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 children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Luke 6:35
“According to ancient ethicists writing about giving, benefactors were to give without calculation of reward. Giving was to have in view the interest of the recipient, not the self-interest of the giver. When forming personal ties of patronage, however, patrons were cautioned to select their beneficiaries well, which meant selecting people who had a reputation for honoring the giver with gratitude. In exceptional circumstances, however, a patron could be exhorted to give even to a known ingrate, thus imitating the generosity of the gods.”
David DeSilva in An Introduction to the New Testament: Contexts, Methods, and Ministry Formation (Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2004) 293.
DeSilva represents the voice of a biblical scholar with roots from the region where I am serving the next two weeks so it will be interesting to read his writings while abroad.
I love how he presents from his research that God’s posture toward us is simply divine.
As you think about your generosity toward others, do you give to the “known ingrate” or only those you deem deserving. Fascinating that when each of us was in that spot, God lavished grace on us.
And notice the giving has the view of the interest of the recipient and not the self-interest of the giver.
This runs countercultural to giving in my country, USA. We tend to give to the things we care about. Imagine if every follower of Jesus decided instead to give to the things Jesus cares about. It would be world-changing and divine.
I pray that God will give me opportunities in India to extend divine generosity. And same for you where you are.