The Meaning of Luke 6:20 Explained

Luke 6:20

KJV: And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

YLT: And he, having lifted up his eyes to his disciples, said: 'Happy the poor -- because yours is the reign of God.

Darby: And he, lifting up his eyes upon his disciples, said, Blessed are ye poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

ASV: And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed are ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  he  lifted up  his  eyes  on  his  disciples,  and said,  Blessed  [be ye] poor:  for  yours  is  the kingdom  of God. 

What does Luke 6:20 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Clearly Jesus" disciples were the primary objects of His instruction in this sermon (cf. Luke 6:13-19).
"Blessed" (Gr. makarios) in this context describes the happy condition of someone whom God has blessed with His special favor. [1] Luke"s original Greek readers would have been familiar with the word.
"Originally in Greek usage the word described the happy estate of the gods above earthly sufferings and labors." [2]
Poor disciples are those who have given up what the world offers to follow Jesus faithfully (cf. Deuteronomy 33:29; Psalm 2:12; Psalm 32:1-2; Psalm 34:8; Psalm 40:4; Psalm 84:12; Psalm 112:1). Some of Jesus" disciples had already done this (cf. Luke 5:11; Luke 5:28). Such disciples characteristically look to God for their needs rather than to themselves or the world. The parallel passage in Matthew clarifies that spiritual poverty, namely, a recognition of one"s spiritual need, is at the root of this physically poor disciple"s thinking ( Matthew 5:3).
"They rely on God and they must rely on Him, for they have nothing of their own on which to rely. ... The rich of this world often are self-reliant" [3]
The second part of each beatitude explains why the person in view is blessed or happy. Disciples who forego the wealth of the present world order to follow Jesus faithfully have Jesus" promise that they will enjoy the benefits of the new world order, namely, the messianic kingdom. Jesus" disciples are better off poor now, yet having a part in the coming messianic kingdom, than being rich now and having no part in that future kingdom.
"Human society perpetuates structures of injustice and exclusion, but God intervenes on the side of the oppressed. The disruptive effect of this intervention is often presented in Luke as a reversal of the structures of society: those with power, status, and riches are put down and those without them are exalted. This reversal was proclaimed in the Magnificat ( Luke 1:51-53). A similar overturn of the established order was anticipated in Simeon"s prophecy that Jesus "is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel" ( Luke 2:34)." [4]

Context Summary

Luke 6:12-26 - New Leaders And New Principles
There are three circles here: First, Christ and His Apostles-the men who were to be sent into all the world to preach the gospel and to lay the foundations of the Church. How little did these single men imagine that one day their names would become inscribed on the foundation stones of the New Jerusalem!
The next circle is that of the disciples, Luke 6:17. You must be a disciple before you can be an apostle. You must learn, if you are to teach. You must sit at the feet of Jesus, till some day He calls you out from the class and commissions you to the world. The sheep becomes a shepherd.
The third great outer rim is the poor, needy world. What a gathering of sick folk! But if only people knew the distempers of their soul-life they would gather with equal eagerness to Jesus. How wonderful that secret touch! Luke 6:19. But many still touch Him in the press! [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 6

1  Jesus reproves the Pharisees;
12  chooses apostles;
17  heals the diseased;
20  preaches to his disciples before the people: the beattitudes;
27  Love your Enemy
37  Do not Judge
43  A Tree and Its Fruit
46  The House on the Rock

