Luke 6:14 - Printer Friendly

What does Luke 6:14 mean?

ESV: Simon, whom he named Peter, and Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew,

NIV: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,

NASB: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and his brother Andrew; and James and John; and Philip and Bartholomew;

CSB: Simon, whom he also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;

NLT: Simon (whom he named Peter), Andrew (Peter’s brother), James, John, Philip, Bartholomew,

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

NKJV: Simon, whom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;

Verse Commentary:

Luke begins naming the disciples with the first six Jesus met. Andrew had been a disciple of John the Baptist before Jesus' public ministry. Presumably when they were on the Jordan River east of Jerusalem, John pointed Jesus out to him, and Andrew left John for Jesus. Andrew told Simon about Jesus and brought his brother to Him; it was then that Jesus gave Simon the nickname Peter (John 1:35–42). The next day, when Jesus decided to go to Galilee, He met Philip and Bartholomew, also called Nathanael (John 1:43–51). Not long after, Jesus met Andrew and Peter again and called them as well as their business partners, James and John (Mark 1:16–20). These six were convenient; Philip was from Bethsaida on the northern tip of the Sea of Galilee. Andrew and Peter were also from Bethsaida but lived in Capernaum where James and John also lived (John 1:44; Mark 1:16–21, 29).

Peter is a fisherman. Throughout the New Testament, he is called "Peter," "Simon," or "Cephas." "Simon" is his given name. "Peter" is the nickname Jesus gave him; it means stone or rock. "Cephas" is the Syrian version of "Peter." From this point, Luke almost exclusively uses "Peter" in his Gospel.

Of the two pairs of brothers, we know the least about Andrew. He is Peter's brother, business partner (Mark 1:16), and housemate (Mark 1:29). He was present when Jesus prophesied about the end times (Mark 13:3), but he was not one of Jesus' three closest companions: Peter, James, and John. Besides here, Luke only mentions him in the list of eleven disciples who meet with others before Pentecost (Acts 1:13).

James and John are also brothers and fishermen. Their father is Zebedee (Mark 1:20) and tradition states their mother is Salome, Jesus' mother's sister (John 19:25; Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40), making James and John Jesus' cousins. Salome is known for asking Jesus to make James and John His advisors when He is king (Matthew 20:20–21). Jesus gives James and John the nickname Boanerges which means "Sons of Thunder" (Mark 3:17). James becomes the first apostle to die when he is martyred by Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:2). John, the "disciple whom Jesus loves," is the last to die; despite extensive torture, including being boiled in oil, John dies of natural causes at an old age.

We don't know very much about Philip. He was not Herod Antipas' brother (Matthew 14:3) or Philip the Evangelist, one of the first deacons and a friend of Paul (Acts 6:5–6; 8:4–5; 21:8). He is from Bethsaida on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee where the Jordan River runs in from the north (John 1:44). It was he who invited Bartholomew, also called Nathanael, to meet Jesus (John 1:45). When faced with 5,000 hungry men, plus women and children, Jesus challenged Philip to find bread for them all (John 6:5–7). And it was Philip who asked Jesus to show them the Father (John 14:8).

We know even less about Bartholomew other than he is a friend of Philip and his name means "son of Tolmai." When Philip invited him to meet Jesus, Bartholomew famously said, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Jesus called him "an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" and he is the first to call Jesus the Son of God (John 1:43–49). "Bartholomew" is a family name; his given name may be Nathanael (John 21:2).

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.

Chapter Summary:

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.

Chapter Context:

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.

Accessed 5/3/2024 3:32:09 PM