The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV

by John MacArthur

  Luke 6

  Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath

  (Matt. 12:1–8; Mark 2:23–28)

  1Now ait happened 1on the second Sabbath after the first that He went through the grainfields. And His disciples plucked the heads of grain and ate them, rubbing them in their hands.

  2And some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why are you doing bwhat is not lawful to do on the Sabbath?”

  3But Jesus answering them said, “Have you not even read this, cwhat David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him:

  4“how he went into the house of God, took and ate the showbread, and also gave some to those with him, dwhich is not lawful for any but the priests to eat?”

  5And He said to them, “The Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.”

  Healing on the Sabbath

  (Matt. 12:9–14; Mark 3:1–6)

  6eNow it happened on another Sabbath, also, that He entered the synagogue and taught. And a man was there whose right hand was withered.

  7So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would fheal on the Sabbath, that they might find an gaccusation against Him.

  8But He hknew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, “Arise and stand here.” And he arose and stood.

  9Then Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: iIs it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or 2to destroy?”

  10And when He had looked around at them all, He said to 3the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored 4as whole as the other.

  11But they were filled with rage, and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.

  The Twelve Apostles

  (Matt. 10:1–4; Mark 3:13–19)

  12Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in jprayer to God.

  13And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; kand from them He chose ltwelve whom He also named apostles:

  14Simon, mwhom He also named Peter, and Andrew his brother; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;

  15Matthew and Thomas; James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon called the Zealot;

  16Judas nthe son of James, and oJudas Iscariot who also became a traitor.

  Jesus Heals a Great Multitude

  (cf. Matt. 4:24, 25; Mark 3:7–12)

  17And He came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples pand a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases,

  18as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed.

  19And the whole multitude qsought to rtouch Him, for spower went out from Him and healed them all.

  The Beatitudes

  (Matt. 5:1–12)

  20Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said:

  t“Blessed are you poor,

  For yours is the kingdom of God.

  21uBlessed are you who hunger now,

  For you shall be vfilled.5

  wBlessed are you who weep now,

  For you shall xlaugh.

  22yBlessed are you when men hate you,

  And when they zexclude you,

  And revile you, and cast out your name as evil,

  For the Son of Man’s sake.

  23aRejoice in that day and leap for joy!

  For indeed your reward is great in heaven,

  For bin like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

  Jesus Pronounces Woes

  24“Butc woe to you dwho are rich,

  For eyou have received your consolation.

  25fWoe to you who are full,

  For you shall hunger.

  gWoe to you who laugh now,

  For you shall mourn and hweep.

  26iWoe 6to you when 7all men speak well of you,

  For so did their fathers to the false prophets.

  Love Your Enemies

  (Matt. 5:38–48)

  27j“But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,

  28k“bless those who curse you, and lpray for those who spitefully use you.

  29m“To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. nAnd from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either.

  30o“Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.

  31p“And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.

  32q“But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.

  33“And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

  34r“And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back.

  35“But slove your enemies, tdo good, and ulend, 8hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and vyou will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.

  36w“Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.

  Do Not Judge

  (Matt. 7:1–5)

  37x“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. yForgive, and you will be forgiven.

  38z“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your abosom. For bwith the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

  39And He spoke a parable to them: c“Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into the ditch?

  40d“A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.

  41e“And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the plank in your own eye?

  42“Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the plank that is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck that is in your brother’s eye.

  A Tree Is Known by Its Fruit

  (Matt. 7:15–20)

  43f“For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.

  44“For gevery tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.

  45h“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil 9treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out iof the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.

  Build on the Rock

  (Matt. 7:21–27)

  46j“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do the things which I say?

  47k“Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like:

  48“He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was 10founded on the rock.

  49“But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it 11fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”

  Luke 7

  Jesus Heals a Centurion’s Servant

  (Matt. 8:5–13)

  1Now when He concluded all His sayings in the hearing of the people, He aentered Capernaum.

  2And a certain centurion’s servant, who was dear to him, was sick and ready to die.

  3So when he heard about Jesus, he sent elders of the Jews to Him, pleading with Him to come and heal his servant.

  4And when they came to Jesus, they begged Him earnestly, saying that the one for whom He should do this was deserving,

  5“for he loves our nation, and has buil
t us a synagogue.”

  6Then Jesus went with them. And when He was already not far from the house, the centurion sent friends to Him, saying to Him, “Lord, do not trouble Yourself, for I am not worthy that You should enter under my roof.

  7“Therefore I did not even think myself worthy to come to You. But bsay the word, and my servant will be healed.

  8“For I also am a man placed under cauthority, having soldiers under me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

  9When Jesus heard these things, He marveled at him, and turned around and said to the crowd that followed Him, “I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!”

  10And those who were sent, returning to the house, found the servant well 1who had been sick.

  Jesus Raises the Son of the Widow of Nain

  11Now it happened, the day after, that He went into a city called Nain; and many of His disciples went with Him, and a large crowd.

