But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful. —Luke 6:35–36
In these verses, Jesus gives a rather difficult command. It is not in our nature to do good to people who hurt us or to love our enemies. It is, however, completely consistent with His character. After all, while we were yet sinners Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8).
In today’s Scripture passage, Jesus says, “Do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return,” with the obvious application a financial one. If we lend hoping for nothing in return or expecting no repayment, then we have not really made a loan, but rather given a gift.
I believe we can draw a conclusion here, since Jesus includes the unthankful and the evil with those to whom God is kind. Like the righteous, they too experience the benefits of His mercy. The conclusion is that we are to meet the tangible needs of others, even our enemies. The blessings of rain fall on both the
just and unjust farmer (Matt. 5:45), and so must our blessings. In other words, we must not discriminate in our hearts and minds when it comes to helping others. Isn’t it funny how we give to someone and say, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35), but if a thank you is not forthcoming, whether verbally or in the mail, we quickly get into a mental huff about how ungrateful that person is? At such times, few of us remind ourselves it is more blessed to give.
The key in the passage above is found in the word hoping. In the Greek, the word means “to fully expect.” So the core issue at hand is eliminating the expectation of thanks when giving, even from our enemies. Today’s exhortation is quite a challenge and will be a faith and strength builder. Be kind to the unthankful and the evil today, and you will spend the day in Jesus’ shoes, walking in the manner He did while on earth. That’s all you have to do today—nothing to it! Just make sure to read Philippians 4:13 before you
leave!
Excerpt from “Body Builders” now available on Amazon.
