Читать книгу Boyd's Commentary - R.H. Boyd Publishing Corporation - Страница 53

Doing the right thing for people who do wrong against you is difficult to embrace. It is hard even for those who claim a heritage in God. Christians should take comfort in remembering the time when we were enemies of God. It was God’s all-consuming love for us and His Son’s sacrifice as a demonstration of that love that we are no longer God’s enemies. God’s selfless act through Jesus Christ changed the narrative.

God’s love for us establishes the fundamental example of how we can be selfless in our dealings with others, even when they are selfish. God calls us to be selfless as a contrast to the selfishness of this world, creating a difference that reveals the grace and glory of God. How do we do this in the face of contradictive actions and attitudes? Jesus provides the answer in today’s lesson.

Jesus completed the paralleled Beatitudes and woes in Luke 6:20–26. At the beginning of our lesson passage (v. 27), Luke turned his attention to the last Beatitude: “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man” (6:22, NRSV). The ensuing section is devoted to further developing this theme and contains the following subdivisions: (1) four commands concerning love of one’s enemies (6:27–28); (2) four examples of the commands (6:29–30); (3) a summary (6:31); (4) three further examples of the commands (6:32–34); (5) three commands concerning love of enemies (6:35a); (6) a divine promise (6:35b); (7) a concluding summary (6:36). The notion of loving one’s enemies is so strong in Jesus’ teachings that many of these words are paralleled in Matthew’s Gospel as well (Matt. 5:38–48). It is simple. Jesus commands us to love our enemy and friend alike.