Luke 6:33-36
Children of God: Reflecting the Father’s Radical Kindness – Luke 6:33-36
Luke 6:33-36 (NIVUK)
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 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.
Commentary
You see, kindness is not niceness. It is not that sort of social convention of being good to someone and expecting them to be good to you. Most people have got that sort of veneer of niceness, but there is a danger that it is only skin deep, and if you cross them, it can turn quite nasty. No kindness is something far greater than that. I wonder if you can think of a time in your life when you experienced kindness. My suspicion is that if you do, if it’s one that stands out, it was somebody unexpected. Perhaps someone you didn’t know very well, or even a stranger who did something that they didn’t need to do, that made a profound difference to your life. That’s the kind of kindness that really stands out. Someone who owes you nothing and yet chooses to do it anyway. And I think that’s what kindness is. It is a commitment or a concern for the good of another without any expectation of something in return. And it’s a remarkable thing. It’s a beautiful thing and I think the reason it is that is because kindness is something of God. Verse 35 said, if you are kind, then you will be children of the most high, for he is kind to the ungrateful and to the wicked. God blesses people no matter who they are. Just as the sun shines on the righteous and the unrighteous and the spring rains fall on the good and the bad. So God gives food and happiness and the appreciation of beauty to all people. God is simply kind whether people are good or bad. And so if you are kind, then that means to be that you are children of God. Because in the ancient world, children do what their father does.