Luke 6:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But some of the Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

NIV: Some of the Pharisees asked, 'Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?'

NASB: But some of the Pharisees said, 'Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?'

CSB: But some of the Pharisees said, "Why are you doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath? "

NLT: But some Pharisees said, 'Why are you breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath?'

KJV: And certain of the Pharisees said unto them, Why do ye that which is not lawful to do on the sabbath days?

NKJV: And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

This is the second of five conflicts Jesus faces while choosing His disciples. In the first, Pharisees and scribes silently judged Him for claiming that a man's sins were forgiven (Luke 5:21). When Jesus chose Matthew to be a disciple, they criticized Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners (Luke 5:30). Then, John the Baptist's disciples questioned Jesus for not encouraging His disciples to fast (Luke 5:33). After this, scribes and Pharisees will lie in wait to see if Jesus will heal a man on the Sabbath. He does (Luke 6:6–11).

"Lawful" means "right," or "proper," or "authorized." The Pharisees claimed to greatly revere the law of the Jews. In addition to the Mosaic law, they followed and enforced the oral law, which scribes claimed God gave to Moses but didn't tell him to write down. The oral law supposedly includes specific applications of how to follow the Mosaic law. Pharisees believed the oral law was as binding as the Mosaic law. The Mosaic law forbids Jews from working on the Sabbath (Exodus 31:14–15) but doesn't strictly define what "work" is.

The oral law includes harvesting grain and separating the kernel from the chaff as "work." Certainly, God did not intend the Israelites to harvest their fields on the Sabbath. However, Jesus points out that preventing a hungry man from plucking heads of grain as he walks through a field is contrary to God's gift of the Sabbath as a blessing (Mark 2:27).

Luke 6:1–5 begins another altercation between Jesus and local religious leaders; this is the first related to the Sabbath. The Pharisees added rules to the Sabbath which served more as burdens than ways to honor God. Jesus counters that the Sabbath is for restoration and nurturing, not hardship. In the first occurrence, He defends the disciples as they pick grain heads. Next, He will heal a man with a withered hand (Luke 6:6–11). The purpose of the Sabbath is to refrain from labor, not refrain from good. Matthew 12:1–8 and Mark 2:23–28 also record this interaction.

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.