Greek Commentary for Luke 6:20

And he lifted up his eyes [και αυτος επαρας τους οπταλμους αυτου]
First aorist active participle from επαιρω — epairō Note also Luke‘s favourite use of και αυτος — kai autos in beginning a paragraph. Vivid detail alone in Luke. Jesus looked the vast audience full in the face. Matthew 5:2 mentions that “he opened his mouth and taught them” (began to teach them, inchoative imperfect, εδιδασκεν — edidasken). He spoke out so that the great crowd could hear. Some preachers do not open their mouths and do not look up at the people, but down at the manuscript and drawl along while the people lose interest and even go to sleep or slip out. [source]
Ye poor [οι πτωχοι]
The poor, but “yours” Matthew 5:3 has “the kingdom of heaven” which occurs alone in Matthew though he also has the one here in Luke with no practical difference. The rabbis usually said “the kingdom of heaven.” They used it of the political Messianic kingdom when Judaism of the Pharisaic sort would triumph over the world. The idea of Jesus is in the sharpest contrast to that conception here and always. See note on Matthew 3:2 for discussion of the meaning of the word “kingdom.” It is the favourite word of Jesus for the rule of God in the heart here and now. It is both present and future and will reach a glorious consummation. Some of the sayings of Christ have apocalyptic and eschatological figures, but the heart of the matter is here in the spiritual reality of the reign of God in the hearts of those who serve him. The kingdom parables expand and enlarge upon various phases of this inward life and growth. [source]
The poor []
, but “yours” Matthew 5:3 has “the kingdom of heaven” which occurs alone in Matthew though he also has the one here in Luke with no practical difference. The rabbis usually said “the kingdom of heaven.” They used it of the political Messianic kingdom when Judaism of the Pharisaic sort would triumph over the world. The idea of Jesus is in the sharpest contrast to that conception here and always. See note on Matthew 3:2 for discussion of the meaning of the word “kingdom.” It is the favourite word of Jesus for the rule of God in the heart here and now. It is both present and future and will reach a glorious consummation. Some of the sayings of Christ have apocalyptic and eschatological figures, but the heart of the matter is here in the spiritual reality of the reign of God in the hearts of those who serve him. The kingdom parables expand and enlarge upon various phases of this inward life and growth. [source]
The kingdom of God [η βασιλεια του τεου]
Matthew 5:3 has “the kingdom of heaven” which occurs alone in Matthew though he also has the one here in Luke with no practical difference. The rabbis usually said “the kingdom of heaven.” They used it of the political Messianic kingdom when Judaism of the Pharisaic sort would triumph over the world. The idea of Jesus is in the sharpest contrast to that conception here and always. See note on Matthew 3:2 for discussion of the meaning of the word “kingdom.” It is the favourite word of Jesus for the rule of God in the heart here and now. It is both present and future and will reach a glorious consummation. Some of the sayings of Christ have apocalyptic and eschatological figures, but the heart of the matter is here in the spiritual reality of the reign of God in the hearts of those who serve him. The kingdom parables expand and enlarge upon various phases of this inward life and growth. [source]
Lifted up his eyes []
Peculiar to Luke. Compare he opened his mouth (Matthew 5:1). Both indicate a solemn and impressive opening of a discourse. [source]
Ye poor []
See on Matthew 5:3. Luke adopts the style of direct address; Matthew of abstract statement. [source]
Kingdom of God [ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ]
