This chapter includes Jesus and His disciples taking flack for ‘working’ on the Sabbath, the pronouncement of the 12 apostles, and Luke’s account of the ‘sermon on the mount’.
” ‘But 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. Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.’ ” (v35-38)
Jesus gives us a very high calling: love your neighbors and enemies, give generously and unconditionally, extend grace and mercy, forgive everyone, and do not judge or condemn. That isn’t even an exhaustive list…
Personally, like the ‘fruit of the Spirit’, I struggle with this list. I find some people are very difficult to love (and I’m likely a hard-to-love person for someone else)… Yet, we know God will not command us to do the impossible, without somehow making it possible (or at least forgivable when we fail).
Thankfully, between God’s forgiveness / grace / mercy available through Jesus, and the empowerment of the indwelling Holy Spirit, God’s commands can be met, and/or our failures to meet them are forgiven. Just as we expect those around us to be ‘only human’ and make mistakes, God has also made provision for our mistakes. Forgiveness and mercy seem to be keys in this passage, so let’s extend these to our neighbors / enemies, and to ourselves when we fail, because God extends them to us.
Father God, our Generous Lord and Merciful King, thank you for helping us love our neighbors. We confess that we are unable to meet Your commands, yet, we recognize You have made provisions for our shortcomings and sins. Thank you for the mercy and empowerment You extend, enabling us to be salt and light to this world. Please continue to walk beside us, guide us, strengthen us, and love our neighbors through us, for Your glory and honor, each and every day, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training