Measure Given, Measure Received (part 6)

By now, there should be a growing sense of where all of this talk from Jesus is heading, as He now says, “Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your possessions back from the person who takes them away” (Luke 6:30).  For His Jewish brethren, talk of “possessions,” as He has been speaking in a way that would have been reminding them of their occupation by Rome and thus creating the ongoing context in which His words are to be heard, would be quickly connected to their land. 

The Creator God’s promise and directive to Israel, dating back to the time of Moses and Joshua, was to possess the land.  This possessing of the land was a part of their God’s special blessings upon His people.  In their present situation, as has been pointed out, though they were living in their promised land, they did not possess the land.  Rome possessed their land.  Illegitimate rulers (the Herods) possessed their land.  On a secondary level, though it may have been the case that individuals were able to own pieces of land, in the legal sense, oppressive taxation would have forced many to either sell or turn over their land, to satisfy the tax obligation.  This would be yet another reason to despise their oppressors, their enemies, and those who cursed them, but Jesus follows up on this and says, “Treat others in the same way that you would want them to treat you” (6:31).  Again, these are not free-floating aphorisms, but rather, are thoughts connected to a foundational premise.   

Though the oppression was heavy, and though His people had plenty of reasons to complain, to demand more just treatment, or to look to Rome and to their provincial rulers and say, “We’ll begin respecting you when you begin treating us better,” Jesus puts the onus on His hearers.  This, of course, is His kingdom model.  Jesus says “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you… Give, and it will be given to you… For the measure you use will be the measure you receive” (6:27-28, 38a,c).  The words of giving and receiving come forth from within this flow of thought.   

Did the Romans deserve to be overthrown and driven from their land?  Probably so, but that appears to be irrelevant to Jesus.  Driving the Romans from the land would not usher in the kingdom of God.  This would not cause their God to return to His people and His place (the Temple).  This could actually be counter-productive to the Creator God’s desired end for His people, as repentance from their covenant failures (failure to be a light to the nations and to represent their God to His creation) is what was to bring about desired ends, rather than the raising of arms.  One can only imagine how the point would be driven home and made all the more poignant when it is considered that His hearers may have been able to look around them and see Roman soldiers.

Having talked about treating others in the same way that they desired to be treated, Jesus goes on and says, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners love those who love them” (6:32).  This brings up another question.  Who is Jesus talking about when He speaks of sinners?  This goes back to a consideration of who can be found in His audience.  Remember, He had drawn people from Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon---Jews and Gentiles.  So when “sinners” are mentioned, this should not be taken to be a general reference to people who are not “saved,” or who engage in the things that many are so quick to label as sin. 

“Sinners,” as opposed to “saints,” would be a reference to those that were outside of God’s covenant.  At the same time, care must be taken to not hear this as Jesus passing judgment on those outside the covenant, for Jesus would say that He came to call sinners into His covenant.  In that day, “sinner” was a term applied to those that did not live according to a strict interpretation of covenant obligations (circumcision, Sabbath-keeping, dietary laws, and perhaps even socializing), while also being another term for Gentile.  So when Jesus spoke of sinners, it was a simple matter of His Jewish listeners to look around them and see a number of sinners, with all of them eagerly listening to this man that might very well be the long-awaited Jewish Messiah.