Matthew has kingdom of heaven, or of the heavens ( τῶν οὐρανῶν )a phrase used by him only, and most frequently employed by Christ himself to describe the kingdom; though Matthew also uses, less frequently, kingdom of God. The two are substantially equivalent terms, though the pre-eminent title was kingdom of God, since it was expected to be fully realized in the Messianic era, when God should take upon himself the kingdom by a visible representative. Compare Isaiah 40:9, “Behold your God. ” The phrase kingdom of Heaven was common in the Rabbinical writings, and had a double signification: the historical kingdom and the spiritual and moral kingdom. They very often understood by it divine worship; adoration of God; the sum of religious duties; but also the Messianic kingdom. The kingdom of God is, essentially, the absolute dominion of God in the universe, both in a physical and a spiritual sense. It is “an organic commonwealth which has the principle of its existence in the will of God” (Tholuck). It was foreshadowed in the Jewish theocracy. The idea of the kingdom advanced toward clearer definition from Jacob's prophecy of the Prince out of Judah (Genesis 49:10), through David's prophecy of the everlasting kingdom and the king of righteousness and peace (Daniel 7:14-27; Daniel 4:25; Daniel 2:44). In this sense it was apprehended by John the Baptist. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
The ideal kingdom is to be realized in the absolute rule of the eternal Son, Jesus Christ, by whom all things are made and consist (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-20), whose life of perfect obedience to God and whose sacrificial offering of love upon the cross reveal to men their true relation to God, and whose spirit works to bring them into this relation. The ultimate idea of the kingdom is that of “a redeemed humanity, with its divinely revealed destiny manifesting itself in a religious communion, or the Church; asocial communion, or the state; and an aesthetic communion, expressing itself in forms of knowledge and art.”-DIVIDER-
This kingdom is both present (Matthew 11:12; Matthew 12:28; Matthew 16:19; Luke 11:20; Luke 16:16; Luke 17:21; see, also, the parables of the Sower, the Tares, the Leaven, and the Drag-net; and compare the expression “theirs, or yours, is the kingdom,” Matthew 5:3; Luke 6:20) and future (Daniel 7:27; Matthew 13:43; Matthew 19:28; Matthew 25:34; Matthew 26:29; Mark 9:47; 2 Peter 1:11; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Revelation 20:1-15 sq.). As a present kingdom it is incomplete and in process of development. It is expanding in society like the grain of mustard seed (Matthew 13:31, Matthew 13:32); working toward the pervasion of society like the leaven in the lump (Matthew 13:33). God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, and the Gospel of Christ is the great instrument in that process (2 Corinthians 5:19, 2 Corinthians 5:20). The kingdom develops from within outward under the power of its essential divine energy and law of growth, which insures its progress and final triumph against all obstacles. Similarly, its work in reconciling and subjecting the world to God begins at the fountain-head of man's life, by implanting in his heart its own divine potency, and thus giving a divine impulse and direction to the whole man, rather than by moulding him from without by a moral code. The law is written in his heart. In like manner the State and the Church are shaped, not by external pressure, like the Roman empire and the Roxnish hierarchy, but by the evolution of holy character in men. The kingdom of God in its present development is not identical with the Church. It is a larger movement which includes the Church. The Church is identified with the kingdom to the degree in which it is under the power of the spirit of Christ. “As the Old Testament kingdom of God was perfected and completed when it ceased to be external, and became internal by being enthroned in the heart, so, on the other hand, the perfection of the New Testament kingdom will consist in its complete incarnation and externalization; that is, when it shall attain an outward manifestation, adequately expressing, exactly corresponding to its internal principle” (Tholuck). The consummation is described in Revelation 21,22. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
[source]

