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This writing is mostly from a sermon I read by Dr. Ralph
Wilson. I have edited and added some commentary,
in red lettering, and also have attempted to change
every verse quotation to the King James Version.
Luke 6:27-36
27. But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you,
28. Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
29. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.
30. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
31. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
32. For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
33. And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
34. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
35. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.
If you were looking for a nice, comfortable religion
that doesn't make too many demands on your life, makes
you feel better when you're down, and will fix up luxury
suites for you in heaven when you die, then you probably
shouldn't try to be one of Jesus' disciples. He is
demanding. He has the crazy notion that his followers
should serve others rather than themselves. He expects
them to show integrity when no one is looking. And he
expects them to love. Not just people who only
occasionally have a bad day. But enemies. Jesus expects
you to love your enemies. Don't follow him unless you're
ready to experience some discomfort.
How often
do we as Christians begin to doubt Jesus simply because
we are experiencing discomfort and persecution in our
lives?
The Blessings and Woes at the beginning of the Sermon
on the Plain are radical. The poor, not the rich, will
be rewarded. Then Jesus says to be happy when you are
persecuted. "(6:23) Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets."
Now he goes a step further. We are to love our
persecutors.
LOVE YOUR ENEMIES (6:27-28)
The world says -- rightly --
to love
your friends, to be loyal to your friends, to look out
for your friends.
Why? Friends will look out
for you. Loving your friends is just smart. This also
goes to loving your wife or your husband. As the Apostle
Paul observes, (Eph 5:28) " So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth
himself". Loving your wife is a no-brainer unless
you're self-destructive. Loving your friends and your
spouse is just enlightened self-interest.
But it's altogether another thing to love an enemy,
someone who has your disgrace or destruction as a goal.
Notice as Jesus teaches his disciples in this passage he
uses the familiar rhythm of Hebrew parallelism.
"Love your enemies, Do good to them which hate
you."
Jesus uses some heavy words to describe the
Christian-haters:
* Greek echthros means "the (personal)
enemy"[1] from echtho, "to hate." Ethros
means "hateful," and as a noun,
"adversary, enemy, foe."
* Greek miseo means "hate, persecute in hatred,
detest, abhor."[2] These are people with an active
desire for our hurt. Miseo is
particularly used as "to persecute." There is
a malicious attitude. These are people you can't turn
your back on.
* Greek kataraomai means "to curse." Curses
are utterances that are designed to bring harm by
supernatural operation.[3]
* Greek epereazo means "threaten, mistreat,
abuse."[4]
But Jesus says that we are not to just force a smile
and mind our own business when we are hated and
mistreated. We are to actively try to do good towards
our attackers. Agapao is a rare word in Koiné Greek.
But it was developed in Christian literature to refer to
the kind of love that doesn't serve itself, but extends
itself for the sake of another. The other Greek words of
the time for love are eros, erotic love, philos, love
for family, brotherly love, and stergos, natural
affection. Agape love is really a different category of
love that the world hadn't seen in action until Jesus
came along and infected his followers with it.
Oh God,
that I could and would display this type of Love in my
life.
Jesus uses four very strong words in these verses:
* Greek agapao -- love your enemies
* Greek poimeo kalos -- do good to those who hate
you.
* Greek eulogoeo -- to speak well of
* Greek proseuchomai -- to pray for, to intercede
for.
None are in the passive voice. They don't just take
care of themselves. They are active verbs describing
deliberate action to do good to one's enemies.
PERSONAL ENEMIES
Let's pause for a moment. Who are your enemies? I'm
not asking who you hate? I'm asking who hates you, or
despises you? Often they are the people close to us who
have been hurt. A spouse or former spouse. A parent. A
son or daughter. A co-worker at the job. An enemy of God
who takes it out on you. Someone whose evil action you
have exposed and is now out to get you. Who are your
enemies?
Now what can you actively do to seek their good? That
is the way Jesus is training his disciples to think.
