The Sermon on the...

Exploring the Gospel of Luke

If you’re familiar with Matthew’s account of Jesus' story, then you’ve heard of Jesus’ famous teaching, the “Sermon on the Mount” (Matt. 5-7). But you may’ve noticed that in Luke’s account, we find similar content to what’s in the Matthean Sermon on the Mount. However, Luke doesn’t place the content in one teaching block. Instead, he scatters such content throughout his account.

Additionally, Luke combines what we might find in different parts of the Sermon on the Mount into a new unified literary unit. We can compare and contrast in the following passages:

1. Pronouncements of Blessings: Matt 5:3-12 // Luke 6:20-23

2. Saltiness: Matt 5:13 // Luke 14:34-35

3. Hidden Light: Matt 5:14-16 // Luke 11:33

4. Torah and Prophets: Matt 5:17-20 // Luke 16:16-17

5. Reconciliation: Matt 5:25-26 // Luke 12:57-59

6. Divorce: Matt 5:31-32 // Luke 16:18

7. Enemy Love: Matt 5:38-48 // Luke 6:27-36

8. Lord’s Prayer: Matt 6:9-13 // Luke 11:1-4

9. Forgiveness: Matt 6:14-15 // Luke 6:37

10. Treasures in Heaven: Matt 6:19-21 // Luke 12:32-34

11. The Eye is the Lamp of the Body: Matt 6:22-23 // Luke 11:34-36

12. God and Mammon: Matt 6:24 // Luke 16:13

13. Don’t Worry: Matt 6:25-34 // Luke 12:22-31

14. Judging Others: Matt 7:1-5 // Luke 6:37-42

15. Keep Asking, Seeking, and Knocking: Matt 7:6-11 // Luke 11:9-13

16. Golden Rule: Matt 7:12 // Luke 6:31

17. The Narrow Path: Matt 7:13-14 // Luke 13:22-24

18. Good and Bad Fruit: Matt 7:15-20 // Luke 6:43-45

19. Depart From Me: Matt 7:21-23 // Luke 13:25-27

20. Wise and Foolish Builders: Matt 7:24-27 // Luke 6:46-49

Furthermore, while Matthew portrays Jesus giving these teachings on a mountain, Luke’s portrait states:

^{Luke 6:17} He went down with them and stood on a level place. A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, ¹⁸ who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, ¹⁹ and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all.

Here, we have Jesus standing on a plain, swarmed by many people. That doesn’t sound too new, right? But notice who’s on the scene with him: (1) his disciples; (2) Judeans; (3) Jerusalemites; (4) sick people; and (5) spiritually oppressed/possessed people. These are all the kinds of people that Matthew also mentions were around when Jesus began his Sermon on the Mount (see Matt. 4:24-25; 5:1). However, Luke includes that people from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon (predominantly Gentile areas) came to see Jesus, too.

As stated above, many similarities and differences exist between the Lukan and Matthean versions of Jesus’ teachings, and we don’t have the time and space to go through them all. But let’s have a case study with what is widely known as “the Beatitudes.”

Many strived to touch Jesus to be healed, and then we read:

^{Luke 6:20} Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,

for yours is the kingdom of God.

²¹ Blessed are you who hunger now,

for you will be satisfied.

Blessed are you who weep now,

for you will laugh.

²² Blessed are you when people hate you,

when they exclude you and insult you

and reject your name as evil,

because of the Son of Man.

²³ “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.

Now, that sounds a little familiar, doesn’t it? If we compare it to Matthew’s version, we read:

^{Matthew 5:2b} He said:

³ “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

⁵ Blessed are the meek,

for they will inherit the earth.

⁶ Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

⁷ Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

⁸ Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

⁹ Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called children of God.

¹⁰ Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. ¹²Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

A significant difference between the Lukan and Matthean versions of these blessings is that Luke’s is shorter, and you may think, “No duh, Hakeem.” However, notice that some of the blessings in Luke’s version don’t carry many “spiritualized” connotations. Instead, there’s a focus on those physically experiencing hardship and suffering. For example:

• The Matthean version states, “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” But the Lukan version states, “Blessed are the poor.”

• The Matthean version states, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness.” But the Lukan version states, “Blessed are you who hunger.”

Another difference is that the Lukan Beatitudes contain a set of “woes” that Jesus proclaims for those who are coasting in comfort:

^{Luke 6:24} “But woe to you who are rich,

for you have already received your comfort.

²⁵ Woe to you who are well fed now,

for you will go hungry.

Woe to you who laugh now,

for you will mourn and weep.

²⁶ Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you,

for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.

The similarities and differences between the Lukan and Matthean presentations of Jesus’ teachings allow us to consider how the gospel authors sought to portray Jesus differently.

Could it be possible that Matthew compiled various teachings of Jesus and presented them in one sermon on a mountain to portray Jesus as a New Moses? Could it be possible that Luke’s agenda was to emphasize Jesus’ concern for the poor and disempowered?

The Lukan and Matthean traditions show us that people can have creative, diverse ways of telling Jesus’ story while remaining faithful to his personhood and teachings. Matthew and Luke were not writing to the same audiences. So, they each took the traditions about and of Jesus (memories, eyewitness testimonies, etc.) and formed them into documents that tell the story of Jesus in a manner that served their respective audiences. Differences between gospel accounts are not a threat to integrity or validity—they are an invitation to ponder the theological, historical, and literary agenda of their authors.

Until next time, friends! Thank you for being here, whether you’ve been here from day one or just subscribed today!