IN these verses, which continue the theme of doing good to our enemies, Jesus shows us that his command to his disciples is that they must show a life which is not just good, but altogether better and different to the life of the people in the world. Things would be more clear cut if everybody who is not a Christian were horrid and bad people, but this is not so. Many people in the world are not only upright citizens, but also do much good and treat people whom they love and like with great kindness and consideration. Jesus describes such people in these verses.
Jesus describes how 'sinners' behave. The picture is very commendable, however before we look at that behaviour, we need to understand what Jesus means by the description of them used here, the description of 'sinners'. Jesus uses the word 'sinners' because he wants us to appreciate that even those who are really bad in many ways, still behave towards those they love in a very excellent way. Bad people, even gross sinners, love those who love them, and will do good to them, and even lend them money. They do this because they receive back from their fellow 'sinners' as much as they give them. This does not mean that Jesus is excluding all who are not Christians, for the same applies to them, for they are kind and loving to those they like, and who behave well towards them. Nor is Jesus using the word 'sinners' with the idea that his disciples are not sinners. Jesus is simply making a statement about the people of the world and their behaviour, and recognising that there is much good seen in others who are not Christian.
What Jesus is seeking to make clear is that if we are truly his disciples, because of the new life that has been created in us, and because of the wondrous love we have received from God, through Christ, in our salvation, and because we claim to be followers of the Lord Jesus, our behaviour and action towards other people, and specially to those who harm us, must be totally different to the ways of the world. Our lives must reflect Christ in all we do and say. As he gave to us in salvation freely without asking anything in return, and as Jesus goes on giving to us in both spiritual and temporal blessings even though we continue to behave badly and tarnish his reputation, and because he was merciful, and continues to be merciful, to us; we must show the same mind in our living and behaving towards others, and specially to those who behave badly towards us.
The closing sentence has a depth in it which we shall not plumb the depth of in this life, and perhaps not even in eternity. We have received mercy from God. We need to meditate deeply on the meaning and nature of mercy. Mercy is an action and attitude to those who deserve only punishment and wrath. Mercy is to those who deserve retribution, but are forgiven and saved from the wrath that their actions richly deserve. Mercy which God shows us in Christ is enormously costly. Human beings can write off a debt without much trouble, and overlook evil and forgive, but this is not possible to God. Mercy can only be shown when God can do it in holiness, and when his holiness is upheld. God's mercy comes at the cost of the punishment which the sinner deserves being executed on someone else, and there was no one else but Christ, God's only begotten Son, who was good enough to pay the price of sin. Such is the evil of sin, only Jesus as the Son of God, taking our nature, could make an all-sufficient sacrifice for sin which would satisfy the holy demands of God's law. When God shows mercy it is mercy which was made possible only by God himself taking upon himself the sin of the world, and suffering the punishment his law demands in the place of the sinner.
There is no mercy so great as this, but we are called to show the mercy of God shown to us in all our dealings with others, and specially with those who do us harm.
The graciousness of God is seen in speaking of the reward that he will bestow upon those who are ready to be merciful as he is merciful. He says there will be a reward in heaven for those who love their enemies and do good to them. He also indicates that the reward will be comparable to the measure of the excellence of the mercy we show to 'sinners'.
The bible teaching includes rewards in heaven. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 makes this clear. However there is no suggestion that heaven is won by our merit and Christ-likeness. No! Heaven is a gift bestowed gratuitously to the undeserving, and our place in heaven will always be a gift of grace. Nor do we show mercy for reward, for if we do, it will lose its value and there will be no reward. Our mercy to others is and must be an expression of thankfulness to the Lord, and from a desire to please him who has loved us with his everlasting love.
Having said all this, we have to confess that what Jesus calls us to be and do here is quite beyond us in our own strength, even in the new nature we have been given by new birth. We will fail again and again. Yet because we are conscious of mercy received, we will seek to be merciful as Jesus calls us to be, crying all the time to our Lord for the strength and the grace to be merciful as he is merciful.