How do I love my enemy? you ask with all seriousness.
This isn't a matter of just thinking nice thoughts. We
need Jesus to do a heart change within us, to put the
kind of heart within us toward our enemies that was in
God who sent Jesus to redeem and forgive a world full of
despicable people. God-haters, vulgar, foul-mouthed,
unfaithful to spouses, lying, cheating, stealing,
selfish. The list goes on, and on describes us at our
worst. Somehow God loves the people of Israel who thumb
their noses at him again and again. He doesn't quit.
They are unfaithful and are punished, but then God is at
it again seeking to bless them. He doesn't give up. He
has a heart of love toward the loveless. That's what we
need to love our own enemies. We have plenty of strong
examples from our God to follow.
So how do you do it? I don't think we wait for
emotions of love. Rather we start with actions of love,
and emotions may follow on later. We start doing what
Jesus taught right here:
(Here, we
are acting on faith, we are doing it because we should
do it. We are doing it because we are told
to. I think if we wait for the emotions to come
before we begin, we may be waiting a long time.)
* DO GOOD. When you find a way you can do something
good for one of your worst enemies, do it. Not to shame
him, but because you are trying to find it in your own
evil heart to love him for Jesus' sake.
We don't
look very hard for these ways, do we? I usually
just avoid my enemies, to avoid the confrontation and
pain.
* BLESS. When you think of the person who is
slandering you, and saying untrue and nasty things about
you, find ways to work blessing into your thoughts.
Speak a blessing out loud. When you are with friends,
instead of complaining about your unjust treatment, go
out of your way (actively) to speak well of your
enemies. Why? To shame them? No -- though it will. But
to find it in your own heart to love them.
(Also,
this will help you to stop backbiting people, or
maliciously gossiping about them. How often
untruths work their way in our conversations when we are
talking about our enemies!)
* PRAY. Intercede. When you're praying, you probably
pray for your family and your pastor, and your friends
and family. Why don't you begin to pray and intercede
for your enemies. Actively. Start to ask God to help
them. Ask God to heal the hurts in their lives that are
some of the motivators of their evil actions. Ask God to
bless them and show mercy to them. Why? To shame them?
No, in order to find it in your heart to love them.
This will
help us to forgive, also. And we know we must
forgive, don't we?
And if you'll do good when you find opportunities,
and bless when you think of them, and pray and intercede
earnestly before the Lord, you'll find that God will
begin to put love in your heart toward your enemies.
Actual love. Sometimes even emotions, too.
Man, does
this ever work! This empowers you to let go of
your old hurts and perceived wrongs. And sometimes
you find, it heals both of you.
You see, Jesus is out to create an army of disciples
that look at enemies as he and his Father look at them.
As people to love and care for. People to provide rain
for. People to die for. Jesus is out to change you and
me. And obeying Jesus' commands in these verses, along
with the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, will
accomplish just that.
THE USE OF HYPERBOLE IN TEACHING
Before we discuss Jesus' teaching in the next verses,
we need to talk about the use of hyperbole as a teaching
tool. Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration to make a
point. Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines it as
"extravagant exaggeration."[5] Before we say
that Jesus could never exaggerate to make a point, let's
consider how you and I use hyperbole in everyday speech
-- to make a point.
* "I've done that a million times."
* "If I had a nickel for every time you've said
that, I'd be a rich man."
* "You are more radiant than the sun, and your
eyes sparkle like beams of sunlight."
* "I nearly died laughing."
* "I was hopping mad."
You get the idea. We are constantly finding means of
expression to make a point. We allow "poetic
license" to create word pictures that aren't
literally true, but that make a point in a specially
poignant way. We're a people of exaggeration in speech.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not talking about stretching the
truth here. I'm talking about using exaggerations to
make a point.
