Luke 6:26-30
Luke 6:26 (KJB)
Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to
the false prophets.
The fourth woe is when you receive all kinds of accolades from the world and
everyone speaks well of you which shows that you are walking with the world and
against Christ. The false prophets were also spoken of highly by those who hated
God. (1 Ki 22:6 KJV) Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together,
about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to
battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it
into the hand of the king. Ahab was surrounded by false prophets which no
doubt ate good and were well spoken of. The true prophets were hated and the
false prophets were coddled. The false prophets will share the same fate as the
other unbelievers.
Luke 6:27 (KJB)
But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate
you,
Love your enemies - This is not the phony Hollywood type of
love but the true sacrificing type of love on behalf of someone who is the enemy
of Christians. As I stated before, an unbeliever is still in the kingdom of
Satan and is therefore the enemy of the Christian as Satan is the enemy of God.
The highest form of love a Christian can show to an unbeliever is to bring him
or her the Gospel desiring to see them become saved. Earthly goods will fade and
be burnt up but salvation is for eternity and Christians who sacrifice time and
personal wealth to see others come into the Kingdom of God are showing true
Christian love to the enemies.
Do good to them that hate you - The word “good” carries with it
the meaning of “correctly, well, or commendably.” All unbelievers, especially
religious unbelievers will be in constant opposition to the message of the true
Gospel. Since they cannot attack and change the message, they attack the
messenger. The believer is to respond to them in such a manner that their hatred
of us is returned with goodness. If we seek vengeance, then we only cause every
matter to explode but if we repay hatred with goodness, then we disarm the enemy
and we become instant witnesses for the Gospel and we also become a witness
against their hatred. (Rom 12:18 KJV) If it be possible, as much as lieth in
you, live peaceably with all men.
Luke 6:28 (KJB)
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
Bless them that curse you - A blessing is not just standing
around and saying to the unbeliever “God bless you.” A blessing from God is an
intervention in the life of His children. In the same manner that God blesses
us, we are to bless or intervene in the life of those that curse us. A curse is
when someone wishes evil upon you. It can even mean someone who is actually
doing evil against you so the word goes beyond just words or malicious intent.
And pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
- Nowhere in Scripture is this portrayed better than in the life of the Lord
Jesus Christ. (Luke 23:33-34 KJV) And when they were come to the place,
which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on
the right hand, and the other on the left. {34} Then said Jesus, Father, forgive
them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast
lots. While they were nailing Jesus to the cross, He was praying for those
who were doing it and asking for their forgiveness. A disciple who followed the
example of Jesus was Stephen, when he was being stoned for telling the truth, he
too prayed for his executioners. (Acts 7:60 KJV) And he kneeled down, and
cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had
said this, he fell asleep. The principle of praying for our enemy should be
a part of every Christian’s lifestyle. Have you prayed for someone to be saved?
Then you have prayed for the enemy. One day I was waiting at a red light and a
woman in a car came up next to me and saw my bumper stickers. She told me that
if she could, she would slit all four of my tires. Little did she know that her
evil comments caused her to be added to my daily prayer list. She was from
Pennsylvania and I live in New Jersey so I may never know the outcome until we
are in glory. Nevertheless, you do not need to worry about outcome. You just
obey and leave the results to God.
Luke 6:29 (KJB)
And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him
that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.
Jesus now contrasts the eye for an eye law with a new way of responding to the
wrongs which are done to us. Jesus counsels His disciples not to resist the evil
or wrongdoing which is directed at them. This would make the “get even” attitude
out of character for the true Christians. Since we live in a world that is
hostile to the Gospel, we are to expect much persecution. If we were to fight
back and plan revenge, then we are placing ourselves back into the mindset of
the world. If a person persecutes you in some manner and you do not resist, then
you are showing that you are true disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ plus you may
disarm that person by showing them love which is a response that will do them no
harm. It has been recorded in Roman history that when the Christians were being
killed in the Coliseum and they gave no resistance, people in the stands started
commiserating with them and many became Christians because of their true
testimonies unto death.
Then Jesus states that if a person owes a man money or something else and goes
to court to have the situation adjudicated, the lender had the right to take a
person’s coat from them. This would have been a mandatory relinquishment. When
it comes to the cloak, if the borrower gives his cloak as a pledge, then the
lender is to accept it but is to return it before sunset. The cloak was the
outer garment and was used as a blanket and a poor person would only have the
cloak as their blanket and if they slept outside, then it would have been needed
to prevent them from freezing overnight. The principle here is that Jesus is
pointing to the fact that the material goods of the world are not important but
the attitude of His disciples are. If one owes another money and willingly gives
his cloak for a pledge, he is showing good will that he will pay back whatever
is owed and he would be showing that publicly in front of the judge. (Exo
22:25-26 KJV) If thou lend money to any of my people that is poor by thee, thou
shalt not be to him as an usurer, neither shalt thou lay upon him usury. {26} If
thou at all take thy neighbour's raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto
him by that the sun goeth down: By accepting the cloak, the lender is also
accepting whatever terms of repayment is being negotiated.
Luke 6:30 (KJB)
Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask
them not again.
When someone has something that another might need and they ask for it, then it
should be given without hesitation. (1 John 3:17 KJV) But whoso hath this
world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of
compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him? This is not only
speaking about money but any of the world’s goods a Christian may have and
another needs it. If someone wants to borrow something from you, then do not
walk away in the sense that you refuse to help. There may be sometimes that you
would be unable to loan something or give something, but tell the individual and
then help them to procure what is needed. The love and kindness of the Christian
must be the guiding factor in dealing with all people. Responding properly to
giving and borrowing will keep one from becoming a materialistic Christian ruled
by the spirit of hoarding. It teaches us the principle of generosity in giving
and loaning to help others.