27 “But I say to you who hear: Love
your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray
for those who spitefully use you. 29 To him who strikes you on the one
cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not
withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your
goods do not ask them back. 31 And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise. 32 “But if you love those who love
you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who do
good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those
from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even
sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good,
and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you
will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as
your Father also is merciful. 37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall
not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. 38 Give, and it will be given to
you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put
into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured
back to you.”
The Lord Jesus Christ having already foretold of all believer’s rejection and persecution now says to us who hear Him, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.”
“Love your enemies” because love is of God and everyone born of God loves, not hates, (1 John 4:7), but loves one’s enemies as Jesus commands us all here. For consider that when Jesus Christ suffered and died on the Cross, He did not do so just for His friends, but for all of us who were still enemies of God, being estranged from Him by our own sins and transgressions, our own blasphemy and cursing, our own godless lifestyles and wicked ways, and yet God still loved us, and died on the Cross for us (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8-11) so that we could have remission of all our sins and new and everlasting life. Therefore, Jesus is restoring us back to God the Father through His love now commands the same from us, that we love our enemies, so that they too might come know and believe the love that God has for them. For in Jesus; commandment is our letting the heart of God work Divinely through us, which thus also manifests itself towards those who hate us by our doing good towards them. And so, linked with our loving those who hate us is for us to: “bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.” The whole notion then of our being hateful or hostile towards those who oppose us, or are in opposition to us, is not from the Lord Jesus Christ, but from our sinful old nature, or the devil preying on our hurt feelings or weaknesses. For the Lord Jesus Christ commands that we bless those who curse us, and that we pray for those who spitefully use (and persecute) us. The Kingdom of God then is unlike anything here on earth. Therefore, it is given to us who believe to manifest it down here.
Vs. 29-30 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.
Turning then the other cheek from insults and offenses, from cruel and unjust public shamming, cursing, and reproaches is a part and parcel of abiding in, and thus living through God’s love. Similarly, then Jesus says that when we are faced with an unjust person wanting to take either our clothing or goods from us, we are not to resist them, but rather we are to freely offer them up to them, through an attitude of non-resistance.
Vs. 31 “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”
This is the Golden Rule, but more than a “rule” it is God's Word to us all of what to do in any situation, whether ambiguous or not.
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged.”
In Jesus’ first exhortation He simply says that we are not to judge others, that is we are remove ourselves from the role of Judge, and leave that to Jesus Christ alone who is God’s Judge! (John 5:22; James 4:12). For the sinner today just maybe a redeemed child of God tomorrow, therefore judging others, or imputing their sins against them, while they are alienated from God is not our role or duty. Our duty then is to offer every sinner the grace of God through the love of God seen in His Son Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross and Resurrection from the dead, so that they too might have remission of all their sins and new and everlasting life (2 Cor. 5:18-21). Now is there a time when we must judge, of course there is, when calling sin what it is, certainly is not what Jesus is referring too, and thus when there is sin in our own lives, or in the church, then we are to “judge” (consider 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 1 Tim. 5:20; also 2 Cor. 11:12-15, 18-21; 2 Peter 2:1; Rev. 2:2 etc.). But that is not what Jesus is referring to here. For here Jesus is referring to the judging of others that so easily pervades our own thoughts and mouths, so that we either totally forget that we once were the same! Dead in our own sins and transgressions, and thus also living contrary to will and the Word of God. Or more subtly the kind of evil judging of people which is not fact based, but only is rumor or predisposed biased or “fear” based, and only leads to all kinds of evil and unjust thoughts and actions by those who do and say and practice such things (consider James 2). Similarly judging a believers’ motives only makes room for demonic spiritual forces to introduce evil thoughts in one’s mind about this person’s motives for doing this or that, and thus to undermine or destroy the unity and harmony and loving relationships or fellowship of any church or fellowship where Christ is named. Now I know that was a bit of a digression and so returning to the text, Jesus simply says, “Judge not, and you shall not be judged.” Therefore, if you want to keep yourselves from spiritual troubles than don’t judge others, leave that to God who alone sees and understands the complete picture of their person, motives, and lives.
“Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.”
Jesus here warns us all not to condemn others, for in doing so we will be condemned. Therefore, in preaching and warning about hell and the judgment to come, one must be very careful not to condemn anyone to the same. For God’s grace and Jesus Christ’s love within us compels us to want to see all people saved from eternal destruction, not condemned to it (2 Peter 3:9).
Vs. 38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Here the Lord Jesus Christ is encouraging us all to be generous, for as He says, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom…” Thus, God’s rewards and blessings for us in our lives (and in eternity) is also conditional on how we give of our time and talents and resources down here. For with the measure that we use so shall the same measure be applied to us, thus if we are generous down here (with our time, talents, and resources; even with our assessments of others) so God will be even more generous towards us, that is the essence of His good measure which is always pressed down and shaken together so that even more can be put in, and so it does not just fill the bucket to the brim, but God’s good measure quite intentionally overflows it! Be generous then so that you may have the same generous and overflowing measure given back to you, for its by our own measure that we will each decide our own rewards and blessings (consider Prov. 11:25; 2 Cor. 2 Cor 9:6-8).
Commentary
Vs.
27-28
27 “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who
hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use
you.The Lord Jesus Christ having already foretold of all believer’s rejection and persecution now says to us who hear Him, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28 bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.”
“Love your enemies” because love is of God and everyone born of God loves, not hates, (1 John 4:7), but loves one’s enemies as Jesus commands us all here. For consider that when Jesus Christ suffered and died on the Cross, He did not do so just for His friends, but for all of us who were still enemies of God, being estranged from Him by our own sins and transgressions, our own blasphemy and cursing, our own godless lifestyles and wicked ways, and yet God still loved us, and died on the Cross for us (John 3:16; Rom. 5:8-11) so that we could have remission of all our sins and new and everlasting life. Therefore, Jesus is restoring us back to God the Father through His love now commands the same from us, that we love our enemies, so that they too might come know and believe the love that God has for them. For in Jesus; commandment is our letting the heart of God work Divinely through us, which thus also manifests itself towards those who hate us by our doing good towards them. And so, linked with our loving those who hate us is for us to: “bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.” The whole notion then of our being hateful or hostile towards those who oppose us, or are in opposition to us, is not from the Lord Jesus Christ, but from our sinful old nature, or the devil preying on our hurt feelings or weaknesses. For the Lord Jesus Christ commands that we bless those who curse us, and that we pray for those who spitefully use (and persecute) us. The Kingdom of God then is unlike anything here on earth. Therefore, it is given to us who believe to manifest it down here.
Vs. 29-30 29 To him who strikes you on the one cheek, offer the other also. And from him who takes away your cloak, do not withhold your tunic either. 30 Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.
Turning then the other cheek from insults and offenses, from cruel and unjust public shamming, cursing, and reproaches is a part and parcel of abiding in, and thus living through God’s love. Similarly, then Jesus says that when we are faced with an unjust person wanting to take either our clothing or goods from us, we are not to resist them, but rather we are to freely offer them up to them, through an attitude of non-resistance.
Vs. 31 “And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”
This is the Golden Rule, but more than a “rule” it is God's Word to us all of what to do in any situation, whether ambiguous or not.
Vs.
32-36 32 “But if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For
even sinners love those who love them. 33 And if you do good to those who
do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those
from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even
sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good,
and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you
will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36 Therefore be merciful, just as your
Father also is merciful.
Here Jesus reveals
to us that loving those who love us is doing nothing more than what everyone of
the world does. For anyone can love their own family and children, or their
friends and neighbors who love them or get along with them. Indeed, Jesus says
that even sinners do the same things, so doing just that makes us of no more
distinction than they. Same with lending or borrowing. Anyone can lend out to
those that they hope to receive as much or more back from, for even sinners do
that! (vs. 32-34). Therefore, Jesus says that as Gods Kingdom people we are to
live by a higher standard, a standard that love’s one’s enemies; that is, we seek
their wellbeing, in all aspects of life, and thus we choose to do good towards our
enemies, and to all. For when we do our reward from Him will be great, and we
will be sons of the Most High, for He is kind to the unthankful and the evil
(vs. 35). “Therefore
be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.”