Jesus used exaggerations to make a point, too. This
was a common way of speaking in his day. Here are a few
examples of hyperbole in Jesus' teaching:
Matthew 5:29-30
Cutting off a hand or gouging out an eye
Point: Hating sin
Matthew 19:24
A camel going through the eye of a needle
Point: Impossibility
Luke 6:41-42
A beam or timber in one's eye
Point: Clear judgment
Luke 14:26
A man should hate his father and mother, wife and
children
Point: Absolute commitment
Hyperbole has a respected place in teaching. Don't
make the mistake of expecting every word Jesus says to
be LITERALLY true. What he says IS true, of course. But
we must take it as it is meant. And we must take it very
seriously. He probably uses hyperbole only to highlight
a concept his hearers are likely to miss without it.
When Jesus speaks in hyperbole, we must be a thousand
times more careful to listen. But we'd better discern
when Jesus is speaking in hyperbole, or we'll make big
mistakes in interpreting Scripture.
REFUSE TO RETALIATE (6:29)
And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.
(6:29)
"To turn the other cheek" has made it into
the English language as an expression meaning to go out
of your way to avoid a nasty confrontation. Even though
provoked, instead of lashing out, you turn the other
cheek. In fact, I think that's pretty close to what this
sentence means in Jesus' teaching. Remember, the context
is enemies, those who insult us and seek to embarrass
us.
Jesus's point is that we are to avoid hitting back,
the natural human reaction. How can we love when we hit
back with something that will wound our opponent?
Husbands and wives sometimes get into arguments;
tensions that may have been simmering for years boil
over once again. And with the boiling comes anger, and
with anger a willingness not just to defend, but to
strike back. To get an advantage. To have the last word.
To wound.
(Who
hasn't been there or done that? We do the most
damage sometimes in fights because we have to get that
last lick in, to say that thing we know will hurt
because in our anger we derive some perverse
satisfaction from seeing the other hurt.)
Though Jesus' instruction to turn the other cheek is
intended in the arena with a sworn enemy, the principle
applies to every area of our lives. Don't retaliate.
Don't hit back. Don't move from a position of prayerful
love for your enemy to a drop-down, drag-out fight. Love
doesn't retaliate. Love seeks the enemy's good (1
Corinthians 13:4-7).
The second command is harder yet to understand.
"If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from
taking your tunic" (6:29b). But the principle is
the same -- after all, this is Hebrew parallelism. When
your enemy takes your cloak, remember that you love him.
You are praying for him. You are blessing him and
seeking his good. Don't get grabby and nasty and
accusing. You love him, remember? Let him have your
tunic also.
Oohhh! I can hear you say. You don't think you can do
that. I don't think you can, either. But with the Spirit
of Jesus working through you he can teach you to love
your enemies -- even at their ugliest.
After all, we can learn from the masters of patience,
and repeated forgiveness. The Father told Hosea to marry
a prostitute and have children by her. Inevitably she
returned to her old ways, and left Hosea. But he went
searching for her, and brought her back and forgave her.
I hear the old, old story of the searching Father loud
and clear in the story of Hosea, as I do in the story of
the Prodigal Son. On the cross, this is how Jesus
treated his enemies ... he treated them to the words,
"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they
do."
And we would quibble over a cloak or a tunic? Jesus
is seeking to train disciples to think and act and love
like he does. Turning the other cheek is indeed what he
did as the soldiers spat on him and flogged him, and
jammed a thorny crown into his scalp and mocked him as
king. Was he tempted to retaliate.
I don't
know.
Oh, yes! But he didn't. Why? He loved them. That is the
radical lesson of verse 29.
TAKING IT LITERALLY
If you've got the point, then Jesus' hyperbole struck
home. Now let's consider what this doesn't mean. It
doesn't mean that we as a society should let criminals
run free to do violence on any citizen. It doesn't mean
we shouldn't call the police when robbed. It doesn't
mean that we should stand idly by when someone is
assaulted.
This isn't about crime or pacifism in war. It's about
loving enemies in a radical way. If we seek to make a
new law that overrides the civil law in Exodus against
violent crime we miss the point. Then we're trying to
make a new law where Jesus intended that we look
underneath the law intended to restrain sinful people.
