“And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And, if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And, if you lend to those whom whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. Therefore, be merciful, just as you Father also is merciful.“
Luke 6:31-36
In this passage, we have Jesus giving us the golden rule — do unto others as you would have them do unto you. This isn’t just golden (the best rule) but also one of the most practical, as we all, even as young children, have a pretty good idea about how we would like to be treated without having to be taught. In other words, we have a perfect idea of what Jesus is expecting of us here.
But note that Jesus didn’t give this rule to everyone. Rather, He specifically directs it toward us as believers or His followers. How do we know? He gives us the contrast to those He calls ‘sinners’. And, to give this rule some real bite, it comes in the context of loving our enemies. Jesus explains, even sinners know how to love those who treat them well. So, the application here is to everyone — even our enemies or perhaps most specifically our enemies.
Given our rocky start as a church with some in the Troy community, it is helpful to remind ourselves of this command. And, it is important to see that it is based on our imitation of the nature of our God. God is merciful, therefore as His children, we must imitate Him and be merciful as well. When we are treated poorly, called names or the victims of legal warfare, we are commanded to rejoice and bless our enemies just like our Father in Heaven. But, let’s not stop here.
In one sense we may find it easy to love our more pugnacious Troy neighbors because their criticisms are light and mostly infrequent. However, we should also remind ourselves that this command applies equally to those closest to us: our wife or husband, child or parent, sibling or cousin, friend or classmate. From these people we EXPECT much, much more than than from our enemies and so we are more likely or at least more often to not treat them as we would be treated. This is sin. Be aware of how you are treating those closest to you.
Matt Meyer – March 10, 2024