  12And when He came near the gate of the city, behold, a dead man was being carried out, the only son of his mother; and she was a widow. And a large crowd from the city was with her.

  13When the Lord saw her, He had dcompassion on her and said to her, e“Do not weep.”

  14Then He came and touched the open coffin, and those who carried him stood still. And He said, “Young man, I say to you, farise.”

  15So he who was dead gsat up and began to speak. And He hpresented him to his mother.

  16iThen fear 2came upon all, and they jglorified God, saying, k“A great prophet has risen up among us”; and, l“God has visited His people.”

  17And this report about Him went throughout all Judea and all the surrounding region.

  John the Baptist Sends Messengers to Jesus

  (Matt. 11:2–19)

  18mThen the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things.

  19And John, calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to 3Jesus, saying, “Are You nthe Coming One, or 4do we look for another?”

  20When the men had come to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, saying, ‘Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?’ ”

  21And that very hour He cured many of 5infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight.

  22oJesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: pthat the blind qsee, the lame rwalk, the lepers are scleansed, the deaf thear, the dead are raised, uthe poor have the gospel preached to them.

  23“And blessed is he who is not 6offended because of Me.”

  24vWhen the messengers of John had departed, He began to speak to the multitudes concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?

  25“But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments? Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings’ courts.

  26“But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I say to you, and more than a prophet.

  27“This is he of whom it is written:

  w‘Behold, I send My messenger before Your face,

  Who will prepare Your way before You.’

  28“For I say to you, among those born of women there is 7not a xgreater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”

  29And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors 8justified God, yhaving been baptized with the baptism of John.

  30But the Pharisees and 9lawyers rejected zthe will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

  3110And the Lord said, a“To what then shall I liken the men of this generation, and what are they like?

  32“They are like children sitting in the marketplace and calling to one another, saying:

  ‘We played the flute for you,

  And you did not dance;

  We mourned to you,

  And you did not weep.’

  33“For bJohn the Baptist came cneither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon.’

  34“The Son of Man has come deating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look, a glutton and a 11winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

  35e“But wisdom is justified by all her children.”

  A Sinful Woman Forgiven

  36fThen one of the Pharisees asked Him to eat with him. And He went to the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to eat.

  37And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at the table in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil,

  38and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head; and she kissed His feet and anointed them with the fragrant oil.

  39Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, g“This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”

  40And Jesus answered and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” So he said, “Teacher, say it.”

  41“There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred hdenarii, and the other fifty.

  42“And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”

  43Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” And He said to him, “You have rightly judged.”

  44Then He turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no iwater for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head.

  45“You gave Me no jkiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in.

  46k“You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil.

  47l“Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

  48Then He said to her, m“Your sins are forgiven.”

  49And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, n“Who is this who even forgives sins?”

  50Then He said to the woman, o“Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”

  Luke 8

  Many Women Minister to Jesus

  1Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and 1bringing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him,

  2and acertain women who had been healed of evil spirits and 2infirmities—Mary called Magdalene, bout of whom had come seven demons,

  3and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who provided for 3Him from their 4substance.

  The Parable of the Sower

  (Matt. 13:1–9; Mark 4:1–9)

  4cAnd when a great multitude had gathered, and they had come to Him from every city, He spoke by a parable:

  5“A sower went out to sow his seed. And as he sowed, some fell by the wayside; and it was trampled down, and the birds of the air devoured it.

  6“Some fell on rock; and as soon as it sprang up, it withered away because it lacked moisture.

  7“And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up with it and choked it.

  8“But others fell on good ground, sprang up, and yielded 5a crop a hundredfold.” When He had said these things He cried, d“He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

  The Purpose of Parables

  (Matt. 13:10–17; Mark 4:10–12)

  9eThen His disciples asked Him, saying, “What does this parable mean?”

  10And He said, “To you it has been given to know the 6mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that

  f‘Seeing they may not see,

  And hearing they may not understand.’
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  The Parable of the Sower Explained

  (Matt. 13:18–23; Mark 4:13–20)

  11g“Now the parable is this: The seed is the hword of God.

  12“Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

  13“But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of 7temptation fall away.

  14“Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, iriches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity.

  15“But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with jpatience.8

  The Parable of the Revealed Light

  (Mark 4:21–25)

  16k“No one, when he has lit a lamp, covers it with a vessel or puts it under a bed, but sets it on a lampstand, that those who enter may see the llight.

  17m“For nothing is secret that will not be nrevealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.

  18“Therefore take heed how you hear. oFor whoever has, to him more will be given; and whoever does not have, even what he 9seems to phave will be taken from him.”

  Jesus’ Mother and Brothers Come to Him

  (Matt. 12:46–50, Mark 3:31–35)

  19qThen His mother and brothers came to Him, and could not approach Him because of the crowd.

  20And it was told Him by some, who said, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, desiring to see You.”

  21But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.”

  Wind and Wave Obey Jesus

  (Matt. 8:23–27; Mark 4:35–41)

  22rNow it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out.

  23But as they sailed He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in 10jeopardy.