“To you who hear”

Article for February 23, 2025

Luke 6:27–29 27[Jesus said:] “But I say to you who hear, “love your enemies,” do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. 29To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also, and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either.

“To you who hear,” or maybe to you who will open your mind and understand.  What does one gain through treating anyone with hate other than a return of hate.  If we treat people with hate, we will certainly enable them to treat us with hate and the conflict remains.  And what is worse is that the conflict grows.  And what is worse, hate may escalate the conflict to a level of violence.

Loving your enemy is not the same as liking them or trusting them.  But knowing that one has claimed to be your enemy, and you treat them with respect and do good to them, might soften their hate for you.  We should remember, you will have enemies, just don’t be an enemy.  Rise above the hate and you may have made a friend of the one who once hated you.

Romans 12:19-21 19 Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” 20 To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” 21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

It is hard at times to do good for one who is your enemy.  But ask this question, are you the enemy of your enemy, or are you a friend to everyone?  It makes an important choice on how you will treat everyone.  Love conquers all.

Luke 6:30-31  30Give to everyone who begs from you, and from one who takes away your goods do not demand them back. 31And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you is a good mannerism to have.  Give to the beggar, yes, but give to the beggar that which might help them, rather than giving what might enable them to beg for more.  We should want all to prosper.  Also remember this.  When we give to those we do not know, we might be entertaining angels.

Hebrews 13:1-3 1Let brotherly love continue. 2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. 3 Remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them, and those who are mistreated, since you also are in the body.

We never know how one came to be in their poverty which turned them into beggars.  There are those who pretend to be deprived or underprivileged, and there are those who are impoverished and not by their own doing.  Remember it takes just a moment of time and even you could be left with nothing. 

Let our recent history speak for itself as we have witnessed through the news the tragedies that have befallen hundreds of thousands of people.  People have lost everything, house and home, memorabilia and even inherited things.  These tragedies are not just in our country which have displaced hundreds of thousands, but all over the world. 

Look at what you have and how important you have made it.  Now picture losing it all in less than a blink of an eye.  Would it be in your best interest for someone to help you in your poverty?  Kindness is returned in kindness, not always, but from those who understand.

Luke 6:32–33 32“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.

Do not read this and get self-righteous; we are all sinners!  It is our self-righteousness that makes us enemies of the poor and those who beg.  It is easy to love those who love you, and easy to hate those who hate you.  And it is easy to look the other way when we see people in need.  Unless you have a heart, then it is not so easy to look away.

I’m sure we have all said that there are plenty of jobs for these beggars to obtain.  However, we do not know their whole story.  For some there is more than one reason that put them in this impoverished predicament. 

The TV commercial states we should walk a mile in their shoes, it would be more important to listen to their account of life.  I did not use story, because some would be glad to give you a story, it is harder to give an account of one’s life, the true story. Even if you could walk in someone’s shoes, you still won’t completely understand.  But listen to their tears and make no comment.  For it is to those who will hear, and those who can empathize.

Luke 6:34–36 34And 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. 35But 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. 36Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.

Ok, I took this verse to the bank, and they did not forgive me my dept.  Anita and I have lent to some and to be truthful, we half expected to be repaid.  In a sense, we have been repaid through the love and friendship we still hold onto with those we lent to.  You might say we gave up being repaid for “lent”.

I tell you, their love is far greater than the money we gave them, and we are not hurting because we gave, rather we are rewarded through love.  It might be hard for some to see the delight in giving and it might be hard to see the delight in receiving.  But all giving through one’s love rewards both the giver and receiver.

Luke 6:37–38 37“Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38give, 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.”

      Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, it’s just got to be a chocolate shake!  It’s just got to be!  Ok, maybe not, but the good measure is love.  We have a God, a creator, a Savior, a Holy Spirit that is one God now and forever who loves us to life. 

When we were still enemies, (Romans 5:10), we were reconciled to our Creator through the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.  It is through the love of the Father and the Son that Jesus chose to die for our sins.  For even the good will give to the sinner as God is the good and we are all sinners.  Jesus Christ died to show He loves us to life.  One God, one life, one eternity, and pure joy to come.  Amen.

Written by Pastor Curtis May.