Luke 6:27–38
27 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29 To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic1 either. 30 Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31 And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.
32 “If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. 35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil. 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.
37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
1 Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin
Section Overview
The striking newness and power of Jesus’ teaching continues to stand out, as he calls on believers to love enemies, pray for them, and do good to them. If one is insulted, one must not respond in kind. If one is sued and his cloak taken, a forgiving spirit is imperative. A spirit of generous giving and of freedom from our possessions should mark our lives. What we want others to do for us is what we should do for them. We are to love and show mercy to those who do not love us in return, for such love marks us as disciples of Jesus. In loving our enemies we show that we are children of God, for the Lord is good even to those who are wicked. Believers are called upon to be merciful as the Lord is merciful, which means that they will not judge or condemn others. Those who forgive others will be forgiven.
Section Outline
III. Jesus Proclaims Salvation in Galilee by the Power of the Spirit (4:14–9:50) . . .
C. Good News for the Poor (6:12–8:3) . . .
2. Sermon on the Plain (6:17–49) . . .
b. Love Your Enemies (6:27–38)
Response
Jesus calls upon us as his disciples to have a heart of mercy, and we will be merciful if we have known God’s mercy. One test of whether we are merciful is how we feel about and act toward our enemies. Showing love and grace to our friends, as Jesus says, is something sinners do. What stands out is when disciples of Jesus love those who hate them, pray for those who curse them, and show practical and concrete concern for those who despise them. It is easy in religious and political settings to respond with mockery and scorn to our opponents, and we see this particularly in social media. Christians must respond with civility and love to those who distort what we believe and misrepresent us because of their animus against us. We are reminded that we need the grace of God and the power of the Spirit in order to live in the way enjoined here. Our kindness and forgiveness to others comes because of God’s great kindness and love toward us.
Greek chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin
6:27–28 Disciples of Jesus are summoned to “love their enemies.” Love is particularly expressed in actions, not merely by feelings. Love shows up in concrete and specific ways. Such a teaching is not unknown in the OT, for we read in Exodus 23:4, “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall bring it back to him.” And Proverbs 25:21 suggests, “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.” Still, the emphasis on loving enemies stands out in Jesus’ teaching. What it means to love enemies continues to be unpacked. Believers are to bless those who curse them, which means that, instead of calling upon God to curse enemies, we ask God to bless and keep them, to shine his face on them and to be gracious to them, and to show them his favor and grant them his peace (cf. Num. 6:25–26; Rom. 12:14; 1 Pet. 3:9). Those who mistreat and abuse believers should be prayed for; followers of Jesus ask the Lord to save them and to smile upon them. The greatest example of such love in the Gospel is Jesus’ asking God to forgive those who crucify him (Luke 23:34). Stephen imitates his Lord when he asks the Lord not to charge with sin those who stone him (Acts 7:60).
6:29 The quality of love expected from Jesus’ disciples continues to be explained. If one is struck on the cheek, one should turn the other cheek. Jesus probably addresses a situation in which one is insulted, though this is clearer in the Matthean parallel, which speaks of being struck on the right cheek (and thus with the back of the hand; Matt. 5:39). The command, then, should not be interpreted as saying that one should not engage in self-defense to protect oneself from injury or death. Nor should believers literally turn the other cheek, since such an action would be highly artificial. We can envision a situation in which one literally turns the other cheek but is full of anger and revenge. Such outward obedience misses the heart of what Jesus is teaching. The striking illustration should not be pressed literally. Jesus addresses the spirit that animates us (cf. 1 Cor. 6:7). When Jesus and Paul are struck on the face (John 18:22–23; Acts 23:2–5), they do not violate this command when they defend themselves and assert that they have been struck without cause. Jesus as the servant of the Lord fulfills what is enjoined here: “I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting” (Isa. 50:6).
The injunction about giving one’s inner tunic to one who takes the outer cloak should be interpreted similarly. The point is not that one should literally strip off the tunic next to the skin and offer that as well to the person who seizes a cloak. Instead the point is that one must not be filled with rage and a spirit of revenge when one is a victim of robbery or has been mistreated.
6:30 The striking and shocking commands continue. Jesus’ disciples are to give to those who ask for assistance. Again, Jesus speaks to the spirit that must occupy the hearts of his followers. Believers are to be characterized by generosity and an eagerness to give. Paul, in his command not to feed those unwilling to work, does not contradict what Jesus teaches (2 Thess. 3:10). Jesus’ words should not be interpreted to support a giving that lacks discernment. He again strikes at the heart: are we willing to give up all that we own, since everything belongs to God? If we say we are willing but lack generosity, our claim to be willing is shown to be hollow. Similarly, we should not forcibly try to reclaim our possessions from those who wrest them from us, although if there is a way of getting our possessions back without violence and in accord with the law, it is not wrong to reclaim them. An overly literal reading fails to see that Jesus speaks to the heart. If our possessions are taken from us, are we filled with an undying regret? The believers addressed in the epistle to the Hebrews experienced what Jesus commands here. “You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one” (Heb. 10:34).
