Luke 6:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.

NIV: who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured,

NASB: who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled by unclean spirits were being cured.

CSB: They came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those tormented by unclean spirits were made well.

NLT: They had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases; and those troubled by evil spirits were healed.

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

NKJV: as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed.

This describes Jesus' experience at least since He healed the man with leprosy. That man rejected Jesus' command to show himself to the priests, instead telling everyone he knew of the miracle (Luke 5:12–16). He has been telling stories of how Jesus' miracles, actions, and teaching separated His main followers from His detractors. Now, Luke focuses on how Jesus attracts the multitude: by healing them, freeing them from demons, and keeping them engaged in His teaching.

Teaching is why Jesus came (Mark 1:38). As with the prophets of the Old Testament, His lessons explain how people can come to a saving relationship with God. The last of the Old Testament-era prophets was John the Baptist who called for repentance and holy living. Jesus demands His followers' lives in return for eternal life through Him. He gives details in Luke 6:27–49.

Jesus performs miracles and acts of healing for three distinct reasons. The primary reason is that the display of God's power validates the teaching of God's message. Another is to validate the faith people have in Him (Mark 5:34; 6:5–6; Luke 5:20–25). A third is compassion. Sometimes Jesus just feels sorry for people and wants to ease their burdens (Matthew 14:14; Luke 7:12–15).

Finally, Jesus expels demons. Jesus encounters a substantial number of people possessed by demons; the Bible doesn't explain why. Most likely, the demons are both trying to thwart Jesus' plans and are oddly drawn to Him. It's important to note that although Jesus and some of the church leaders exorcise demons (Luke 6:18; Mark 6:13; Acts 5:16; 8:7), nowhere in the New Testament are believers commanded to, nor are we given instructions as to how. The Bible doesn't even tell us how to differentiate between demon possession, mental illness, and physical illness.

What we can learn from Scripture is how to prevent demon possession and oppression. Avoiding demon possession is simple: become a Christian. When we trust Jesus for the forgiveness of our sins, the Holy Spirit dwells in us permanently. He will not allow demons to live with Him in us. The way to avoid demonic oppression is to follow God's standards in Scripture, starting with His commands against activity that draws the attention of or actively calls demons. This includes playing Ouija boards, visiting psychics, and performing foolish spells promoted on social media and websites. Gathering herbs, lighting candles, and saying things "with intention" is not a means of honoring anything. It's a way to invite demons into your life.

Luke 6:17–19 transitions away from the separation of Jesus' followers from His detractors into a series of teachings on the promised blessings for and responsibilities of His followers. This passage is called the ''Sermon on the Plain'' or ''Sermon on the Level Place.'' Matthew's Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5—7) could be the same event; ''plain'' can mean a high plateau. But Luke, writing to a Gentile audience, removes all references to the Jewish law and, as is his habit, summarizes the teachings even more than Matthew. The corresponding passage for this section would be Matthew 4:23—5:1.

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.