“One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and his disciples began to pick some heads of grain, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels. Some of the Pharisees asked, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” Jesus answered them, “Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? He entered the house of God, and taking the consecrated bread, he ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. And he also gave some to his companions.” Then Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” On another Sabbath he went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. The Pharisees and the teachers of the law were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal on the Sabbath. But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Get up and stand in front of everyone.” So he got up and stood there. Then Jesus said to them, “I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy it?” He looked around at them all, and then said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He did so, and his hand was completely restored. But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law were furious and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus. One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God. When morning came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them, whom he also designated apostles: Simon (whom he named Peter), his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called the Zealot, Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor. 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, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all. Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. 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. “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets. “But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. 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. Woe to you when everyone speaks well of you, for that is how their ancestors treated the false prophets. “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” He also told them this parable: “Can the blind lead the blind? Will they not both fall into a pit? The student is not above the teacher, but everyone who is fully trained will be like their teacher. “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. “No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. Each tree is recognized by its own fruit. People do not pick figs from thornbushes, or grapes from briers. A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice, I will show you what they are like. They are like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.””
Vs 1-11 We all like rules, right? They make us feel like we’re in control, like we’re doing things the right way. But Jesus isn’t interested in us simply checking off boxes. He’s after our hearts. It’s not enough to just follow the rules; He wants us to obey Him because we love Him. It’s easy to slip into a mindset where we think that doing the right thing makes us “good enough.” But here’s the truth: obedience isn’t about doing what we have to do—it’s about responding to the love we’ve already been shown. When we understand how deeply we’re loved by Jesus, obedience flows out of gratitude.
In verse 20 we see the beginning of the most famous sermon of all time, Jesus sermon on the mount.
Here’s where Jesus really starts to flip everything we thought we knew. The world tells us that power, wealth, and success are what matter. But Jesus says the opposite: He blesses the poor, the hungry, and those who weep. He calls us to love our enemies and to do good to those who hate us. It’s all part of His "upside down" Kingdom. In God’s economy, everything is turned on its head.
Jesus isn’t just talking about following some nice moral principles— He’s showing us a radically different way to live. A way that doesn’t make sense by the world’s standards, but one that reflects the heart of God. It’s a way that loves the unlovable, forgives the unforgivable, and serves without expecting anything in return. That’s what it looks like to follow Jesus in this world. The reason we can do this so easily is not because of us, but because we realize what we have been forgiven from. We understand the depths of our sin, that we no longer live for this world, we live to bring Jesus to all of the world. We have another home awaiting us that is far greater than anything on this earth will ever be. It can’t compare. We are so blessed even when we suffer, we weep, we struggle because we have peace, joy and purpose despite our circumstances.
Lastly, Pastor Paul David Tripp has a commentary on verse 47 that I love, "Look at verse 47, “Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built.” That house was built on the rock. Here is the age old truth that faith demonstrates itself in deeds. The test of the storm, the test of judgment, and the test of daily trials do not earn salvation for the builder. The tests reveal or prove the salvation of the builder. Are you truly saved? Are you a Christian? Jesus’ words will matter to you. You will strive to do what Jesus says. And, why will you strive to do what Jesus says? Why will you obey? Do you obey because you have to or you’ll go to hell? Do you obey because it’s the right thing to do? Do you obey so that Jesus will love you? Do you obey because you don’t want Jesus to be disappointed in you? The disciple obeys because he is loved. The disciple obeys because she is loved. If you are convinced Jesus loves you then you will obey him. If you doubt Jesus loves you then you will disobey him. You see, Jesus isn’t talking about obeying him when it’s easy. No cost faithfulness reveals nothing. Faithfulness when it is costly reveals a great deal. Wherever you are today, unbeliever trapped in sin or believer struggling against sin, the remedy is the same. Repent and believe the gospel. In Christ you can be forgiven. In Christ you will be empowered to obey. In Christ are the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. We are a people who believe and because we believe we obey. Let’s celebrate that great love that saves us and fuels us to become more and more like Jesus.”