6:31 Jesus enunciates what has been called the Golden Rule; others have formulated the same principle, though with a negative command: that is, “What you hate, do not do to anyone” (Tob. 4:15). The authority and distinctiveness of Jesus’ teaching does not lead to the conclusion that everything he says is radically new. His teaching must be placed into the whole context of his ministry and of all that he came to do and to teach. In any case, the injunction here has rightly been celebrated as remarkable. We should do to others what we wish they would do for us. The world would surely be a different place if this admonition were followed, and we all need God’s forgiveness for failing to practice this—and all the admonitions—found here. At the same time, we pray for strength to live in the way Jesus instructs us.
6:32–33 The quality of love that should exist among disciples is explicated further. Loving those who love us is natural and ordinarily not difficult. Sinners generally treat their friends well. Thus there is no “benefit” for the one who loves friends (cf. 1 Pet. 2:20). The word “benefit” (Gk. charis) is typically translated “grace,” but the parallel in Matthew 5:46 uses the word “reward” (misthon). The translation “benefit,” then, is fitting. Jesus speaks of benefit in terms of reward. At the same time, the use of the word charis also signifies that those who love in an extravagant way are recipients of God’s grace. Luke 6:33 makes the same point. Love manifests itself in what we do, in our actions, in the way we treat others. Unbelievers, which is another way of describing those who are sinners, treat their friends well. What marks out believers is what they do for those who are not their friends.
6:34–35 In the ancient world, gifts were based on reciprocity. One gave to another expecting a return of some kind for what was given. Jesus offers the example of extending credit to those in need. Sinners lend to sinners since they expect to receive the same when they are in need. Jesus expects his disciples, however, to live differently. People are not praised for lending money to those from whom they expect a return, since in that case they are living by the rules of reciprocity typical in the ancient world. Instead, they will receive “credit” (again the Gk. charis, rendered “benefit” in verse 33) when they give without expecting something in return.
Loving enemies is not merely a sentiment or feeling but translates itself into actions, into what one does with one’s finances. Such love is exemplified particularly in Jesus’ sacrificial death, whereby he gives his life for our sake (cf. Gal. 2:20; Eph. 5:2; 1 John 4:10). We should note that Jesus does not dispense with the idea of reward altogether. Believers should not expect a recompense or return from those to whom they lend, but it is not as if all ideas of return and recompense are abandoned, for believers will be rewarded by God for giving generously. If we give generously, we demonstrate that we are truly the sons of the “Most High.” Those who give generously have the same character as God himself, showing that they are truly his children. God is, after all, kind and good and generous, both to those who are good and to those who are evil, and disciples are to imitate God by displaying the same qualities.
6:36 In a parallel text Matthew writes that we are to “be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48). In Luke, however, the command is to show the same kind of mercy as the Father’s. Disciples are called to reflect the character of the Father (cf. Lev. 19:2), and this means extending mercy to those who do not deserve it, just as we do not deserve the mercy of God because of our sins (cf. 15:1–32; 18:9–14). A hard and cold and unforgiving heart toward others shows that we are not like our Father in heaven, who offers mercy to all.
6:37–38 Mercy means that disciples do not judge, condemn, or refuse to forgive others. Jesus certainly does not mean that believers refuse to evaluate or practice discipline in some cases in which sin is committed (cf. Matt. 18:15–20; 1 Cor. 5:1–13). Still, the fundamental stance in our hearts should be one of understanding, forgiveness, and love. The matter is crucial, since those who judge and condemn others will be judged and condemned by God on the final day. Those who refuse to forgive others will not be forgiven by God. All the passive verbs in these two verses have God as the implied subject. Those who harden their hearts and do not extend forgiveness to others have never received God’s forgiveness themselves. Those who are generous and give will be given to in return. Again, the reference is to God’s gift, and the rest of Luke 6:38 shows that his gift far exceeds what is deserved. The Lord does not stint on the measure given but gives a good measure, the full measure. The measure God gives to us is pressed down to make sure it holds as much as it can. Indeed, the measure is shaken so that there are no empty spaces in what is given. And if that were not enough, extra grain is poured over the top into the fold of the garment of the one receiving the gift. Jesus emphasizes the lavishness of God’s gift, the extraordinary kindness of God. He gives far more than we deserve or expect (Eph. 3:20).