Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you. Luke 6:30-31
“As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise; for this is loving your neighbour as yourselves. What we should expect, in reason, to be done to us, either in justice or charity, by others, if they were in our condition and we in theirs, that, as the matter stands, we must do to them. We must put our souls into their souls’ stead, and then pity and succour them, as we should desire and justly expect to be ourselves pitied and succoured.”
Matthew Henry in Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible, comments on Luke 6:27-36.
I preached a sermon on Luke 6:27-36 at two services for Sarang New Harvest Ministry today and will preach it at three more churches next weekend. The message was entitled: “Three Characteristics of Christians that Change the World.”
My three points come straight from the text: (1) Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you. (2) Give to everyone who begs from you; lend expecting nothing in return. (3) Be merciful to someone who is ungrateful and wicked.
The big idea that surfaces in the text is profound: Jesus tells us that the secret to changing the world is to give it what it needs and what we’d like to receive instead of what we deserve.
Our world desperately needs love that is generously rooted in grace and mercy. Love is the gift of God available to everyone. Grace is favor that is undeserved. Mercy is not getting the judgment that we deserve.
To pity in succour people is to have compassion and extend aid to them. There’s no better example of such loving generosity as the Good Samaritan. He lived within his means and had margin to pity and succour the hurting person.
Imagine if you were that hurting person? How would you want others to treat you? That’s the point from Jesus entirely! Generously care for others as you want them to care for you. And reply if you want a PDF of my sermon manuscript.