Kind to the Ungrateful

All right, well we are continuing on with Jesus' sermon here in Luke chapter 6. Dave's smiling at me because he's already way past me in Luke, but we're not racing, right?

Luke 6 · chapter mention

Recap is good. Drill it in deeper, right?

For the past two Sundays we've been looking at Jesus' radical instructions about how we are to treat other people.

We are to love our enemies. We are to do good to those who hate us.

We are even to pray for those who curse us or mistreat us.

We're not to retaliate, either in word or action.

We are to be merciful, not treating others according to how they treat us or according to what we feel they deserve.

But according to how we ourselves want to be treated.

And now Jesus wraps up his instruction on this theme by restating it and by reminding us of some motivating realities.

Let's look at our passage this morning here in Luke 6 verse 32.

Luke 6:32

Jesus says,

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?

Even sinners love those who love them.

And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you?

Even sinners do that.

And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you?

Even sinners lend to sinners expecting to be repaid in full.

But love your enemies.

Do good to them.

And lend 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.

Be merciful.

Just as your Father is merciful.

We notice in these words of Jesus, these rhetorical questions.

If you do such and such, what credit is that to you?

Three times Jesus asked a rhetorical question like this.

This is another example of that sort of synonymous parallelism.

That's intended to drive home the same point but from three different angles.

And what's the point?

Well, we need to translate these rhetorical questions into statements.

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?

Answer?

It's no credit.

It's no credit to you if you only love those who love you.

And it's no credit to you if you're only good to those who are good to you.

And it's no credit to you if you only lend to people who you think it likely will pay you back.

In other words, we should not expect any praise, any well done, any commendation or reward from God

for just treating others according to how they treat us.

There's nothing especially commendable about that.

Nothing worthy of reward.

After each of these rhetorical statements is this repeated phrase.

Even sinners do that.

The self-interested people of the world who are not seeking to live righteously,

even they love those who love them.

Even they do good to those who are good to them.

Even they lend to those who are likely to pay them back.

That's just normal reciprocation.

We talked about the golden rule last week.

Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

But this kind of living that Jesus is talking about is

do to others so that they will do good to you.

Or it's if you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours.

If you're nice to me, I'll be nice to you.

If you help me out, I'll help you out.

Well, that's not anything special or worthy of honor, says Jesus.

Of course you love those who love you.

That's not righteousness.

That's not the kind of love that I'm talking about.

That's not caring truly and deeply for the needs of others.

It's a sort of self-serving, convenient arrangement

that even people who don't fear God do all the time.

It's no credit to you to just reciprocate kindness to people.

To return good only to those who are good to you.

The example of lending in verses 34 and 35

really stands out in this section as something new, something fresh.

Why might someone ask to borrow money from you?

Because they have none.

Well, our minds start thinking of all the different scenarios that might be.

Apart from addictions and substance abuse

or forgetting their wallet at home,

it's probably that they are really in need.

And it's kind of humiliating to have to ask those around you

for a loan,

for help to fulfill your obligations.

And so often people won't ask to borrow

until they're truly in need.

Until the vehicle's out of commission

and the repair bill is too high.

Is more than what there is in the bank account.

Often people won't ask

until the gas tank is completely empty

and they have to get to this appointment.

Often people won't ask

until the fridge is empty

and there's hunger.

until the credit card is already maxed out.

Would you be willing to lend me some money?

I've got myself into a tough situation

and I promise I'll pay you back as soon as I can.

The normal way of the world in moments like this

is to assess the situation,

to evaluate that person and what you know of them,

and then to count the cost to yourself.

How likely am I to be repaid?

And if they're quite likely to repay them,

well, I'll lend them the money.

But notice how that decision is

first and foremost based on my interests.

Whether I will be repaid

because it's my money

and I want to get it back.

Can I spare that money

if they don't repay me?

And so with that kind of thinking,

if you decide to grant them a small loan,

Jesus says,

it's no credit to you.

There's no praise or reward from God

for that.

That's not being especially helpful

or generous to them.

You're mainly concerned about yourself

and whether you'll get the money back.

Jesus says,

love your enemies.

Do good to them.

Lend to them without expecting

to get anything back.

If we take away that expectation of repayment,

why would we lend to them?

Well, because they're in need.

Because they need help.

Our being willing to lend to them

regardless of whether they pay us back

is a true act of compassion.

It's a true act of love and goodness

because it's no longer about us

and our money.

It's about them.

And their need.

And as we saw with the discussion

about retaliation above

and turning the other cheek

and allowing them to take the shirt as well,

it's better to be generous.

