Luke 6:35–37

Context

In Luke 6, after choosing the Twelve, Jesus comes down from the mountain and teaches his disciples and the crowd on a level place (Luke 6:17–49). This teaching is commonly called the "Sermon on the Plain," and much of its content overlaps with the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. Verses 35–36 conclude the section on love for enemies (6:27–36), and verse 37 opens the section on judging others (6:37–42). Both sections share the idea that the disciples are to treat others as God treats people.

Interpretation

• An ethic of imitating God: Verse 35 grounds its command in the fact that God "is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil." On this reading, loving one's enemies is not a response to what the other person deserves but a way of reflecting God's character. The promise that the disciples will be "the children of the Highest" is likewise often understood as describing children who resemble their Father rather than as a condition of eligibility.
• A reading centered on mercy: The command "Be ye therefore merciful" in verse 36 corresponds to "Be ye therefore perfect" in the parallel passage, Matthew 5:48. Some interpreters therefore conclude that Luke understood God's perfection above all in terms of mercy.
• Grace and response: Regarding "forgive, and ye shall be forgiven" in verse 37, Protestant interpretations that emphasize grace explain the saying not as a condition for obtaining forgiveness but as the fruit, in one's life, of forgiveness already received. Interpretations that emphasize practice and sanctification (the life of growing in holiness), by contrast, read it as a warning that an unforgiving attitude genuinely endangers one's faith.

Debates and Issues

• The scope of "judge not": The Greek verb translated "judge" carries a broad range of meaning, encompassing both evaluating and passing judgment. On the basis of the parable of the mote and the beam that follows (6:41–42), a widely accepted interpretation holds that the saying forbids not all moral discernment but hypocritical condemnation that lacks self-examination. On this view, the passage does not conflict with church discipline (the process of correcting members who have done wrong) or with legitimately raising concerns about wrongdoing. Others note that invoking this verse to suppress all criticism within the church takes it out of context.
• A textual variant in verse 35: The expression rendered "hoping for nothing again" is reported to survive in some manuscripts in a form that can be read as meaning something closer to "despairing of no one." Most translations render it as "expecting nothing in return."

Related Passages

• Luke 6:27–36
• Luke 6:37–42
• Matthew 5:38–42
• John 7:24
• Galatians 6:1