Luke 6:17-19
"And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; And they that were vexed with unclean spirits; and they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all," Luke 6:17-19.
Most of us have heard of the sermon on the mount. We will study Luke's version beginning in verse 20 to the end of chapter 6. We know there are multitudes of people there. Where did these people come from, and what brought them there? What type of people have traveled there? What did it cost to be there? Lord willing, we will answer these questions today.
Christ has just chosen His twelve apostles from among the disciples that followed Him. We are given their names in verses 14-16. We briefly looked at the fact that they were from different walks of life. Aren't you thankful that the Lord saves all kinds of people? All whom He saves are sinners saved by His grace, but we all come from different walks of life. No one can say the Lord saved them for any reason in themselves (I Corinthians 1:18-31). All through the bible we see the Lord saving those who are rich, poor, and those who are steeped in religion and those who are in the depths of open known sin. No matter what spectrum they are placed at by men's opinions, anyone who is saved is a sinner saved by God's grace. We are all from the group, "such were some of you" (I Corinthians 6:9-11). We have nothing to boast in. We couldn't do anything to save ourselves. A dead man can do nothing (Ephesians 2:1). "And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses," Colossians 2:13.
Being from all types of people, we reach all types of people, but with the same message. Christ saves sinners, all kinds of sinners, all the time. He saves us, and He uses us in His ministry. We are placed in the church universal, and are used through the local church. We are a local church and we gather together multiple times a week to worship our Lord and Saviour, to grow in the Scriptures, and to fellowship with each other. I am stressing the point that though we come from all different aspects of life, because of the work that Christ has done in us, we gather together to serve Him, to learn of Him, and to grow in our love for Him. He brings us together for our good and for His glory.
In verse 17 Christ, the apostles, and the disciples come to a plain on the mountain. This would be a place where thousands of people could gather to hear Jesus Christ and be healed by Him. Luke tells us that "a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon" gathered on this plain. It is amazing how far people would travel to come to Jesus. Some came to hear, others came to be healed by Jesus. There were also those there who were possessed by demons. In our culture, I am not sure if we can understand the sacrifices people made to be there. We have wheel chairs for those who cannot walk; we have handicap vehicles; we have paved roads and handicap parking. We have ways to travel comfortably, and once we get to where we are going, we usually have some type of accommodations to settle into. These people did not have any of these things.
Not only was it a labor to travel, it was also dangerous. There were people waiting to take advantage of others. "And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead," Luke 10:30. We know this is a parable that Jesus is telling the people, but the people also knew this was a reality and happened often. Most of the people would travel in large groups for protection, provisions, and company (Luke 2:41-44). As these large groups of people were traveling to Jesus on the mount, others would take notice. Word would spread, and the groups would grow larger. We end up with thousands of people gathering to hear and see Jesus.
Christ is teaching, healing all manner of sickness, and casting out demons. All who are healed are fully healed. No one was turned away. "And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all," Luke 6:19. "Virtue" in this verse is the Greek word "dunamis" and simply means power. It was Christ's power that was healing all the people. They were fully restored to bodily health. Again, it did not matter the extent of their sickness, Jesus fully healed them. What Christ did was truly miraculous.
The Scripture's do not tell us what the disciples were doing while all this was going on. It is obvious that they were pointing all the people to Jesus. These disciples were not learned men. They had not had any college education. Most of them were Galilaeans, and were considered uneducated. "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled, and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus," Acts 4:12. Education is great, and it is needed, but you do not have to have a degree in theology to point others to Jesus Christ. You must have a correct understanding of the gospel, of God, and of man. This correct understanding comes from the Scriptures. We go out into the world living our everyday lives, and we seek opportunity to share the gospel. When we have opportunity to minister to others, we do so seeking opportunity to share the gospel. We minister for the good of others, and ultimately for the glory of Christ. "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men," Colossians 3:23. The Lord is worthy, and everyone needs to hear about Jesus Christ.
Why don't we proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to others? Is it fear of failing? Is it fear of rejection? Lack of love and compassion? Do we have too much going on in our own lives that we do not make the time for others? Most people's answers are that they are afraid of failing and rejection. It is important that we clearly understand the gospel, only then can we clearly communicate the gospel. This helps, but we must also understand that it is not our responsibility to save people, mainly because we cannot save anyone. We need not worry about failing or rejection when we share the gospel when our heart is fixed on Christ, and when we have compassion on those who are perishing (I Corinthians 3:5-8).
In our text, a multitude is gathered together. They have only come to see, hear, and be healed by One. It is no different today. May we be faithful to point others to Jesus Christ. He is the only One who can give them what they really need (John 6:37). Why are you here?
Please send questions and comments to richardsonbaptistchurch@gmail.com. Soli Deo Gloria.
