What is the meaning of Luke 6:34? And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment Jesus is speaking to disciples who have already heard, “Give to everyone who asks you” (Luke 6:30). Here He drills down on motive: • Lending can look generous, yet still revolve around self-interest when repayment is assumed. • The Law had always encouraged open-handed giving to the needy (Deuteronomy 15:7-10), and Psalms celebrates the man who “is ever generous and lends freely” (Psalm 37:26). Now the Lord exposes the heart behind the act. • Matthew 5:42 echoes this: “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” The stress is on meeting a need, not securing a return. • By releasing control over the outcome, the believer mirrors the Father, “who causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good” (Matthew 5:45). what credit is that to you? • “Credit” points to heavenly commendation. If the transaction benefits the giver here and now, there is no distinct testimony of grace. Matthew 5:46 uses the same reasoning about loving only those who love back: “what reward will you get?” • Luke 14:12-14 expands the principle: invite those who cannot repay, “and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” • 1 Peter 2:20 shows the same wordplay: enduring hardship unjustly “finds favor with God.” The Lord notices acts that carry no earthly payoff. • Living this way shifts the believer’s focus from visible returns to the unseen reward God promises (Hebrews 11:6). Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. • Jesus draws a sharp contrast: pagan society operates on reciprocity; kingdom living operates on grace. • “Sinners” here refers to people outside covenant obedience. They lend, yet the transaction stays strictly business—principal plus full repayment. • Believers are called higher: “love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them, expecting nothing in return. Then your reward will be great” (Luke 6:35). • Such unchecked generosity reflects God’s own giving nature (James 1:17) and becomes a witness that we are “sons of the Most High” (Luke 6:35). • Proverbs 19:17 encourages the same posture: “Kindness to the poor is a loan to the LORD, and He will repay the lender.” The real payback comes from Him. summary Luke 6:34 presses past the surface act of lending and targets the heart posture. Lending that banks on repayment is ordinary; anyone can do it. Kingdom-minded lending releases the right to collect, trusting God to handle any reward. By giving freely, believers showcase the grace they themselves received and point others to the generous heart of the Father. |
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