Luke 6:32-36

6:32 “If ¹  you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners ²  love those who love them. ³  6:33 And ⁴  if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even ⁵  sinners ⁶  do the same. 6:34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to be repaid, ⁷  what credit is that to you? Even sinners ⁸  lend to sinners, so that they may be repaid in full. ⁹  6:35 But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing back. ¹⁰  Then ¹¹  your reward will be great, and you will be sons ¹²  of the Most High, ¹³  because he is kind to ungrateful and evil people. ¹⁴  6:36 Be merciful, ¹⁵  just as your Father is merciful.

Zechariah 7:5-7

7:5 “Speak to all the people and priests of the land as follows: ‘When you fasted and lamented in the fifth and seventh ¹⁶  months through all these seventy years, did you truly fast for me – for me, indeed? 7:6 And now when you eat and drink, are you not doing so for yourselves?’” 7:7 Should you not have obeyed the words that the Lord cried out through the former prophets when Jerusalem ¹⁷  was peacefully inhabited and her surrounding cities, the Negev, and the Shephelah ¹⁸  were also populated?

Matthew 5:46

5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors ¹⁹  do the same, don’t they?

Matthew 6:1-4

Pure-hearted Giving

6:1 “Be ²⁰  careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. ²¹  Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven. 6:2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving, ²²  do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues ²³  and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, ²⁴  they have their reward. 6:3 But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 6:4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. ²⁵ 

Matthew 6:16-18

Proper Fasting

6:16 “When ²⁶  you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive ²⁷  so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, ²⁸  they have their reward. 6:17 When ²⁹  you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 6:18 so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

[6:32]  ¹ tn Grk “And if.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. This is a first class condition, but the next two conditional clauses are third class conditions, so that stylistic variation is probably at work.

[6:32]  ² sn Here the term sinners may refer to people who had no concern for observing the details of the Mosaic law; these were often treated as social outcasts. See L&N 88.295.

[6:32]  ³ sn Jesus’ point in the statement even sinners love those who love them is that disciples are to go farther than sinners do. The examples replay vv. 29-30.

[6:33]  ⁴ tc ‡ Three key mss (Ì⁷⁵ א* B) have “for” here, but it is unlikely that it was present originally. The addition of conjunctions, especially to the beginning of a clause, are typically suspect because they fit the pattern of Koine tendencies toward greater explicitness. NA²⁷ has the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[6:33]  ⁵ tc Most mss (A D L Θ Ξ Ψ Ë¹³ 33 Ï lat) include γάρ (gar, “for”) following καί (kai, here translated “even”), but a few important mss (א B W 700 892* 1241 pc) lack the conjunction. The inclusion of the conjunction seems to be motivated by clarity and should probably be considered inauthentic.

[6:33]  ⁶ sn See the note on the word sinners in v. 32.

[6:34]  ⁷ tn Grk “to receive”; but in context the repayment of the amount lent is implied. Jesus was noting that utilitarian motives are the way of the world.

[6:34]  ⁸ sn See the note on the word sinners in v. 32.

[6:34]  ⁹ tn Grk “to receive as much again.”

[6:35]  ¹⁰ tn Or “in return.”

[6:35]  ¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the outcome or result. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started in the translation at this point.

[6:35]  ¹² sn The character of these actions reflects the grace and kindness of God, bearing witness to a “line of descent” or relationship of the individual to God (sons of the Most High). There is to be a unique kind of ethic at work with disciples. Jesus refers specifically to sons here because in the ancient world sons had special privileges which were rarely accorded to daughters. However, Jesus is most likely addressing both men and women in this context, so women too would receive these same privileges.

[6:35]  ¹³ sn That is, “sons of God.”

[6:35]  ¹⁴ tn Or “to the ungrateful and immoral.” The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[6:36]  ¹⁵ sn Merciful is a characteristic of God often noted in the OT: Exod 34:6; Deut 4:31; Joel 2:31; Jonah 4:2; 2 Sam 24:14. This remark also echoes the more common OT statements like Lev 19:2 or Deut 18:13: “you must be holy as I am holy.”

[7:5]  ¹⁶ tn The seventh month apparently refers to the anniversary of the assassination of Gedaliah, governor of Judah (Jer 40:13-14; 41:1), in approximately 581 b.c.

[7:7]  ¹⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[7:7]  ¹⁸ sn The Shephelah is the geographical region between the Mediterranean coastal plain and the Judean hill country. The Hebrew term can be translated “lowlands” (cf. ASV), “foothills” (NAB, NASB, NLT), or “steppes.”

[5:46]  ¹⁹ sn The tax collectors would bid to collect taxes for the Roman government and then add a surcharge, which they kept. Since tax collectors worked for Rome, they were viewed as traitors to their own people and were not well liked.

[6:1]  ²⁰ tc ‡ Several mss (א L Z Θ Ë¹ 33 892 1241 1424 al) have δέ (de, “but, now”) at the beginning of this verse; the reading without δέ is supported by B D W 0250 ˹³ Ï lat. A decision is difficult, but apparently the conjunction was added by later scribes to indicate a transition in the thought-flow of the Sermon on the Mount. NA²⁷ has δέ in brackets, indicating reservations about its authenticity.

[6:1]  ²¹ tn Grk “before people in order to be seen by them.”

[6:2]  ²² tn Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today. The giving of alms was highly regarded in the ancient world (Deut 15:7-11).

[6:2]  ²³ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[6:2]  ²⁴ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[6:4]  ²⁵ tc L W Θ 0250 Ï it read ἐν τῷ φανερῷ (en tw fanerw, “openly”) at the end of this verse, giving a counterweight to what is done in secret. But this reading is suspect because of the obvious literary balance, because of detouring the point of the passage (the focus of vv. 1-4 is not on two kinds of public rewards but on human vs. divine approbation), and because of superior external testimony that lacks this reading (א B D Z Ë^1,13 33 al).

[6:16]  ²⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[6:16]  ²⁷ tn Here the term “disfigure” used in a number of translations was not used because it could convey to the modern reader the notion of mutilation. L&N 79.17 states, “‘to make unsightly, to disfigure, to make ugly.’ ἀφανίζουσιν γὰρ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν ‘for they make their faces unsightly’ Mt 6:16.”

[6:16]  ²⁸ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[6:17]  ²⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.