Read & explore together
Jesus' Sermon on the Plain
In this part of Luke, Jesus speaks directly to his disciples and describes a way of life shaped by God’s values. He contrasts present conditions, calls for mercy towards enemies, and warns that a person’s words reveal the heart.
Understanding the passage
Understanding the passage
Luke presents this teaching as Jesus addressing his disciples. The passage moves from blessings and woes, to commands about love, mercy, giving, and judging, then to short pictures about blind guides, a teacher and disciple, eye-specks and beams, and trees known by their fruit.
Luke 6:20–45Main takeaway
Jesus teaches that his disciples should reflect God’s mercy in how they treat others, and that a person’s inner life is shown by outward words and actions.
Explore the teaching
Open a card to explore the full explanation and its Bible references.
01Blessings and warningsJesus begins with blessings for people who are poor, hungry, weeping, or hated for the Son of Man’s sake.
Explanation
Jesus begins with blessings for people who are poor, hungry, weeping, or hated for the Son of Man’s sake. He says God’s Kingdom belongs to them, they will be filled and laugh, and their reward is great in heaven. Then he gives matching woes to the rich, the full, the laughing, and those spoken well of. Luke’s contrast is sharp and deliberate.
02Love beyond ordinary reciprocityJesus tells those who hear to love enemies, do good, bless, and pray for people who mistreat them.
Explanation
Jesus tells those who hear to love enemies, do good, bless, and pray for people who mistreat them. He gives examples of generosity and non-retaliation, then sums it up with treating others as you would like to be treated. Loving only friends is no special credit, because even sinners do that. Jesus calls his disciples to mirror the kindness of the Most High.
03Mercy, release, and measured dealingBecause the Father is merciful, Jesus tells his disciples to be merciful. He warns against judging and condemning, and he urges release and giving.
Explanation
Because the Father is merciful, Jesus tells his disciples to be merciful. He warns against judging and condemning, and he urges release and giving. The image of a full measure, pressed down and running over, shows abundance. His final principle in this part is that the measure a person uses will be the measure returned.
04Seeing clearly and bearing true fruitJesus then speaks a parable and comparisons. A blind guide cannot safely lead another blind person.
Explanation
Jesus then speaks a parable and comparisons. A blind guide cannot safely lead another blind person. A disciple becomes like his teacher when fully trained. The person who ignores a beam in his own eye is a hypocrite when correcting someone else. Finally, trees are known by their fruit, and a person’s speech shows what fills the heart.
Questions to explore
Pause, look back at the verses and talk together.
01What contrasts do you notice between the blessings and the woes at the start of the passage?
02How does Jesus describe love for enemies in practical actions?
Read the Bible passage
World English Bible ClassicScripture quotation · Public domain
Luke 6:20–45
20He lifted up his eyes to his disciples, and said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for God’s Kingdom is yours.
21Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh.
22Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude and mock you, and throw out your name as evil, for the Son of Man’s sake.
23Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven, for their fathers did the same thing to the prophets.
24“But woe to you who are rich! For you have received your consolation.
25Woe to you, you who are full now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep.
26Woe, when men speak well of you, for their fathers did the same thing to the false prophets.
27“But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
28bless those who curse you, and pray for those who mistreat you.
29To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer also the other; and from him who takes away your cloak, don’t withhold your coat also.
30Give to everyone who asks you, and don’t ask him who takes away your goods to give them back again.
31“As you would like people to do to you, do exactly so to them.
32“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them.
33If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
34If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive back as much.
35But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind toward the unthankful and evil.
36“Therefore be merciful, even as your Father is also merciful.
37Don’t judge, and you won’t be judged. Don’t condemn, and you won’t be condemned. Set free, and you will be set free.
38“Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given to you. For with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you.”
39He spoke a parable to them. “Can the blind guide the blind? Won’t they both fall into a pit?
40A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.
41Why do you see the speck of chaff that is in your brother’s eye, but don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye?
42Or how can you tell your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck of chaff that is in your eye,’ when you yourself don’t see the beam that is in your own eye? You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck of chaff that is in your brother’s eye.
43“For there is no good tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces good fruit.
44For each tree is known by its own fruit. For people don’t gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.
45The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings out that which is good, and the evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings out that which is evil, for out of the abundance of the heart, his mouth speaks.