Post Appointment Teaching

Following the appointment of the twelve, Luke records a series of teachings that were apparently given to a crowd that had found Jesus and the Twelve. Matthew skips ahead and gives the instruction that the group later received, while neither Mark nor John comment.

Many struggle with this because they wonder how latterly this is to be taken. This is mid-east hyperbole to draw one to a deeper principle, not a direct command. Basically, they teach one to not depend on current circumstances for good fortune, but on following God.

The teachings given here are similar to those in Matthew 5:3-26, but are much more limited. Was Luke’s list an abbreviation of the teachings of the event that Matthew earlier reported? More likely, it repeated some of the same teachings but occurred on a different date.