New Testament Class Member Study Guide, (1997), 4
Why was it important that Jesus call Apostles? (See Matthew 9:36–38; 16:19; Mark 3:14–15; John 20:19–21, 23; Ephesians 4:11–15.) Why is it important that the Lord has called Apostles today?
What do you learn about the powers and responsibilities of Apostles from Jesus’ counsel in Matthew 10? How have you seen latter-day Apostles fulfill these responsibilities?
How have you been blessed by following the counsel of an Apostle?
Suggestion for Family Discussion
Show the chart of General Authorities from the most recent conference issue of the Church magazine in your area. Help family members recognize and learn the names of the members of the First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Share your feelings about the blessing it is to be led by prophets and apostles.
Scripture Chain: The Calling of an Apostle
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New Testament Gospel Doctrine Lesson 6: “They Straightway Left Their Nets“
Luke 4-6, Matt 10
In just a few short chapters in the gospels, we read of Christ’s birth, and events leading up to that miraculous birth. In just one verse we find that Jesus grew in wisdom and understanding. With the exception of his trip to the temple at 12 years of age, we know nothing from the Bible about his youth, or of the years leading to the beginning of his ministry at age 30.
Suddenly, the quick fly by through Jesus’ life ends, and we get to spend some time in the beginning of his ministry. We read of the preparation for his mission, the calling of the 12 apostles and others to assist him, and see his teachings and miracles touch the lives of those around him.
The Messiah
The first verses of Luke 4 has the Savior going through the temptations we have discussed from Matthew.
Luke 4 12 And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
13 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
Then we are back to Galilee
Luke 4 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.
15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
In the ancient synagogue there was a traditional set of events that occurred. A synagogue service required at least ten men to be present. During the service, the Shema would be recited:
Deut 6 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Next, would come a series of prayers, including the Tephillah, a series of praises/songs that were worn on the body (wrist or forehead), and included readings from Exodus 12; Exodus 13; Deut. 6; and Deut 11.
Exodux 12 2 This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.
Exodus 13 11 And it shall be when the Lord shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee,
Deut 6 4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
9 And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.
Deut 11 18 Therefore shall ye lay up these my words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, that they may be as frontlets between your eyes.
These were called “tephillin” or prayers. These prayers were often sung in a sing-song fashion, and many passages in the Old Testament are written in this form.
Once the prayers were sung, a section of the Torah (Genesis to Deuteronomy) was read. Then the reading moved to a section from the Prophets. The service then ended with a closing prayer. It was probably during the section on the Prophets where Jesus stood to read from the book of Isaiah. Unlike most sermons, his is very brief. He read Isaiah 61:1-2 which reads:
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;
Back to Luke 4
Luke 4 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read.
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.
A very straightforward reading, until verse 20.
Luke 4 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.
We are no longer in a routine ceremony. But do those in attendance recognize it?
Many of those in attendance don’t have as much knowledge as we, the readers, have. The first hearers would have heard a claim for a divinely directed ministry, but may not have realized that at his baptism Jesus had been anointed, not just for a prophetic ministry, but as the Messiah.
Without the knowledge of his baptism and other elements of his mission, they likely heard, as noted in verse 18, preaching to the captives, the poor, brokenhearted, the blind, the wounded in body and soul. We take it for granted that they heard what we read.
But to us, Jesus announced his Messiah-ship! The acceptable year of the Lord was the year of Jubilee. Jubilee occurred every 50th year in the Law of Moses. Anyone who had acquired a debt prior to that year, whether in the first or 49th year was released from that debt. This was tied in with the Sabbath of years (every seventh year), wherein anyone who was enslaved during the previous 6 years would be freed with his children and family. Those in debtor’s prison were released. During the Jubilee, lands that were taken or purchased were returned to their original owners, ensuring the lands remained under the control of those who inherited it.
Jesus came to establish a new Jubilee. The Jews had not fully honored the Jubilee of Moses for years. It was a major event during the period of the Temple of Solomon (approx 950BC to 600BC) that during the period of the 2nd Temple (approx 500BC to 70AD) was conveniently ignored, or nominally observed. Freeing slaves and returning property was not good for business. Isaiah had condemned the wealthy of his day for this exact purpose:
Isaiah 3 13 The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.
