Luke 6:27-36
Love for Enemies
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 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. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 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. 35 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. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Reflection:
This is one of the most challenging passages for those looking to follow Jesus and His commands. As he says in verse 27, "to you who are listening". In the world people get back at those who hurt them. When we are put down we come back at them with similar or worse words. If we loan money there is an expectation for repayment, maybe even with interest. But Jesus offers us a different model that we might call counter cultural. He basically says to do the opposite of what is your natural inclination. Why? So that people might know we are Jesus' disciples.
He rationalizes that even sinners are kind to those who give them kickbacks. You rub my back and I rub yours as the saying goes. If I charge you less than the prevailing market rates I am doing you a favor. But Jesus says if you want to show your true identity as a child of God, forgive those who hurt you. Notice it doesn't say if they ask for forgiveness, a commonly held assumption. Lending without an expectation, shows that one is more concerned with relationships than material possessions.
At the end of the day when we live according to these values, we exhibit the same characteristics as our Heavenly Father. After all, he gave us the greatest gift of all Jesus, and didn't expect anything in return. He offered forgiveness and mercy out of his divine love. So as we love according to this ethic, we show the world the God who offers them this same love and we may be only person they meet who that shows them God's love. Do you have someone you need to forgive? How about someone who is need of a little extra finances at the end of the year. May we remember Jesus' sermon on the plain as he says, "Be merciful just as your Father is merciful."
27 “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29 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. 30 Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31 Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. 34 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. 35 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. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Reflection:
This is one of the most challenging passages for those looking to follow Jesus and His commands. As he says in verse 27, "to you who are listening". In the world people get back at those who hurt them. When we are put down we come back at them with similar or worse words. If we loan money there is an expectation for repayment, maybe even with interest. But Jesus offers us a different model that we might call counter cultural. He basically says to do the opposite of what is your natural inclination. Why? So that people might know we are Jesus' disciples.
He rationalizes that even sinners are kind to those who give them kickbacks. You rub my back and I rub yours as the saying goes. If I charge you less than the prevailing market rates I am doing you a favor. But Jesus says if you want to show your true identity as a child of God, forgive those who hurt you. Notice it doesn't say if they ask for forgiveness, a commonly held assumption. Lending without an expectation, shows that one is more concerned with relationships than material possessions.
At the end of the day when we live according to these values, we exhibit the same characteristics as our Heavenly Father. After all, he gave us the greatest gift of all Jesus, and didn't expect anything in return. He offered forgiveness and mercy out of his divine love. So as we love according to this ethic, we show the world the God who offers them this same love and we may be only person they meet who that shows them God's love. Do you have someone you need to forgive? How about someone who is need of a little extra finances at the end of the year. May we remember Jesus' sermon on the plain as he says, "Be merciful just as your Father is merciful."
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