Luke 06.39-45 | Sermon on the Level (part 05)

Luke 06.39-45 As we have been going through the Sermon on the Level, we have mentioned the parallel account provided for us by Matthew. In the closing section of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 07.13-29), we see the application of the message that Jesus has been giving. We see specifically that Jesus closes out with a command for His hearers to “Enter (this word in the original Greek is written in the Imperative mood) through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” (Matthew 07.13-14) This breaks down the whole of His message on the mount, demonstrating to His hearers that they have two choices, they can choose to follow the wide and broad gate, where you are following the crowd towards destruction, eternal separation from God in Hell, where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 08.12; Matthew 13.42; Matthew 13.50; Matthew 22.13; Matthew 24.51; Matthew 25.30; Luke 13.28) Or you could choose the narrow gate, where there is not as many people, it causes you to not live for yourself, the way is difficult, but leads to eternal life in Heaven (John 03.16; Romans 10.09-13).

What makes this choice between the two gates all the more difficult is the many false teachers who Jesus warned will “come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” (Matthew 07.15). All throughout the Bible, we are warned about these false teachers, describing them as greedy (Isaiah 56.11; Ezekiel 13.19; Ezekiel 22.25-28; Ezekiel 34.02; Jeremiah 06.13; Jeremiah 08.10; Micah 03.05; Philippians 03.18–19; 1Timothy 03.03; Titus 01.07; 1Peter 05.02; 2Peter 02.01–03; 2Peter 02.10-15; Jude 12) who claim to have vision and dreams from God (Jeremiah 23.21-32; Jeremiah 29.08; Lamentations 02.14; Ezekiel 13.03-16). The Bible describes them as “blind, All of them know nothing. All of them are mute dogs unable to bark, Dreamers lying down, who love to slumber; And the dogs are greedy, they are not satisfied. And they are shepherds who have no understanding; They have all turned to their own way, Each one to his unjust gain, to the last one.” (Isaiah 56.10-11)

They are called the tail (Isaiah 09.14-15), which is interesting because many of the false teachers today like to take Deuteronomy 28.13 (“YHWH will make you the head and not the tail”) out of context and take a passage meant for the generation entering into the Promised Land and apply it for CHRISTians today. They are also described as insane fools (Hosea 09.07); reckless and treacherous (Zephaniah 03.04); ravenous and savage wolves (Matthew 07.15; Acts 20.28-30); blind guides of the blind (Isaiah 09.16; Isaiah 56.10; Malachi 02.08; Matthew 14.15; Luke 06.39; hypocrites (Matthew 23.13-15; Matthew 23.27-29; Luke 06.42); fools (Matthew 23.17); whitewashed tombs full of bones (Matthew 23.27; Luke 11.44); serpents, brood of vipers (Matthew 03.07; Matthew 12.34; Matthew 23.33; Luke 03.07); slaves of their own appetites (Romans 16.18; Philippians 03.18–19); corrupters of God’s Word (2Corinthians 02.17; 2Corinthians 04.02); false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ (2Corinthians 11.13-14; 2John 07); servants of Satan (2Corinthians 11.15); preaching a different gospel (Galatians 01.06-08; 1Timothy 06.03-05); dogs and evil workers (Philippians 03.02); enemies of the cross of Christ (Philippians 03.18); preaching the doctrines of demons (1Timothy 04.01-03); conceited and understanding nothing (1Timothy 06.04); users of abusive language (1Timothy 06.04); men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth (1Timothy 06.05); men who have gone astray from the truth (2Timothy 02.18); captives of the devil (2Timothy 02.26); introducers of destructive heresies, immoral and maligning the truth (2Peter 02.01-03); antichrists (1John 02.18); ungodly persons (Jude 04); and unreasoning animals (Jude 10). God declares a severe judgment on them (Deuteronomy 13.05; Deuteronomy 18.20; Jeremiah 14.15; Galatians 01.08-09; Revelation 02.20-23). The Greek word for “accursed” in Galatians 01.08-09 is (G331) anayema anathema, which means to be eternally condemned.

God declares such a severe judgment on them being eternally condemned because they lead many astray, thinking that they are on their way to Heaven but instead these false teachers are paving their way to Hell (Isaiah 03.12; Isaiah 09.16; Jeremiah 14.13; Jeremiah 23.26-27; Jeremiah 23.32; Jeremiah 50.06; Matthew 23.13-15; Matthew 24.04-05; Matthew 24.24; Luke 11.46; Luke 11.52; Romans 16.17-18; Colossians 02.04; Colossians 02.08; Colossians 02.18; 1Thessalonians 02.14-16; 2Timothy 03.13; Titus 01.10; 2John 07).

