“Looking at his disciples...”

Read Luke 6:17-20

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Though the Jewish leaders had rejected him, Jesus was popular among the people and his fame had spread far beyond Galilee (17). He was doing many miracles so it’s not surprising that those who were sick or troubled by demons came “to be healed of their diseases” and “cured” (18). The power of God flowed from him so that people received healing just by touching him (19; Mk.3:10; 5:25-30).

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But they had also “come to hear him” (18). Jesus was not looking for popularity but for those who would truly follow him. Already there was “a large crowd of disciples” among “the great number of people” who flocked to him, and the same distinction between “disciples” and “the large crowds” is also found in Matthew’s account (17; Mt.4:24-25; 5:1).

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In both these Gospels, this summary passage about Jesus healing many people leads into a long section of teaching given specifically to his disciples (20; Mt.5:1-2). We call it the Sermon on the Mount (Mt.5-7), though in Luke the location is different (17). Luke’s ‘sermon’ is also shorter i.e. these are two similar collections of the regular teaching on Christian living which Jesus gave to those who were serious about being his disciples.