15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts.
Now the Lord would bring forth his own version of the Jubilee. He would bring sight to those who were physically and spiritually blind. He would free those who were imprisoned by ignorance, in chains of tyranny, or were taken captive by Satan and his devils.
In him as Messiah, he would not just deliver the Jews from Roman captivity, he would free the world from Satan’s grasp.
Luke 4 22 And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph's son?
23 And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
24 And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
Most scholars agree that Jesus was known for teaching and healing. Josephus noted, “At this time there appeared Jesus, a wise man. For he was a doer of amazing deeds, a teacher of persons who receive truth with pleasure. He won over many Jews and many of the Greeks” (Antiquities 18:63). (Holzapfel, Making Sense of NT)
Then the Savior why He was sent to these.
Luke 4 25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;
26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.
And the reaction to this reading and teaching by the Savior indicate that they may have understood more than it seems.
Luke 4 28 And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,
29 And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.
30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
One of the main areas of contention Jesus had with the authorities was: What actions were permissible on the Sabbath? The Gospels all agree that Jesus observed the rites of the Jewish religion. His ministry began in the synagogue on the Sabbath. In fact, there is a synagogue in Capernaum that is likely the remains of this first century synagogue.
This 3rd century synagogue was likely built over the synagogue where the Savior began his ministry.
Some artists have sketched this Synagogue as an accurate representation of the 1st Century synagogue based on the ruins.
Luke 4 ends with teaching on the Sabbath and the following miracle.
Luke 4 30 But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
31 And came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee, and taught them on the sabbath days.
32 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for his word was with power.
33 And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,
34 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.
Luke tells us that not only do mortals recognize the Savior, but also spirits .
Luke 4 35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.
36 And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.
37 And the fame of him went out into every place of the country round about.
Was this work? This is the type of Sabbath activity that will bring him continually into conflict with the Jewish authorities.
He then heals Simon’s mother.
Luke 4 38 And he arose out of the synagogue, and entered into Simon's house. And Simon's wife's mother was taken with a great fever; and they besought him for her.
39 And he stood over her, and rebuked the fever; and it left her: and immediately she arose and ministered unto them.
40 Now when the sun was setting, all they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto him; and he laid his hands on every one of them, and healed them.
Remember the theme we established for Luke’s works. “Jesus the Savior of the World”. But not openly. Not like John where most miracles are trumpeted to everyone.
Luke 4 41 And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ. (emphasis added)
42 And when it was day, he departed and went into a desert place: and the people sought him, and came unto him, and stayed him, that he should not depart from them.
43 And he said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to other cities also: for therefore am I sent.
44 And he preached in the synagogues of Galilee.
Luke 5
The account of the teaching from a boat on the Sea of Galilee in Luke 5 gives us evidence that we do not have a record of everything that Jesus said or taught. Luke lets us know that Jesus spoke to a group from a boat on Lake Gennesaret (a freshwater lake in Galilee). Reading the sermon takes only minutes so is thus only a synopsis of what was said.
Luke 5 And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,
2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.
3 And he entered into one of the ships, which was Simon's, and prayed him that he would thrust out a little from the land. And he sat down, and taught the people out of the ship.
Luke 5 4 Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught.
Verse 4 gives us a nice double meaning, both in launching the boat in to deep water, but also to launching themselves into deeper water…
Which brings to mind Joseph Smith in D&C 127
D&C 127 2 …But nevertheless, deep water is what I am wont to swim in. It all has become a second nature to me;…
Luke 5 5 And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
6 And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
7 And they beckoned unto their partners, which were in the other ship, that they should come and help them. And they came, and filled both the ships, so that they began to sink.
Giving us a great and powerful metaphor on bringing people to the gospel, something the apostles would, and do, spend their lives doing.
Luke 5 8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.
9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the draught of the fishes which they had taken:
10 And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
11 And when they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.
Naturally bringing to mind D&C 4 4 For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in storethat he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul;
The Calling of the Twelve
Many Bible scholars argue that Jesus did not establish a church in his day, that the Christian church actually was developed later by James the Just among the Jews, and Paul among the Gentiles. However, for those who understand priesthood authority, which Christ gave to his apostles, we understand that anywhere there is proper authority of God, there is the Church of Christ.