Regarding false teachers, the Bible instructs us to mark or bring to the attention of others (Romans 16.17-18), to call them out (Titus 01.10-16), to name names (1Timothy 01.20; 2Timothy 02.16-18) to not allow them to teach in the church and publicly rebuke them (Titus 01.10-16). The Bible forbids CHRISTians from listening to these false teachers (Titus 03.10-11) and instead we are to test or to scrutinize them to see whether they are genuine or not, to see if they really are from God (1John 04.01). God says that the reason why He allows false teachers is to test His people (Deuteronomy 13.03; see also Deuteronomy 08.02; Psalm 66.10). The same way that God allows persecution of His people to test or to show them that they love Him and are faithful to Him, and it proves those who are not really His. For those who are not really His will follow after false teachers (2Thessalonians 02.08-12). False teachers and their acceptance are proof of those who really belong to the LORD or not.

Jesus started the Sermon on the Level giving a description of how a person who is in a right relationship with God should conduct his life, contrasting that with what the Pharisees taught, who were concerned about external qualities, while Jesus was concerned with the internal, the heart. Jesus declared that those who are spiritually poor, spiritually hungry, those who weep over their unrighteousness, and are ignored by the world are blessed (Luke 06.20-26 | Sermon on the Level part 02). Jesus then gave seven distinct commands that involve a continuous or repeated action in Luke 06.27-30 | Sermon on the Level part 03). We saw last time (Luke 06.31-38 | Sermon on the Level part 04) that Jesus told His followers that we are to be distinct from the world because of our supernatural love that does what is right, even to towards those who are hostile to the Gospel. 01. Be Merciful (Luke 06.31-36); 02. Be Wise (Luke 06.37) and 03. Be Generous (Luke 06.38).

Luke 06.39 “And He also spoke a parable to them: This is the second time (Luke 05.36) in the Gospel of Luke that we see Jesus using a parable. The Greek word for “parable” is (G3850) parabolh parabole, and it means a placing of one thing by the side of another for comparison. At its root (G3846 paraballw paraballo) is made up of two Greek words, (G3844) para para, which means beside or alongside, and (G906) ballw ballo, which means to throw. The word “parable” (G3850 parabolh parabole) can refer to a comprehensive or drawn-out comparison or a proverb.

What we will study this morning in the Sermon on the Level (part 05) is four characteristics of false teachers…01. False Teachers Are Spiritually Blind (Luke 06.39); 02. False Teachers Are Duplicated (Luke 06.40); 03. False Teachers Are Hypocrites (Luke 06.41-42); and 04. False Teachers Are Evil (Luke 06.43-45).

01. False Teachers Are Spiritually Blind (Luke 06.39)

Luke 06.39 “A blind man cannot guide a blind man, can he?” The way that this is written in the original Greek (cannot in Greek is mhti dunatai meti dunatai [G3385 G1410] implies that a negative answer is expected.

Blindness was a common malady at this time, and with it came many problems. At that time, they didn’t have the all the rules and guidelines that we have today to make sure things are in place for the blind or disabled. Back then, if you were blind, you were vulnerable to falling into wells or ditches, unfenced cliffs etc.

Luke 06.39 “Will they not both fall into a pit?” The Greek word for “not” is (G3780) ouci ouchi, is a sharpened negative from the Greek word (G3756) ουκ. So the Greek word (G3756) ουκ, in a question is expecting the answer of yes. When a blind man is leading another blind person, eventually they will fall into a pit, or today walk into traffic and be killed.

Blindness is used throughout the Bible as a symbol to those who are spiritually blind. Paul tells us that Satan “has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” (2Corinthians 04.04). Asaph the Psalmist says “They do not know nor do they understand; They walk about in darkness; All the foundations of the earth are shaken.” (Psalm 82.05) Jesus declared that “This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” (John 03.19-20)

