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Luke 6:12 begins with Jesus withdrawing to the mountain and continuing all night in prayer to God. The timing matters. Opposition is increasing; the religious leaders are looking for ways to stop Him, and the following day Jesus will choose twelve from among His many disciples and name them apostles. Before that important decision, He prays. There is a simple challenge here for us: if the Son of God gave such attention to prayer in a time of pressure and important decision-making, how much more should we, in our weakness, weariness and temptation, recognise our dependence upon the Father? Prayer was not an afterthought in the life of Jesus, and it should not become one in ours.
Jesus chooses the twelve, and there is another worthwhile lesson in the group itself. Some, such as Peter, James and John, become familiar names throughout the New Testament. Others receive very little attention. Yet all were called and all had a place. Christian service is not about being in the limelight. We are called into a family, into relationship and fellowship with one another, and into faithful service under Christ. From there Jesus comes down to a level place, surrounded by disciples and a great multitude who have travelled from across the region to hear Him and to be healed. Luke tells us that power went out from Him and healed them, before Jesus turns directly towards His disciples and begins teaching them what life in the kingdom of God looks like.
What follows is often called the Sermon on the Plain. Jesus declares, “Blessed are you poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now… Blessed are you who weep now…” In this teaching, the emphasis is not simply upon material poverty, physical hunger or ordinary sadness. Jesus is heralding the kingdom of God and calling His disciples to look beyond the values of the flesh towards the things of the Spirit. The person who recognises his spiritual poverty turns to God. The one who hungers for the things of God looks to Him to be filled. The one who knows his own desperation learns that Christ alone is his hope. Even rejection for the Son of Man’s sake can become a reason for rejoicing, because our final reward and identity are not determined by the approval of this world.
Jesus then turns the blessings around and gives four solemn warnings: woe to the rich, the full, those who laugh now, and those of whom everyone speaks well. The warning is not that possessing something, eating a meal or experiencing joy is itself sinful. The danger lies in finding our consolation, satisfaction and identity in the things of this world while remaining empty towards God. That final warning about universal approval deserves particular attention. Jeremiah faithfully delivered a difficult message from God and suffered for it, even being thrown into a cistern and left to die. By contrast, the false prophet Hananiah offered the people the comforting message they wanted to hear. One was rejected for speaking truth; the other was welcomed for speaking falsely. Popularity is not the same as truth. We must never measure a message by applause. We measure it by the Word of God.
Jesus then turns from how the world may treat His disciples to how His disciples are to respond: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.” This is where kingdom values become deeply personal. Christ does not merely prepare His followers to endure opposition; He calls them to respond differently from the world. Faithfulness may cost us. Truth may not always be applauded. Yet the disciple of Jesus is still called to love, to do good, to bless and to pray. That response does not come naturally from the flesh. It grows from a life whose values, hope and identity are increasingly being shaped by the kingdom of God rather than by the approval, comforts and priorities of the world.
Watch or listen to this study from Luke 6 as we consider the values of Christ’s kingdom: dependence upon God in prayer, finding our satisfaction in Him, remaining faithful when truth is unpopular, and learning to love even those who oppose us.
Scriptures Mentioned / Referenced
- Luke 6:12–30 — portion contained in the supplied transcript
- Matthew 5–7 — the Sermon on the Mount
- Jeremiah 28 — Hananiah and the popular false message
- Jeremiah 38 — Jeremiah persecuted and cast into the cistern
