27“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.
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.
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.
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.
LUKE 6:27-36
COMMENTARY
Continuing with
his preaching on the beatitudes, after giving hope to the people who are righteous
and suffer poverty, adversity and persecution unjustly; Lord Jesus proceeded to
proclaim to the crowds, the law of love, forgiveness and detachment that is the
base of the Kingdom of God.
Contrary to the natural
impulse of ‘getting back’ at those who abuse us, robe us and attack us; which
by natural law and reason would not be wrong; Jesus tells of another path,
based on love, forgiveness and generosity.
Where reason
tells us to strike back on those who attack us; Jesus tells us to forgive,
using the symbolic expression to ‘give the other cheek’.
When we are abused
or robed, instead of getting back at the abusers or thieves, Jesus tells us to
forgive them, and do not attempt to persecute them legally or on a personal
level, by using the expression ‘don’t withhold your tunic’, or ‘don’t demand
them back’.
Jesus makes us
realize that by answering back, even though we can do it legally and in good
conscience, we are becoming part of a system of effect and reaction, that never
ends by itself, but fueled up by resentment, it keeps rolling until an external
force or we ourselves stop it.
If someone evil
robs us, and we denounce them, we will get out goods back, and the perpetrator will
suffer jail term. When he gets out, as nothing more of what was expected occurred,
the thief will steal again, motivated by his own initial reasons and by the environment.
BUT if we decide to forgive him, he will be shocked by this unexpected reaction,
and hopefully be moved to change, since he knows that he deserves punishment,
and the victim forgave him, being able to denounce the crime legally speaking.
Whether the
thief decides to continue his crimes on others or not, the possibility to
change continues; since with our forgiveness we have stopped the wheel of Cause
and Effect on our part. We have walked out of the system of retribution,
putting our trust in God’s wisdom instead than on our own human criteria.
Jesus points out
that this forgiving attitude, is what makes the difference between Christians
and non-believers. Forgiveness and love affect us all in a positive way,
causing a change in attitude always, whether we get to know it or not. Wisely,
Lord Jesus tells us that this forgiving and loving reaction is what
distinguishes the ‘Children of the Most-High’, when believers decide to react ‘like
God does’, in a loving and merciful manner.
Omar Flores.
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