It's better to be kind

and sometimes taken advantage of

and wronged

than to be just like the world around us

with a hollow love

that only shows goodness

to those who are good to us.

Now we might wonder in that moment,

well, what about

me?

What about my money?

What if I don't get it back?

This is a lot of money.

I worked for that money.

It was the reward for my labor.

How is it right that they should have it

for doing nothing?

And maybe that I should lack that money

permanently

if they don't repay it.

Well, Jesus helps us with this too.

He says in verse 35,

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.

There are times

when living like this

may result in us

being taken advantage of.

Our love toward an enemy

may be scorned.

You send a gift

and it's thrown in the trash

or you send a card

and it's returned in the mail.

You do good to them

but they may continue

to be hostile

and nasty to you.

You lend to them

and they tell you

time and time again,

yeah, I'm going to repay you

but the money

never shows itself.

Take heart.

In those kinds of situations,

says Jesus,

your reward

will be great.

Not from them,

not from others,

but your reward from God.

God sees

and keeps track

of every single time

that we are wronged.

Every time we're

taken advantage of.

And when we refuse

to retaliate

and instead

act in love

and generosity

and kindness,

God will see to it

that we are honored

on the great day.

That we are rewarded

for loving

and giving

the way that He does.

there is a day

of reward

coming

for the disciples

of Jesus.

Now the precise details

on what God's reward

to us will be

on that day

we don't know.

It awaits the end

when Jesus returns

to open up the books

and reveal

how all of His followers

have lived.

but do you believe

that God

can reward you

far beyond

the wrong

or the loss

or the pain

that you suffer

from others?

Let me ask that again.

Do you believe

that God

can reward you

far beyond

the wrong

or the loss

or the pain

that you

suffered

from others?

I think deep down

in our hearts

we know

that He can.

On a very practical note

when it comes

to borrowing

and lending

something I personally

try to do

is to avoid

borrowing

at all costs

of course

with the exception

of the mortgage

on our home

it's almost impossible

to buy a home

without that.

But I think

there's true wisdom

in the words

that God spoke

through Solomon

long ago.

Proverbs

Proverbs 22:7

chapter 22

verse 7

says

the rich

rule over the poor

and the borrower

is slave

to the lender.

So what those words

mean to me

is that I would

be wise

to avoid

borrowing

at all costs

because to do so

is at least

in some measure

to make myself

a slave.

It's to

surrender

control of my life

in some measure

to someone else.

Now of course

with the

exception of

the basic

essentials

of food

and shelter

and clothing

it's better

to go without

and be free

than to have

and be a slave.

So how do we

factor in

these words

to the words

that Jesus

gives us

when he encourages

us to be willing

to lend

without expecting

repayment?

Well if going

into debt

is unwise

for me

because the

borrower is

slave

to the lender

then lending

to someone else

puts them

into that

same situation

where they

lose some

of their

freedom

and become

in some

measure

a slave

to me

obligated

to repay

me.

And so

this is just

my own

personal

understanding

of this

what I find

helpful

in this

situation

is that

if anybody

asks

to borrow

from me

I choose

to think

of what I

lend

to them

as a gift

rather than

a loan.

I don't

set out

terms of

repayment

if it's

a relatively

small and

manageable

amount of

money

why not

just give

it to them

as a gift

from God?

Just tell

them this

is from

the Lord

Jesus.

Then

they can

be free

of any

feeling of

obligation

to repay

you.

Give it

as a gift

if you

can.

tell them

it's a gift

so that

they know

that they're

not burdened

by this

sense of

duty

to somehow

find the

money to

repay you.

And then

at the

outset

you don't

even have

to worry

about whether

they pay

you back

or not.

You saw

their need

and you

just gave

to help

them meet

it.

Now

sometimes

it's a

larger sum

maybe

an amount

of money

that

yeah

it's

difficult

to give

that amount.

Lend

it to

them

if

you're

able

but

leave

it

to

God

whether

they

pay

you

back.

Isn't

that what

Jesus is

saying

with these

words?

Lend

to them

without

expecting

to get

anything

back.

Don't

chase

them

around

asking

for

your

money

back

or

hold

it

over

them

and

let

it

sour

your

relationship

with

them.

Take

it

on

the

chin.

Turn

the

other

cheek.

remember

God

can

repay

you

for

anything

that

you've

lost.

He

can

give

more

to

you

if

you

need

it

and

at

the

end

he

will

reward

those

who

are

generous

and

lend

and

give.

Notice

who

Jesus

tells

us

to

lend

to.

He

says

love

your

enemies.

