Luke 6:27-36

Good Morning,

Luke 6:27-36 (NIV)
"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 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. 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. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful."

I sometimes wish that all Scripture was easy to read and understand in my limited intelligence. I truly wish that I could easily live out all of the Scripture that I have read, and that I continue to read and struggle with. Today I am faced with just such a dilemma: Having difficulty being obedient to what I've read, even though I understand the words. You see, what I have difficulty in is understanding the Godly emotion and feeling that Jesus must have had when He said the words.

Now, I don't think that I'm some "Lone Ranger" out here all alone in this. Well, I know I'm not alone, of course, as this subject...that which we read in today's verses...has been discussed and even debated, well, probably pretty much since Jesus said the words.

So, let's look at this sort of point by point where we might have a bit of a challenge in not only obeying what Jesus said, but even agreeing with Him in His sentiments. Love your enemies; do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you; don't hit someone back if they strike you, but turn so they can strike you again; give more to someone who steals from you; don't ask back what someone may have taken; and, in these few verses the really, really difficult one for many people...give to everyone who asks you. All boiled down to, "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

Then, Jesus goes on to say a few more things we have difficulty with. Don't expect anything back if you loan it out; do good to enemies without expecting anything back. Finally, He says that we should be merciful, just as God is merciful.

OK, can we agree that we have a hard time being in total agreement with what Jesus said here? I don't think that any of us would get a great argument about that, do you? I would venture to say that pretty much ALL of us...every single one of us...has a bit of a hard time in doing all of what Jesus says we are to do in these verses.

Love my enemies? Surely not! It's more likely that I'd try to "get them back" for what they have done to me. Same with those who hate me and curse me and mistreat me. Turn my other cheek? I mean, He can't really expect that, can He? Give more to someone who is stealing from me? It's much closer to the truth that I'd do all possible to get back what's been stolen and then have that person prosecuted! Give to everyone...EVERYONE!...who asks? Even the guys with the signs on the side of the off ramps? Even all those "begging" letters that come in the mail? Now that, is almost impossible to do, isn't it?

Do those statements ring true to you? The certainly do to me...at least in part...and more at some times than at others. I'll admit here, in front of God and everyone, that I simply do NOT obey all that Jesus tells us in these verses. I'll also say that I don't believe I've ever met one human being who HAS been obedient to these words of the Savior. But, what I can say, and what I hope many of us can say, is that I sort of try to obey these commands from Jesus...at least some of them and at least some of the time.

I can sort of love my enemies. But, only if they haven't done some egregious and extremely damaging thing to me. Then it kind of becomes almost impossible. I can sometimes do good to those who might hate me, again, with some exceptions. I can pray for those who mistreat me...and I know I really need to be better at that; get that "hate" out of my heart and cry out to God in prayer for them. Turning the other cheek is a really tough one, though. It just seems so 'normal' to strike back at whatever has come against me. I really don't see me giving more to someone who has stolen from me. I say that, but there is one exception that I think I could do. That would be when that someone has taken something out of a true and real need, not just to line their pockets with money for selling that which they've stolen. This last thing I am much better at, as some of you might know. Give to those who ask? Well, I always have some single dollar bills with me in my car so that I can be obedient to what Jesus has said here about this. Do I ask where the money will go? No. That's not my business. That's God's business to take care of. Believe me, I went round and round on this one; arguing with God for a while until I believed that it was something I was supposed to do. However, I still don't give to all those who send me return address labels and such that I don't want and certainly didn't ask for. That is NOT the same, in my mind, as handing over a dollar or two to someone right in front of me.

Finally, and I know that this is long today...Hey! I just hold the pen, you know? "Do to others as you would have them do to you." THAT is something that we can truly strive for and is so much more easily attained, I think. Simply give a moment of thought as to what I'd like that person to do to and for me, and then turn it around and do it to and for him or her. Then, lest we forget, there IS reward that Jesus mentions if we obey His words here.

"Then your reward will be great."

Sounds worth it to me.

Love, peace, and blessings,

David