Luke 6:32-36
32 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. 33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. 36 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
33 If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
This section of Luke 6 always reminds me of a M*A*S*H episode. Margaret and Frank are fawning over some important person and Margaret says, “Oh, it’s nice to be nice to the nice”. I don’t know why I find that so funny, but it just cracks me up…
In today’s reading, Jesus says roughly the same thing. Being kind and generous and loving is easy when everyone around us is behaving in the same way. That’s just being “nice”. Jesus expects more from us than good manners. He calls us to love everyone, even when it’s messy. Jesus’ kind of love is countercultural because it costs us something.
Prayer: Crucified and Risen Lord, your kind of love upsets the status quo and offends nice people. It also changed the world. Make me an instrument of your peace. AMEN