Christ called 12 apostles, and later the 70, to serve as missionaries and preach his gospel. This shows organization and an established order. After the death of Judas Iscariot, the 11 living apostles gathered and prayerfully selected Judas’ replacement, Matthias (Acts 1). If there were no Church, such restructuring would not have been necessary.
We are intimately familiar with restructuring. On most Sundays, some presidency or another is being restructured and it always follows a familiar pattern. Someone is released, someone is called and they are set apart with the keys needed to perform that calling. Like waves on a shore, the cycle repeats itself by the thousands throughout the church, following the pattern of the Savior.
Apostles are prophets that are established in a quorum or council. Together they hold the keys or special rights to establish and run God’s work here upon the earth.
D&C 107 23 The twelve traveling councilors are called to be the Twelve Apostles, or special witnesses of the name of Christ in all the world—thus differing from other officers in the church in the duties of their calling.
Whether in the early years after the resurrection of Jesus, or today, we have witnesses that Jesus really did resurrect and is the Messiah, the Anointed One of God. Such a witness was very important anciently among the Sadduccees, who did not believe in resurrection, and today among atheists and others who are uncertain of life after death.
In this chapter of Luke we feel this pattern being set, being called, finding ourselves drifting into deep water and attempting to follow the Savior.
Luke 5 12 And it came to pass, when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face, and besought him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
13 And he put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will: be thou clean. And immediately the leprosy departed from him.
14 And he charged him to tell no man: but go, and shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.
15 But so much the more went there a fame abroad of him: and great multitudes came together to hear, and to be healed by him of their infirmities.
16 And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.
This brief episode and it’s retelling in Mathew 8 and Mark 1 suggest that Matthew and Luke relied on Mark for some details of the story. The healing was likely discussed that day and in days going forward. In the various oral traditions the story eventually took shape into the version we have today.
Here’s Mark’s version.
Mark 1 40 And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.
41 And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.
Note how Mark gives us Jesus’ inward feelings. In both Mark and Luke he is charged to not say anything about the miracle. That is not the focus in the synoptics, as opposed to John.
Matthew 8 3 And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
Note in Matthew, Luke and Mark, Jesus heals with touch each time. This is quite remarkable. Leviticus 14 outlines the process whereby a leper can become clean. It is long and complicated. Some blood of a sacrifice will be placed on the healed leper which may have required the priest to touch him, but it doesn’t explicitly say so. There are so many negative connotations to leprosy, it is remarkable that the Savior healed with touch. Many times he healed with a word, or a requirement to do some act. But in this case, in the synoptics, he touches the leper.
Next we get the famous story about the palsied man that is lowered into the building where the Savior is teaching in order to heal him.
Luke 5 17 And it came to pass on a certain day, as he was teaching, that there were Pharisees and doctors of the law sitting by, which were come out of every town of Galilee, and Judaea, and Jerusalem: and the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
18 And, behold, men brought in a bed a man which was taken with a palsy: and they sought means to bring him in, and to lay him before him.
19 And when they could not find by what way they might bring him in because of the multitude, they went upon the housetop, and let him down through the tiling with his couch into the midst before Jesus.
20 And when he saw their faith, he said unto him, Man, thy sins are forgiven thee.
And here he will run afoul of some Pharisees that are present.
Luke 5 21 And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?
22 But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, he answering said unto them, What reason ye in your hearts?
23 Whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Rise up and walk?
24 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power upon earth to forgive sins, (he said unto the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy couch, and go into thine house.
25 And immediately he rose up before them, and took up that whereon he lay, and departed to his own house, glorifying God.26 And they were all amazed, and they glorified God, and were filled with fear, saying, We have seen strange things to day.
Next he calls a publican to be an apostle, Levi, called Matthew. Levi, a publican, a tax collector, is an official member of Herod Antipas’s royal bureaucracy. Many times a publican would have been forced from (excommunicated) the synagogue. Immediately Levi leaves the employment of Antipas.
Luke 5 27 And after these things he went forth, and saw a publican, named Levi, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he said unto him, Follow me.
