Luke 6:35 Meaning: Love Your Enemies, Lend Without Hope

The Greek word for “love” here is agapate, not a feeling but an active, deliberate choice to seek the good of another, even an enemy. Then comes the phrase “expecting nothing back.” The Greek verb apelpizontes is rare and rich. It can mean either “hoping for nothing in return” or “never despairing.” Early translators like the King James read it the first way; the American Standard and some others read it the second: “never despairing.” Either way, Jesus calls us to a generosity that has no safety net of repayment. Lastly, God is described as chrēstos, kind, gentle, useful. The same word is used for the yoke of Christ in Matthew 11:30. God’s kindness isn’t stingy or conditional. It extends even to those who give nothing back.

Adam Clarke, a Methodist commentator, calls this “the most sublime precept ever delivered to man”, something only possible through supernatural help. John Calvin, a Reformed theologian, stresses that Jesus is not only forbidding usury but teaching a general principle of disinterested kindness toward all people. Gill, a Baptist, notes that “hoping for nothing again” may mean lending even when you have no hope of seeing principal or interest returned. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges points out another ancient reading: “driving no one to despair.” Across traditions, Christians agree that Jesus calls for a radical, open-handed generosity that mirrors God’s own indiscriminate goodness.

Some readers think Jesus forbids lending money with any expectation of repayment, making the command impractical for everyday life. In fact, the context shows Jesus contrasting the behavior of sinners, who only lend to people like themselves who can repay. His point is that his followers should also lend to those who cannot repay, even to enemies. The command is about the heart’s posture: generosity that doesn’t demand a return, not a blanket prohibition on normal lending arrangements.

This week, you will likely have a chance to help someone who has wronged you or who simply cannot repay you. It could be a loan of money, a gift of time, or an act of forgiveness. Jesus invites you to do it without keeping a mental tally. Let go of the hope that they will thank you or make it right. That kind of generosity feels risky. But it is how God treats you every day. He gives you sunshine and rain, breath and grace, whether you thank him or not. When you let go of the return, you start to look like your Father.