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.
But here's the real challenge, love your enemies, do good things for people, and help others out without expecting anything back. When you live like this, you'll be rewarded big time and you'll actually be living like God's kids. Because he shows kindness to ungrateful people and even to those who do wrong.
Love without expecting anything back, that's when you're really living like God.
📚 Historical Context
In the first century, Jesus delivered this teaching during the Sermon on the Plain, as recorded in Luke's Gospel, to a crowd of disciples and others in a Jewish culture that often emphasized retaliation against enemies rather than kindness. This message contrasted sharply with prevailing norms, drawing from Old Testament ideas of God's mercy while elevating them to promote a radical ethic of love. Jesus was preparing his followers for a life in God's kingdom that transcends human conflicts and mirrors divine compassion.
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