Do

good

to

them.

Lend

to

them

without

expecting

to

get

anything

back.

So

already

we

should

be

thinking

of

this

as

money

that's

probably

not

coming

back

to

us.

This

is

an

enemy

we're

lending

to.

It's

a

kindness

that's

probably

not

going

to

be

returned.

Now

we

also

have

to

remember

that

this

is

a

general

imperative.

This

is a

general

teaching

of

Jesus.

It's

a

principle.

And

it's

not

without

exception.

Do

not

lend

money

to

the

guy

begging

you

for

it

next

door

to

the

liquor

store

whose

breath

smells

like

alcohol.

We

are

stewards

and

managers

of what

God

has

entrusted

to

us.

We

are

to

be

generous

but

not

foolish.

Giving

money

to

an

addict

only

enables

him

to

do

more

damage

to

himself

and

to

perpetuate

his

addiction.

Giving

money

to

a

chronic

gambler

is a

sure

way

to

squander

what

the

Lord

has

entrusted

to

you

and

it

doesn't

help

him

out

one

bit.

Giving

a

second

or a

third

or a

fourth

loan

to a

shopaholic

is

not

meeting

their

need.

Giving

money

to

someone

who

is

lazy

and

unwilling

to

work

only

perpetuates

and

reinforces

that

laziness.

The

Apostle

Paul

himself

laid

down

this

rule

in

the

churches

as

he

went

about

as

a

missionary.

This

is

what

he

wrote

to

the

Thessalonians.

2 Thessalonians

2 Thessalonians 3:10

3

verse

10.

He

said,

So there

are

these

situations

and

what we

have to

figure out

in these

situations

is what

a

person's

need

really

is.

And

sometimes

in

situations

like

these

it's

not

more

money.

It's

okay

to say

no

to the

one

asking

to

borrow

in

these

circumstances.

And

it

has

nothing

to

do

with

whether

they

will

repay

you.

It's

about

whether

they're

truly

in

need

of

what

they're

asking

for

and

whether

the

thing

that

you

give

or

lend

is

actually

meeting

that

need.

So

we're

talking

specifically

about

the

addict,

the

gambler,

the

shopaholic,

or the

freeloader

who's

unwilling

to

work.

And

here

too,

we have

to be

careful

with

this.

At

the

end

of

the

day,

we

can't

control

how a

person

spends

what we

give

them

or what

we lend

to them.

Maybe

they spent

it all

on

groceries,

but the

kind of

stuff that

they buy

is that

really expensive

convenience

food.

And

the money

could have

gone a lot

further if

they had

bought some

more staple

foods and

did some

cooking.

money.

But

God's

not

asking us

to ensure

that every

dollar that

we give is

spent wisely.

Maybe they

spend half of

it on

groceries and

the other half

on cigarettes.

We can't

always let

that thought

of how they

will spend

it.

We can't

let it stop

us from

being generous

and lending

to those

in need.

Back in

the day

our church

was part

of the

Davidson

Interchurch

Association

and we

used to

issue

vouchers for

groceries or

gas to

people in

need.

Anybody

who asked

for one.

And the

list of

people who

took advantage

of that

and used

that every

year was

relatively

small.

We had a

limit of

three vouchers

per year

that we

would give

and there

was a

possibility

you could

get more

in exceptional

cases.

I remember

one time

giving a

voucher to

a person.

It was

the third

voucher for

the year.

And as I

was there

dropping it

off I

could see

on the

table the

kinds of

groceries that

they were

buying.

And I

was thinking

wow.

They still

managed to

find room

in their

very very

tight budget

for a

16 pack

of carbonated

soft drinks

and numerous

bags of

chips and

junk food.

I told

them that

our policy

was three

vouchers and

that this

was the last

for the

year.

But that

if he

was willing

to accept

help with

learning some

good financial

management skills

I'd be happy

to help with

that.

I'd be happy

to look over

your expenses

for the month

and see if we

can bring those

down.

Happy to look

at how we

can bring your

income up.

Just brainstorm

some ideas.

Come up with a

monthly budget.

I offered him

a free

Christian

financial management

course that he

could take

online.

And of course

he expressed

his thanks and

said he'd think

about it.

but I didn't

hear much

from him

for a long

time after

that.

Sometimes not

having any

money is

just a symptom.

What's the

deeper need?

Surprisingly,

the loving thing

to do in

certain situations

is not to

give more

money but to

talk with that

person.

Spend time

with them.

understand what

is it that

they really

need and

what are some

solutions that

can help

meet that,

that I can

provide.