Vs.
37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall
not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged.”
In Jesus’ first exhortation He simply says that we are not to judge others, that is we are remove ourselves from the role of Judge, and leave that to Jesus Christ alone who is God’s Judge! (John 5:22; James 4:12). For the sinner today just maybe a redeemed child of God tomorrow, therefore judging others, or imputing their sins against them, while they are alienated from God is not our role or duty. Our duty then is to offer every sinner the grace of God through the love of God seen in His Son Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross and Resurrection from the dead, so that they too might have remission of all their sins and new and everlasting life (2 Cor. 5:18-21). Now is there a time when we must judge, of course there is, when calling sin what it is, certainly is not what Jesus is referring too, and thus when there is sin in our own lives, or in the church, then we are to “judge” (consider 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 1 Tim. 5:20; also 2 Cor. 11:12-15, 18-21; 2 Peter 2:1; Rev. 2:2 etc.). But that is not what Jesus is referring to here. For here Jesus is referring to the judging of others that so easily pervades our own thoughts and mouths, so that we either totally forget that we once were the same! Dead in our own sins and transgressions, and thus also living contrary to will and the Word of God. Or more subtly the kind of evil judging of people which is not fact based, but only is rumor or predisposed biased or “fear” based, and only leads to all kinds of evil and unjust thoughts and actions by those who do and say and practice such things (consider James 2). Similarly judging a believers’ motives only makes room for demonic spiritual forces to introduce evil thoughts in one’s mind about this person’s motives for doing this or that, and thus to undermine or destroy the unity and harmony and loving relationships or fellowship of any church or fellowship where Christ is named. Now I know that was a bit of a digression and so returning to the text, Jesus simply says, “Judge not, and you shall not be judged.” Therefore, if you want to keep yourselves from spiritual troubles than don’t judge others, leave that to God who alone sees and understands the complete picture of their person, motives, and lives.
“Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned.”
Jesus here warns us all not to condemn others, for in doing so we will be condemned. Therefore, in preaching and warning about hell and the judgment to come, one must be very careful not to condemn anyone to the same. For God’s grace and Jesus Christ’s love within us compels us to want to see all people saved from eternal destruction, not condemned to it (2 Peter 3:9).
“Forgive,
and you will be forgiven.” Here Jesus links our own forgiveness with
our forgiving others. Now what He is not linking is our salvation to it which
comes unconditionally through God’s grace by our faith in His Person. For it is
on the Cross, and there alone, by His Person alone that Jesus Christ paid the penalty
(i.e. He took all the Judgment) for all our sins. Therefore, the forgiveness here
is our relational forgiveness with God our Father, when we sin and we confess
our sin, He forgives us (1 John 1:9), and thus restores us back to a right fellowship
with Himself. However, if we will not forgive others, as He so freely forgives
us, then He will not forgive us, since God cannot be unjust and forgive us when
we will not forgive others, thus our own peace rests in our own hands. Now this
principal is clearly laid out by Jesus in His parable of the unforgiving
servant (see Matt. 18:21-35). Therefore, brethren don’t be unjust, cruel, or
stubborn, but rather forgive and you will be forgiven because love demands as
much (1 Cor 13:5 NIV; 1 Peter 4:8).
Vs. 38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Here the Lord Jesus Christ is encouraging us all to be generous, for as He says, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom…” Thus, God’s rewards and blessings for us in our lives (and in eternity) is also conditional on how we give of our time and talents and resources down here. For with the measure that we use so shall the same measure be applied to us, thus if we are generous down here (with our time, talents, and resources; even with our assessments of others) so God will be even more generous towards us, that is the essence of His good measure which is always pressed down and shaken together so that even more can be put in, and so it does not just fill the bucket to the brim, but God’s good measure quite intentionally overflows it! Be generous then so that you may have the same generous and overflowing measure given back to you, for its by our own measure that we will each decide our own rewards and blessings (consider Prov. 11:25; 2 Cor. 2 Cor 9:6-8).
Scripture Quotations
New King James Version. (1982): Thomas Nelson
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