As we saw in Luke 04.18, The Mission of the Messiah was to “open the eyes of the blind” (see also Psalm 146.08; Isaiah 29.18-19; Isaiah 32.03; Isaiah 35.05; Isaiah 42.07; Isaiah 42.16-18; Acts 26.18; Ephesians 05.08-14; 1Peter 02.09) because He came “as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness.” (John 12.46) Jesus is the only One who heals those who are spiritually blind. In Matthew 15.12-14, Jesus applies this to the scribes and Pharisees, the Jewish religious leaders who were the false teachers of the day. Even though they taught from the Old Testament, they added their own rules, regulations and interpretations from other Rabbi’s that they made up their own theology. We can still see the fruit of their theology in modern day Judaism, where its all rules and regulations and what Maimonides and other revered Rabbis taught, they are still missing Jesus. Those who follow leaders who do not know the way to God’s Kingdom will never get there, instead they will all fall into the pit of Hell (Matthew 23.15). This is a cold, stark reality of what happens when people follow false teachers, and Jesus is warning His hearers to watch out, don’t follow the spiritually blind (1Timothy 06.03-05; 2Timothy 03.13).

02. False Teachers Are Duplicated (Luke 06.40)

“fully trained” in the Greek is (G2675) katartizw katartizo, and was a common word used for the state of completion, to be thoroughly instructed. A person cannot teach what he doesn’t know and he cannot lead his disciples to a level higher than he has achieved. The more he teaches, the more the disciples become like their master. This includes any faults or false teachings. When your master is blind, teaching false doctrine, the disciple will become more and more like his master, repeating the same false doctrine and eventually falling into the pit of Hell. If the master doesn’t understand the truth of God, neither will his disciples. Conversely, those who follow Jesus will become like Him (1John 03.02). False teachers duplicating themselves are seen even further in Luke 06.41-42.

03. False Teachers Are Hypocrites (Luke 06.41-42)

The Pharisees and other religious leaders of that day were apparently in the mind of Jesus when He gave this characteristic of false teachers. The Greek word for “speck” is (G2595) karfov karphos, and it means a piece of dried wood like a splinter. The Greek word for “log” is (G1385) dokov dokos, and it speaks of a log on which planks in the house rest, like a rafter. By this time, this was a well-known illustration found in Jewish writings throughout the years.

The splinter or speck and the log were used by our Saviour to illustrate in a humorous way the hypocrisy that is commonly found amongst the false teachers of the day (the Pharisees). As is so common amongst the false teachers, they are generally far more tolerant to their own sin than they are of the sin of others. They like to think of themselves as great spiritual leaders among the church, blinded by the sin of their self-righteousness, they are in no position to deal with the smaller sins of others. Paul talks about people like this in Romans 02.01 and Romans 02.21-24. Jesus calls them hypocrites, who “outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.” (Matthew 23.28)

The Greek word for “hypocrite” is (G5273) upokrithv hupokrites, and it originally was used for an actor under an assumed character. Now it is used in the negative, used of someone who pretends to be something that they are not. The point is that one cannot help someone else become righteous if he is not righteous himself; to do so is to be a hypocrite.  The sin of hypocrisy can be a downfall for even the people of God. When Nathan confronted David after he sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheba and murdering her husband Uriah (2Samuel 11.01-12.04), David’s response to the story told by Nathan was a hypocritical response (2Samuel 12.05-07). Nathan told David about a poor man who had a lamb stolen by a rich man and served as dinner when a visitor came (2Samuel 12.01-07). When confronted with our hypocrisy and sin, we are to respond like David, “I have sinned against YHWH.” And Nathan said to David, “YHWH also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.” (2Samuel 12.13)

He has taken away our sin, “As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.” (Psalm 103.12) because He is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 01.29). John tells us that when we “confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1John 01.09), because by His sacrificial death our sin are completely paid for (Hebrews 09.26; Hebrews 10.12).

04. False Teachers Are Evil (Luke 06.43-45)

The fourth characteristic that Jesus uses is the tree and its fruit. The fruit that a tree produces shows what kind of tree it is, and if the tree itself is a healthy tree. There is “no good tree which produces bad fruit, nor, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit.” (Luke 06.43) Good trees do not produce bad, inedible fruit, and conversely neither do bad trees produce good, edible fruit. Jesus then takes the image a little further, by saying that “each tree is known by its own fruit” (Luke 06.44) Plants and trees produce fruit according to their nature, so then “men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush.” (Luke 06.44) Just as trees produce fruit according to their nature, how people speak reveals what is in their hearts. You can tell whether a person is righteous or not by the way that they talk. The hearts of the righteous “brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.”  (Luke 06.45) The Word of God should always test the life and teaching of all those who claim to speak for God. If their life and teaching disagree with the Bible, than “it is because they have no dawn” or there is no light in them, and they will wander “through the land hard-pressed and famished” (Isaiah 08.20-22)