(Well
Said!)
Having now a glimpse of love, don't try to legislate
it.
POSSESSIONS ARE LESS IMPORTANT THAN LOVE (6:30)
And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
(6:31). Verse 31 follows along in the same vein as vs.
29. When our enemy seeks to take what we own, we are to
STILL love him. Our love is to transcend evil deeds.
That's Jesus point.
Does Jesus mean that we are to give to every beggar
or con man we meet? Of course not.
I agree
with the statement about the con man, not sure I do
about the honest beggar, the one who needs the
help. I would consider that being a good steward
of our money. He
expects us to be good stewards of our money. The point
is how we treat our enemies, the radical way we love
them.
THE GOLDEN RULE (6:31)
Now Jesus moves from love of enemies and the radical
way we are to exercise that, to a principal that CAN be
applied generally. It's been called the Golden Rule, and
with good reason.
Scholars observe that it has been stated negatively
by many before Jesus. The great Rabbi Hillel taught,
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your
neighbor: that is the whole Torah, while the rest is the
commentary thereof."[7] But that is merely prudent,
a wise way to keep out of trouble with your neighbor.
When Jesus turned this to a positive, it IS radical. It
states for us clearly how we are to exercise love. We
are to treat people the way we would like to be treated.
Not the way they DESERVE to be treated, but the way we
would like to be treated.
I don't
think any of us want to be treated the way we DESERVE to
be treated! There is
still the strong current of radical love of the Father.
If Jesus had treated us as we deserve, we'd all be
doomed. But he has shown us grace, and now expects his
disciples to dispense that same grace and graciousness
to the world in his name.
Oh, that
we would learn this lesson well, myself included!
EXCEED THE SELF-AWARE GOODWILL OF UNBELIEVERS
(6:32-34)
(6:32-34) For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.(6:32-34)
Now Jesus gives several examples to illustrate the
difference between a selfish, prudent way of dealing,
and his own radical love, looking out for the other
person's best interests. Even "sinners,"
unbelievers, shrewd but relatively moral people, care
about their friends. It's good business. "What goes
around, comes around," and so let's all be nice.
But that isn't Jesus' point. He tell us to show
kindness, especially when we won't be beneficiaries of
it later.
(We are
often quite kind, when we will benefit in some way
later!) Unselfish,
serving love -- agape love -- is what he is illustrating
here. Self-love seeks repayment -- the sooner the
better. Agape love seeks no repayment.
But there will be a day when we will be repaid in
full. In the Father's Kingdom Jesus' disciples will have
the high status of sons of the King. There will be a
payday, someday. But we are not to seek it now, in this
life. The eyes of faith are trained to look beyond the
seen, to the unseen. "While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."
(2 Corinthians 4:18).
LEARN MERCY FROM GOD'S EXAMPLE (6:35-36)
"35. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." (6:35-36)
Jesus has digressed a bit and generalized his
instructions about love to all mankind. But now he
narrows the view again to enemies. Anyone can love
friends -- and we must -- but the test of real love
comes with loving enemies. And into that school Jesus
thrusts his disciples. If they would follow him they
must learn the Father's way, the way of long-suffering,
the way of love, the way of mercy. Jesus gives three
commands as the elements of this pass-fail exam:
* Love your enemies
* Do good to them
* Lend to them without expecting to get anything back.
ON LENDING
In America we live in a credit culture. Young people
are encouraged to incur a little debt and then pay it
back at regular intervals in order to develop a credit
rating. People commonly borrow to buy a house, buy a
car, purchase living room furniture. Buy now, pay later.
When we read about lending in the Bible we need to purge
our thoughts of borrowing for these purposes. They just
didn't.
Sometimes businessmen might borrow to set up a
business, but interest rates could be 20% or 30%.
Moneylenders were tolerated in First Century Palestine
(Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27)[8], though looked down
upon. There was no Small Business Administration loan to
provide a "grubstake" to begin a business.
