Luke 6:20

Context

In Luke 6, after praying all night, Jesus chooses the twelve disciples (6:12–16), comes down the mountain with them, and "stood in the plain" (6:17), where he begins to teach. This teaching is commonly called the Sermon on the Plain, and its content overlaps considerably with the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. This verse is the first of the four beatitudes (6:20–23) that open the sermon. They are followed immediately by four corresponding woes (6:24–26), the first of which is addressed to "you that are rich."

Jesus "lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said" these words. His hearers are the disciples, with a great multitude that had come to be healed gathered around them. Whereas Matthew 5:3 uses the third person—"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"—Luke uses the second person: "Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God." The Greek word translated "poor," ptōchos, denotes extreme poverty in which a person can scarcely survive without the help of others.

Interpretation

• Socioeconomic reading: The Gospel of Luke shows a marked concern for the poor. This is evident in the Magnificat (1:53) and in the passage where Jesus, reading from Isaiah in Nazareth, declares that he has been anointed "to preach the gospel to the poor" (4:18, quoting Isaiah 61:1–3). On the basis of this theme, this reading holds that the verse speaks of God's concern for those who are actually poor and of the reversal of circumstances that will take place in the kingdom of God. Latin American liberation theology and Korean minjung theology are known to have drawn attention to the text along these lines.
• Spiritual and Old Testament reading: In the Old Testament, "the poor" often also refers to the godly who, under oppression, rely on God alone (see Isaiah 57:15 and Psalm 34:18). Drawing on this background and on Matthew's wording, this reading interprets the verse as encompassing both material poverty and humility before God. Many evangelical and Reformed commentaries adopt this harmonizing approach.
• Discipleship reading: Those who heard these words directly were the disciples, who had left everything to follow Jesus (5:11, 5:28). This reading therefore understands the verse as a promise to those who have become poor through following Jesus.

Debates and Issues

There is no sharp denominational divide over this verse. The emphasis varies, however, depending on whether weight is placed on Matthew's "poor in spirit" or Luke's "poor." Some argue that reading poverty in a purely spiritual sense weakens Luke's social message, while others caution against treating poverty itself as a condition of salvation. Some later manuscripts are reported to add a word corresponding to "in spirit," harmonizing the text with Matthew, but the major manuscripts and modern translations do not follow this reading. How the verse relates to prosperity theology, which emphasizes material blessing, is also a subject of critical discussion.

In the Korean Church

In sermons on the Beatitudes, the verse is often read alongside and compared with Matthew 5. It is also used as a text for sermons encouraging almsgiving and service to one's neighbor.

Related Passages

• Matthew 5:3
• Luke 6:24
• Luke 4:18
• James 2:5
• Isaiah 61:1