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Luke 6:26
Luke 6:26 contrasts with Luke 6:22-23 (NKJV) which states, “Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man’s sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.”
We must keep in mind that as Jesus tells us in John 15:18, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.”, we will receive an overall attitude of hatred from the secular community for our belief in Jesus. If then, “…all men speak well of you,” as Jesus states in Luke 6:26a, then that would be a sign that you are following the ways of the world, which is living in the sinful nature.
Luke 6:26b, “For so did their father to the false prophets.”, is an example that Jesus uses to show that throughout history the false prophets were welcomed by the Israelites because they falsely prophesied things that tailored to the wants of the people. The LORD speaks of these things in the Old Testament book of Jeremiah 5:12-13, and Jeremiah 6:13-15.
This is a warning to not seek the favor of man but to seek the favor of God.
This is a warning that if the secular world approves of you, then you must be seeking secular ways.
This is not an instruction to conduct ourselves in a way as to be at opposition to the secular world. We should always treat one another with love and kindness as Jesus taught. But we must also be aware that as we profess our belief in Jesus, we will be met with hostility by those who have chosen to not put Jesus first in their lives. We must always be on guard to our own beliefs as well, as we Christians too tend to justify our own ways and yet be judgmental of others. This is a way in which Satan strives in the sinful nature to pull us away from our relationship with God. Jesus states in John 13:34-35, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
It is very hard sometimes to show love to someone who has shown hate or discontent to us. But this is where we find out how deep our love for Jesus goes. The Apostle Paul states in Romans 12:14, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” And in Romans 12:17-21 Paul states, “Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” [Deuteronomy 32:35] says the Lord. Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of
Fire on his head” [Proverbs 25:21,22].
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” It is fitting here to note the words of Jesus in Matthew 19:26, and even though He is speaking of how hard it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, His words ring true for every aspect of life; “But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” We will be persecuted for standing up for Jesus, but as He states in Luke 6:23b, “For indeed your reward is great in heaven.”
Dear Lord,
It is hard for some to believe in You because of knowing that we will be persecuted for our beliefs. Please help us to see that as Jesus was persecuted, we too will be persecuted. But through it all, please open our eyes to see how beautiful life is with Jesus living in our hearts, and how great the reward is for following His ways. It is impossible to accomplish these things by ourselves; but with You Lord, all things are possible. In Jesus name I pray, amen.