Luke 6:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

NIV: Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

NASB: Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

CSB: Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

NLT: Judas (son of James), Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).

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

NKJV: Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot who also became a traitor.

Luke finishes the list of Jesus' twelve apostles with two men named "Judas." The son of James is also called "Thaddaeus" (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18) and possibly "Judas, not Iscariot" (John 14:22). We don't know which "James" is his father—the son of Zebedee is probably too young to have a disciple-aged son. Jesus' half-brother James, who became the leader of the church at Jerusalem and authored the book of James, is likely also not his father. Nor is this Judas the half-brother of Jesus and author of the book of Jude; at this point, Jesus' brothers still think Jesus is crazy (Mark 3:21; 6:3).

Judas Iscariot, of course, is the disciple who will betray Jesus into the hands of the priests and elders to be crucified by the Romans (Mark 14:10–11). Much conjecture has been made as to the meaning of "Iscariot." One theory is that Judas is from the town of Kerioth in Judah. This would make him the only disciple not from Galilee. Another is that he was one of the Sicarii, assassins who carried a curved dagger called a sicarius, or that his heinous betrayal is as violent as an assassin. In translations such as the NIV and CSB, John 13:2 identifies his father as "Simon Iscariot," so the placename seems to be the most reasonable.

Regardless, Jesus chose Judas Iscariot after God gave Him divine guidance during a long night of prayer (Luke 6:12). Judas's inclusion is part of God's plan.

Now that Jesus has chosen His twelve primary leaders, He challenges the crowd to follow. First, He explains what is required of a follower in the Sermon on the Plain (Luke 6:17–45). Then He calls on the crowd to make the choice to base their lives on His foundation (Luke 6:46–49).

Luke 6:12–16 records Jesus officially calling His twelve disciples. Luke has shown that Jesus' way is incompatible with that of the Pharisees (Luke 5:33–39). His new way needs new leaders. Jesus has gained a large following and picked out five men for special attention. Now, after conferring with Father-God, Jesus chooses seven more to become leaders of the church. From here, Luke sets aside the religious leaders and records Jesus' instruction to general followers and invitation to base their life on Him (Luke 6:17–49). This section is also recorded in Matthew 10:1–4 and Mark 3:13–19.

Luke 6 contains two main sections of teaching and calls to discipleship. Luke 6:1–16 continues the pattern of Luke 5. The two ways in which Jesus sets aside tradition—this time by taking authority over the Sabbath—are paired with His call for the Twelve disciples. Luke 6:17–49 records Jesus' teaching on the ''level place,'' or His ''Sermon on the Plain,'' and a call to a crowd for general discipleship. Much of this material has parallels in Matthew 5 through 7, but it's not clear if the two accounts are of the same event. As a travelling teacher, Christ likely gave the same general message multiple times.

Luke 6 completes Jesus' call for disciples and followers that started in Luke 5. Luke 5:1—6:16 consists of three calls for disciples, each paired with two revolutionary teachings about Jesus' authority that increasingly infuriate the religious leaders. Luke 6:17–49 continues the theme with a general call for followers and a description of their responsibilities. In Luke 7:1—8:3, Jesus interacts with the other: Gentiles, women, and even the dead. This is followed by another general call (Luke 8:4–21), a series of miracles (Luke 8:22—9:17), and a final call for the Twelve to follow Him even more deeply (Luke 9:18–50).

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.