“But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you… your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High…” (Luke 6)
Jesus taught and preached his and God’s views on a great deal of subjects; however, the core of his teaching takes root in the above passage. According to Luke, forgiveness and compassion are the most dominant and prevailing lessons that Jesus taught to his audiences through parables and other manners of preaching. Forgiveness is so important in Jesus’ teachings that it should come as no surprise that God used Jesus as his prime example to the people that the validity and importance of forgiveness is vast. God’s supposed intent of sending Jesus to earth was in order to redeem the people of their sins and show his unconditional love and forgiveness through the sacrifice of his one and only “begotten son”. Jesus died for the forgiveness of our sins and to redeem us in the eyes of God.
The passage from Luke outlines the small things a person can do on earth that will inevitably be deemed by God as deserving of a great reward. By practicing forgiveness in all situations whether it be small or great (like Jesus’ death), all these acts shall be rewarded. The line, “do to others as you would have them do to you” is a statement of reciprocity that is commonly used when describing Jesus’ basic message and actions. He teaches to his audience that reacting vilely or hating others will only hurt you in the long run; instead one should pray or pity those who have yet to learn God’s teaching for they shall be punished appropriately until they find the right way. Sacrifice is also an act that ties hand in hand with forgiveness. The quote “from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt,” teaches to sacrifice everything and immediately forgive the person who caused you to sacrifice. This ideal is very similar to what Christians believe to be the reason Jesus died on the cross; to sacrifice himself for the forgiveness of everyone’s sins.
2 comments:
I agree with you that the original message of Luke was forgiveness, forgiveness, forgiveness, but I think in modern days this is taken more as a guideline than a rule. For instance, I know many Christians who support the war because they never forgave Saddam Hussein for the Gulf War. Plenty of Christians haven't forgiven Muslims for 9/11, and some still haven't forgiven Jews for persecuting Jesus.
I like how you mentioned sacrifice, because that's a theme in Judaism also. The idea that God sacrificed his only son is reminiscent of the story of Abraham and Isaac. According to the new and old Testaments, a pious person should be willing to sacrifice everything, even a child.
umm, that last comment was me, actually. i didn't realize that jenny hadn't logged out.
Post a Comment