Jesus had just appointed the twelve
apostles. So Luke now describes the scene that morning when He and the Twelve
came down from the mountain. This was just before He gave the great sermon. Matthew
tells us that the sermon was given on the mountain which came to be known as
the Sermon on the Mount. Here in Luke we are told that the disciples came down
from the mountain and Jesus was with them, and He stood on a level place. From
there Jesus would then give the sermon, so here this sermon is known as Sermon
on the Plain. We must not think Matthew and Luke contradicted each other. In Luke
we see Jesus coming down from the mountain where He found a level plain on the slope,
slightly elevated. From there He could see the multitudes that had gathered by now
to hear Him. So He stood there to give His sermon. The Sermon on the Mount and
the Sermon on the Plain are not two separate occasions. Just looking at the same
event from different angles.
In these verses Luke was describing the
great crowds that had gathered. He wants us to picture the scene and know that
by this time many had already come to believe in Jesus. He had a large
following, so he described them as a large crowd of disciples. And this sermon Jesus
was about to deliver was most certainly delivered at the height of His ministry,
just before the opposition intensified, when He had to move further to the far
boarder of the land. Here among the large crowd of disciples was also a great
throng of people, a mix of Jews and Gentiles from Judea, Jerusalem, and the
Coastal region of Tyre and Sidon.
We can be sure that the people were
not there for just one day. They probably had come a few days earlier and had
intended to stay. Their purpose was to hear His great teachings and to be
healed of their diseases. Of course we know that not all of them had a disease,
but that many brought along their sick folks with them. Verse 8 tells us that
the sick and demon-troubled people attained what they came for. Here Luke classified
those troubled by demons as separate from suffering from other ailments. It is
interesting to note that Luke used two words to describe them being restored. For
those who were sick, he said they were healed. To those troubled by demons and
unclean spirits, he said they were cured. Irrespective of their conditions,
Jesus gave them what they needed. He healed them all.
We are told that those people among the crowds who
were sick sought to touch Him. They were probably pressing forward because of
the throng of people. And Luke said the power was coming out of Him and He was
healing all. We can just imagine that when He began preaching the great sermon,
there was not a single suffering person in the entire audience, who were
longing to hear His word, because He healed them all. Yes Jesus did a lot for
the people. However, the healing part was not the centerpiece of the day. It
was just the prelude to something far greater that was coming. Here in Luke
what’s coming is called the Sermon on the Plain, the sermon given from a level
place. It would be here that Jesus would dramatically level with the Twelve and
all those who would follow Him. We need to poise our spirit and adjust it in a
way that we will be receptive to the message of Jesus. The Lord will always do
His part to get us well, but we ourselves must adjust our attitude and set our
mind in readiness, not only to hear but also to act what He will say to us.
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