—to love one’s enemies—he says: “Whatever you would wish for yourself, this show also to others; and be such to others as you would wish others to be toward you. If you wish your enemies to be hard and unsympathetic and quick to anger toward you, be such yourself; but if, on the contrary, good and sympathetic and not remembering wrongs, do not think it impossible that you too be such.” Do you see a law innate, written in our hearts? So also the Lord said, “In those days, giving my laws, I will put them into their mind, and write them upon their hearts.” Then he lays upon us yet another constraint, that “If you love those who love you, you are like sinners and heathen; but if you love those who do evil to you, you are like God, who is good to the unthankful and the evil.” Which, then, do you wish—to be like the sinners, or like God? First he persuaded you from the natural law; then he persuades you also from the end and the reward, to be like God.

Lk. 6:37–38. Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you; 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 back to you.

Lk. 6:39–40. a parable to them: Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like his teacher. The Lord cuts away a most grievous disease of our souls—I mean the root of contemptuousness. For he who does not examine himself, but looks only on his neighbor’s affairs, and wishes to find fault with these, plainly is caught by contemptuousness without knowing it. For he assuredly thinks of himself that he does not sin, and for this reason accuses others who sin. If, then, you wish to be uncondemned, do not condemn others. For tell me, why do you condemn another as wholly transgressing the divine laws? And do you yourself not transgress a divine law? I pass over the other sins; but in this very thing, in judging others, you transgress—for a divine law surely commands you not to judge your brother; so that you too transgress a law. And being a transgressor, you ought not to judge another as a transgressor; for the judge must be above the nature that sins. Forgive, then, and you shall be forgiven; give, and it shall be given to you. For good measure, pressed down and shaken together and running over, shall they give into your bosom. For the Lord measures back not sparingly, but richly. As, then, if you were about to measure flour, you press it and shake it, and make it run over, if you wish to measure it without stinginess, so also the Lord will give you a great measure, running over. But someone keener might inquire: how, after saying, “With what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you again,” does he again say that they shall give a measure running over into your bosom? For if it runs over, how is it the same? We say, then, that he did not say, “In so great a measure it shall be measured to you,” but “in the same.” For if he had said, “in so great a measure,” then the saying would have difficulty and contradiction; but now, saying “in the same,” he resolves the contradiction. For it is possible to give in the same measure, yet not in so great a one. This, then, the Lord says: “You did a kindness—you shall be kindly dealt with”—this is the same measure; and “running over,” because, having done a kindness once, you shall be kindly dealt with ten thousandfold. The same holds also of condemnation; for he who condemns, then being condemned, receives back in the same measure; but inasmuch as he is condemned the more, because he condemned his like, in this respect the measure is running over. And having said these things, and forbidden us to condemn, the Lord speaks also a parable to us, that is, an example. “For tell me,” he says, “you who judge another while sinning the same things, are you not like a blind man leading a blind man? For if you judge another while you yourself fall into the same things, both are blind; and you seem to lead him to the good through your judging, but you do not lead him. For how shall he be led to the good by you, when you yourself stumble? For the disciple is not above his master; if, then, you who seem the master and guide stumble, surely also the one taught and guided.” For the perfect disciple—that is, the completed one—shall be as his master. These things he said concerning our not condemning those inferior to us.

Lk. 6:41–45. And why do you behold the mote that is in your brother’s eye, but perceive not the beam that is in your own eye? Either how can you say to your brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in your eye, when you yourself behold not the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of your own eye, and then shall you see clearly to pull out the mote that is in your brother’s eye. For a good tree brings not forth corrupt fruit; neither does a corrupt tree produce good fruit. Every tree is known by its own fruit; for figs are not gathered from thorns, nor grapes picked from a bramble bush. A good man brings forth what is good out of the good treasure of his heart, and an evil man brings forth what is evil out of the evil treasure of his heart; for the mouth speaks from what fills the heart. “Why do you behold the mote,” he says—that is, the little sin of your brother—“but perceive not the beam,” your own great sin? And this fits all, but especially teachers and rulers, who punish the sins of those under their hand, even when small, but leave their own, even though great, unpunished. Therefore the Lord calls these hypocrites, as appearing to be one thing—from punishing the sins of others, for they appear righteous—but being another thing, from sinning worse themselves. Then he confirms his word by an example. For just as, he says, a good tree does not bring forth corrupt fruit, nor a corrupt tree good fruit, so also he who undertakes to chasten and correct others and lead them to the better could not be wicked; and if he were wicked, he could not make others better. For the heart of each is a treasure: if it has good things, the man too is good, and speaks good things; but if the heart is full of wicked things, the man too is wicked, and speaks wicked things. And you may understand all these things also as said concerning the Pharisees; for directing his word against them, he says, “Cast out first the beam out of your own eye, and then the mote in your brother’s eye”—just as elsewhere he says, those who swallow the camel and strain out the gnat. How then, he says, can you bring forth good things? For your word too is of the heart from which you speak. How then will you correct others, sinning yourselves?

Lk. 6:46–49. call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do the things which I say? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them—I will show you what he is like. He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on rock; and when a flood came, the river burst against that house and could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; the river burst against it, and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great. This too is necessary for us, who confess him Lord with our lips, but deny him by our deeds. “For if I am Lord,” he says, “you ought by all means to do the works of servants.” And it is the work of servants to do what the lord commands. Then he tells us what he gains who hears him, and not only hears but also does. For he is like a man, a builder, who built upon the rock. Now the rock is Christ, as the Apostle testifies. And he digs and goes deep who does not receive the words of Scripture superficially, but searches their depths with the spirit. Such a one, then, also founds upon the rock. Then, when a flood arises—a persecution perhaps, or a temptation—the stream beats upon that house, the tempter, whether demon or man, and is not able to shake it. And the tempting man may fittingly be likened to a river; for as the rain falling from above makes the river flood, so also the Satan who fell from above makes the tempting man swell. But the house of those who do not do the words of the Lord falls, and the ruin of that house is great. For great are the falls of those who hear but do not. For he who neither heard nor did stumbles more lightly, but he who heard and did not do sins more grievously.