Blessed []
See on Matthew 5:3. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 6:20

Luke 9:27 The kingdom of God []
See on sa40" translation="">Luke 6:20.sa40 [source]
Luke 6:20 Kingdom of God [ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ]
Matthew has kingdom of heaven, or of the heavens ( τῶν οὐρανῶν )a phrase used by him only, and most frequently employed by Christ himself to describe the kingdom; though Matthew also uses, less frequently, kingdom of God. The two are substantially equivalent terms, though the pre-eminent title was kingdom of God, since it was expected to be fully realized in the Messianic era, when God should take upon himself the kingdom by a visible representative. Compare Isaiah 40:9, “Behold your God. ” The phrase kingdom of Heaven was common in the Rabbinical writings, and had a double signification: the historical kingdom and the spiritual and moral kingdom. They very often understood by it divine worship; adoration of God; the sum of religious duties; but also the Messianic kingdom. The kingdom of God is, essentially, the absolute dominion of God in the universe, both in a physical and a spiritual sense. It is “an organic commonwealth which has the principle of its existence in the will of God” (Tholuck). It was foreshadowed in the Jewish theocracy. The idea of the kingdom advanced toward clearer definition from Jacob's prophecy of the Prince out of Judah (Genesis 49:10), through David's prophecy of the everlasting kingdom and the king of righteousness and peace (Daniel 7:14-27; Daniel 4:25; Daniel 2:44). In this sense it was apprehended by John the Baptist. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
The ideal kingdom is to be realized in the absolute rule of the eternal Son, Jesus Christ, by whom all things are made and consist (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-20), whose life of perfect obedience to God and whose sacrificial offering of love upon the cross reveal to men their true relation to God, and whose spirit works to bring them into this relation. The ultimate idea of the kingdom is that of “a redeemed humanity, with its divinely revealed destiny manifesting itself in a religious communion, or the Church; asocial communion, or the state; and an aesthetic communion, expressing itself in forms of knowledge and art.”-DIVIDER-
This kingdom is both present (Matthew 11:12; Matthew 12:28; Matthew 16:19; Luke 11:20; Luke 16:16; Luke 17:21; see, also, the parables of the Sower, the Tares, the Leaven, and the Drag-net; and compare the expression “theirs, or yours, is the kingdom,” Matthew 5:3; Luke 6:20) and future (Daniel 7:27; Matthew 13:43; Matthew 19:28; Matthew 25:34; Matthew 26:29; Mark 9:47; 2 Peter 1:11; 1 Corinthians 6:9; Revelation 20:1-15 sq.). As a present kingdom it is incomplete and in process of development. It is expanding in society like the grain of mustard seed (Matthew 13:31, Matthew 13:32); working toward the pervasion of society like the leaven in the lump (Matthew 13:33). God is in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, and the Gospel of Christ is the great instrument in that process (2 Corinthians 5:19, 2 Corinthians 5:20). The kingdom develops from within outward under the power of its essential divine energy and law of growth, which insures its progress and final triumph against all obstacles. Similarly, its work in reconciling and subjecting the world to God begins at the fountain-head of man's life, by implanting in his heart its own divine potency, and thus giving a divine impulse and direction to the whole man, rather than by moulding him from without by a moral code. The law is written in his heart. In like manner the State and the Church are shaped, not by external pressure, like the Roman empire and the Roxnish hierarchy, but by the evolution of holy character in men. The kingdom of God in its present development is not identical with the Church. It is a larger movement which includes the Church. The Church is identified with the kingdom to the degree in which it is under the power of the spirit of Christ. “As the Old Testament kingdom of God was perfected and completed when it ceased to be external, and became internal by being enthroned in the heart, so, on the other hand, the perfection of the New Testament kingdom will consist in its complete incarnation and externalization; that is, when it shall attain an outward manifestation, adequately expressing, exactly corresponding to its internal principle” (Tholuck). The consummation is described in Revelation 21,22. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
[source]