Surprisingly,

the unloving

thing to do

might be to

just throw a

$20 bill at

them and say

hope this helps

and drive away.

So we have to

be wise in how

we apply this

imperative of

Jesus about

lending to

those who

ask.

We can't

expect that

what we give

or lend will

always be used

wisely or

well.

But we

remember,

as Jesus

says here,

that God

is kind

to the

ungrateful

and the

wicked.

In Matthew's

gospel,

Matthew 5,

Matthew 5:45

verse 45,

Jesus says

that God

causes his

son to

rise on

the evil

and the

good.

And he

sends rain

on the

righteous

and the

unrighteous.

He is

merciful.

He doesn't

just deal

with us

as we

deserve.

And so as

his children,

there may be

times when we

give or we

lend at cost

to ourselves

only to watch

it be squandered

or misused.

But just like

we haven't used

all that God

has entrusted

to us

perfectly,

then he

continues to

be generous

and giving

to us

so we

should be

to others.

Let's

remember again

that the

day of

reward

is coming

and for

every wrong

we have

suffered,

for every

unkind thing

done or

said to

us,

if we

bear it

with grace

and return

only love,

our reward

will be

great on

that day.

We'll look

back on those

moments and

think,

it's okay.

It hurt,

it cost,

but God

has now

returned to

me far

more than

they took

away.

So we're

meant to

let that

promise of

reward

motivate us

and strengthen

us and

encourage us

when we

feel the

struggle

and pain

and loss

from others.

There's

another thing

here that

Jesus says

to motivate

us and

we've talked

about this

already in

the past

weeks,

but you

can never

hear this

too much.

God is

only asking

us to be

like him

and to

do as he

does.

He is

like a

father

teaching

us,

his

children,

to do

what is

good and

right,

to do

as he

does.

And what

is God

like?

If someone

asks you

that question,

what's the

first thing

that comes

to mind?

What is

God like?

The typical

words we

might use

are loving,

merciful,

gracious,

forgiving,

and Jesus

uses these

words,

mercy and

love,

in this

passage,

throughout

this

section,

but in

this entire

passage,

I love

these words

of Jesus

the most.

What is

God like?

Let me

tell you,

says Jesus,

he is

kind

to the

ungrateful.

He is

kind

to the

ungrateful.

He is

kind

to the

wicked.

And it's

really just

another way of

saying that

he's

merciful,

that he

doesn't

treat us

according to

what we

deserve,

but so

much better

than we

deserve.

But I

don't know,

something about

the way this

is worded,

it just gets

to my heart

every time I

read it.

He is a

God who is

kind to the

ungrateful.

people.

And I

think of my

own life,

and I

think,

have I

been as

grateful to

God as

I should

be for

all the

good things

that he

has done

to me

and for

me?

Not even

close.

Have I

been truly

wicked?

wicked.

The Bible

convicts me

day after

day,

week after

week,

of my

sins.

So many

times I

couldn't even

hope to

keep count.

If God

was to deal

with me as

I really

deserve,

but he

hasn't.

And so

really what

he's saying

is,

Joshua,

be like

your father

in heaven,

even to

the ungrateful

in your

life,

even to

the wicked,

the unkind,

to anyone

and everyone.

How can

we receive

such kindness

from God?

God,

and then

turn around

and withhold

that from

others?

The greatest

motivation

and power

to live

like Jesus

commands

here,

I would

suggest it

comes not

from the

reward that's

promised,

but from

looking at

what God

himself is

like and

just reflecting

on how

he has

loved me.

despite my

mistreatment

of him.

And when

we come to

that place

of gazing

on him

and seeing

his mercy,

his grace

towards us,

his goodness

to us

who have

ignored him,

hated him,

insulted him,

how he has

given to

us without

expecting

anything in

return,

suddenly it's

not too

hard to

love our

enemies

or to

do good

to those

who hate

us or to

lend without

expecting anything

back.

instead it

becomes the

most wonderful

and beautiful

privilege in

the world

to imitate,

even to

try to

imitate our

glorious

father.

Let's pray.

Lord,

these words

are hard

to live

out and

we can

probably all

think of

situations

where we

have been

wronged

and hurt.

But I

pray that

you would

give us

the strength

by your

Holy Spirit

in us

to live

like this

even now

in those

relationships

that are

still in

this spot.

Help us

not to

give up

on doing

what is

right and

what is

good.

Fill us

with a

love that

goes beyond

that natural

gut instinct

that we

have to

retaliate or

to ignore

or to push

away.

Let us

bring glory

to your

name.

help us

in this

we pray.

In

Jesus

name.

Amen.