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Luke 6:35
ESV 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.
NIV But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
NASB 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 Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil people.
CSB But love your enemies, do what is good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High. For he is gracious to the ungrateful and evil.
NLT Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked.
KJV But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.

What does Luke 6:35 mean?

Jesus comes to the climax of His teaching on how His followers should treat their enemies. He summarizes the message of Luke 6:27–34. "Enemy" refers to someone who actively seeks to harm us, in this context particularly because we follow Jesus (Luke 6:22). They are rich, satisfied, jubilant, and well-respected (Luke 6:24–26). They curse and hate their enemies, demand vengeance for insults, and only lend money if they're sure it will be paid back (Luke 6:27–30).

Christ's way is the opposite. His followers are to actively work for their enemies' welfare, give to those who will never be able to repay, and remain steadfast and open in the face of insults and persecution.

Jesus gives two reasons. The first is that God will reward His faithful followers. The poor will inherit God's kingdom, the hungry will be fed, the mournful will laugh (Luke 6:20–21). God's blessings will overflow (Luke 6:38). This reward will not be on earth; a believer's enemies prioritize rewards on earth, which will be all they receive (Luke 6:24). Our reward will be in paradise in eternity.

Second, we do so because God is our Father, and we want to emulate Him (Romans 8:16–17). God "makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust" (Matthew 5:45). Even more, God loves us so much that "while we were still sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). We were God's enemies, but Jesus reconciled us to God through His sacrifice (Romans 5:10). Because of His mercy to us, we should show mercy to others (Luke 6:36).
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