Luke 6:32

That even our enemies must be loved. In the Gospel according to Luke: "If ye love those who love you, what thank have ye? For even sinners love those who love them." Also according to Matthew: "Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, that ye may be the children of your Father who is in heaven, who maketh His sun to rise upon the good and the evil, and giveth rain upon the righteous and the unrighteous."

And if you love those who love you, what grace is it to you? For even sinners love those who love them, etc. If even sinners, publicans, and pagans know how to be kind to their lovers, led by nature, how much more must you …

It is difficult for anyone to love his enemy except through grace. A stone cannot give heat of itself: but if it is placed next to a burning furnace, it can afterward give heat. "If you love those who love you," what grace is that? …

After he promulgated the evangelical laws under fitting perfection, here secondly he proves from a deficient condition, where he shows that he had to command according to the aforementioned manner: otherwise there is no merit before God. Whence he shows here three things, namely that …

It is greatly observable, our Lord has so little regard for one of the highest instances of natural virtue, namely, the returning love for love, that he does not account it even to deserve thanks. For even sinners, saith he, do the same: men who do not regard God at all. Therefore he may do this, who has not taken one step in Christianity.

Christ justifies his disciples in a work of necessity for themselves on that day, and that was plucking the ears of corn, when they were hungry on that day. This story here has a date, which we had not in the other evangelists; it was on the second sabbath after the first (

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye?....

BRETHREN in Christ, every Word which proceeds out of our Master's lips is precious to us. We make no distinction between His promises and His precepts, but prize every syllable above rubies. A doctrine from Him we value beyond the much fine gold and a command is equally high in our esteem. Whether His teaching is practical or doctrinal, whether it is intended to guide the feet or to encourage the heart, we are equally rejoiced at it— "All His words are music, though they make us weep; Infinitely tender, infinitely deep."

The teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, in these verses — is confined to one great subject. That subject is Christian charity, or love. Charity, which is the grand characteristic of the Gospel — charity, which is the bond of perfectness — charity, without which a man is nothing in God's sight — charity is here fully expounded and strongly enforced. Well would it have been for the Church of Christ, if its Master's precept in this passage had been more carefully studied, and more diligently observed!

The teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, in these verses — is confined to one great subject. That subject is Christian charity, or love. Charity, which is the grand characteristic of the Gospel — charity, which is the bond of perfectness — charity, without which a man is nothing in God's sight — charity is here fully expounded and strongly enforced. Well would it have been for the Church of Christ, if its Master's precept in this passage had been more carefully studied, and more diligently observed! In the first place — our Lord explains the nature and extent of Christian charity. The disciples might ask: WHOM are we to love? He bids them to "love their enemies — do good to those who hate them — bless those who curse them — and pray for those who despitefully use them." Their love was to be like His own love towards sinners — unselfish, and uninfluenced by any hope of return. The disciples might ask: What was to be the MANNER of this love? It was to be self-sacrificing and self-denying. "If someone smites you on the one cheek — turn the other cheek to him as well." "If someone takes your cloak — do not stop him from taking your shirt as well." They were to give up much, and endure much — for the sake of showing kindness and avoiding strife. They were to forego even their rights, and submit to wrong — rather than awaken angry passions and create quarrels. In this they were to be like their Master — patient, meek, and lowly of heart. In the second place — our Lord lays down a golden principle for the settlement of doubtful cases. He knew well that there will always be occasions when the line of duty towards our neighbor is not clearly defined. He knew how much self-interest and private feelings, will sometimes dim our perceptions of right and wrong.

BRETHREN in Christ, every Word which proceeds out of our Master's lips is precious to us. We make no distinction between His promises and His precepts, but prize every syllable above rubies. A doctrine from Him we value beyond the much fine gold and a command is equally high in our esteem. Whether His teaching is practical or doctrinal, whether it is intended to guide the feet or to encourage the heart, we are equally rejoiced at it— "All His words are music, though they make us weep; Infinitely tender, infinitely deep." All the discourses of Jesus are the Words of God to our soul, whether they convey to us instruction, warning, rebuke, invitation or consolation. As all His garments smell of myrrh, aloes and cassia, so are all His words most sweet to our taste. We have not so learned Christ as to be pickers and choosers when the fruits of His lips are before us. Yet I have known professors of that sort, who would gladly tear the Master's vesture that they might have only the softest part of it to be a pillow for their idle heads. "That," they say, "was a Gospel sermon, sweet food for our souls," because it happened to tell of what Christ has done for us. But on the next occasion they cry out, "That was not a Gospel sermon! It was legal! It laid a burden upon our shoulders," because it dared to tell of what Christ has commanded us to do for Him. Those men, it seems to me, accept Christ for a servant rather than for a Master! They are glad that He shall do this or that for them—that He shall, in fact, gird Himself and wait at their table while they sit down to meat.