Sunday School

BACKGROUND FOR THE LESSON. Just prior to our lesson text, we find Jesus in Capernaum, a city in Galilee regularly teaching on the Sabbath days and casting out demons (see Luke 4:31-37). While there in Galilee, Jesus healed Peter’s mother-in-law as well as many others (see Luke 4:38-44). Jesus then taught the people near Lake Gennesaret from inside one of the boats (see Luke 5:1-3). At some point, Jesus told Peter to take his boat out into the deep water and drop his net to catch a great number of fish. Peter obeyed, and he and all the other disciples were amazed at how many fish they caught (see Luke 5:9-11). Jesus then proceeded to heal a leper (see Luke 5:12-17), and a paralyzed man (see Luke 5:16-26). After calling Matthew (see Matthew 9:9; 10:3; also known as Levi; see Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27) to follow Him and answering questions from some Pharisees (see Luke 5:27-35), Jesus gave the parable of cloth and wine bottles (see Luke 5:36-39). Then in chapter 6, we find Jesus and His disciples on the Sabbath day going through a corn field picking corn to eat, and again being questioned by the Pharisees as to why He did what was unlawful on the Sabbath days. Of course, His answer was that He was the LORD of the Sabbath (see Luke 6:1-5). Then on another Sabbath Day while teaching in the synagogue, Jesus healed a man with a withered hand and went out into a mountain to pray the rest of that night (see Luke 6:6-12). At daylight, Jesus selected 12 men from among His many disciples and appointed them apostles (see Luke 6: 13-16). Then Jesus proceeded to teach the multitude from a mountainside. Many scholars believe that this was Luke’s account of the Sermon on the Mount that Matthew records in Matthew chapters 5-7. It included the beatitudes and another parable about two different builders who built on two different foundations (see Luke 6:17-49). This is where our lesson begins.