John 3:3 Kingdom of God []
See on Luke 6:20. [source]
John 6:5 Lifting up his eyes [επαρας τους οπταλμους]
First aorist active participle of επαιρω — epairō See the same phrase in John 4:35 where it is also followed by τεαομαι — theaomai John 11:41; John 17:1; Luke 6:20. Here it is particularly expressive as Jesus looked down from the mountain on the approaching multitude. Cometh unto him Present middle indicative, “is coming to him.” The same οχλος πολυς — ochlos polus (here πολυς οχλος — polus ochlos) of John 6:2 that had followed Jesus around the head of the lake. Whence are we to buy? Deliberative subjunctive (aorist active). John passes by the earlier teaching and healing of the Synoptics (Mark 6:34.; Matthew 14:14.; Luke 9:11.) till mid-afternoon. In John also Jesus takes up the matter of feeding the multitude with Philip (from the other Bethsaida, John 1:44) whereas in the Synoptics the disciples raise the problem with Jesus. So the disciples raise the problem in the feeding of the four thousand (Mark 8:4; Matthew 15:33). See Numbers 11:13-22 (about Moses) and 2 Kings 4:42. (about Elisha). Bread “Loaves” (plural) as in Matthew 4:3. That these may eat Purpose clause with ινα — hina and the second aorist active subjunctive of εστιω — esthiō (defective verb). [source]
Romans 14:17 The kingdom of God []
See on Luke 6:20, and compare Matthew 3:2. “The heavenly sphere of life in which God's word and Spirit govern, and whose organ on earth is the Church” (Lange). Not the future, messianic kingdom. [source]
1 Corinthians 6:9 Kingdom of God []
See on Luke 6:20. [source]
Galatians 5:21 The kingdom of God []
See on Luke 6:20. [source]
Colossians 1:13 Kingdom []
Hence God's kingdom is in the present, no less than in heaven. See on Luke 6:20. [source]
1 Thessalonians 2:12 Worthy of God [ἀξίως θεοῦ]
Better worthily. For ἀξίως comp. lxx, Wisd. 7:15; 16:1; Luke href="/desk/?q=lu+6:20&sr=1">Luke 6:20. Δόξα gloryis not used in N.T. in its primary, classical sense of opinion or notion. It signifies reputation, John 12:43; Romans 2:7, Romans 2:10: brightness or splendor, Acts 22:11; Romans 9:4; 1 Corinthians 15:40. Glory of God expresses the sum total of the divine perfections. The idea is prominent in redemptive revelation: see Isaiah 60:1; Romans 5:2; Romans 6:4. It expresses the form in which God reveals himself in the economy of salvation: see Romans 9:23; Ephesians 1:12; 1 Timothy 1:11. It is the means by which the redemptive work is carried on: see 2 Peter 1:3; Romans 6:4; Ephesians 3:16; Colossians 1:11. It is the goal of Christian hope: see Romans 5:2; Romans 8:18, Romans 8:21; Titus 2:13. [source]
2 Thessalonians 1:5 Of the kingdom of God [τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ θεοῦ]
The phrase is not frequent in Paul. βασιλεία θεοῦ four times; βασιλεία τοῦ χριστοῦ καὶ θεοῦ kingdomof Christ and of God, once. Here in the eschatological sense - the future, consummated kingdom, the goal of their striving and the recompense of their suffering. See on Luke 6:20. [source]
2 Timothy 4:1 At his appearing [καὶ τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν]
Rend. “and by his appearing,” ἐπιφάνειαν thus depending on διαμαρτύρομαι , and the accusative being the ordinary accusative of conjuration, with which by must be supplied. The A.V. follows the reading κατὰ atFor ἐπιφάνεια appearingsee on 1 Timothy 6:14; see on 2 Thessalonians 2:8. For, βασιλεία kingdomsee on Luke 6:20. [source]
Hebrews 12:28 Receiving a kingdom [βασιλείαν παραλαμβάνοντες]
The participle gives no note of time, but simply indicates the fact that Christians as such receive. The compounded preposition παρὰ adds to the idea of receiving that of transmission or communication. They receive from God. See Daniel 7:18. Βασιλεία in the sense of the kingdom of Christ, in this epistle only here and Hebrews 1:8(citn.). See on Matthew 3:2; see on Luke 6:20. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 6:20 mean?

And He having lifted up the gaze of Him upon disciples was saying Blessed [are] the poor for yours is the kingdom - of God
Καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπάρας τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ εἰς μαθητὰς ἔλεγεν Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοί Ὅτι ὑμετέρα ἐστὶν βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ

ἐπάρας  having  lifted  up 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἐπαίρω  
Sense: to lift up, raise up, raise on high.
ὀφθαλμοὺς  gaze 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ὀφθαλμός  
Sense: the eye.
αὐτοῦ  of  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
εἰς  upon 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
μαθητὰς  disciples 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: μαθητής  
Sense: a learner, pupil, disciple.
ἔλεγεν  was  saying 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
Μακάριοι  Blessed  [are] 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: μακάριος  
Sense: blessed, happy.
πτωχοί  poor 
Parse: Adjective, Vocative Masculine Plural
Root: πτωχός  
Sense: reduced to beggary, begging, asking alms.
ὑμετέρα  yours 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Nominative Feminine 2nd Person Plural
Root: ὑμέτερος  
Sense: you, yours.
βασιλεία  kingdom 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: βασιλεία  
Sense: royal power, kingship, dominion, rule.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Θεοῦ  of  God 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.