28 And he left all, rose up, and followed him.
29 And Levi made him a great feast in his own house: and there was a great company of publicans and of others that sat down with them.
30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
And there is the heart of the gospel. It is to heal the sick, the broken-hearted. Those that are whole need very little.
Luke 5 32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
33 And they said unto him, Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers, and likewise the disciples of the Pharisees; but thine eat and drink?
34 And he said unto them, Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast, while the bridegroom is with them?
35 But the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days.
In 35 we get overtones of the crucifixion, when the Savior would no longer be with His people.
Luke 5 36 And he spake also a parable unto them; No man putteth a piece of a new garment upon an old; if otherwise, then both the new maketh a rent, and the piece that was taken out of the new agreeth not with the old.
37 And no man putteth new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the bottles shall perish.
38 But new wine must be put into new bottles; and both are preserved.
39 No man also having drunk old wine straightway desireth new: for he saith, The old is better.
These three mini-parables contain three comparisons. Fasting and feasting, new and old cloth, and new and old wine skins.
These also contrast the mission of the Savior compared to John the Baptist. John is shown as physically rigourous in his obedience, his rought clothing, living in the desert. Jesus on the other hand lives in a house, went to dinner with friends, owned an expensive coat (John 19:23), and is accused of being a winebibber and a glutton (Matt 11:19, Luke 7:34) which suggests that he attended banquets frequently.
Further, John’s message was an anticipatory one. Jesus speaks of a “postponement” or a time when the Good News will be preached. Luke 5:39 highlights that change is hard. People prefer the old bottles.
Matthew and Luke follow Mark through these passages. 95% of Mark is found in either Matthew or Luke.
Luke 6:1-11 highlights the continued and escalating antagonism towards Jesus as it highlights another Sabbath-day controversy.
Luke 6 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.
Then we get to Jesus calling of apostles.
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.
Interestingly, the Gospels only mention the specific callings of six of the Twelve (Simon [Peter], Andrew, James, John, Levi [Matthew], and Philip), although the names of all are given in the Gospels. Of the Twelve, it is likely that Peter, James, and John constituted an inner circle with Peter as spokesman. Some scholars have suggested that the inner circle of three implied Davidic connections (see 2 Samuel 23:8–23, where David has three especially loyal bodyguards, “mighty men with David”). (Holzapfel, Making Sense of the New Testament).
Many scriptural commentators have wondered why 12 were called. Likely it was to remind Israel of its origins (the twelve sons of Jacob, the twelve tribes of Israel). It also hints at a restoration of Israel to it’s earlier form.
Luke 6 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.
One of the problems for the Savior’s ministry as a whole was the large amount of followers that continued to throng him throughout his ministry.
We now have the Beatitudes. Matthew and Luke share four of them. The title comes from Latin, beatus, which means blessed, which shows the continuing influence of the Latin Vulgate Bible translated by Jerome in the 4th century. Overall the New Testament contains 40 similar pronouncements, with 28 in Matthew and Luke and seven in Revelation. These are the most well known.
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.
What is often not realized is how shocking some of these statements were. The merciful do not always receive mercy, at least in this life.
Here are directions on how to live, far removed and simpler than those of the Old Testament.
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 cloak 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.
Luke’s version of this is interpreted in light of forgiveness so “judge not…” is followed by “…shall be forgiven”.
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?
“Judge not” if followed by conditions on judging that suggest that “judge not” was not absolute, that one could actually judge but had to utilize certain principles. Within these principles judging is not reserved to God only, but judging must be done righteously.
Luke 6 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.
The Sermon on the Mount ends with a caution and a warning against false prophets coming in sheep’s clothing. Prophets (and churches) are judged by the FRUIT they bring, not simply on what they say they represent. This is amply testified after the death of the Savior through the apostasy years.
Luke 6 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.
The gospel is clearly one of action, one of hearing AND doing.
Bibliography
Holzapfel, Making Sense of the New Testament
Early synagogue service:http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/commentaries/IVP-NT/Luke/Overview-Jesus-Ministry
Tephillah: http://www.angelfire.com/adazio/page59.html
Jubilee: http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=18&letter=S
The Living Christ: http://lds.org/library/display/0,4945,90-1-10-1,00.html
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