Business loans were a much later development. Jews were
prohibited to loan on interest to other Jews, especially
to help the subsist. The Law provided considerable
protection to the poor, when it was enforced.[9]
People borrowed when they were needy, when they had a
reversal of fortunes and needed money for food.
Borrowing was not entered into lightly. If you think
loaning money to your useless brother-in-law to help
provide for your sister's family is a recent invention,
you'd be wrong. People lent to family members. Sometimes
they were paid back, often they were not.
One nasty fact of First Century life was debtor's
prison. The lender could demand repayment, and if it
were not forthcoming, he could throw the debtor into
prison until he would pay his debt (Matthew 5:25-26;
Luke 12:58-59; Matthew 18:30). This seems
counter-intuitive to us. How can he pay his debts if he
can't work? we wonder. Family and friends, having pity
on their blood relative -- or feeling shame for not
doing anything for their own flesh and blood -- would
ante up, pay off the debt, and the debtor would be
released.
But what if the debtor had no family or friends? What
if he were a miserable good-for-nothing whose friends
had long ago deserted him? What if he were threatened
with prison. What then?
FORGIVEN DEBTORS
Then, says Jesus, the Christians who he is
persecuting should ante up on his behalf and lend the
money to get him released. No matter if the Christian is
not repaid. Here is a wonderful test case for Jesus'
disciples, an opportunity to help a miserable insolent
unbeliever purely out of love, with no hope of reward.
That, Jesus says, is real mercy. That comes closest
to the Father's style of mercy than any other possible
repayment can the Father expect from us miserable
sinners. We surely can't repay enough to compensate for
the precious blood of Jesus that was shed on our behalf,
that atoned for our sins. Mercy to those who have no way
of repayment? Jesus' death for our sins is one such
case.
And disciples of Jesus must learn to be merciful. Not
when it is useful. Not when it is convenient. Not when
the recipient is worthy. Mercy is never justified. It is
given freely. That is what we disciples must learn.
"35. But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.
36. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." (6:35-36)
The cost of learning this costly mercy to enemies may
be some insults and slander. Some blows to the cheek and
stolen cloaks. But to learn this is to learn the essence
of the Gospel. And the reward is God-likeness, the most
rarefied gift Jesus' Spirit can bestow.
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PRAYER
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Lord, the more I ponder these uncompromising words,
the more I realize that I am in agape kindergarten.
Please help me to take your words seriously and not
discount them. Make your point deep in my heart. Teach
me your mercy. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
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QUESTIONS
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1. Why is the real test of agape love, being able to
love your enemies? If we fail this test, do we really
have agape love?
2. Do you see "turning the other cheek" and
giving your enemy your tunic as literal, figurative,
hyperbole, or what? What is the point Jesus is making
here?
3. Why is loving your enemy so much like divine love?
What is the implication of this for our salvation? For
our lifestyle?
4. What is the difference in effect of stating the
Golden Rule as a negative ("Don't do to others, as
..."), as did Rabbi Hillel, rather than a positive
("Do to others, as ..."), as did Jesus?
5. Are you living it? Do you read
articles like these and think, "Well, I should be
doing that", and then simply not think on it
anymore? Think about specific examples in your
life, and honestly see how you stack up against Jesus'
Words.
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REFERENCES
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1. BAG 331.
2. BAG 522-523.
3. F. Büchsel, "ara, ktl.," TDNT 1:448-451.
4. BAG 285.
5. Merriam-Webster, p. 570.
6. T.W. Manson, The Sayings of Jesus (Eerdmans, 1979,
originally published 1937), p. 51.
7. Shabbath 31a, quoted by Morris, p. 130.
8. Merlin W. Call, "Bank, Banking," ISBE
1:408-409.
9. Robert J. Wyatt, "Interest," ISBE,
2:860-861. John E. Hartley, "Debt," ISBE
905-906.
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