Love your enemies

Luke 6:27-36

Key Verse 6:35

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 sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.

This passage teaches us the virtues and ethics of the sons and daughters of the Most High, in dealing with those who are hostile and demanding. Verses 27-31 deal with the issue of what whereas verses 32-36 deal with the question of why. (Verse 27 and verse 36 offer the clues on the matter of how.)

1. Verse 27a reads, "I tell you who hear me." What does "you who hear me" suggest about the way for us to better understand and obey the teachings described in the passage?

** The way to understand it better is by considering what Jesus actually did in his words and actions. The teachings described in the passage might be confusing, and subject to different interpretations. But when we think about the fact that these teachings come from "Jesus" himself, and therefore "reflect" Jesus' person (especially his good influence), then we can have a clear understanding of how these teachings might actually apply in daily situations.

** The way to practice these teachings is to "hear" Jesus and meditate on the examples of Jesus. The word "hear" refers to "heart" knowledge. So if we know Jesus by heart, then we can understand what Jesus really means in the passage. 

2. Think about the commands in verses 27 and 28.  Have you had (or do you now have) any person(s) who fall into any of the following categories: 1) "your enemies"; 2) "those who hate you"; 3) "those who curse you"; and 4) "those who mistreat you"? What do these categories of people indicate about ones’ life as a "disciple" of Jesus? The verbs, "love", "bless", and “pray” are all in the form of commands. Why did Jesus command us to do these things?

** Yes.

** It indicates that the life of a disciple is beset by tons of people who are hostile to him. 

Read: 

1) Matthew 10:22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.

2) John 7:7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that what it does is evil.

3) John 15:19 If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.

** Jesus commanded us because he knows that we do not like to obey what is being asked of us. This means that we must obey whether we like it or not.

3. Read verse 29a. If anyone strikes you on your cheek (or anywhere else on your face), how would you normally respond? Why is it difficult to “turn to him the other (cheek) also”?  In what respect is the command to "turn the other cheek also" different from the commands in verses 27 and 28?

** Natural responses would be to act in 'kind', even as Moses so taught. Exo 21:23-25

** Getting struck on one's cheek hurts ones’ pride and dignity as a human being. So the sense of pride, self-importance, and the instinct to preserve ones’ dignity as a human being stands in the way. One way to obey this command is to follow Jesus' example, that is, Jesus who made himself "nothing". So when all the lowly people struck Jesus, Jesus regarded himself as "nothing" so to him what they did amounted to nothing. 

** The commands in verses 27 and 28 are abstract, but this command is concrete, the former in general but the latter in specifics, the former (possibly) not physical but the latter physical. 

4. Read verses 29b-30.  What do such words or expressions as, "takes", "do not stop him from taking", "give", "asks", or "do not demand it back" have in common? Yet, how are the following statements different from one another? 1) If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic; 2) Give to everyone who asks you; 3) if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back? What was the significance of a "cloak" or "tunic" in Jesus' day?

** Material possessions or simply "money".

** 1) Someone taking has to do with someone taking something that is yours without your approval even as you are watching. 

2) Everyone who asks you has to do with a category of people who are a little better than the category before it, in that the person who ‘takes’ does not ask for your approval whereas the latter asks for your approval. 

3) "if anyone who takes what belongs to you" (most likely) that person takes your stuff with your prior approval with the promise to return it to you, but then does not return it as they said. 

** In Jesus' day, most likely a lot of people lived in a lot poorer environments (financially) than those who are living in our generation. In those days people did not have expensive items such as lap tops or cars. So to them, cloak or tunic might have amounted to houses or cars in our own day. 

5. Memorize verse 31. This verse is considered a "golden rule", and it can be stated positively (as is written in verse 31) as well as negatively. If you want to state it negatively how would you phrase the rule? Why do you think Jesus stated it positively rather than negatively? How is this rule related to commands stated in verses 27-30?

** One example would be: Do not do to others what you do not allow (or want) others do to you. 

** He did it because he wants his children to go for God's maximum. Read 2 Corinthians 13:11  Finally, brothers, good-by. Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

** This rule kind of sums up the commands described in verses 27-30. 

6. In verses 32-35 the word "sinners" is used as opposed to the word "you". Whom does Jesus refer to by: 1) "sinners"; and 2) "you"? In this passage the word "credit" is repeated three times. What does Jesus mean by "credit"? How is the word "credit" related to the word "reward" (in verse 35b)? 

** Sinners = unbelievers

** You = those who put trust in Jesus and commit themselves to following and learning from Jesus. 

** The antonym of credit is debit. The word "credit" refers to the amount of "wealth" that will be added to the balance found in the credit side of the heavenly bank account opened up for each person in the heavenly bank, where God is the manager. Depending on what we do, daily God's angels make entries either to our credit side or debit side either the amount of debit or the amount of credit. 

** Later this balance sheet (or bank statement) will be used to determine the way to reward each person at the time of judgment as 2Co 5:10 says. 

7. Read verses 35b-36. Verse 35 describes two categories of people: 1) the ungrateful; and 2) the wicked. How are these two categories of people related to one another? Why is it difficult to be "kind" to the ungrateful and the wicked? Yet, how can we be kind to them? (36)

** The former first and the latter second, and never the other way around. One starts becoming ungrateful to God and to men, and very naturally one becomes wicked. 

** It looks like to be kind to them is like pouring water in a bucket which has a lot of holes.

** We can be kind to them by: 1) remembering that God will reward for our acts of kindness; and 2) by remembering that our heavenly Father is very merciful. Mercy = to give to those who do not deserve it.

The end