“Expecting nothing in return”

Read Luke 6:32-36

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Jesus is still speaking about the need to love our enemies (6:27). Loving our friends and family isn’t always easy – sometimes that presents difficult challenges. But self-interest means that ‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ is a universal principle. That doesn’t make it wrong – doing good to people is always right. But it does mean there’s nothing particularly special about it. “Even sinners” do that (32).

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The phrase “even sinners” occurs three times, for emphasis (32,33,34). Jesus again stresses that love is essentially shown by practical actions of goodness and generosity (33,35) but the main point is clear – such love must be shown to enemies too, not just friends, “expecting nothing in return” (35).

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Nothing, that is, in terms of favours returned. But what we can expect is a two-fold blessing of huge value. Once again, great reward in heaven is promised (35; 6:23). And even better than that is the knowledge that behaving like this shows us to be children of God Most High, as this is the way that our Father in heaven treats people, irrespective of their behaviour towards him (35; Mt.5:45). We are to be merciful just as he is merciful (36; Mt.5:48).